Customer Reviews

Saving Cicadas

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Saving Cicadas is a truly moving book. I always appreciate a book that can surprise me. I began to read this book with no clear expectations, but it soon became apparent that the author was trying to send a message. In a world that is almost completely pro-choice, I was very grateful to find that Ms. Seitz was offering both viewpoints. Not only does she represent the ideas and beliefs an unwed mother with limited options, but she also shows us how the mother's young daughters feel on the subject. It is easy to change our values as we become adults. Things that were once black and white become gray. We can delude ourselves into thinking that a woman should be able to choose whether or not she has a baby, that it isn't really murder. Ms. Seitz brings abortion to light through the eyes of child. Janie's questions and insight force the reader to dig deep and face the truth. I love this book because of the excellent writing, engaging characters, and strong sense of purpose. I would recommend it to all mothers and all those considering abortions. I feel that this book could also be very useful in talking to teens pregnancy and abortion. Ms. Seitz is a courageous author who is unafraid to speak out against social injustices. I applaud her efforts and praise her ability to tell a good yarn.

I picked up this book because I liked the cover and the blurb on the back sounded intriguing. The beginning of the book was OK - I liked Janie's precociousness, and was interested in the family's history. However, I do not think it was that well written - Seitz uses statements like "Little did we know what was to come would change our life forever" to keep a reader's interest, over and over again. The writing is choppy, and the book doesn't get actually interesting until the last few chapters. Also, while there is a twist at the end, anybody who has seen a very famous movie starring a former action hero (I don't want to say the title and give away the ending), would have seen the twist coming within the first few chapters.

Another problem I had with this book was the anti-abortion stance. When I picked up the book, I had no idea how religious the book would be or how much Seitz would use the story to criticize abortion. I'm not a religious person, and completely disagreed with Seitz' viewpoint, and didn't appreciate being tricked into buying some gimmicky 'God is Great' book. There should be some warning, along the lines of "Buyer Beware", so that unaware readers such as myself aren't clobbered over the head with Seitz' one-sided views on how women handle abortion.

And lastly, her descriptions of angels and heaven and God are completely cliche and bored me endlessly. Even if the book was too religious for my taste, I would have been able to appreciate good writing if good writing is in front of me. However, Seitz has poor descriptive abilities and too often relies on cliche.

There are reasons that I avoid reading Christian fiction - this book encompasses all of those reasons, and then some. I was extremely disappointed with this novel, which did not bill itself as Christian-themed, but rather as a Southern family drama. Seitz did write some interesting characters, people whose lives I could have been interested in learning more about; her overly simplistic handling of Priscilla's unplanned pregnancy, however, and her preachy, anti-abortion message that read like bad propoganda completely turned me off even the most compelling moments in the novel - not that there were many to begin with. Add to these elements a lot of off-putting talk about God and angels and 'surprise' plot twists that were wholly predictable and you get a dull novel that I couldn't wait to finish. The book description and marketing plan should absolutely indicate the heavy-handed Christian content so that readers can make a more informed purchasing decision.

"Saving Cicadas" is a story with a powerful message weaved in without preaching. The main voice, a child, is honest and innocent. The story keeps you turning pages and at the end, in quiet reflection.

SAVING CICADAS completely surprised me. Seemingly a story about a single mother, her parents, and two daughters, all off on a family car trip to the unknown. Or is it? This story is proof that you should never "assume" you know where a story is going. This book starts in one place and, once you're so sure where the story is going, picks you up and puts you in a completely different place. You are three-quarters through the book before you actually realize what the story is about - all the while completely enjoying the sweet little family car trip story. I can't imagine anyone reading this book and not being surprised where the journey takes you. Lovable characters, realistic story, part mystery and part.... surprise party is the only way I can describe it. I'm not sure I've ever read a book that snuck up on me like this one did. I honestly didn't see the "twist" to the story coming.

Very unique, very enjoyable, highly recommended.

Janie Doe is an eight year old whose life is less than ordinary. Living in a dysfunctional family in South Carolina, she does her best to cope with her unpleasant circumstances. With no father around, a mother coming apart at the seams, and a seventeen year old sister suffering from Down syndrome, her hopes and aspirations for living a normal life live quietly in her dreams.

When her mother Priscilla discovers that she is unexpectedly pregnant, she decides to take the family on a road trip in order to clear her mind. With no job or means in which to support her family, she packs up her daughters with her mother and father in tow and heads nowhere in particular in hopes of coming to terms with the unfortunate hand that she has been dealt.

As life sometimes does, she makes a full circle by heading back home to her childhood house. Upon her arrival, she reconnects with her brother Pastor Fritz which helps fill the familial void she's been carrying around for the better part of her life. Hoping to find Janie's dad Harlan so that they can once again become a family, she embarks on a journey to put her life back in order.

Within no time, Priscilla makes peace with her new set of circumstances. With a new job and a roof above her head, she finally feels as if she can provide a nurturing home for her girls. If only she could turn back the clock and do away with her unwanted pregnancy. Then, her life would be complete. Yet, would destroying an innocent unborn baby's life in order to better provide for the children nestled in her arms truly be unjust?

SAVING CICADAS is a powerful novel by the very talented Low country author Nicole Seitz who dares to ask the question about the validity of an unborn child's right to life. Through vivid and unforgettable characters, she reminds us all of the sheer beauty in the miracle of life. From start to finish, Seitz's story is truly a gem.

Janie is an eight-year-old girl surrounded by a dysfunctional family. Her mother carries an unwanted child, her grandmother is the meanest person she knows and her sister, Rainey, has Downs Syndrome and struggles to understand. The crisis pregnancy leads to a road trip that changes Janie's life, as she knows it, forever. From the mountains to dirty motels to a dream house, the trail Janie learns she must walk is not easy, but it has the chance to save lives.

It's hard to write a review of this book and not give any spoilers. I think the author did an excellent job at creating a tale filled with a mystery that is not resolved until the end. Although there are hints throughout the story, they only serve to pique interest, they do not blatantly reveal all the is going on involving the characters. I admired that the author wrote the story in such a way that although she was revealing hints all along the way, the reader could easily miss those hints until the end. I confess, I did that and found myself going back to make sure that everything really did line up and make sense. I was pleasantly surprised that it did.

I was riveted from the first sentence. This is a lovely, heartwarming story. It is the story of single mother, Pricilla Macy and her 17 year old daughter Rainey (who has Downs Sybdrome) and little 8 1/2 year old Janie. Pricilla has discovered she is pregnant again and they have set out on a road trip with Grandma Mona and Poppy along for the trip.

Janie and Grandma Mona narrate the entire story. Janie wanted to help her mother so much with this decision she was trying to make, regarding what to do about another baby on the way? Poppy, their grandfather, is so loving and thoughtful and Grandma Mona a little more tough acting. As the story develops though, there will be a transformation among them all.

This author writes from her heart. I appreciate the detail and time spent on writing this lovely novel. Whether a person is on the right or wrong side of abortion and adoption this is a book that will touch your heart.

I will remember this for a long, long time.

This is from my wife:

"This is a novel from a Christian publishing house that grapples in unexpected ways with matters of loss, grief, regret, forgiveness and reconciliation. Janie is an eight-and-a-half year old girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She takes it upon herself to try to counsel her flailing mother through major life decisions. Early in the novel, we wonder why her mother lets her take this all on. Later in the novel, we understand.

Abortion is a key issue in this novel.

The language of the novel flows nicely and it pulled me along through the story. I enjoyed the main character and the complexity of her situation. When I was mid-way through the book, I still didn't recognize what it was really about. Things twist in strange directions closer to the end. The author invites us to look at the spiritual world in a creative way. I wasn't completely comfortable with it, but I think it could be helpful to some.

This book won't be for everyone. In fact, I think there will be many who hate it. Anyone who is open to considering the spiritual side of family planning would find it an interesting read."

This is the description of Saving Cicadas, by Nicole Seitz, found on the back of the book: "Part road trip, part mystery, and completely unexpected. Saving Cicadas picks you up in one place and puts you down someplace else entirely...."

And with that, I'm saying no more, at least where the book takes you, because I may end up ruining the ending for you, and trust me when I say, this is one book which, not only takes you down an unexpected path, but will send you back through the book looking for the clues you may have missed.

Oh no, was that too much information?

The book is narrated by Janie, a precocious 8 1/2 year old, and by her grandmother Mona. The story follows Janie, her mother Priscilla, her 17 year-old sister, who has Downs Syndrome, Grandma Mona, and her Poppy, Grayson.

Upon learning that their lives are about to change, Priscilla packs up her family for a summer road trip. Had she known where the trip would end she may have never left, but she does, and with the guidance of her family she finds her way back home.
The changing narration adds interest to the story, and does not become confusing since there is only one narrator for each chapter, and the chapter title also names the narrator. The story takes you on a personal journey; a difficult, emotional ride which will leave you cheering on the characters to make the right choices, and amends with the past.