Tomato Girl (2008)

by Jayne Pupek

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206	38	126,728	(3.96)	41
Fiction. Literature. HTML: A young girl in the rural South struggles with her mother's madness and her father's betrayal in this moving emotional drama. Eleven-year-old Ellie Sanders has always looked to her father as the rock she could cling to when her mother's troubles became too frightening. Daddy has a tranquilizer, meant for horses, that can calm her down when needed. But Ellie's mother is expecting a new baby, and things have taken a turn for the worse. Now her father has brought home a pretty teenager who grows tomatoes to sell at the general store he runs in Virginia. Supposedly the girl is here to help the family, but Ellie knows there's more going on�??and senses her security slowly slipping away. Ellie is about to serve as both witness and warden to her mother falling apart, in this powerful novel about a terrified girl clinging desperately to childhood while being forced into adulthood years before she is ready, an atmospheric blend of coming-of-age story and timeless Southern gothic.… (more)

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With a mentally ill mother and a charming but self-centered father, all eleven year old Ellie needs is another problem: and along comes the Tomato Girl. This book held my attention from the first page to the last despite the shallow portrayal of some of the characters. It's written at an adolescent level but includes topics and some language that could be objectionable for younger readers. (

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wandaly | Jun 30, 2016 |

Written by a social worker, the story contains many sad and tragic events that occur to a young girl. Like a car wreck, it propels you to look at what you may not want to see.

However, as someone else said in a review it is an "almost" good book. I agree. It seems like a fictional twist for those who enjoyed [b:The Glass Castle A Memoir|7445|The Glass Castle A Memoir|Jeannette Walls|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165613865s/7445.jpg|2944133] by [a:Jeannette Walls|3275|Jeannette Walls|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1188356528p2/3275.jpg]. (

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FAR2MANYBOOKS | Apr 5, 2014 |

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FAR2MANYBOOKS | Apr 5, 2014 |

Let me start by saying I don't read a book to feel warm and fuzzy. I don't need happy endings to enjoy a story, in fact, probably the opposite. I like my stories dark and gritty. With that being said, not one bright spot, not even one moment of peace for our little narrator. After awhile it just wasn't believable. I understand children in her shoes grow up, mature faster, and take on a parent role, but her thought processes were far beyond her years even so. I tried very hard to understand, even empathize with her father and what he had been through. Crazy wife, being a caretaker in a marriage, with a little mid-life crisis thrown in I'm sure, but still his choices just didn't seem realistic.Somehow aside from those issues I did enjoy the book and thought the ending was appropriate. (

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flippinpages | Nov 1, 2013 |

Once I opened this book and began to fall head first into the story I could not put the book down. One amazing horrible thing after another happening tothis 11 year old child. The tears she shed made me wonder if there was a bottom to the ocean she had stored inside of her. A fasinating story. I would recommend this book to everyone who enjoys a satisfying read. (

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Alphawoman | Sep 22, 2013 |

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2008

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Jayne Pupek

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Fiction. Literature. HTML:

A young girl in the rural South struggles with her mother's madness and her father's betrayal in this moving emotional drama.

Eleven-year-old Ellie Sanders has always looked to her father as the rock she could cling to when her mother's troubles became too frightening. Daddy has a tranquilizer, meant for horses, that can calm her down when needed. But Ellie's mother is expecting a new baby, and things have taken a turn for the worse.

Now her father has brought home a pretty teenager who grows tomatoes to sell at the general store he runs in Virginia. Supposedly the girl is here to help the family, but Ellie knows there's more going on�??and senses her security slowly slipping away. Ellie is about to serve as both witness and warden to her mother falling apart, in this powerful novel about a terrified girl clinging desperately to childhood while being forced into adulthood years before she is ready, an atmospheric blend of coming-of-age story and timeless Southern gothic.

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