I enjoyed reading it again as an adult, although I now realize the quality of the writing isn't as good as it possibly could be. Still, this is a fascinating story of a year-old Appalachian girl in North Carolina trying to keep her siblings together after their father becomes I originally read this in grade school - some time around the sixth grade - and I remembered liking it very much.
Still, this is a fascinating story of a year-old Appalachian girl in North Carolina trying to keep her siblings together after their father becomes gravely ill. It's also a nice depiction of wildcrafting. Apr 12, Melinda rated it really liked it Shelves: This one probably deserves 3. It was a re-read for me; I remember reading it as a kid and seeing the movie. The descriptions of rural poverty and the beauty of the NC mountains were very good. Interesting descriptions of wildcrafting as the kids try to support themselves by harvesting medicinal herbs, roots and bark.
Kids who have been through tough times will find an accurate mirror to their own experience here This one probably deserves 3. Kids who have been through tough times will find an accurate mirror to their own experience here and a worthwhile reading experience.
Dec 29, David Corder rated it it was amazing. For me, Where the Lilies Bloom was like meeting someone new. At first, I didn't know them very well, and I didn't really think that the two of us would hit it off. However, as we spent more time together, I developed a deep love for them and couldn't wait to spend time with them. Where the Lilies Bloom is a compelling story about a young girl having the weight of the world being placed on her shoulders and her undying reliance to help her family.
It's a story that will captivate you and that you For me, Where the Lilies Bloom was like meeting someone new. It's a story that will captivate you and that you'll remember for years to come and will inspire you to face your biggest obstacles head on. I can't believe I just got around to reading this book now One of my favorite YA books thus far. I love reading books about kids who are determined to make it in the world dispite their circumstances. I kept wanting to make it on their own after their father died I would have liked the book to be a little longer in order to tell us what happened to the kids as they grew up.
May 01, drowningmermaid rated it did not like it. This was required reading in grade school. The descriptions of poverty were evocative, but somewhat long-winded. Validation for my feeling of dull. What I found the most irritating was the resolution: I have been looking for this story for years.
Something about the mountains and the characters stuck out in my mind from when my elementary school librarian read this to us, but I couldn't remember the title. I remembered "lilies" but nothing more.
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But the imagery and characters were just as sharp this reading. Jan 29, Karen rated it it was amazing. A well told story of what it was like to be mountain people in the deep south, sharecropping and how they deal with life after a family tragedy of major loss. Judging from the references, this could take place anytime from post WWII to the mid s. It doesn't really reference any significant point in time or history. It's a judgement call but that takes nothing away from the story.
Oct 16, Meredith rated it did not like it. I got the book and it smelled like poo. I thought it was just the book,so I got a new one and that smelled like poo too. So I actually opened the book and read it, then I realized what it was. This book is a piece of poo. We need to press forward in our struggles and not give up. Spring will always follow the darkest winters. This was one of my favorites when I was a young teen. Interesting how the story has changed since then: Feb 19, Shelley rated it it was amazing. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here. I read this book when I was in the 5th or 6th grade and had forgotten how great it is. I certainly did not appreciate it like I did when I read it this time. It was a touching book about life and growing up and being so poor you don't know where you are going to get your next meal but ultimately about family sticking together. Mary Call has an older sister Devola who has I read this book when I was in the 5th or 6th grade and had forgotten how great it is.
Mary Call has an older sister Devola who has a slight mental handicap it seems. Mary Call calls her "cloudy-headed". She also has two younger siblings- Romey and Ima Dean.
They live with their father, Roy Luther who, at the start of the book, is quite ill already and suffers what appears to be a stroke that leaves him in even worse shape. Mary Call already works hard to provide for her family and she picks herbs to sell in town. She manages to get the house and land signed over to the family so they are no longer indebted to the man that wants to marry Devola. As Roy Luther's health gets worse, he makes Mary Call promise him some things. She must NOT tell any other adults that he has died. The children must bury him themselves on Old Joshua.
She must not let Devola marry the man that owned they land they lived on. Mary Call agrees to these things. When Roy Luther does die Mary Call does the best she can to keep her family going. Ultimately, they lose the house, live in a cave but in the end, she begins to make decisions for herself and her brother and sisters instead of just relying on the things her father believed and wanted her to do.
She allows Devola to marry Kiser Pease and he in turn, takes all of the children in and provides them with a home and safety. The story was sweet and hard and sad all at once. Mary Call was proud and hard working and so determined to take care of the other children. She did not want to go into foster care and tried her best to make sure she honored her father's requests.
She reminded me of some people I have known in my life that come from backgrounds similar to Mary Call's. They are strong willed, proud people who go through life doing what they have to do to take care of their families. I would reccommend this for 4th grade and up. Some of it is not going to be appreciated by younger children but I think they will still get the general idea behind what is going on. Sep 03, Carlyna rated it it was amazing. I happened upon this book at the library.
Logan and I went so that I could have a "good" experience there and want to go back. I'm not much for libraries! The books I went there to get were checked out which was annoying, but then I came up with a plan. I would go to the teens section and pick out a book at random.
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So I strolled down the isles and saw this book. I liked the title so I thought, why not? This is a great book for young readers. It kept my interest and was a fast read. The I happened upon this book at the library. The library isn't so bad afterall. Since I can't summarize this book very well I've just copied and pasted a summary I found online. Note - the book is worth reading! As he lay dying, her father made her promise to look after her batty but sweet older sister Devola and younger sisters Romey and Ima Dean.
She also had to fufill several conditions. First, she was not to call a preacher or an undertaker when he died. She was to wrap him in a sheet and bury him on the mountain. Second, she was to always take pride in the name of Luther and instill that pride in her sisters. Third, she was to do her utmost to keep the family together and not accept charity. Fourth, she was always to keep Devola with her and treat her kindly and never, under any circumstances allow her to marry their hillbilly neighbor Kiser Pease.
Though Mary Call does her utmost to fulfill her promises, hardships settled on thick and fast. People insisted on seeing her father and seemed suspicious of his absence. Money was tight, and the Luthers had to work long hours in the mountains to get any money at all. Winter came with vengeance, and the roof of the house partially collapsed from the weight of the snow.
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Finally, the Luthers were told they had two weeks to leave their home. At this point, Mary Call finally admitted that she could not continue to battle and found help from a surprising source. Mar 05, Lily Smith rated it really liked it. It tugged on all the heart strings, and got you connected to every single one of the characters. Even if it is a bad connection, it was there. This book had a lot packed into it for a book with only pages, it had a surprising amount of details in it also.
There are two literary elements that I quickly saw when I was getting through this book. The first one was the setting, the setting was in the woods and not a city type of place. It was more a country property where the main characters lived. The subject that pointed out the most was the house of shack that they lived in, it was like poverty level how they lived yet they survived.
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It is a very interesting setting because it is very hard for them to live like everyday people in that kind of a house, The feelings that occur are sadness and sympathy. This is where the lilies bloom. The Second literary element was the point of view. The main character, Mary Call, was the main character and the story was told through her eyes, and every experience was through her perception of the experience. This kind of book with a strong female as the main character is a very unique book.
These are the books that interest readers even more because they are different than the ditzy female characters in a lot of books. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has an interest in reading. After the death of their mother, Mary Call and her three siblings are raised by their proud yet kind-hearted father until he too becomes unceasingly ill. Mary Call takes on the role of family leader, family protector, and the progenitor of the Luther family's values and pride.
Where the Lilies Bloom () - Rotten Tomatoes
Armed with the inherited knowledge to forage for valuable edible and medicinal plants and roots, and the resilience earned from being the daughter of a share-cropper, Mary Call helps her family to thrive against all odds. This is a story of family loyalty and pride, strength and perseverance, and a glimpse at the tough-as-nails character of a culturally distinct people. Where the Lilies Bloom is a personal narrative novel, spanning approximately pages. The story is told in the common speech of the 14 year old protagonist, which makes for a relatively easy read.
The challenge for the reader is in the use of regionalisms, or descriptions that are culturally or historically distinct. This is an emotionally intense story with which most readers can either empathize or identify on some level - abject poverty, abandonment or loss of parent, family loyalty, a struggle to thrive.
While the overall complexity of the writing might not challenge the more advanced readers, the emotional intensity of the story encourages empathy, introspection, and a deep consideration of the human condition. When Roy Luther dies his four children become orphans. Not only is the daily task of making ends meet hard, but so is hiding the fact that Roy Luther is dead. Can they work together gathering mountain herbs to sell while hiding their secret When Roy Luther dies his four children become orphans.
Can they work together gathering mountain herbs to sell while hiding their secret, or has their father asked too much of his young daughter? I was completely captured by this story. Last night I woke in the middle of the night thinking about it, wanting to sneak downstairs to finish it. Ever since I was young I have always loved stories about the Appalachian people, mostly the girls and their will to survive. To me they are the true heroines. Poor as dirt but they rise above the best they know how to.
I remember watching the movie when I was young and loved it. I was trilled when I found it was based on a book. I loved the book even more. I will read and reread this book. Oct 02, Kristi rated it really liked it. I have a memory of this book burned into my mind from grade school. It must have been my favorite book though I'd forgotten the plot completely , but I could remember the picture on the cover and it's exact location in my school library. I have memories of me going to it's location and just staring at the cover.
So I decided now, in my 40's, to re-read the book. So they pretend he's still alive, and they try to survive on their own. But by the time I finished the book, I changed my opinion. I found the biggest lesson in the book possible spoiler warning is that people aren't always who you think they are. People you fear, might not be that bad after all.
It reminded me of Pride and Prejudice in that way. Mary Call's extreme pride prevented her from seeing growth and change in her sister, and a deeply hidden sense of kindness in the one they thought to be their enemy. So, for the lessons it teaches, I will call it a classic. The authors have created a wonderful first-person narrator - the writing style is distinctive. The story is engaging and holds the reader's attention all the way through to the end. There's quite a bit in the premise of this book that is also found in Cynthia Voigt's book Homecoming - both books feature a strong teenage girl forced to take charge of her siblings including a sister who may or may not be retarded in some way and to hide the truth of the family's lack of adults.
In Homecomin The authors have created a wonderful first-person narrator - the writing style is distinctive. In Homecoming , the kids are on the road down the east coast, but here they never leave the family home, such as it is, in the mountains of North Carolina. I see there is a sequel Trial Valley - I can't imagine it being as good as this, but hopefully it's not a disaster. The movie version takes some liberties, but it is still excellent. Jun 12, Grace rated it it was amazing Shelves: This was way less epic than I remember it being--I was surprised by how little time it spanned, but Mary Call was still wondrously tough so I still mostly loved it Katniss of The Hunger Games so reminds me of her, and K.
I liked how the end wasn't about Mary Call giving up her own toughness or being saved by someone else like Grandfather Boxcar Children , but realizing how much she'd underestimated the people around her. In my memory I alwa This was way less epic than I remember it being--I was surprised by how little time it spanned, but Mary Call was still wondrously tough so I still mostly loved it Katniss of The Hunger Games so reminds me of her, and K. In my memory I always saw Mary Call as young Jodie Foster and was convinced the actress who played her in the movie looked like Jodie, so I was totally surprised when I looked at the movie cover on imdb and saw the actress looked nothing like her.
Mar 15, Michelle Talbot rated it really liked it Shelves: This was a very touching story. It lets you get a close up view of poverty and the struggle to survive that the people in the Smokey Mountains might experience. This family tried to stay together even with so many things going against them. They fear losing their farm and their house and each other. It is the 14 year old girl who has to take over the responsibility for this family and she is remarkable in her resourcefulness.
Find out more about OverDrive accounts. Where Lilies Bloom is listed as fiction, but the story was inspired by truth. It is the terrifying account of a young couple, Elton and Becky Brown who move to Vermont when Elton was accepted as a professor at Vermont Law. They are delighted with their new start and the fact that the job comes with a beautiful new home. They happily take possession of the house only a few days before the fall semester starts, but from the day they moved in, Becky starts having unpleasant experiences.
The young couple learns quickly that the house is well known to locals because it has a long history of tragedy. A young Edmundite brother named Br. William is among those who offer a hand.
William finds that the property has been possessed by Leviathan. The demon called Leviathan is able to make humans behave in the most atrocious ways and the murder victims of his handy work have haunted the property for over a century.