Park's Quest (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Park's mother won't answer his questions about his father, who was killed in Vietnam, but eventually agrees to let Park visit his father's family in Virginia. Nothing he finds there is what he expected but, in Paterson's insightful novel, everyone concerned finds reconciliation. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up Like the heroes of his Arthurian fantasies, Park has a quest. Kept in the dark by a mother whose memories are too painful for her to face, Park knows nothing of his father, who was killed in Vietnam. The dedication of the Vietnam War Memorial arouses his need to know, and Park sets out to find the man who was his father from the family he left behind. What he finds is not at all what he expected: an invalid grandfather, an uncle his mother never mentioned, a truculent Vietnamese girl, and a host of unpleasant surprises. If the characters in this novel seem incompleteand they doit may be because all are victims of the war, their lives stalled mid-course, their chance to right a wrong denied them by the finality of death. Only Park's uncle has been able to pick up the pieces of his life (and his brother's) and go on. But Paterson suggests that the others, together, may yet do the same. What young readers will make of this remains to be seen. Much reading between the lines is necessary to discern characters' motivations; careful attention is required to follow quick transitions of plot and a confusing timetable of events. Puzzling questions and loose ends remain. In grappling with large issues, Paterson seems to have lost control of small details. Still, she gives readers much to ponder at all levels and a sufficiently engaging plot to draw them on. Margaret Rostkowsky's After the Dancing Days (Harper, 1986) deals with similar issues (albeit an earlier war) in a more tightly structured framework. Thoughtful readers will gain from reading both titles. Marcia Hupp, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, Conn.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (September 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140342621
• ISBN-13: 978-0440840671
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #395,989 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars THE TRUTH FROM THE BLACK WALL, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

Like an Arthurian knight setting out on a quest, eleven-year-old Park is determined to learn the truth about his father, who died on his second tour of Viet Nam. But his mother clams up on the subject, refusing to share critical information about the elusive man. Will she nurse her grief forever or is there more to it? This story reads like a squire's swift lance, as Park's imaginary mental adventures parallel real life situations. (There are quotes from Emily Dickinson's poetry and Rosemary Sutcliff's Arthurian novel, the Sword and the Circle.)

Denying the danger, growing frustration and possible shock of knowledge wrongfully withheld from him for a decade, Park pursues his goal relentlessly; yet he is sickened by gradual then sudden revelations, as he pieces together the pathetic patchwork of his father's life. Both sides of the family kept him in deliberate ignorance, but whom were they trying to protect--the innocent boy or their own hurt pride? Park seriously considers an abrupt departure from the Colonel's stately Virginia farm, since it was His choice to make the trip, therefore his right to leave. Why stay where no one wants him or believes he has a right to be?

This boy has a critical need to find and know his father--even in death--yet his mother seems to deny his very existence. Does she have the right to obliterate her son's biological and cultural heritage? "They needed the life flowing from his memory." How can he convince her to stop using his baby name of Pork? When will he be granted the minimal courtesy of being called Park the Fifth? A poignant, fascinating book about a boy's journey into the Past, in order to come to terms with the Present, thus to reshape his Future. Sensitive with compassionate humor, an entertaining introduction to our post Viet Nam national shame, delusion and prejudice.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars boy uncovers truth about his father, April 26, 2001

By	Ruth (Melbourne) - See all my reviews

I picked this up for 25p at Bookworld in Edinburgh, and it was good for the price. Katherine Paterson writes well, but this book does not have the complexity or the punch of Bridge to Teribithia. Park, an eleven year old boy lives with his mother. His father died in Vietnam, but his mother won't talk about him. At Park's insistance, he is allowed to go on a visit for two weeks to his father's family, where he finds out about the family history. Park is fascinated with stories about King Arthur and knights and chivalry, and he often day dreams about his life and his father in those terms. Predictably, the truth is a grim contrast.

This is not a particularly happy or comforting story. Nor does it have the emotional depth of Katherine Paterson's other books. I would not have liked it much when I was in the 10-12 age-group. At 27, it was worth the 40 minutes it took to read.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Park's Quest, April 22, 2002

By	Joanna Bruggeman (Marquette, MI United States) - See all my reviews

Katherine Paterson is one of my very favorite authors. As a young child, I read many of her books including The Great Gilly Hopkins, Bridge to Terabithia, and Jacob Have I Loved. I recently finished reading Parks Quest as an assignment for my college childrens literature class. As I began reading Parks Quest, I must admit that I was confused when Park, the main character, went back and forth between his character and an Arthurian knight of old on a quest. It took me a long while to figure out why Park switched to speaking/thinking as if he were a knight. But once figuring it out, that he (Park) was on a quest to find out more about his father who was killed in the Vietnam War, the concept of the Arthurian knight made sense. Since Parks mother does not inform him of his father, he begins searching for his fathers roots and family. As Park investigates more about his father and family he gathers startling and important information to help him along his quest. Does Park find the true history about his father, is the question that the reader has the whole time while reading the book. This book by Paterson is cleverly written to keep the reader wondering the whole time and engaged in the book until the last words.