Review by karynation -- Elastic Girl by Olivia Rana
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karynation
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Review by karynation -- Elastic Girl by Olivia Rana
[Following is a volunteer review of "Elastic Girl" by Olivia Rana.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Muthu seems plagued by misfortune. Her grandmother blames her for the death of her grandfather, and when the storms come and destroy their home, she claims that Muthu is a curse on the family. As they move from place to place Muthu is forced to sell bread on the streets in order to help her family survive.
All she really wants is to become a Bollywood star. She and a friend, Maheesh, have come to know them all as they watch the movies through the holes in the upper floor of the movie house. What she longs for is simply to be better than her sisters and becoming a star will certainly do that for her.
One day they discover a partially submerged bicycle in the waters near home. Convincing Maheesh that she can salvage and sell it to make money, he reluctantly lowers her by rope toward the murky mess. The frayed rope breaks plunging Muthu to what Maheesh, after a frantic search, comes to believe was her death. She ultimately escapes death by crawling through an impossibly small vent. Everyone believes it was a miracle. The vent was much too small for her to crawl through without breaking her bones. Because of this she becomes a local hero. The townspeople call her ‘the elastic girl’.
Elastic Girl by Olivia Rana is a wonderfully written story of just how far a family will go in order to survive. To save themselves from their quick descent into extreme poverty, Muthu’s family contracts her to the circus as a contortionist at the young age of 11. Hoping to make a star of herself and make her family love her again, Muthu faces challenges that no child should have to endure. Running from desperate situation to even more harrowing hardship, Muthu eventually makes her way back home. Everything has changed, thanks to her, but then again, nothing has really changed at all. She is still viewed as a curse but now she knows why. Armed with this knowledge she becomes a much stronger person, but where will it lead her?
Everyone who champions a cause will find this a worthy read. It is not really a story meant for young children because of the mature content. Anyone who has trouble with the atrocities of man would find this a difficult read as well.
The best thing about this book is the theme that no matter your station in life you can rise above and become whatever you want to be. The worst thing about this book is the realness of the story; the realization that there are people out there who care nothing for human life beyond their own and knowing that to some of them age doesn’t matter. That’s not really the worst thing about the book, though, it’s the worst thing about humanity in general.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It was very well written and edited. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a great read. This book belongs on a Best Seller list.
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Elastic Girl
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4 out of 4 stars
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Muthu seems plagued by misfortune. Her grandmother blames her for the death of her grandfather, and when the storms come and destroy their home, she claims that Muthu is a curse on the family. As they move from place to place Muthu is forced to sell bread on the streets in order to help her family survive.
All she really wants is to become a Bollywood star. She and a friend, Maheesh, have come to know them all as they watch the movies through the holes in the upper floor of the movie house. What she longs for is simply to be better than her sisters and becoming a star will certainly do that for her.
One day they discover a partially submerged bicycle in the waters near home. Convincing Maheesh that she can salvage and sell it to make money, he reluctantly lowers her by rope toward the murky mess. The frayed rope breaks plunging Muthu to what Maheesh, after a frantic search, comes to believe was her death. She ultimately escapes death by crawling through an impossibly small vent. Everyone believes it was a miracle. The vent was much too small for her to crawl through without breaking her bones. Because of this she becomes a local hero. The townspeople call her ‘the elastic girl’.
Elastic Girl by Olivia Rana is a wonderfully written story of just how far a family will go in order to survive. To save themselves from their quick descent into extreme poverty, Muthu’s family contracts her to the circus as a contortionist at the young age of 11. Hoping to make a star of herself and make her family love her again, Muthu faces challenges that no child should have to endure. Running from desperate situation to even more harrowing hardship, Muthu eventually makes her way back home. Everything has changed, thanks to her, but then again, nothing has really changed at all. She is still viewed as a curse but now she knows why. Armed with this knowledge she becomes a much stronger person, but where will it lead her?
Everyone who champions a cause will find this a worthy read. It is not really a story meant for young children because of the mature content. Anyone who has trouble with the atrocities of man would find this a difficult read as well.
The best thing about this book is the theme that no matter your station in life you can rise above and become whatever you want to be. The worst thing about this book is the realness of the story; the realization that there are people out there who care nothing for human life beyond their own and knowing that to some of them age doesn’t matter. That’s not really the worst thing about the book, though, it’s the worst thing about humanity in general.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It was very well written and edited. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a great read. This book belongs on a Best Seller list.
******
Elastic Girl
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like karynation's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: Elastic Girl by Olivia Rana
