Book Club Reflections
This beautifully written adventure novel provides an engaging plot and loveable, complex characters who hooked us in right from the very beginning of the book. We spent a lot of time discussing the four young characters – each of whom won us over with their wisdom, grittiness, personal hardships, and compassion for one another.
Even though this is a plot-driven novel where the protagonists face unique challenges along their journey, some of the most memorable scenes are because of how the minor characters positively or negatively impact the lives of the four orphans: Odie, Albert, Moses, and Emmy. We learn that all of the characters in this novel are flawed or broken in some way, whether it be their physical imperfections (scars, missing and mangled body parts, etc.) or an emotional brokenness (secrets, addictions, betrayals, etc.). It is these cracks and flaws in the characters that make them so compelling, and perhaps, another reason why this book is so interesting to talk about.
Beautiful Words
"For as far as I could see, the land was lit by millions of tiny, luminescing lanterns. They winked on and off and drifted in random currents, a sea of stars, an earthbound Milky Way.”
“I’ve always thought of her in the way I think of a precious gem: The beauty isn’t in the jewel itself, but in the way the light shines through it.”
“There will be courage in this story and cowardice. There will be love and betrayal. And, of course, there will be hope. In the end, isn’t that what every good story is about?”
"In every good tale there is a seed of truth, and from that seed a lovely story grows. Some of what I've told you is true and some...well, let's just call it the bloom on the rose bush."
