Barbara Corcoran (1) (1911–2003)

Actually, it's about quite a bit more than the blurb reveals. There are other members of the family that are important. There's the dog, Cormac. There are classmates. There's Sam's discovery that she wants the avocation of raising and showing Irish wolfhounds.

Mostly quietly told. Sam does get almost killed twice in her adventures, once in town and once on the island, how *L*iterary.... But mostly concise, subtle, indirect, for the thoughtful young teen.

What's interesting is that I grew up show more almost as sheltered and naive as Sam, but I don't empathize with her at all. People are people... and everyone's unique.... Cliches are often almost meaningless... but they're all we've got.... This book will make you think about things like that, and lots of other things, too, if you let it.

The father tells Sam, after she's witnessed an injustice, that it's just as well she didn't speak up: "If something is wrong and it's beyond our power to change it, and we feel guilty anyway, then we may kick up a little fuss just to make ourselves feel better. It may simply cause more trouble." Is he right? Does Sam accept this advice? Read the book, think about it with the girl. show less

*spoiler warning!*

This is definitely a keeper. I looooved this book! Especially the ending. But there are a few things about the book I didn't like, or at least want to comment on.

First, I hate how often, in the beginning, this book refers to the then-unknown child as "it". That's just so condescending and mean! "Be nice to it", etc, sounds like they are talking about a dog or a piece of furniture.

Second, I think Ellis judged Lilac way too fast and unfairly. Ellis is fourteen, yet the way show more she acts about Lilac and keeps thinking about how "bratty" she is, sounds like someone a lot less mature then she supposidly is. I didn't see "bratty" at all. I saw a scared little girl who was pulled from her home and plopped into a whole new world, a girl who's had a rough life and knows better then to trust too easily.

Third.... that letter. Okay, I guess if you are a mother in such a horrible situation, you'd want to do what you can to put your child into a better situation. But that letter Lilac got, I can't even imagine a mother wanting strangers to adopt the child she's raised for ten years! Strangers she's never even met! And the letter was so short and matter-of-fact, Lilac must have felt so unwanted!

But yes, I liked this book very much. The ending was pretty much exactly what I'd hoped for, but hadn't thought it would actually happen. show less

When I see a pegasus on the cover of a book, I tend to assume it is fantasy. This is not the case with Winds of Time; the horse is a nod to the Mobil Oil logo. It's a (very slightly eerie) story about a girl who is desperate to escape from the custody of her abusive uncle, escapes to the woods, and is taken in by an unusual family. Anything beyond the mundane is open to interpretation.

This book, consisting of three stories, did not read like a juvenile book, but more like an older volume: one that can be enjoyed by any age. I liked all three stories more than I thought I would, and would recommend this for anyone who likes nature and/or animals, or even believable stories about adolescents' interaction with wildlife.