Customer Reviews

Preacher's Boy (Katherine Paterson)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Robbie's father is a preacher in Vermont in 1899, but Robbie has come to belief that religion is just too hard, and he'd better get in as much living as possible before the world ends. His schemes to become notable involve him in many mishaps but most of all he wants to test his father's love for him over his retarded older brother. This fine story of belief takes the tone of a Tom Sawyer-like adventure.

What a lovely way to learn about the turn of the century.Bobbie has a conscience. a loving brother, and a supportive family asPa and he greet 1900. This is a wonderful book because of the language and the ideas. Go for it!

A book by Katherine Paterson is always difficult to judge. The main reason is because she has written a truly great book--"Bridge to Terabithia"--and a number of others that are nearly as great. Because of this, there is a tendency to be a tougher judge of her books as if every new novel should be a masterpiece. Fortunately, Ms. Paterson lives up to the challenge time after time.

I am constantly amazed at how well Ms. Paterson is able to write in the voice of young person, creating very realistic characters. Though a bit older myself these days, I can identify very well with Robbie as he stuggles with the difficulties in his life. I am particularly impressed with the depiction of Robbie's relationship with his father and how he struggles to understand him. Also, the difficulties he has in being himself while at the same time trying to be the son of a good man who has an important and public job in his hometown.

Though I don't think any good book is really gender-specific to an active reader, I can see where young boys would find this book speaking to them a little more. Still, I would encourage anyone with a love of good literature to read this book. It is a stong depiction of an interesting character.

I picked out this book to read because of the author. I had read 'Bridge to Terabithia' two years before for school and I loved it, so I figured that anything else written by Katherine Paterson would be just as good. I was right. I started the book because of the author, and I finished it because of the story.

Preacher's Boy is about a young boy in 1899 who thinks that the world will end with the year. His father is the town preacher, but Robbie, the boy, thinks that the ten commandments are too confining. He thinks that since he can't do wat he wants while he is a Christian, he will become an atheist. Unfortunantly, he doesn't know what they are areally called, so he spends the entire book calling himself an apeist.

This book is filled with laughs and funny situations, many of which made me laugh out loud. I would definantly recommend this book to anyone that wants a good laugh. This book is probably best for ages 7-14, although I think that anyone would enjoy it.

Don't get me wrong, this book wasn't bad. I just felt that it never got the spark that distinguishes an "okay" book from a really good book.

First of all, it seemed to me that the book was really slow-moving. It didn't take me that long to finish the entire book, but I think it was halfway before I felt that the book really got moving.

Robbie was a problem for me as well. There are some characters that you come to love, and some that you just want to hate, but Robbie just seemed lukewarm to me, and it took me awhile to even like him enough to care very much what was happening. Besides this, Robbie can take the time to become philisophical, much older for his years, such as in his musings about how "Violet" got changed to "Vile", etc, but can't seem to figure out up from down in other instances.

There are quite a few things that seem extraneous, and don't help to move forward the plot very well.

The other thing that irks me is that Robbie's father is JUST TOO PERFECT. I know that he's the preacher, etc, but nobody is THAT perfect.

Noted author Paterson has one the prestigious Newbery Medal twice in her prolific career; with this book, she very well may find herself a candidate once again. The crystalline prose, the finely wrought setting, and the unforgettable characters that are the hallmarks of her work are all present again in this historical novel of turn-of-the-20th-century small-town Vermont. This is the story of Robbie Hewitt, indeed a preacher's boy, who, in the finest Huck Finn/Tom Sawyer traditions, finds himself definitely at odds with the role his family and his father's flock expect of him. Like his literary predecessors, Robbie must face a nigh impossible situation which leads to an ultimate maturing. This reviewer must wonder if Ms. Paterson is familiar with the thought and teaching of contemporary theologian Matthew Fox because there are some striking similarities in her novel. What a great master's thesis or doctoral dissertation that would make! However, the theology never clouds the plot or Robbie and the book is a very satisfying read.

At first I was skeptical about this book because in the beginning of the book Robbie and Willie just play pranks on the other townspeople. I soon realized I was wrong. It was jam-packed with action,adventure,love and care. It made me feel as though I was joining Robbie on his big adventures. This book is thrilling and is a must-read. I would recommend this book to anyone of any age. This was a swell read.

The Preacher's Boy is about a young man who finds that he has yet to do many things before the turn of the century, in case the world comes to an end or something, so he bcomes an athiest, almost kills someone, runs away from home, and gets to ride in a motor car. This book is filled with laughs, it is a good read. Fans of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Fin-like stories will enjoy this book, Preacher's Boy.

I thought that Preacher's boy had an intresting first couple chapters but after that i started to notice it got boring. i think there should be more of a plot in the book. it is basically about 2 boys named robbie and willie who pull pranks and get in trouble. After Robbie meats Zeb and Vile it gets a little better but I still think it could of been a little more well-written.

I thought this book only disurved 3 stars because I really didn't get into it that much. I almost just sat it down and found a new book after reading the first chapter of it. I mean all that was in it was that Robbie and his friend Willie were basically in some kind of prank pulling contest. Them against the Weston boys. It sounded really boring. Anyway it ended up getting a little bit more interesting when Robbie's bigger brother Elliot, who is kind of mest up in the head, gets lost on the forth of July. Then the next day when Robbie and his friend Willie were supposed to be going fishing Willie Grandma has him working. So Robbie to there secret hideout and that's when he finds so poor people living in their now. That's all I can really tell without telling the end.