Carry Me Home.Carry Me Home Sandra Kring Dell Publishing Company ISBN ISBN abbr. International Standard Book Number ISBN International Standard Book Number ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m : 0385338139 $13.00 Rating 5 stars Sandra Kring weaves an intricate and heartwarming heart·warm·ing or heart-warm·ing adj. 1. Causing gladness and pleasure. 2. Eliciting sympathy and tender feelings: a heartwarming tale. Adj. 1. tale of family, love, and forgiveness in her sensational debut novel set in 1940 rural Wisconsin. Earwig earwig, common name for any of the smooth, elongated insects of the order Dermaptera. Earwigs are small, with pairs of horny, forcepslike abdominal appendages, larger in the male than in the female, and short, leathery forewings that cover the membranous hindwings Gunderman is a simpleminded sixteen year old coming of age during the tumultuous era of World War II. Mentally crippled by a fever when he was young, he is protected and nurtured by his family, especially his older brother Jimmy. Although his ability to interact with others is limited, his thoughts on the world around him are just as precise as even the sanest person in town. Earwig's story is told through his eyes of innocence and honesty as he spends his days working in the family grocery, sucker fishing with Jimmy and his friends, playing with his young friend Eddie and visiting his Pa at the local garage. His unique point of view on the quirky quirk n. 1. A peculiarity of behavior; an idiosyncrasy: "Every man had his own quirks and twists" Harriet Beecher Stowe. 2. residents of his small town is at times hysterical and other times poignant and introspective in·tro·spect intr.v. in·tro·spect·ed, in·tro·spect·ing, in·tro·spects To engage in introspection. [Latin intr . His family life is turned upside down when Jimmy volunteers for the National Guard and is sent to the Philippines during the early days of the war. And old family secret emerges from the depths of his mother's memory and hovers over Earwig's family long after Jimmy's departure and disappearance on the Bataan Peninsula The Bataan Peninsula is a rocky extension of the Zambales Mountains, on Luzon in the Philippines. It separates the Manila Bay from the South China Sea. The peninsula features Mount Natib (1,253 m) in the north and the Mariveles Mountains in the south, which includes Mount Samat, , which eerily mirrors a similar family occurrence during World War I. Despite their attempts to keep appearances, Earwig stumbles upon the clues he needs to discover the truth. It is only upon Jimmy's return home five years later that the family learns the truth of his ordeal in the Bataan Death March Bataan Death March (April 1942) Forced march of 70,000 U.S. and Filipino prisoners of war (World War II) captured by the Japanese in the Philippines. From the southern end of the Bataan Peninsula, the starving and ill-treated prisoners were force-marched 63 mi (101 km) to a where he was subject to inconceivable torture and witnessed unimaginable horrors. Only Earwig seems to understand Jimmy's need to rid himself of the sorrows he carries inside. He watches, but does not criticize, as Jimmy and his friend attempt to drown both the demons Demons See also devil; evil; ghosts; hell; spirits and spiritualism. ademonist one who denies the existence of the devil or demons. bogyism, bogeyism recognition of the existence of demons and goblins. that visit them in their dreams and their feelings of abandonment with alcohol, but to no avail. As stories of Jimmy's and the other local boys' ordeal in the Asian jungle are told, a covert mistrust of the US Government emerges among the town-folk, as those who served and were affected most during post World War II are ignored and silenced 'for the good of the country". Together, Jimmy and Earwig bear their burdens and eventually find their place in a town ripped apart by the tragedies of war. Sandra Kring's passionate voice is reminiscent of Faulkner, Hemingway and Steinbeck, and leaves you wanting more. In these modern days where commercial thrillers and chick-lit often rule the best-seller list, her old-fashioned style seems new again, and quite a welcome change. The story flows flawlessly from beginning to end and her words are sheer artistry, carefully woven in to create Earwig's world. She will make you laugh, have you in tears and take you back to the days of good friends, good times, millponds and bonfires. This is a piece destined des·tine tr.v. des·tined, des·tin·ing, des·tines 1. To determine beforehand; preordain: a foolish scheme destined to fail; a film destined to become a classic. 2. to become a classic and is a must read for devotees of the historical fiction or the literary fiction genre. I look forward to her next book. |
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