Rating: 
Summary: Really enjoyed it!
Review: Like another reader, I was drawn to this book by its cover, and I was not disappointed. Reynolds does an excellent job of creating a world where the living Finch and the dead interact, creating a magical atmosphere that draws you in. I liked Finch and her strangeness and found the story touching and intriguing.
Rating:
Summary: Very subtle but deep
Review: I felt like this book could have lasted about 50 more pages... Finch's transition from living in the world of the dead into the world of the living was a little too quick for me. But the tale and the characters were intriguing. Great, quick read.
Rating:
Summary: Easy read of a scar-tissue recluse and her dead friends.
Review: My friends kept saying to read this book. It was the cover design that first attracted me. The story was an easy read, lots of dialogue (of the dead and undead). I never really rooted for the heroine (if that's what you want to call her). Not only do the other characters have a hard time getting close to Finch, the reader does, too. Didn't quite understand what a "ninny" was until the end.
Rating: 
Summary: THE DEAD TELL NO TALES
Review: Well, in this book they do. They talk to Finch and she responds. They get ready to rise up. How often we have thought, if I only could talk with someone dead - well, this book shows you can. And what tales they have to tell. So imaginative and well written, you won't want to put it down. It can be read in one sitting.
Rating:
Summary: LOVED IT!!
Review: No one can delve into the injured psyche like Sheri Reynolds. She weaves a beautiful tale and in doing so uncovers the psychological makeup of a whole town. I was totally absorbed in the book from page one and would recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: eccentricities of a finch
Review: Finch, the scarred main character, forty-ish, not in any way charming or attractive, tends the local graveyard with singular devotion. And why not, the dead are her best friends. Reynolds creates characters who are very real because they are very hurt and yet very strong. And she weaves a story that is very human. Finch may be a medium for the departed, but she is solidly US, someone readers can identify with. It is hard to read Reynolds and not be impressed with her poetic style, her terse bits of wisdom ("knots untangle themselves"--I copied that out of her book and taped it to my fridge for weeks) and her understanding and compassion for the human condition. Read her and watch, because this writer is going to be very well-known and is going to last as an important voice in American fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it
Review: I have read this book at least four times and love it more and more each time. If you are a believer in the afterlife, or just curious about it, it has some interesting points of view. Dead men really do tell tales.
Rating:
Summary: warmly entertaining and thoughtful
Review: The author does a wonderful job of developing her characters, especially her main one, Finch Nobles. When Finch was a little girl she accidently spilled a pot of boiling water on herself and suffers massive scars. The reaction of others to her disfigurement cause her to retreat to caretaking of the graveyard her father is in charge of and then she herself inherits the responsibility. It is her security, because she has developed the ability to talk to the dead and has developed friendships among them that she doesn't have amongst the living. She has learned to erect a barrier when dealing with the people living around her. Because she can speak to both the living and the dead, she is sometimes used by the dead to try and communicate with the living and of course, she is considered rather strange to the living because of her disfigurement and her lifestyle. It is a book that gently reminds us that just because someone has a disfigurement or is a little different doesn't mean that they don't have feelings and such as everyone else and that true kindness and goodness should be practiced by everyone and for everyone regardless of any differences.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a Book for the Weak Hearted
Review: This is a story that you might have thought you heard, but you heard wrong. Told by a girl that can talk to the dead but with an original twist; you find yourself relating to a character you never thought possible. Reading the book you get to meet a lot of interesting people both alive and dead. Taking you from step to step the story will have you laughing, mad, and even sad. So if you want to read a good book I recommend this one.
Rating:
Summary: Lessons gently taught
Review: A GRACIOUS PLENTY is the sweetly unfussy story of Finch Nobles, the caretaker of a graveyard in a small town, who was horribly burned and disfigured as a small child. The townsfolk shun Finch, but she finds acceptance and solace with the souls who inhabit the cemetery-she is able to see and speak with the dead. Finch has rich friendships with the lost souls; and, with their encouragement, she learns to reach out to those they left behind. She helps the living loved ones learn the truth about those they lost, so that both they and their dead can move on. In so doing, Finch begins to inch back toward the social world of the living herself. The lessons Reynolds incorporates into her tale may be a bit obvious (be decent to all people, don't be judgmental), but her style is so gently winning that any syrupiness is overcome.
|
