Review of The Shingle Weavers Picnic

[Christabel Uzoamaka]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Shingle Weavers Picnic" by P.C.Smith.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Even after experiencing a great loss in the bombing at Pearl Harbor at just the age of seven, Annie Elizabeth Jordan still retained her optimistic and caring persona. But the summer of her seventh year changed everything. Owing to her mother’s pregnancy, Cricket agreed to spend the summer with her grandparents alone. After all, Cricket had always enjoyed visits to their home at Everett in the past summers. Little Cricket made friends with some neighborhood children, and all through her summer visits, they were inseparable. They were more inseparable than ever that summer. But their friendship was not to last. A hideous crime would change their bond and Cricket’s outlook on the world forever. Instead of being one of only fun and fairytale adventures, that summer was, for Cricket and her friends, also one of abuse, violence, and murder.

P. C. Smith masterfully used imagery and flashbacks in her debut novel, The Shingle Weaver’s Picnic. The author began by introducing an adult Cricket, which was a perfect way to begin the book that would take readers down memory lane. The author did excellently in setting the stage and fleshing out the characters. I could vividly imagine Mackie’s youth experiences of being surrounded by her protective brothers. In Pearl Harbor, I could perfectly picture the beach scene of Honolulu. When the author brought us to a ranch, it felt like I was there with the characters. With just words, P. C. Smith was able to create pictures just as vivid as colorful paintings, and I loved that about this book.

The author used an omniscient narrative style, and I was glad to see the time and effort she put into developing the characters. From midnight talks to God to thoughtful statements, I could make out the kind of person Cricket was for myself. I could also make out every other character. Almost every character was distinct and necessary to the plot. However, this dedication to character building was also a drawback to my enjoyment of the book. The author spent almost the entire book explaining who the characters were and what they did, and it took a long time to get to why that summer was so life-changing.

The end of almost every chapter would allude to whether the characters would be able to withstand the immense change that would happen later that summer. In the beginning, I was excited to know what would be so monumental. But after a lot of chapters, I started getting irritated by the never-ending allusions. Also, it seemed to me like the author was doing a lot of telling instead of showing. For instance, I was tired of being told how haunting the crime of that summer would be. And when it actually happened, it ended up not being so ghastly, and I’d already had an idea of what would happen in the end.

Owing to the reasons already explained, I can only rate this book 3 out of 4. I did not rate it lower because I liked being part of the community at Everett, and I was not bored by the story. Moreover, the book received exceptional editing. In the end, the author introduced a new twist that I did not expect. If you are looking for a mild thrill and like reading slightly complex books featuring children, this book will do. The Shingle Weaver’s Picnic depicts children being violent, cussing, and being sexualized, which some readers might dislike.

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The Shingle Weavers Picnic
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[Nonso Ok]

Thank you for highlighting that the book contains children being sexualized. I'd have to pass.

[Poojitha Borra]

From your review, I can deduce that there is too much anticipation and hype build-up for the scene. Not for me, but this is a great review.

[Amy Luman]

Are Annie Elizabeth and Cricket the same person? The sexualization of children and the mention of profanity keep this from being for me.

[NetMassimo]

I have mixed feeling about this novel, as it has a peculiar mix of merits and flaws with some elements that intrigue me and others that turn me off. Regardless, thank you for your great review!

[Ekezie1998]

This looks like quite an intriguing plot. Would definitely love to have this one on my shelf. Great review.