I had such a wonderful response to my Summer at Tiffany giveaway last year, that the amazing Jennifer Pooley of William Morrow/Harper Collins offered up another batch of books to give away. This time, I have ten copies of K.L. Cook's The Girl From Charnelle:
The rules to enter the contest are at the bottom of this post. This one looks like it will be another great read! A little heavier than Summer at Tiffany, but good for the soul...
Here's the synopsis:
It’s 1960 in the Panhandle town of Charnelle, Texas — a year and a half since sixteen-year-old Laura Tate’s mother boarded a bus and mysteriously disappeared. Assuming responsibility for the Tate household, Laura cares for her father and three brothers and outwardly maintains a sense of calm. But her balance is upset and the repercussions of her family’s struggles are revealed when a chance encounter with a married man leads Laura into a complicated relationship for which she is unprepared.
As Kennedy battles Nixon for the White House, Laura must navigate complex emotional terrain and choose whether she, too, will flee Charnelle. Dramatizing the tension between desire and familial responsibility, The Girl from Charnelle delivers a heartfelt portrait of a young woman’s reckoning with the paradoxes of love. Eloquent, tender, and heart-wrenching, K. L. Cook’s unforgettable debut novel marks the arrival of a significant new voice in American fiction.
And an excerpt:
"She opened the book and started rereading a story she liked by Nathaniel Hawthorne, whose writing she generally did not like. But she was fascinated by “Wakefield,” about a man who leaves his family, just disappears, but in reality moves only a couple of blocks away and spies on them for years, watches them as they recover from their grief, as their lives fold over the scar of his absence. The story reminded her of "Rip Van Winkle,” but it also, more importantly, reminded her of her mother, made her wonder if perhaps her mother had been lurking around Charnelle, watching them, spying on them. She wished on some level that it were true, though she knew that it wasn’t, that her mother had left for good, and they would never—no matter how many theories they devised—know what became of her.
Mr. Sparling had asked them to write an essay, detailing the various reasons that not just Wakefield but that other characters left their communities. When he said this, she could feel her classmates stealing covert glances at her, but she ignored them, no longer cared what they thought. She put her head down and wrote about Wakefield and then about Huck Finn, striking out for the new frontier, fleeing civilization. She wrote about Bartleby, so politely preferring not to, removing himself more and more from the world, until he at last died. She wrote a paragraph about Hester living on the outskirts of town, shunned and humiliated. But what she was really thinking about as she wrote was how Gloria had escaped Charnelle to be with Jerome, to start a new life in a different place, far from home. And how perhaps that’s what her mother had done as well. When she wrote the essay, she and John were about to strike out themselves, and she had imagined, though of course not written about, that journey for herself and John.
Rereading the story now, she thought about how she had finally left Charnelle after all, and not because she could no longer imagine living there, but because she felt that she no longer belonged there, that she had lost her privilege. She remembered reading Oedipus last year, how he had gouged out his eyes for what he’d unknowingly done and had asked for death but his brother-in-law had given him a punishment worse than death—a wandering exile. When she read it last year, she thought about her mother, wandering in exile, which sounded exotic, but now, the day after leaving the Letigs’ home, she realized that exile was a form of shame, and shame was what had made her ride so fast through the dark Charnelle streets, hoping she wouldn’t be seen. She was determined to disappear, just run away from them all, like her mother had done, convinced that it was better to remain a mystery, to say No and, if you could, begin your life over rather than remain in the place where you had caused so much grief.
Traveling on the bus, dozing, unsure which town she was in, she also felt as if leaving was a way of discovering her mother, felt in some ways that she was traveling down a path her mother had already laid for her, as if the very act of leaving might lead her to her mother’s doorstep in a strange city, in another world. A new world.
But now, not even seventy miles from home, lying in this dingy bed, she felt more confused than ever about her own motives, what a stranger she was even to herself. And she was afraid as well, and wondered what kind of timid traveler she would be—no longer welcome in Charnelle, but not welcome anyplace else. Perhaps that was what exile was and what she deserved.”
Now, here's how you enter the giveaway: Leave me a comment (by 12 noon Eastern Time on Monday, March 3, 2008) ON THIS POST describing how some piece of literature helped you cope or process an experience you were wading through. I'll draw ten random winners and post the winners on the evening of March 3rd (MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE YOUR STATE). Unfortunately, with the cost of mailing these books out, I can only open this giveaway to readers in the U.S.
Good luck!! If you'd like to join my "Good Reads" book club, please e-mail me at [email protected]. If you would like to discuss this book with us, pick up your own copy at Amazon.com.
How did literature help me cope in the past??... I moved around quite a bit as a child. I went to three different elementary schools in 4th grade alone!! Books were my refuge and I kept a diary religiously. Harriet The Spy by Louise Fitzhugh was my favorite book. No matter where I went, Harriet was my friend. I haven't picked that book up in years. Maybe I'll read it right after The Girl From Charnelle....
Romana Quimby books by Beverly Cleary. I read all her books the summer before 6th grade. We had just moved back to the States from Venezuela and we were renting a condo in Falls Church. There was a little bookstore in a shopping plaza on Rt 50 and my brother and I would exchange Venezuelan money (Bolivares) for the books. The guys collected coins. I would always pretend I was participating in Ramona's adventures with her. That summer was definitely a lot of fun.
Posted by: cenia | Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 07:49 AM
Hmmm....I remember the first chapter book my mother bought me. It was on Hellen Keller and I could hardly wait to find out how it ended. Later I read books about a girl named Trudy (don't remember the author or anything else), but Trudy had gone to college and my first college experience was nothing like Trudy's. I transferred and my second college was just like Trudy's.
This new book sounds very interesting as I am from Texas and went to college in that part of the state.
Thanks for the chance!
Posted by: Anita K` | Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 08:01 AM
Winds of War, and War and rememberence by Herman WOUK, story about a navy family, times spent apart while the husband is gone,and the raising of two boys and there careers in military... Since we are a Navy family this book helped me a lot as we were experiencing the very same things, it gave me strength to continue even stronger... Loved summer at Tiffanys and this new bokk sounds great, hope i win...shari in reno, nevada
Posted by: shari | Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 10:07 AM
Mine is "The Velveteen Rabbit" - I was always very shy as a kid and we did this story for a school play once (I was a jack in the box). Somehow, reading the story and being in the play helped me get over some of my shyness (not quite all). I've loved it since then!!
Posted by: SusanH | Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 10:30 AM
Sounds like a great book. My grandfather was recently diagnoised with Alzheimer's and it was recommended to me to read Losing My Mind, by Thomas DeBaggio. This book helped me understand what my grandfather is going through. It's a hard disease for anyone to have to go through but this book really made me realize how trapped he must feel.
Posted by: dana j | Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 10:49 AM
In college, I had to read Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart." It came at a perfect time in my life, when I too was learning that things within cultures and groups change, and we have to hold on to our historical values and go forward.
Posted by: Andrea | Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 11:19 AM
The Big Picture? :) I have a hard time picking a book that helped me cope with an something in my life. Books in general help me cope with life on a daily basis. Just escaping to a bath with a new sci fi novel takes me away from my stresses with work and family for a little while -- until the kids come in and kick me out of the bath!
Posted by: Jenny M (from VA) | Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 11:23 AM
I really can't say one book stands out above all others...I love to read, especially period pieces--where you get to experience another time and place is so colorfully written that you can feel that you have must have experienced that life and not just read about it. I also read mysteries and "chick lit" because sometimes its just plain fun to be absorbed in a story.
Posted by: karen from AZ | Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 08:27 PM
As a elementary & junior high school student, I was a very shy, reserved, child. I had a handful of friends. I would actually spend most of my time reading. One book that moved me at that stage was "Are You There God, It's Me Margaret?" by Judy Blume. Like Margaret I was a late bloomer. I was able to relate with her, she wanted so badly to fit in and so did I. I read all of Judy Blooms books, because all of them had a positive message.
Posted by: Carmen | Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at 08:03 AM
Forgot to add, I am in Brick, New Jersey
Posted by: Carmen | Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at 08:04 AM
I read lovely bones and sincerly that book has Me. In an odd way gives me comfort to think that My Sister can reeeally see down on Us. (She died suddenly last May. Went in for an routine op and caught an infection.)So yea, books are comfort for the Soul.
Posted by: Marilyn G in Virgina | Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at 03:43 PM
When we moved to A in August my husband went to work and my kids went to school. None of our things would arrive for two months. Reading the handful of books I brought with me saved me during that time. My favorite was a gift from my friend Carol, The Boleyn Inheritance. It is the last book in a series by Philippa Gregory. I have a US shipping address so...pick me!
Posted by: The Jen Girl in Africa | Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 09:57 AM
There isn't any particular book that stands out, but I have always loved to read. When I was young, I loved Nancy Drew. These days I find myself enjoying different types of books that I would never have dreamed of reading, i.e. historical novels, biographies. Reading is my escape from the daily grind.
Posted by: carolp | Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 10:13 AM
Mine is sort of odd, but all of my children have been born in the summer right after the release's of the Harry Potter books. The last few books I've gotten my big fat a** up to the book store on the release day to spend the last week of my pregnancy laying in bed and reading. Although i wasn't really dealing with an issue per se, i was huge, miserable and ready to pop. I escaped into these books, and now have a real fondness for them. They really remind me of the special times when i was about to give birth to my boys!! The best part is that one day i will read them these books and be able to tell them about how I laid in bed reading while they kicked at me trying to get out!! LOL
Posted by: Nicole Mc | Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 12:38 PM
Hello, You have a wonderful site. It is very interesting! I am an animal lover and when I am down or going through a rough patch, I will read books about real people and their experiences with their pets! "Marley & Me" is one such book. It is written by John Grogan and his experience with his puppy and how he came to love the "worst" dog. Please enter me in your drawing. Thanks,Cindi
Posted by: Cindi Hoppes | Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 12:52 PM
I was depressed a lot during my last year or so of high school. And Harlequins helped get me thru the tough times. I read all the time--- I ignored the teaching that was going on and read--- and read and read.....
Posted by: karin | Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 02:12 PM
George Mueller's life story has helped me through many a poor time.
Posted by: Bebemiqui | Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 04:54 PM
I was here yesterday-- I forgot to include my state. Minnesota.
Better late than never! Thanks for the giveaway.
Posted by: karin | Friday, February 29, 2008 at 10:16 AM
Reading (literature) helped me to cope with the loneliness of being an only child. I did not always have friends to play with, but I always had friends to read about! The book sounds wonderful--I still love to read.
Sandye from Kentucky
Posted by: Sandye Curry | Friday, February 29, 2008 at 12:49 PM
The Time Travelers Wife had an unexpected infertility sub-plot that I related to.
Michele in Arizona
Posted by: Shelly | Friday, February 29, 2008 at 04:01 PM
I started reading the entire Anne of Green Gables Series when I was young. Biking to the library and back gave me time to ponder the choices I would make that day. I cherished this special time reading about this young girl and her new life. It was meaningful and unique to understand that life is precious. Thanks for this wonderful giveaway which sounds fascinating.
Posted by: ruth | Friday, February 29, 2008 at 06:27 PM
We'd just moved to the US and DH's job kept him away (far away!) 75% of the time. Thank goodness for DD who was 3 at the time!
After the a long day we'd both miss him, but we wrapped up the evening by reading DD's favourite books..."Officer Buckle and Gloria!" Everytime we read Gloria's name aloud we sing it loud and proud! We always finished that book laughing and giggling. It always ended the day on a high note!
DD is now 15 and whenever I see "Officer Buckle and Gloria" it still makes me smile.
Posted by: WendyG. | Saturday, March 01, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Some time ago, I was going through a very difficult "season" in my personal life that I thought would never end. I was constantly seeking answers and personal peace. Just Enough LIGHT for the Step I'm On by Stormie Omartian helped me on my walk forward.
Posted by: Larcy | Sunday, March 02, 2008 at 06:28 PM
Reading has always provided me with solice during difficult times. When my mother suddenly died there was nothing that I felt good about.The only escape was, A book that was exceptional and memorable, A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell. I live in NM. Appreciate this giveaway.
Posted by: anne | Monday, March 03, 2008 at 06:17 PM