Customer Reviews

The Lottery Rose: A Novel

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

When seven-year-old Georgie is beaten nearly to death by his mother and her boyfriend, the police take him out of his home and put him in a Catholic boarding school for boys. The only posession he brings with him is a rosebush he won in a lottery. At first, Georgie behaves like your typical abused child -- he is crabby and doesn't trust anybody. That especially includes Molly Harper, a woman who lives next door to the school.

Molly lost a child about Georgie's age and at the beginning of the book she wanted nothing to do with little boys, and was furious when she found out that Georgie planted his rosebush in her garden. She ripped it out, earning Georgie's wrath. Molly later regretted her actions and allowed him to replant the bush, but he wouldn't forgive her. He'd spend lots of time in the company of Mr. Collier, her father, and Robin, her adorable retarded son, but he would barely speak to Molly.

Through the kindness of Molly, Mr. Collier, the nuns who taught at the school, and his classmates, Georgie was eventually able to rise out of his earlier life and become a happy-go-lucky, lovable little boy. He even was able to forgive Molly. When tragedy struck, he and Molly both realized anew how much they meant to each other. While the book didn't say, I forsee Molly adopting Georgie in the future.

This is a wonderful novel. The child abuse, while graphic, is not gratituous. The characters were very real and understandable, even Georgie's mother and her boyfriend. Portions of this book made me weep, which is not something that can be said for most books. I highly recommend, especially to anyone who is a mother that lost a child, or who is interested in child abuse and its aftermath.

The book the Lottery Rose, written by Irene Hunt is a deeply touching and gripping story about a 7 year old boy named Georgie who is abused by his mother Rennie and her boyfriend, Steve. One day, when his mother is drunk and gives Georgie money to buy food at the grocery store,he uses the change to buy a lottery ticket. On the day of the lottery, he discovers that his prize is a rosebush. Georgie loves his rosebush. One night, after being abused, it is decided that Georgie will be sent to an all boy's school run by nuns in Tampa, Florida. There, he meets Sister Mary Angela who gives Georgie the opportunity to plant his bush almost anywhere he pleases. But where will he decide to plant his rosebush and will he be happy at his new school? The Lottery Rose is an emotional and realistic stroy of human struggle and injustice affecting the life of a young boy who has been victimized in his childhood. Georgies's innocent personality quickly captured my sympathy and pressed me to closely follow the events which unfold in this gripping story. The situations in which Georgie found himself seemed true to life and easily touched my sense of curiousity. Questions such as "Will Georgie find loving adults that will take good care of him?" "Will he be given a fair opportunity to develop his personal interests?" " Is Georgie destined to a life of misery or happines?" beckoned to be answered and motivated me to read the stroy to its conclusion.

The Lottery Rose, by the excellent author Irene Hunt, is a heartwrenching story about a little seven year-old boy struggling to survive in his own household. His alcoholic mother and her evil boyfriend Steve physically and verbally abuse Georgie Burgess. Craving for love, and living in a broken home, he courageously endures his beatings hoping that someday it will end.
At a grocery store lottery, Georgie wins a little rose bush, which receives all the attention, love, and care that he is starved of. The rosebush becomes a symbol of love and hope for the deprived child, and he becomes attached to it for security. Flowers are the only thing he finds true beauty in, which is why he is so connected to his rosebush.
School is no refuge for this innocent child marked "trouble maker" by his ignorant teachers. He grew up being told and thinking he was dumb, which ruined his self-opinion from a young age. He has no where to run or hide from pain, and is chained to his mother by love, until one day Steve and Rennie go too far and nearly kill him in their usual drunken rage. The police then remove Georgie from his broken home filled with scarring memories.
Georgie is removed from his home and placed in a Catholic school for boys. He has a difficult time learning how to give and accept love- something he's never had. He gains more self-esteem when he learns how to read, and realizes he was never dumb to begin with. It takes time to heal emotionally and not deny the scars covering his back.
I compare this book to They Cage the Animals at Night an equally appalling and emotionally powerful novel based on a true story about child abuse. Books like these make your problems seem ridiculous and easy, and your life more fortunate. The painful experiences Georgie endured will haunt him the rest of his life; he will always be different. To make matters worse, he becomes best friends with a little boy who suffers from a mental problem. Georgie understands this boy named Robin, because they are both different. One day Robin dies, and Georgie experiences more tragedy. Irene Hunt has mastered the art of character development. As ALA Booklist states, "A deeply affecting, affirmative story..." The best thing about this book is it is only a story.
I recommend The Lottery Rose to any reader who loves children, or who is an alcoholic, or who believes in anti-alcoholism, or is a Catholic, or is a mother who lost her child, or any person interested in reading an amazing novel about misfortune and life's many problems, and how they can be changed for the better. I give this book the 5 stars it deserves.

i think this is a really good book, it keeps you wanting to continue reading it and not put the book down. But i think its really sad how he is pretty much on his own at age 7. How sad would it be to be abused by your mother and your moms bofriend. Its a sad book because this really does happen to kids out there in the world. and its sad to think how much pain and suffering they go through. Its sad that he has to have a rosebush be his best friend. But its good hes sent to a bording school to get away from his mother and mothers bofriend, to keep him safe. this book is sad, but its a well written book.

Abused, neglected, an appearance to match your life and deprived of happiness and love, little Georgie Burgess redefines the meaning of tough in the novel The Lottery Rose. Your mother is drowned in a sea of alcohol every night and there is no defense for you withstand the menacing blows of her boyfriend those were just some of Georgie's daily issues. There was also his lack of understanding in school, an outside porch to sleep on, and never enough food to eat in the kitchen.
It was a miracle Georgie could manage to stay alive under the circumstances he was forced to live in. However Georgie found a way to hide his hurt and disguise his pain. Instead of running away from home Georgie ran away to the garden and got to feel true happiness with the roses. He had once received a lottery card from a sympathetic employee at the corner market, the prize was a bundle of small dried out roses that Georgie adored and claimed it was the best present in the world when he won them. Georgie knew his mother's boyfriend Steve would not agree with Georgie's present considering he once strangled a small kitten Georgie brought home. Georgie drove Steve crazy and his anger reached its pinnacle when Georgie would scream shrieks of terror every time he saw Steve. One night Steve decided he wasn't going to take it anymore and beat Georgie unconscious. He was shortly rescued by a group of strangers trying to convince him he was going to be ok.
Georgie's real life experience didn't really start until he had left the hospital and his old home and was now under the care of Sister Mary Angela in a private religious school out in the middle of nowhere. Georgie started there as an outcast and very shy of his friendly surroundings. Georgie was not the brightest crayon in the box and the other young boys were taking notice of his unkempt appearance and tormenting him about it. However Georgie did end up making a best friend Timothy who tried nothing more than to befriend Georgie. While at this school Georgie furthered his passion for roses, in fact he still cherished his small bundle of dried roses and chartered them around. It was not long before Georgie spotted the perfect place to plant his roses, what he didn't know was that this would be start of his next major life crisis.
Throughout his very few years of existence Georgie has encountered more obstacles than most adults can account for in their lifetimes. Georgie has been nearly dead and had experienced death. By the end of the novel Georgie had learned not only to give love to his roses and Robin but he can now except love from Mrs. Harper and Sister Mary Angela.
The Lottery Rose is a heart touching novel that causes the reader to connect with Georgie Burgess and share in some of his pain and heartache, but also to respect his strength and defense. It opened my eyes to a world of suffering we so easily block out today. It forced me to analyze the reality of our modern day society and the novel brings new meaning to the phrase: "who said growing up would be easy."

With a book such as the one I read, one must be careful what kind of audience is hearing it. This book dealt with many sensitive issues which include abuse, death, and general life choices. The Lottery Rose by Irene Hunt takes on these issues very directly. Georgie Burgess, the hero of the story, must endure many hardships that no child should have to face. He lives a very difficult life, this is how Hunt chose to begin the story. The abuse he suffers is horrendous and really takes the reader into the story with him. Hunt follows this young boy from the beginning in school, and goes full circle with the ending as he finishes school. However, reading the beginning makes the reader feel powerless for him. This bothered me a bit about the story. I truly felt helpless, I kept having to reassure myself that this wasn't real. That is what made it a good story: the character was so real to me that I wanted to help him and make life a little bit better for him. This story is very touching, but it might seem very overwhelming to the younger readers. I read it originally in sixth grade and was very upset by the story. However, over the years I have read it many times and I learn more each time. I love watching Georgie as he goes from living with his mother and her boyfriend to living in his school and the progressions he makes while he's there. I loved the fact that, as a reader, Hunt allowed me to see Georgie's gradual successes. No matter how warm the book ends and progresses, it is a book geared toward the older students with the emotional capacity to handle such a tragic beginning. There are graphic depictions of the violence that Georgie endures in his tale. However, for the rocky beginning there is a touching ending that will bring tears to any reader's eyes. The touching tale comes to a close with Georgie Burgess traveling toward his own happiness. Irene Hunt, the author, spins this tale with knowledge of this way of life like it was first hand to her in some fashion. She has the talent to write a very real story, but she knows how to soften the ending and leave the reader feeling warm inside. The Lottery Rose is not a story for everyone. This story should only be read with forewarning of the pain that the reader will experience along with Georgie as he meanders through this touching tale.

Normally, I don't like stories that are sad or require you to be sympethising. However, this book is one of the best I have ever read. Its a moving story that no preteen or teenager should miss out on. My 6th grade teacher had the class read this book, and I adored it. A boy, who has nothing and is beated up by a evil man, loves roses. Later, he wins a bush that means everything to him. Yes, this sounds strange, but if you read the book it will make sense. After reading this book, I have a better appreciation of my life.

This book is very sad but at times very heart-warming. It brought tears to my eyes. I'm going to order it and read it over. I read it in fifth grade when I was eleven, and I had one of the best book experiences that I ever had. This book is: sad, emotional, happy at times, and very interesting. The ending though was so confusing. How Georgie gave something up that was so precious to him. I won't give the book away, because that's not fun. This book has some abuse in it, but that really makes you look at life better. I've read reviews that said that there is too much abuse, and it just isn't a big deal. I think that books that make you cry, and touch you so deaply, can make you look at life better. This book is so wonderful that it feels as if it's real life, well this story could happen, really. Read this book, it is so great. I don't know how anyone can hate it, it's just not possinle. three *... stars is as low as it can go. I really want to buy this book again, and read it over and over. I never get tired of it, and I'm sure you won't either. Very Good book. Unlike any other. If you don't read it, you'll feel so bad, because it's so good. Just put a bucket in front of you incase you cry, and three boxes of tissues next to you. I cried because of the sad parts in it, I cried because it ended. Such a sad story. And if there are any parents reading this right now, well you don't have to worry about a thing. This book is great for kids. (It may even get them to behave better! I bet you'll love that) It really made me behave better. This book really moved me, and I'm sure it will move you completely. But don't forget the tissues and the buckets, You'll need it later trust me.

Do you have a mom that abuses you on and off? Well, poor little 7-year-old Georgie does. One day he wins a rosebush and that rosebush becomes his best friend. This book, The Lottery Rose, by Irene Hunt is a tearjerker that scores a perfect 10.

Then Georgie is sent to a boarding school by the state. Georgie befriends Robin who is a little boy who can't talk, but Georgie teaches him to speak a little. But one day Robin falls in a lake... Will he ever learn to speak fully? This odd friendship is startng to fall apart.

Irene Hunt wrote Across Five Aprils & Up A Road Slowly, both winning Newbury medals. I recommend this book to young adults and adults that like sad books, but not to people who need a good laugh. Georgie needs to learn to forgive the world. Don't we all?

This is the heart moving story of Georgie Burnees. Georgie is a 7 year old "trouble maker", or so he has been labeled by his classmates and teacher. Even though he trys to behave some times, it's not easy when you've always had it rough.
Irene Hunt does a wonderful job of capturing the hurt and love of a child in The Lottery Rose. Her writing brings to light what far too many children sometimes endure in their life.
Georgie is only a 7 year old boy, yet he's seen and felt more pain than many adults. In fact it's adults that are always hurting him, even the one that should love him the most, his mom. Rennie thought of her son only as a burden.
Rennie would even help her boyfriend Steve lock her son in the closet, sometimes for days. Steve was not Georgie's dad, to him the boy was a problem. Georgie had been abused ever since he was a baby.
He'd been beaten black and blue by Steve for years. Steve scared Georgie so bad looking at him could make him scream, and then came another beating.
The only thing that brought Georgie peace was flowers. With a stroke of luck he won a rose bush in a grocery lottery. It was the only thing he had ever won, and it was the best prize in the world to him. That night when he returned home with his rose bush, Steve almost beat him to death. That was the last beating he ever got and the last time he would be in that house. Soon after he was on his was to a safe school for boys.
While there, Georgie starts to learn that not all life is bad and neither are all people. But after a life time of abuse and pain, love is hard to take.
The rose bush he won is a start to giving his love and learning how to receiving it from others, no matter how hard the journey.
To tell much more would give away some of the best parts of the book. It ends in tragedy yet, still there is hope and love, as two heart broken people find each other. In the end, there is hope and love for two people that have known pain beyond their years.
I would recommend this book to everyone. To me it was a page turner full of real feelings. Personally, I enjoyed the whole book front to back.