The Sunday Salon: Tomato Girl - A Book Review

This Sunday I wanted to do something a little different. I’d like to share my review of an amazing book, TOMATO GIRL by Jayne Pupek. I’d like to thank Jayne for sending me the book and for being my special guest blogger tomorrow on Books & Cooks.

It was Spring in the late 1960’s and 11 year old Ellie Sanders should’ve been doing what other kids her age were doing - coloring Easter eggs and getting ready for the Easter Bunny. But Ellie’s life was different than most kids. She had to keep an eye on her Mama and make sure people didn’t notice the strange things she did or see her in her sad moods. And that took a lot of Ellie’s time.

Things changed when the tomato girl came to stay in their home after her Mama had her accident on the cellar stairs. She was supposed to be there to help out, but it didn’t take Ellie long to figure out what was really going on. Before Tess came, it was just Ellie, her Mama and Daddy and even though they weren’t exactly a normal family, it was ok because Ellie knew her father was there to make sure things were alright.

Soon after her Daddy invited Tess to move in, things quickly got worse for Ellie. As events unfolded, she was left to handle situations that any adult would have trouble dealing with, forcing her to stray from her innocence as a child and be on the edge of adulthood, but without the maturity of knowing how to handle things.

TOMATO GIRL by Jayne Pupek was one of the hardest books for me to get through, but it’s also my favorite book this year. It will pull at your heart, make you smile, choke you up and make you cry, but mostly it will make you mad. It’s one of those books that breaks your heart, but you can’t quit reading.

The story is told in it’s entirety by Ellie Sanders, who you will immediately fall in love with. Ms. Pupek is very consistent with her characters and develops them perfectly. Her storytelling is compelling and believable. Even though the subject matter is disturbing, and may not appeal to everyone, I applaud Jayne Pupek for her daring courage in this, her debut novel.

What I liked most about this book is the innocence of Ellie and the constant struggle for her to remain unscathed by what is happening around her that she has no control over. Along with Ellie, my other favorite character was Clara, the ‘colored’ woman who comes into Ellie’s life at just the right time. All of the characters of TOMATO GIRL are unique and will stay with me for awhile, but I will never forget Ellie, the strong little girl who suffered so much loss, and wanted nothing more than to have a normal life.

The publisher, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. They’ve published such books as MUDBOUND, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS and the forthcoming THE MUSIC TEACHER, which is sure to be a success as well. They have wonderful writers of southern literature that I’m especially fond of.

TOMATO GIRL is the kind of book that will stir up a lot of emotions that people will be talking about long after they’ve read it. Some will love it and some may not, but they will always remember it. For those reasons, it would make the perfect choice for any book club.

Please come back tomorrow when Jayne Pupek will be my special guest and she will be talking about her experience in becoming a published author and how the promotional side of writing has been for her. I also encourage you to check out Jayne Pupek’s Blog to learn more about this gifted writer and what she’s working on now.

To read a interesting interview with Jayne Pupek, visit Emma Larkins blog. Emma is a fellow book lover, blogger and writer, who features interviews with authors, editors and publishers each Friday. The book trailer for TOMATO GIRL is also available and you can watch it by clicking here.

For additional reviews visit: Caribousmom, Breaking the Spine and Bibliolatry

TOMATO GIRL
Author: Jayne Pupek
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Date Published: September 2008
Pages: 298
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

The Sunday Salon: A Nip in the Air

Hello fellow Saloners and happy Sunday! I awoke to temperatures in the high 50's this morning with the sun shining! I got up long enough to make coffee, grab my book and climb back into bed. It was wonderful!! I love these brisk mornings of fall, which we don't get many of in October here in central Florida.

I stayed in bed reading until 9:00 so that I could finish TOMATO GIRL. Wow! What a story! I can't wait to get some time later today to begin my review. I'm so thankful to Jayne Pupek for sending me this incredible book. I don't want to say too much right now, so please do come back for that review.

This past week I mostly spent reading. I didn't get any new books. I've kind of banned myself from new books at least until I read a few of the ones I have already. They are piling up pretty high!

In non-book news, I did have a surprise from my dad this week. Some of you may remember that my house has been cursed by lightening strikes this past summer and I lost many of my electronics. In particular, my televisions. Well, I made out like a bandit with the replacements, however my new tv wouldn't fit in my entertainment center. (Truth be told, I hated that thing anyway!) I am blessed to have a very talented, thoughtful father and as an early Christmas present he made for me a new TV cabinet that matches all of the other furniture in my living room, some of which he's also made. When I came home from work the other day, I was surprised to find this beautiful cabinet underneath my new television!

That's about all of the interesting news I have for this week, so I'm off now to do some blog reading and later watch some football. I hope you all enjoy your Sunday and that you're having beautiful weather too! What are you reading today?

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Please avoid spoilers!

My teaser sentences today are from page 126 of Jayne Pupek's TOMATO GIRL

Talking about the dead baby gave me a sick feeling, but talking about Daddy and Tess was worse. That hurt went all through me like a dull butter knife.

This from 11 year old Ellie, trying to cope with things a child shouldn't have to know about.