Review: The Silence of Bonaventure Arrrow by Rita Leganski

The March selection of the She Reads Book Club is a debut novel by Rita Leganski. THE SILENCE OF BONAVENTURE ARROW had such a unique description I could hardly wait to get started.

Typically, when writing a review, I compose my own synopsis, being ever so careful not to give anything away so as to not spoil the story for those who haven't yet read it. This book, however, has so many aspects to it, I didn't feel I could do it justice, therefore, I'm using the description from Harper Collins, which I find offers just the right amount of insight to this most intriguing novel.

Conceived in love and possibility, Bonaventure Arrow didn't make a peep when he was born and the doctor nearly took him for dead.  No one knows Bonaventure's silence  is filled with resonance - a miraculous gift of rarified hearing that encompasses the Universe of Every Single Sound.  Growing up in the big house on Christopher Street in Bayou Cymbaline, Bonaventure can hear flowers grow, a thousand shades of blue, and the miniature tempests that rage inside raindrops.  He can also hear the gentle voice of his father, William Arrow, shot dead before Bonaventure was born by a mysterious stranger known only as The Wanderer. 

Bonaventure's remarkable gift of listening promises salvation to the souls who love him: his beautiful, young mother, Dancy, haunted by the death of her husband; his Grand-mere Latice, plagued by grief and long-buried guilt she locks away in a chapel; and his father, William, whose roaming spirit must fix the wreckage of the past. With the help of Trinidad Prefontaine, a Creople housekeeper endowed with her own special gifts, Bonaventure will find the key to long-buried mysteries and soothe a chorus of family secrets clamoring to be healed. 

My Thoughts:

This book intrigued me right away. I've recently begun reading books that dabble with the mystery of hoodoo, charms and spells. I have a very open mind and I'm fascinated by these things. To me, its a sort of magical realism, which I've always enjoyed. Therefore, the allure of this story about a mute boy with special gifts had me from the get-go. I also loved the setting of this book. New Orleans is a fascinating place full of mystery and I loved that about this book.

 Bonaventure instantly captured my heart. He's a sweet child who knows only love and his innocence is heightened by his muteness. I won't call it a disability, because its part of his muteness that allows his incredible hearing to be such a  gift. But even the people closest to him - his mother, and Grand-mere Latice, are unaware of his special gift. But his father knows.  I love his relationship with William and Bonaventure's willingness to accept his extraordinary ability to communicate with the father who died before he was even born.  I had a real feel for the characters in this book. Many were flawed and one was despicable, but they were all woven into this story with a purpose.

For me, the star of this novel was not Bonaventure, as I had expected, but Rita Leganski's beautiful prose. The lyrical way in which she writes is really what kept guiding me through this book. As I said earlier, the premise of the story did have me from the get-go, but as it went on, I suppose I was sidetracked by how much time was spent in the past, developing the characters of the two grandmothers and Dancy, and even Trinidad. I realize character development is necessary, but I felt they took the story over. I don't mean that as harshly as it sounds. I'm only saying that I was prepared for Bonaventure to be the guiding light but in the end, I found him to be an accessory to their stories.  For me, while the magical realism elements were present, I felt they took a back seat to the other stories being told.  An though the ending was not a surprise for me, I was satisfied with the story's outcome.

With all that being said, I did enjoy the book and I loved Rita Leganski's writing. The direction of the story was different than what I originally expected but the writing kept me going.  As a debut, I felt Laganski did a great job and I will definitely be open to reading more of her work in the future.

THE SILENCE OF BONAVENTURE ARROW
Author: Rita Leganski
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Published: February 26, 2013
Length: 400 pp
Source: She Reads Book Club and Publisher

Teaser Tuesday: The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow

Today I'm excited to share a teaser from Rita Leganski's novel THE SILENCE OF BONAVENTURE ARROW, which is the She Reads Book Club March selection. I'm not quite half way through this intriguing book but it is definitely interesting. The story that takes place in and around New Orleans in the 1950's.  Bonaventure Arrow was born shortly after his father, William, was murdered, yet he is able to have a connection with his father through sound. Bonaventure is not your normal child. He never developed his speech so he communicates through gestures. The doctors have no answers and what no one is aware of is Bonaventure's special ability when it comes to hearing. He hears everything: grass growing, flowers blooming, the earth moving.  There is also another force working its way toward Bonaventure in the form of a Creole woman with a special gift of her own, she calls The Knowing.  The two are on a an inevitable course that will eventually bring them together.

Here are my teasers . . .

In the cities of the dead, statues and etchings mark resting places and a populace of angels stands in constant pose directing the departed toward heaven.  Broken flowers and weeping willows pay reverent homage, while poppies bestow eternal sleep.  Doves bequeath peace, Christ's bleeding heart wears a crown of thorns, and lambs mark the graves of children.  Every statue and every design keeps vigil over the dead.  Some say they drive evil spirits away - a task well noted in New Orleans.  ~ Location 519 Kindle Edition

There is so much more to this story, but I don't want to spoil anything so I'll leave it at that! I hope you enjoyed my teasers and of your interested in more teasers, please visit Should Be Reading every Tuesday.

Review: The River Witch by Kimberly Brock

One of the first things that caught my attention about this book was the title. THE RIVER WITCH. That is a great title. When I first noticed this book going around the blogs, my curiosity was piqued right away. As a lover of Southern Gothic Fiction, I simply couldn't pass it up.

What the Book is About: (No Spoilers)


Twenty-four year old Roslyn Byrne has hit rock bottom physically, mentally and professionally. Living through a car crash that left her body mangled, a miscarriage of a child she hadn't planned on but now can't seem to let go of, and her professional ballet career in ruins, time is the only medicine left to heal her body, heart, and spirit. So much of the recent past is still a nightmarish blur to Roslyn so she decides to turn to her roots and beliefs of her late grandmother for help in getting her mind and body strong again.

Roslyn  rents a house on Manny's Island, Georgia from the Trezevant family for the summer. Along with the house, comes stories of the family, their ancestors, and tales of hoodoo spells and conjure women, but that doesn't deter Roslyn, it draws her nearer to it, and to the mystical, healing music she remembered from her grandmother when she was just a girl.

As Roslyn begins to settle in to her summer hideaway, she meets Demascus, the daughter of the man who used to live in the house. The two become reluctant friends and soon Roslyn develops a protectiveness over the girl who grows pumpkins in the river bank so close to where the alligators live. Alligators that Demascus believes Roslyn has summoned. Rumors about Roslyn are rampant in the small island community but she faces them head on along with her own demons.

My Thoughts

This book is full of mystique and peculiar customs that is the perfect backdrop for this story that I found very original. Through Kimberly Brock's lyrical prose, I painted a vivid picture in my mind of Manny's Island and the house on the canal.  I could even hear the howling mating sounds of the alligators that kept Roslyn up at night.

The characters of this novel have a mystery about them as well. These are people who don't live in the hustle -bustle of the modern world. I had the feeling of being transported back to a time when people had a connection to the land they lived and worked on. Demascus' father was the most mysterious of all. He was a complex man, hard to figure out, yet something about him makes you want to keep trying.  Demascus was a wonderful character, reminding me so much of another little girl named Scout, that we all know and love.

I really enjoyed this book and the idea of the hoodoo charms and spells of the conjure women. I was impressed with how Ms. Brock wrote a story set in modern day but made it feel like a trip back in time to another place. I was captivated by that. This is a true Southern Gothic story that will stay with me for some time. In my opinion, there aren't enough of these types of books and I will be anxiously waiting for Kimberly Brock's next release. THE RIVER WITCH is a perfect example of why I am so fond of Southern Fiction.

THE RIVER WITCH
Author: Kimberly Brock (@Kimberlydbrock)
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
Published: April 2012
Length: 246 pp