This Is Graceanne's Book

Charlie ("Thumper") Farrand is the narrator of this coming-of-age story, set in a small town on the river in the 1960s. Charlie is the youngest in the family, with two older sisters, Kentucky and Graceanne (whom he adores). Graceanne is the smartest of them, but her spirit seems to enrage her mother Edie, who is trying to cope with raising the three children on her own. Edie takes her anger out on Graceanne, while Graceanne refuses to be brought down. She fills notebooks with imaginative stories and hides them under her bed, where Charlie finds them and beomes enthralled with them.
I found the underlying motive of the story to be the remarkable strength of the human spirit, as Graceanne will not allow herself to be broken, and in that, show more she gives hope to her little brother. A wonderful book--highly recommended! show less

Nine-year-old Charlie, the earnest observer of all things Graceanne, his 12-year-old sister, is the narrator of this memorable book about the resiliency of childhood. It is 1960 and the Farrand family is living in Cranepool's Landing, Missouri, on the banks of the Mississippi River. Dad is a drinker who is absent much of the time and Mom is a control freak who takes her many frustrations out on Graceanne with her weapon of choice, a wire coat hanger.

Graceanne is an enigma -- tough in most ways but terrified of the neighbor's friendly dog. She has the IQ of a genius, but she continually provokes her mother into the frequent beatings euphemistically called "taking her medicine." Graceanne copes with her family position of scapegoat by show more unleashing her vivid imagination in the diary she hides under the bed and retreating to her safe place by the river.

The Mississippi River runs through this book providing entertainment, adventure, peace, danger, and harsh beauty. The kids call it Big Muddy Cruddy, but it is much more than a catchy name. It's a sacred place that honors secrets where Graceanne goes to find refuge and escape from the inconceivable pain of her life.

I don't want to give the wrong impression. There are many lighthearted parts to this book, but much of it deals with the abomination of child abuse. Thank goodness some children like Charlie and Graceanne have indomitable spirits. My heart breaks for the others who are worn down by cruelty and perpetuate the cycle of abuse. show less

This story of the Farrand family is told from the perspective of Charlie Farrand, the youngest of the three Farrand children. It takes place during 1960-61 in a small Missouri town along the Mississippi River (or as the children refer to it, the Big Muddy Cruddy). The Farrand children don't have an easy life. Their father is often absent, and their mother has a bad temper. They are poor and often do without. But the Farrand children are tough. Charlie's older sisters, Graceanne and Kentucky, watch out for him and clearly love him, even as they are "whaling" on him.

Whitney captures the world in which the Farrands live beautifully, with attention to the small details that typify the lives of kids. She also does justice to the show more complexities of the relationships between the Farrand children (especially Graceanne) and their mother. The book is believably told through Charlie's eyes, and his perspective helps us understand each of the characters a bit better.

This is not an easy book to read. I often wished that the Farrand children had an easier life. But beneath the difficult times is a sense of hope and strength that comes from the close relationships the three children have with each other. show less