Based on the lives of the author's mother and grandmother, tells the story of a widowed Croatian immigrant trying to keep her family together in the mining towns of Ontario in the 1920s and 1930s.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9-This novel takes place predominantly in Canada's coal-mining territory and ends at the beginning of World War II. Frances begins her story in 1923, when her father died in a mining accident and she was born, and narrates it in chapters divided by milestones in her Croatian family's life. She lives in a boarding house filled with her two brothers and scores of extended family members in addition to the paying customers, the miners. Poverty and worry about injury to the mine workers are a constant presence. Frequent allusions to mystical occurrences and visions in the child's imagination are woven into her story. Descriptions are rich; for example, Frances depicts awaking to "-deep dark. Four A.M. When the dreams lay upon me, thick as vapor-." Such depictions are plentiful and will help define the story for readers. Accurate historical references describing transportation, housekeeping, current events, and daily living set the story firmly in the first half of the 20th century. Schwartz's novel emphasizes the joys of a closely knit family, no matter what their economic status.
Susan Cooley, Tower Hill School, Wilmington, DE
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Susan Cooley, Tower Hill School, Wilmington, DE
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Messenger is a wonderful story well told. Aimed at readers aged 12 and up, this is the very best kind of book for children: a real novel with a real story beautifully told."
-- January Magazine --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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More About the Author
BIOGRAPHY
Virginia Frances Schwartz
Virginia was born in Ontario, Canada and has taught writing for twenty-five years. She was a Staff Developer in a School of Writing & Publishing and is currently a Creative Writing Instructor at UCLA Extension online. Her award winning novels include: IF I JUST HAD TWO WINGS, winner of the Geoffrey Bilson, Silver Birch, Red Cedar and Myrca; SEND ONE ANGEL DOWN, recipient of a Parents Choice Gold award; INITIATION, nominated for the Sunburst, Stellar, Rocky Mountain & Snow Willow award, Notable Book by Kuriyama and shortlisted for CLA Book of the Year; MESSENGER, a Best Book for YA from the NYC Public Library; 4 KIDS IN 5E & 1 CRAZY YEAR and the newly released CROSSING TO FREEDOM. She currently resides in NYC.
Virginia Frances Schwartz
Virginia was born in Ontario, Canada and has taught writing for twenty-five years. She was a Staff Developer in a School of Writing & Publishing and is currently a Creative Writing Instructor at UCLA Extension online. Her award winning novels include: IF I JUST HAD TWO WINGS, winner of the Geoffrey Bilson, Silver Birch, Red Cedar and Myrca; SEND ONE ANGEL DOWN, recipient of a Parents Choice Gold award; INITIATION, nominated for the Sunburst, Stellar, Rocky Mountain & Snow Willow award, Notable Book by Kuriyama and shortlisted for CLA Book of the Year; MESSENGER, a Best Book for YA from the NYC Public Library; 4 KIDS IN 5E & 1 CRAZY YEAR and the newly released CROSSING TO FREEDOM. She currently resides in NYC.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must read for historical novel lovers,
By
This review is from: Messenger (Paperback)
This is a moving and detailed portrait of family and community of Eastern European immigrants to North America in the 1920-30s. Hope, heartbreak, historical details are all woven into a beautiful narrative.Schwartz has a beautiful, inviting writing style that makes you want to gobble up the story in one reading! My maternal family had a very similar story; Schwartz made it all so real that I could almost smell the buttery mashed potatoes and taste vinegary sauerkraut!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful,
This review is from: Messenger (Paperback)
I enjoyed this book tremendously. It's very different from anything I've read before, and I read a lot. There is a dream quality to it - it floats - it's like a ride on a slow river and if you sit back and enjoy the scenery, you'll enjoy the ride. "Messenger" deals with hard times and hard themes like death and poverty, yet somehow the hard edges are removed.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Messenger" -A time machine!,
By The Daughter of a King (Desert) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Messenger (Hardcover)
Though it has been a year or so that I've read "Messenger" its characters still linger on within me. It took me back to a place in time that I had never been to before. Took me into the home of a family and a young girl that captured my heart. Although I am an adult I recommend this book to anyone regardless of age. It is a time machine. Once you open it you are taken to that very time and place and soon you are a part of the characters.Virginia Frances Schwartz is and always will be one of my favorite authors. -Thank you, Gini! Frances Quintana Al Anbar Province, Iraq
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