[FSY]⇒ [PDF] The Excellent Lombards Jane Hamilton 9781455564224 Books

The Excellent Lombards Jane Hamilton 9781455564224 Books

Download As PDF : The Excellent Lombards Jane Hamilton 9781455564224 Books

The Excellent Lombards Jane Hamilton 9781455564224 Books

I am by all accounts a fan of Jane Hamilton. The Farm, or perhaps The Spirit of Rural America has been a character in nearly all of her novels, sometimes hiding in the background, sometimes taking a prominent role. Upon seeing the cover and reading the blurbs I thought to myself, "Aha, this is it, this at last must be The Farm Novel. Perhaps like Jon Galsworthy with the last of his Forsyte Saga books we will see Jane Hamilton predictable, see her plodding familiar ground." I was honestly afraid.

But this book is as much about farming as The Walking Dead is about zombies or Bob's Burgers is about restaurants; that is to say, not at all. "Everything about the place where you live determines Who You Are." This book is about the relationship of Place. Reading this book is watching a young girl discover and wrestle with that relationship. Even if you don't love the girl or the place you WILL be taken with the struggle.

I finished reading The Excellent Lombards a few hours ago and I still feel as if my heart is about to burst. As a very young man I did not understand this particular sensation of anger, sadness, and loss. Now I recognize it as the familiar mourning of a love affair come to an end. I was expecting to at last see the strings, to at last predict the magician's movements. Instead I am humbled and grateful that such a wizard of the literary craft has bestowed upon us another work of Great American Literature.


Tags : The Excellent Lombards [Jane Hamilton] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <strong> This is the book Jane Hamilton was born to write... [it is] magnificent. - Ann Patchett, New York Times</i> bestselling author of Commonwealth </i></strong> Everything you could ask for in a coming-of-age novel-- funny,Jane Hamilton,The Excellent Lombards,Grand Central Publishing,1455564222,Coming Of Age,Family Life,Literary,Bildungsromans,FICTION Coming of Age.,FICTION Family Life,FICTION Family Life.,FICTION Literary.,Families,Family farms,Orchards,FICTION Coming of Age,FICTION Family Life General,FICTION Literary,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction-Coming of Age,FictionComing of Age,FictionLiterary,GENERAL,General Adult,HAMILTON, JANE - PROSE & CRITICISM,United States,books about farm life; a map of the world; oprah's book club; coming of age; books about eden; farm politics; modern farm life; apple farm; apple orchard; wisconsin farm; book of ruth; rural wisconsin; book club picks; book club favorites; book club discussion; agrarian history;,books about farm life; a map of the world; oprah's book club; coming of age; books about eden; farm politics; modern farm life; apple farm; apple orchard; wisconsin farm; book of ruth; rural wisconsin; book club picks; book club favorites; book club discussion; agrarian history,FICTION Coming of Age,FICTION Family Life General,FICTION Literary,FictionComing of Age,FictionLiterary,Fiction - General,Fiction

The Excellent Lombards Jane Hamilton 9781455564224 Books Reviews

In the quietest way, a girl is portrayed growing up and losing all the things one loses as one grows up, which she fights every step of the way. A thoroughly engrossing story of growing up, and on a farm, which is also in danger of being lost in the industrialized, suburban world.
I did not like the ending at all. I just would have liked a bit more closure to the story. Instead I was left hanging. When I have invested in a story, I want it to end up somewhere!
The Excellent Lombards is a a coming of age story of a precocious young girl growing up on a Wisconsin apple farm. The story revolves around difficult family relationships and how each person deals with them. The ending did not tie up any of the many loose ends and was very unsatisfying. The book isn't one I would recommend but I did think some of the dialog was very real.
As a resident of Wisconsin, I found the story location to be of interest with the changing times of apple growing here. My family loves to visit orchards and pick our own apples in the fall. I had a hard time getting to know the other characters in the family or in the community. I was left hanging by the story ending. It did not leave me wanting for more - as in wanting to read the next book in a series.
The story was slow moving but the writing was engaging, and I felt like I was getting to know the family and it's makeup through this easy going pace. I was disappointed by the ending though and felt it was abrupt.
I think this is Hamilton's best book so far. Halfway through, I hated the narrator (a Wisconsin version of Scout Finch) but by the end, I realized this is one of the best renderings of an adolescent I've ever read. We're really into "hero children" these days, but Mary Frances is a much more honest teen character.

At first, she's a tiny narcissist, in love with her apple-orchard world and her place in it. As her mother and other relatives begin to chip away at her naiveté, Mary Frances struggles mightily to grow up and accept the fact that her time in Eden is coming to an end. (It's really hard to avoid a Biblical analogy about the Lombard kids having to eat the apple of knowledge.) It's a subtle book with an unreliable narrator at its core (ha!), and it offers no easy answers about family dynamics and modern farm politics. Initially the ending felt abrupt, but it's stuck with me, and the more I think about it, the more I realize it highlights what the book is really about the build up to exact moment you realize you have no control over change -- that life is uncertain, and no one, not even your wonderful, perfect father, can fix it for you. And THAT is what it means to "come of age." In short, this one'll haunt you worse than Mary Frances's Halloween pumpkin visitors.
All the small details that contribute to the making of a remarkable human being are present in this Jane Hamilton coming of age story. I dare anyone not to find a piece of themselves in these pages. The growing of apples which is crucial background buildimg material is so akin to the growing of solid family. I loved the Lombard Family. All the hard work growing the apples was just like growing the family. So much goes unseen before the polished end product. The loved that existed between all the characters made me long for my own family of origin. To return for just a moment even to the long days of uninterrupted play and decision making that makes us who we are. A great book for self understanding, gratitude, and poignant reflection.
I am by all accounts a fan of Jane Hamilton. The Farm, or perhaps The Spirit of Rural America has been a character in nearly all of her novels, sometimes hiding in the background, sometimes taking a prominent role. Upon seeing the cover and reading the blurbs I thought to myself, "Aha, this is it, this at last must be The Farm Novel. Perhaps like Jon Galsworthy with the last of his Forsyte Saga books we will see Jane Hamilton predictable, see her plodding familiar ground." I was honestly afraid.

But this book is as much about farming as The Walking Dead is about zombies or Bob's Burgers is about restaurants; that is to say, not at all. "Everything about the place where you live determines Who You Are." This book is about the relationship of Place. Reading this book is watching a young girl discover and wrestle with that relationship. Even if you don't love the girl or the place you WILL be taken with the struggle.

I finished reading The Excellent Lombards a few hours ago and I still feel as if my heart is about to burst. As a very young man I did not understand this particular sensation of anger, sadness, and loss. Now I recognize it as the familiar mourning of a love affair come to an end. I was expecting to at last see the strings, to at last predict the magician's movements. Instead I am humbled and grateful that such a wizard of the literary craft has bestowed upon us another work of Great American Literature.