Customer Reviews

The Year It Snowed in April

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Carla Clarke is a rebellious teenager and at the age of fifteen, she gives birth to a son, Avery Benjamin Clarke. Leading her life down a destructive path and not having any desire to be a mother, Carla relinquishes her parental rights to her parents and moves away. Benjamin and Carolyn Clarke raise Avery in a loving and spiritual home. As he grows, he becomes a shy child, who makes excellent grades in school, never causing any problems for his grandparents. Avery loves his grandparents with all his heart and soul. On a snowy Easter Sunday, Carla surprisingly returns home. Although he accepts her lack of maternal instincts for him, he is fascinated by her and wants to spend as much time with her as possible.

One tragic night, Avery loses everything that means the world to him and is forced to move in with Carla. He hopes Carla will begin to show a hint of motherly love, but his hopes are shattered. Carla's erratic demeanor surfaces and Avery's safe and innocent childhood is stripped away from him forever. The emotional scars he suffered during his childhood extend over into adulthood and his secrets begin to take a toll on his behavior. But, just when he thinks his life is under control, his world is turned upside down again and this time he may never bounce back. My heart cried out for Avery and as for Carla I felt anger. How much emotional and physical pain can a child endure?

Bottier creates an engrossing and sensitive novel of a little boy whose safe and happy life is destroyed by his evil mother. She develops the characters with a sense of realness and the story intensifies on every page. An added bonus is a twist that I didn't see coming. THE YEAR IT SNOWED IN APRIL is sure to please the palettes of many fiction readers.

Reviewed by Sharon Lewis

of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

In Harlem, his maternal grandparents raised Avery Benjamin Clarke in a protective middle class environs. Although shy by nature he was doing okay obtaining excellent grades at school and was a nice respectful child at home.

Now in 1983, thirteen years old, Avery is stunned when his mother Carla arrives at her parents' brownstone as she abandoned him years ago. She worries that her parents have ruined her son turning him gay with their over protectiveness. She has him visit her at her place where he is introduced to pot, cigarettes, and alcohol. He learns cursing is the most frequently used descriptors and modifiers. Avery takes his lessons with him as he soon gets into fights at school and in the neighborhood and shouts profanity at his caring shocked grandparents. However, his spiral downward has just begun as Carla has a mission to insure her son is straight.

The Year It Snowed in April is a fascinating character study that focuses on negative nurturing as an adult can lead a child down a path of destruction. The story line is driven by the cast especially Avery who goes from encouraged pampered child to abuse victim learning to abuse others. Although so much is dumped on Avery the pile is higher than Morningside Heights, readers will appreciate this tense tale of how a good young person is taught to be ugly.

Harriet Klausner

This book started a little slow but when it picked it I couldn't put it down. I wanted to kill Carla myself! A child with so much potential destroyed by a greedy, unloving mother. SMH!!

This was a very well written novel. Not only did it lay out a journey concerning Avery's life, it drew you in and made you become a part of the journey. If I had been able to read this book with no breaks, I most definitely would have. It had climax after climax. I kept gasping and shaking my head. Tearing up and wanting to just jump into the pages to express my frustrations with Carla, Avery's mother. Anyone who takes this journey will be most pleased with every stop along the way! And when it ends, you will be looking for more. I absolutely loved it!!

M. Johnson

I read this book in one day. Opened it this afternoon, and even though I have to work in the morning, did not put it down until 12:30am. Your heart will bleed for Avery. You will never forget him and/or Carla. I don't want to give away the story. This is a good-read. It will have your emotions all over the place, but you won't regret having read it.

The Year it Snowed in April is story of Avery, abandoned by his teenage mother as a toddler and brought up by his respectable, safe grandparents in Harlem. Avery is a clever, thoughtful and shy teenager, unsure of girls and the world around him, adores his grandparents and has big plans for his future.

Unexepectedly, Avery's mother comes back into his life and he is thrown into a world that he never even knew existed outside the safe life his grandparents have created for him, with a mother who isn't ready to be his mother, nor act like one.

As Avery becomes more and more entwined in his mother's lifestyle he spirals downwards into depression, alcoholism and violence.

I picked this book up quite randomly, looking for a book with the word April in the title for a reading challenge. It began quite slowly, not really picking up speed until nearly half-way through. I had some trouble relating to Avery, his grandparents and his mother to begin with, but as the book progressed I became more involved with the characters, particularly Avery.

This is not a light read. There are confronting scenes of violence, abuse and disturbing sexual scenes, which definitely may not be to some readers' tastes. It is the story of a boy taken from a safe, secure life and thrust into an adult world and his ability to deal with this new reality is tested to the limits.

I'm still undecided on this book - it has many great qualities, but in parts I felt quite rushed through the story and although the affect on Avery's life was well drawn, the affect on the lives of those around him could have been expanded further. It's good, but it could have been so much better.

After reading the write up in the back, I would have never thought it would be so intense. The book was written well and most def a page turning. As the emotions of Avery was described in the book it was so detailed that you felt it all with him. I enjoyed reading this book and was happy that I purchased this one.

This is very good reading material with very senitive subject matters, the author did a wonderful job

with this story. The book is full of different emotions. I am not one to give away the plot, I will leave it as

this is a must read.

When I read the previews of this book, I had no idea it would be so intense. I have read a lot of books that showed many areas of dysfunction, but this book had me in a tailspin after finishing it. Generally when I read a book that I want to share, I can give someone an overview of the book....but not this one. It left me totally speechless. True, as to the old adage; "Your whole life can change within minutes"

I truly enjoyed this book, after putting it down, because of some of the unforbidden acts, a sistah friend told me to pick it up again. Glad I did Eva you did an excellent job can't wait until the next one. Please don't make me wait too long.