Review of The Rock at the Bottom
1 posts
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Rock at the Bottom" by Cynthia Hilston.]
In The Rock at the Bottom, we meet Stephen, a young boy whose alcoholic father blames him for his mother’s death. He fills his lonely mind by writing stories and dreaming of being a writer. Stephen grows up and moves out on his own where he meets Julie and the two quickly fall in love, but writing about love and expressing it are two very different things. The challenges of life test Stephen and their relationship, and he is horrified to realize that maybe he’s more like his father than he ever thought possible. Tragedy seemed to follow Stephen and even led him to change his name in hopes of creating a truly new and better life. Do things ever improve like we always hope they will or do you eventually just hit the bottom and die? Follow along with Stephen to find out.
I enjoyed this book a lot. Stephen is a great main character, written with an excellent balance of flaws and great characteristics. His struggles and life feel so authentic; you truly feel every moment of joy and heartbreak alongside him. Wishing you could start over and outrun your past, like Stephen, is something many people can relate to. Even though this book is set in the past, it touches on so many current topics.
There is nothing I can find to complain about in this book. It had great pacing and the characters were well-developed and felt real. It only had a few words of profanity, and while there are insinuations of sexual encounters, nothing detailed takes place on page, so it's an appropriate read for older teens as well. I only found one error throughout, so it’s also extremely well edited. This book is easily a 5 out of 5. A great read for lovers of historical fiction.
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The Rock at the Bottom
View: on Bookshelves |
In The Rock at the Bottom, we meet Stephen, a young boy whose alcoholic father blames him for his mother’s death. He fills his lonely mind by writing stories and dreaming of being a writer. Stephen grows up and moves out on his own where he meets Julie and the two quickly fall in love, but writing about love and expressing it are two very different things. The challenges of life test Stephen and their relationship, and he is horrified to realize that maybe he’s more like his father than he ever thought possible. Tragedy seemed to follow Stephen and even led him to change his name in hopes of creating a truly new and better life. Do things ever improve like we always hope they will or do you eventually just hit the bottom and die? Follow along with Stephen to find out.
I enjoyed this book a lot. Stephen is a great main character, written with an excellent balance of flaws and great characteristics. His struggles and life feel so authentic; you truly feel every moment of joy and heartbreak alongside him. Wishing you could start over and outrun your past, like Stephen, is something many people can relate to. Even though this book is set in the past, it touches on so many current topics.
There is nothing I can find to complain about in this book. It had great pacing and the characters were well-developed and felt real. It only had a few words of profanity, and while there are insinuations of sexual encounters, nothing detailed takes place on page, so it's an appropriate read for older teens as well. I only found one error throughout, so it’s also extremely well edited. This book is easily a 5 out of 5. A great read for lovers of historical fiction.
******
The Rock at the Bottom
View: on Bookshelves |
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