Ratings9
Average rating3.4
'this is my book and i am writing it by my own hand' The year is eighteen hundred and thirty one when fifteen-year-old Mary begins the difficult task of telling her story. A scrap of a thing with a sharp tongue and hair the colour of milk, Mary leads a harsh life working on her father's farm alongside her three sisters. In the summer she is sent to work for the local vicar's invalid wife, where the reasons why she must record the truth of what happens to her - and the need to record it so urgently - are gradually revealed. Through an entirely unforgettable voice, and reminiscent of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervillesand Margaret Atwood'sAlias Grace, Nell Leyshon's powerful The Colour of Milkshows how even a powerless, uneducated girl can alter her own fate.
Reviews with the most likes.
An enjoyable read. I thought the style was a unique and interesting take on near-illiteracy. The characters were pretty well developed, especially given the style of the limited dialogue/descriptions. I really loved Mary's simple and stoic take on the world around her. Sad for grandpa's living conditions though.
A tiny, beautiful, and crushing story. It's super short and potent and I can feel it haunting me already.
The only downside was a stylistic choice of the author. I agree with other readers that the lack of capitalization was annoying. I got used to it, but towards the end she explicitly writes about learning capital letters I felt duped. Still well worth a read and a reread, though.
This is a short, dark story about an illiterate farm-girl who is sent by her father to work for the vicar as he needs help tending to his beloved sick wife. The family is good to Mary, the vicar even takes the time to teach Mary to read. In exchange for learning to read and write, Mary has to give something in return. The storyline had all the potential in the world to take hold of me emotionally and mentally, but somehow it just fell flat. Very disappointing...
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