Strong for Potatoes [Hardcover]

Cynthia Thayer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1998

Set on the eastern coast of Maine, "Strong for Potatoes" tells the story of Blue Willoughby, a lonely Native American girl, who emerges strong and wise from the complexities and hardships of her young life. A striking literary debut reminiscent of Dorothy Allison and Barbara Kingsolver, "Strong for Potatoes" is a memorable story of perseverance and triumph Northeast reading tour. .

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When weaving baskets, what is more important, strength or beauty? In Cynthia Thayer's startling debut novel, baskets become an evocative metaphor of the self. Beauty is important, certainly, but if a basket isn't strong enough to hold potatoes, it is worthless. Meet Blue Willoughby, a brave and creative girl in the midst of a difficult journey into adulthood. Blue's whole life has been scarred by two events from her childhood: an accident that left her with a limp and a glass eye, and the tragic death of her twin sister just after their birth. The events, though, seem to have destroyed her parents more than they damaged Blue herself. Her mom and dad have all but disappeared from her life. Only Blue's grandfather, a Passamaquoddy Indian, sees her as she really is--strong, vibrant, and lovely in spite of her scars. With his encouragement, Blue learns to weave traditional baskets. The ash and sweet grass cut her hands, making them bleed, but Blue perseveres through the pain and learns to weave tight, strong, beautiful baskets. As she refines her craft, Blue finds the grace that heals her inner pain, setting her free into the richness of her own future. Strong for Potatoes is a complex, deeply moving story that will encourage mature teens and adults to pay more attention to the ways they weave experiences and people into their lives.

From Library Journal

Thayer's awkward if intriguing title refers to sweetgrass baskets made by the Passamaquoddy of Maine. Narrator Blue, who is part Indian, develops a rare skill at basket making that provides some stability and self-definition through a turbulent adolescence in a damaged family. Her coming-of-age involves a coolly adulterous mother, an ineffective father who compulsively takes photographs, an affirming but entirely mortal grandfather, a pregnancy followed by a sexual awakening, and plenty of challenge and painful lettings-go. Two unforgettable passages, both of death, center the book: one is shocking and audacious, the other unusually tranquil. These deaths, along with the uncovered truth of a third?that of Blue's deformed, anencephalic twin sister, dead at birth but a faithful, silent companion in the narrator's mind?force Blue to recast herself outside of a family that now exists only in too many photographs. More promising than accomplished, this debut novel is recommended for Maine libraries and for larger fiction collections.?Janet A. Ingraham Dwyer, Columbus, Ohio
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312181876
• ISBN-13: 978-0312181871
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,300,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid descriptions of Maine coast community, February 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Strong for Potatoes (Hardcover)

I loved the descriptions of the Maine Coastal area in which this lovely novel is set. One of the opening scenes in which two children look inside a frog still haunts me and sets just the right tone for this book in which a young woman must look inside herself in a variety of ways to find the strength to survive all that confronts her-rape, pregnancy, parental betrayals, etc.-. Through learning ancient Passamaquoddy traditions of basketweaving and learning where her heart lies, she ultimately saves herself. This is a wonderful first novel, and I hope soon to read a second one from Ms. Thayer!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous., March 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Strong for Potatoes (Paperback)

For the first time in my life, I actually cried over a book. Cynthia Thayer created a character so real and so heartwarming, I couldn't help but feel her pain.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well-written tale of Blue's triumphs over life's struggles, February 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Strong for Potatoes (Audio Cassette)

I really enjoyed this book for it's great writing and the characters of Blue and her Grandfather in particular. Blue struggles with many unusual problems that crop up in her life. She retains her hope, courage and persistence to find passion in her life and follows her dreams. Like life, itself, this book has a bit of everything in it.