Customer Reviews

The Revolution of Little Girls

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

 

 

I found this to be a great book, and a good balance of humour, articulate writing, and honesty that cuts to the core. Boyd never ceases to amaze me with her ability to describe the intangible, or hint at things without really using words to describe. She leads you on with the essence of true experience and a gorgeous play of words.

This is a brief overview through the life of Ellen Burns. As a little girl, Ellen finds herself to be a tomboy, for she perfers to play in a rough manner. As an adult, she realizes she's a lesbian. She also feels as if her life is incomplete, but the "little girls" help her realize what she's missing in life. This book is full of interesting and amusing situations that Ellen goes through while becoming a woman. Situations that almost everyone goes through.

i enjoyed this book thoroughly until i got to the last chapter--the "visions" didn't work for me. i thought the realistic nature of ms. boyd's South and the humorous manner in which she approached some exceptionally difficult subjects were very well developed and well presented. i would definitely suggest this book to any of my midwestern friends who are interested in the societal expectations of southern women. all in all, it was a good, quick read.

This book was so cool. Everyone should read it. It is soo funny and you learn the facts of life.

I am at page 78 of this book whose words went right into my heart....

The reviews of this book were generally favorable but after I finished reading it I was dissatisfied. The book is not a novel in the traditional sense; rather, it's a group of loosely connected short stories that add up to less than the sum of their parts. Boyd is a decent writer -- I have no complaints about her style -- but her book had almost no impact on me; when I was done with it, I had to go back and reread parts of it to refresh my memory of what I had read. Not a good sign for me of a memorable book.

I picked up this book because the title and first few pages enticed me. I made it halfway through before I threw it against a wall in frustration. The prose is horrendous. Boyd spells out absolutely everything, leaves nothing to the readers imagination. We are constantly being told the state of affairs in the book. It's a very blunt style, absolutely no grace or subtlety in the narrative. The characters are stereotypical. The problems are trite. There is nothing fresh about the story or the style of writing. I couldn't belive this quality of work could be published. I'd be impressed if anyone that enjoys quality literature could actually make it to the end of this book.

There's nothing worse than a book that has you up until the end. Unfortunately this was one of those books. It was a good quirky novel, up until the last few chapters, when it just became a muddled mess. What was the point?! The book completely lost its focus, & I lost my interest. Blanche McRary Boyd forgot who her main character was & the book went downhill. All in all, a big buildup with an even bigger disappointment.

The structure is a little wonky (it would have benefited from a more conventional plot arc), but the content is lovely. Specific, searing details, a voice that strikes a perfect balance between country hick and observant authoress, and insightful but non-preachy commentary on race, class, and gender.