Customer Reviews

Other Bells for Us to Ring

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I am not religious and I'd rather stay away from religion. When I read the back of 'Other Bells for Us to Ring' I thought: oh know, a sappy religious novel. But I read it anyway, because I trusted Robert Cormier not to disappoint me with a sappy religious novel. Religious it was, sappy it was not! I've never been particularly interested in Catholicism and never knew much about it, but I learned a lot from this book and feel all the better doing so. Both Darcy and Kathleen Mary O'Hara are exceedingly likeable characters, particularly Kathleen Mary, who was in my eyes a younger version of Amy Hertz from Robert Cormier's novel 'I am the Cheese.' I thought there would be a happy ending. I really did. It was happy at first, when I learned that Darcy's father was safe and sound, but in the next chapter when I learned what happened to Kathleen Mary, all my expectations came down with a great and glorious crash. My father, when he saw me weeping, muttered about an 'adolescent mood swing.' I just kept sobbing. Why do good people have to die? Why?

Eleven-year-old Darcy Webster, caught between girlhood and adolescence during World War II, makes her first friend ever when she meets Kathleen Mary O'Hara, and their relationship blossoms until Kathleen Mary mysteriously disappears. At the same time, Darcy's father is reported missing in action. All this, plus Kathleen Mary's "baptizing" Darcy, brings her to a painful spiritual crisis.

Other Bells for Us to Ring is beautifully written but it raises many issues about God, miracles, growing up and alcoholism.

There are some beautiful passages where Cormier has blended words into a lovely picture.

It had wonderful characters. I felt like I was walking with Darcy through her personal tragedy. This is not a happy book, but I got a sense of strength feeling like I had gone through the same tragedies as the main character.

The most moving part in the entire story was when Darcy looked to an old nun, Sister Angela for help and wisdom, who explained the beauty of life and faith to her. I found this part amazing and extremely moving. I really got something out of it. Sister Angela's words were inspirational to me they really explained God to me. I knew who he was and everything. But I have never really understood things until I read what she said to Darcy.

I thought there would be a happy ending. I really did. It was happy at first, when I learned that Darcy's father was safe and sound, but in the next chapter when I learned what happened to Kathleen Mary, all my expectations came down with a great and glorious crash. It was powerful when John Francis showed up and gave Darcy the news. I thought that the giving of the doll gave me closure. It was a sad ending but yet it wasn't. It is quite hard to explain.

Overall this is a powerful book. It is truly exceptional.

As her father moves the family to an army town Darcy makes a new friend in an otherwise strange setting. She and Kathleen Mary become inseparable, best friends forever, and begin a journey of friendship that exposes Darcy to the Catholic faith. One day Kathleen Mary is gone and Darcy's father is missing in action. Darcy seeks out the help and wisdom of an old nun who explains the beauty of life and faith to her. As Darcy struggles with the loss of friend and father her newly discovered knowledge helps her through. This is a beautifully written story, one that is probably best suited for ages 11 and up. There are some beautiful passages where Cormier has blended words and imagery into a lovely picture.

Cormier has always written wonderful characters. His books have always been invitations to walk with them through their personal torment. This is not a happy book, his books never are. You get a sense of strength having gone through the same tragedies as the main character. Its a warm embrace into a cold world.

Every now and then I enjoy reading something written for children or teenagers (or YA as that crowd is called in the publishing game). Robert Cormier's OTHER BELLS FOR US TO RING falls somewhere in between, for the 11 to 12 year-old group. My younger son, who is now approaching forty, has been a Cormier fan ever since reading THE CHOCOLATE WARS back in junior high. I figured it was hight time I tried reading something by Cormier and this book's WWII setting appealed to me. I found the story engaging, moving and full of hope. Its heroine, 11 year-old Darcy Webster, wrestles with problems of faith and friendship, often thorny subjects at that age. She's a non-churchgoing Unitarian, but her new best friend, Kathleen Mary O'Hara, is an Irish Catholic. They bond as 'outsiders' in a mostly "French Canuck" community in WWII era Massachusetts. Darcy's father, a recovering alcholic, enlists in the army and is sent overseas with the Corps of Engineers and is soon reported MIA. Kathleen Mary is part of a large family with a violently abusive father. When the family suddenly disappears from the Frenchtown neighborhood, Darcy is devastated. She wishes she knew how to pray, both for her father and her friend. What she doesn't realize is that her inchoate heartfelt prayers are perhaps the most precious kind of all. There are surprising twists here, both happy and sad, as Darcy makes that always painful transition from childhood to young adulthood.

I was reminded of another similar book for young people I read a few years ago, also set during WWII, but in southeast Michigan, called WILLOW RUN, by Patricia Reilly Giff. It would make a suitable companion piece to read with this one. Both books bring back the wartime experience from a child's point of view.

In short, OTHER BELLS FOR US TO RING is a beautiful little book about those three things we always heard so much about while growing up - faith, hope and love. My son picked a good one; Cormier is a wonderful writer. I will recommend this book highly. - Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir BOOKLOVER

Note that this book was published in Great Britain under the title <Darcy>.

This is Cormier's first novel for younger readers (10-12 years). He is best known for his teen fiction.

<Other Bells For Us to Ring> is a novel about the loss of childhood. Befriending Kathleen Mary O'Hara is the climax of eleven-year-old Darcy's life as a youngster. Kathleen is vivacious and plucky, and together the two lead a happy, carefree and fulfilled life. But this glow of innocence is not to last, and not simply because Kathleen has to leave town. Darcy must soon face a more adult world in which there is much uncertainty, in which one must care for ones family rather than be cared for, and in which death is very real.

Unlike Cormier's earlier works, however, this is not a novel in which the world seems to be totally black. Amongst the darkness there is a strong theme of hope and faith. This arises from an emphasis on the Christian religion. This is new territory for Cormier and at one point in the book he stumbles in his writing a little. When the conversation turns directly to theology the explanations are a little too pat, too dismissive, to do justice to the complexity of real life. But where Cormier concentrates on demonstrating truth through drama he excels. This book is truly moving in parts, even for those who are not of a religious bent.

The main character of the adult novel <A Little Raw on Monday Mornings> is female, however, with that exception, up until this point in his career, Cormier had chosen to write virtually exclusively about males. It is thus with some surprise that we find that this book is full of females. Most of these characters are capable women, in their own individual, very different ways. Darcy is quiet, but reflective: able to think out most of the problems that face her. Kathleen, as we have noted, knows her own mind and is not afraid to share it. Darcy's mother is a capable woman who joins the war effort when her husband disappears overseas as a soldier. Sister Angela is deeply wise and full of compassion: able to help people in an unusual way. What ties all of these females is their ability to understand the subtleties of life and to communicate with other women. Mini Tourneau stands out as the exception. She represents deeply-hurt, emotionally-crippled womanhood. Cormier has managed to create interesting and memorable characters, particularly Kathleen and Mini. Darcy, however, is the only character who develops considerably, learning from life.

This is a highly `psychological' book, centering on people's thoughts and emotions, however, plot moves along nicely, having a number of surprise high points. The book is divided into two halves: one covering the joys of friendship in childhood, and the other covering the stresses and responsibility of maturity. The book is a short length, having just seven chapters, yet Cormier has managed to pack a great deal into it. This novel makes fine reading for younger readers.

This may not be Cormier's best work, but it should certainly not be neglected. Cormier is such a good writer that even his lesser works are well worth reading.