Customer Reviews

Paper Wings

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Paper Wings manages to maintain a unique, sweet, clear voice and vision. Another "fictional memoir" about being a child during the Kennedy assassination? "Oh, spare me!", right? Swick's book has an excellent, easy flow, and, although it's not a "can't put it down" book, you certainly don't want to put it down. Worth ordering though it seems to be currently out of print.

For anyone who grew up with a mentally unstable or an unhappy mother and remembers November 23, 1963, this book is a must. It has been at least ten years since I have read a book from cover to cover in one sitting. The writing is superb with such clear imagery that I often thought, "That's exactly how one feels!" The author is an artist. Her writing flows without pompousness, pretension, or contrivance of plot.

I liked this book; it's a fairly typical baby boomer coming-of-age book with all the stock middle America characters, but it was well done and had a few interesting twists. The anachronisms got to me, though. (A *used* Mustang in 1963, when the first Mustang didn't come out until 1964?) This felt like a 1990's view of the early 1960's, and for that reason it didn't ring true.

This is a beautifully written novel that evokes the zeitgeist of the times. I could picture the houses and the neighborhood exactly. The assassination of JFK was a pivotal moment in my life as it was in this book. The relationship between Suzanne and her mother, Helen, was well-defined. On the one hand I wanted to shake Helen to make her come to her senses, but on the other I empathized with her unhappiness. For once I wished a book had been longer--the ending seemed rushed and I had a lot of questions about the fate of the other characters. The detail about the Mustang bothered me too since my parents bought one of the first ones. It didn't come out until 1964.

I just finished this book and am still savoring its sweetness! Marly Swick is a new-found hero of mine.....she proves an incredible talent for letting you see through the eyes of a 12-year old child in this coming-of-age, touching and reminiscent novel. Her attention to detail is an important aspect of her writing and allowed me to relate entirely to this story of growing up in the 1960's. I found this book comforting and joyful, even in its "sadness", and that is a true testament to Ms. Swick's abilities!

12 year old Suzanne Keller thinks everything is finally going right when her family moves into their new home. Her mother isn't gulping down aspirin or immobile with a migraine. She seems to turn into the mother she has always wanted. That's until the news of JFK's assassination rocks her world.

Suzanne's mother, Helen was obsessed by him, his family and all he stood for. Once again, she is irrational, nervous, chain smoking and chain reading, looking for an answer to the question mark of her life.

The family disintergrates around Suzanne as her mother tries to deal with the demons of her past and get a grip on the future.

this book is the most realistic book i've ever read.if you've ever had to live with a mother who was obsesive,you'd know exactly what the 1963 girl was talking about.

this is the most beautiful book I have ever read. It evoke's tears in my eyes, just thinking about it. I identified with it like magic. Marly Swick is a genius and a magician.