Comments on: Book Review: Bound on Earth

By: Kathryn Lynard Soper

Kathryn Lynard Soper — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 01:33:08 +0000

That’s the kind of disagreeing I like to hear. ;)

Good point, Deborah–the book may indeed appeal to mature-minded teens, esp. those who love character-driven stories.

By: Deborah

Deborah — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:46:44 +0000

Naismith: I’ll respectfully disagree with Kathy. I hungered for non-schmaltz Mormon lit as a teen — for families that reflected my complex family. So I shunned “Charlie” and picked up “Refuge” and “Sideways to the Sun” and “All Gods Critters Got a Place in the Choir.” Some of the sibling subplots deal very much with teen dynamics in a family — the good girl, the rebel, the baby, the difficulty of any of those labels. I currently teach juniors and seniors, and I know several of them would really enjoy this book.

By: Kathryn Lynard Soper

Kathryn Lynard Soper — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 03:22:54 +0000

Naismith, if this book were a movie it would be PG13–not because of sex or violence or profanity, but for mature themes. Teens who can handle topics like adultery, pregnancy out of wedlock, and mental illness would do fine with the subject matter, but even so, I don’t think they would enjoy the book. It’s just not written for a YA audience. I hope you get a chance to read it!

RoAnn, I feel the same way you do about the ending. It is sentimental compared to the other chapters, but still well-written, and I’d come to care enough about this family that I was glad to have them all together in a happy setting at the end.

Mellifera, that particular chapter has a female narrator, so the wording reflects her personal experience–she’s referring to herself as the Mormon girl.

By: Mellifera

Mellifera — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 03:15:02 +0000

So I’ll rot in a hot place before turning into a whiny feminist, but was the “to death do you part being what Mormon girls hear when they fail” supposed to be ironic? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure Mormon boys aren’t supposed to hear it either….

By: annegb

annegb — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 17:55:01 +0000

I’m going to order it right now.

By: RoAnn

RoAnn — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 01:12:56 +0000

Julie, I have read the book, and thought it was outstanding. I agree with everything you said about it except that the ending is a “saccharine send-off.” Maybe it’s because I am an old grandmother, but I felt that Hallstrom captured beautifully how I think I would feel and react in a similar situation.

To me, the ending of Bound on Earth was as authentic as the rest of the book.

All too often, IMO, authors of “literary” fiction seem to write endings that are ambiguous, if not actually depressing–perhaps in order to have them regarded as sufficiently “realistic”. Hallstrom resisted that tendancy; and I found her ending inspiring as well as realistic, because it remained true to the ultimately hopeful LDS worldview.

By: Ivan Wolfe

Ivan Wolfe — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:45:21 +0000

She has done a better job of creating â€œrealâ€ than most authors I have read (notice I didnâ€™t say â€œmost LDS authorsâ€).

That is an excellent point. I find that most complaints about LDS authors are the same complaints I have about many “mainstream” authors. I’ve read many a book and seen many a movie that had a “saccharine send-off” of an ending that seemed out of place or otherwise made the reading experience lesser.

Thanks for the review. I wish I had world enough and time to read all the good books I read about.

By: Naismith

Naismith — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:30:51 +0000

Julie, I bought this some weeks ago after hearing rave reviews, because I try to support LDS artists who produce quality work.

But I don’t know when I’ll have time to read it. So the question is, how appropriate for my teenagers is this, or should I really read it myself first?

By: Kathryn Lynard Soper

Kathryn Lynard Soper — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:26:43 +0000

This is a novel-in-stories. And this is a good review. Thanks, Julie!

Interview with the author at A Motley Vision, 2.07.08
http://www.motleyvision.com/

Review from Levi Peterson here: http://www.angelahallstrom.com/bound_on_earth

By: Matt W.

Matt W. — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:14:45 +0000

Since the only LDS fiction I’ve read is Lund’s “The Alliance” (which I liked in that 80s mad max tribute sort of way)(oh and I’ve never read anything else Lund wrote) and Mike Allred’s Golden Plates, I’m not sure this is a good or bad review.

Oh and are they essays or short stories strung together? I’m not sure I could get through a fictional essay…