Singing Songs: A Novel [Paperback]

Meg Tilly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1995

Oscar-nominated actress Meg Tilly brings the depth and sensitivity that have marked her acting career to this chronicle of a young girl's coming-of-age. "An altogether stunning debut, a heartbreaking book that is somehow also funny and wonderful to read".--Chicago Tribune.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Actress Tilly's debut novel portrays a young girl on the road with her vagabond family who finds strength within herself while facing an abusive stepfather.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Tilly, best known for her performances in feature films (Agnes of God, The Big Chill) here debuts as a novelist. The heroine of the story is Anna, one child of many growing up in a househould characterized by violence and abuse. The chapters read almost like short stories, with the time and locale changing as the family moves from place to place. The children are removed from school, beaten, and forced into incestuous relationships with most of their male relatives. Their occasional triumphs are heartening but come too rarely to offer any real hope for their future. Yet they try to protect one another from their stepfather, and their mutual love is touching. This is a promising first novel, and author recognition may create demand.---Kathy Ingels Helmond, formerly with Indiana Univ.
Purdue Univ. at Indianapolis Lib.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Plume (June 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452271657
• ISBN-13: 978-0452271654
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,119,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A WELL-WRITTEN STORY OF PAIN AND SURVIVAL..., September 16, 2002

By 

Larry L. Looney (Austin, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Singing Songs (Hardcover)

...and the really sad thing is that it's a story that's repeated too often in real life (a fact that should be recognized by the number of fictional works dealing with this subject). All of the books written around the subject of sexual abuse (and I'm not giving away anything by mentioning that -- it's obvious from the inside cover flap) are not as well-written as this, however.

Tilly has captured the essence of any book that sets out to tell a story from the perspective of a child -- she has found an authentic voice for her young narrator, without coming across as patronizing or forced. Young Anna's thoughts and memories ring very true, allowing the reader to plunge into her frightening world and experience it along with her. In the course of the story, she frequently experiences stomach cramps -- no doubt from anxiety -- and I actually felt myself feeling them in several places in the narrative.

One of the most heart-wrenching things about Anna's story is that, more than any other book I can remember that deals with this subject, she is subjected to abuse by so many perpetrators -- not just her stepfather (again, this is mentioned on the cover flap), but several other adults and even children more or less her own age. The strength and determination that she shows (and that actual survivors must draw upon if they are not to remain victims for the rest of their lives) is amazing. It hurts to read about a child being subjected to such horrors as Anna is forced to endure -- but it's an eye-opening experience for the reader. It's also important to remember that these horrors actually happen to more children 'in real life' than most people would dare to imagine -- I think it's the great shame of our so-called 'civilization' that it happens at all.

Meg Tilly has shown with this novel that she's not only a talented actress -- she's a talented writer as well. I hope, with this novel 'out of her system', she chooses to give us more tastes of this side of her abilities.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meg Tilly is a fabulous writer!, May 8, 2006

By 

MidwestMillennium (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Singing Songs: A Novel (Paperback)

I read the original edition of Ms. Tilly's debut novel about 2 years ago and greatly enjoyed it. She reminds me of Dorothy Allison in a lot of ways -- similar subject matter, similar compelling story, you can't put it down, despite the horrors these abused children endure at the hands of their mother and stepfather, along with his sons. I re-read Singing Songs recently -- I got my grubby little hands on an advance reader's copy of the new edition of Singing Songs being reissued this fall by Syren Book Company, at the same time the publisher is releasing Gemma, Ms. Tilly's second novel. This new edition is BRILLIANT! Ms. Tilly wrote a foreword to the new edition that will KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF! As will the new cover art. All I can say about the new cover of Singing Songs is: a picture is worth a thousand words. Ms. Tilly's decision not to make any more movies may be film buffs' loss -- but the fact that she's writing fiction is book readers' gain.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tilly Is True to the Voice of a Child, March 31, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Singing Songs: A Novel (Paperback)

For a writer to capture the voice of a child and write a compelling page turning story is quite difficult. Meg Tilly writes in the voice of Anna, a young girl growing up in a dysfunctional, abusive family. The innocence of children is portrayed through the games created by Anna and her siblings in an effort to escape their harsh reality of poverty and disenaged parents. The haunting scenes of abuse told through a child's eyes make this book more than a tale of family, but a tale of the resilience of children as they attempt to live their lives in the absence of parental guidance. Meg Tilly eases the tension with humor through the interactions of the siblings. It turns into a coming of age at the end of the novel as Anna enters pre-teen age and starts experimenting with the pressures face by a teenager. Although it is told is a child's voice, I recommend this novel for mature audiences only.