Ellen Foster

Rating:
Summary: An unsentimental jewel
Review: There are not many authors that could write a story at once as touching and convincing as this one. This book does not romanticize the deprived circumstances of its heroine's life -- either by making it too sweet or too shocking. The heroine has just the type of amoral practicality that seems right for a survivor. I recommend it highly

Rating:
Summary: What a wonderful kid Ellen is!
Review: The heart and courage of Ellen Foster will take your breath away. The insight and resilience shown by this young girl, and also the humor, are at once gut-wrenching and hysterical. A rare combination that is not easy to pull off, but author Gibbons does it effortlessly and most admirably. Ellen Foster is a kid anyone would be proud to love

Rating:
Summary: I don't read much, But I love Ellen Foster
Review: I am a college student who does not read for pleasure. However, I was asked as an assignment to read "Ellen Foster" by Kaye Gibbons. Never before have I enjoyed reading something, especially for an assignment. The book itself is very sad and very down. Yet, the book is very funny. I found myself many time laughing out loud in my dorm room. This book is Kaye Gibbons first and I truely look forward to reading her other novels. She truely deserves the awards she has won. I recomend this book to anyone who loves children. I hope you will too read this book, it has a lot to offer!

Rating:
Summary: best quick read ever
Review: A friend of mine introduced me to Kay Gibbons a little over 6 months ago and turned me into a die-hard fan. I work in a bookstore and read more than your average person -- so I am not being flippant when I say that this is the most beautifully written book I have ever read. Ellen Foster is a terribly simple yet perfectly accurate story of an brave little girl in an awful situation. Gibbons has found a wonderful way of expressing the ways in which racism becomes rooted in people's minds . I wholeheartedly recommend it and would love to hear what you think

Rating:
Summary: seemed dated
Review: I appreciated the humor and wisdom in Ellen's voice. I applauded her spunk. The subject matter is enormous in its own right, so I was mystified by what seemed a twist in focus at the end. Almost as though Ellen's living hell needed more weight to be of import. Possibly I'd have been more moved in 1987, when this book was first published.

Rating:
Summary: Too Much in Too Little
Review: "Ellen Foster" is the tale of an eleven-year-old girl who is forced into adulthood all too early. After her mother's death, her abusive father neglects her and she dreams of ways in which to kill him. She eventually goes through a series of foster care situations (hence the last name of Foster), and suffers the abuse as well as the kindness of strangers.

The novel is a brief read and perhaps that is part of its downfall. Kaye Gibbons tries to cram too much into too little. People have commented on old Ellen's actions and what befalls her. Yet some of what occurs in her life is too fantastical to believe, even for a southern novel. She suffers so much at all times, that after a while, the reader is bogged down with no chance of breaking the surface. While Gibbons is able to weave vivid characters (such as Ellen's poor "friend" and her elderly aunt), she doesn't ground them in reality and they remain unbelievable.

Rating:
Summary: a child with charm and character
Review: I really enjoyed this book. The authors style of writing is a bit strange in the way it flows in a thought-like pattern, but the content of the book was wonderful. As I read the book it brought back memories of being a child, both good and bad. I enjoyed the courage and strength of little Ellen and her wisdom about the world. She went through heartache and pain but learned valuable lessons instead of living in fear and remorse.

Rating:
Summary: Rainy day material.
Review: I read this about a month ago and can hardly remember the specifics. It's about an eleven year old named Ellen whose mother dies after Ellen is pushed by her father to give her an overdose of medication. After her mother's death, she lives alone with her alcoholic father , who alternately ignores her and tries to molest her. Her sole friend throughout this drama is Starletta, a black girl Ellen feels superior to in the beginning of the story , but later comes to see as an equal. Ellen lives with her aunt, her teacher , her vile grandmother and finally a foster parent. This is where the last name "Foster" is derived.

It's an okay book....nothing that really sticks in your memory...

Rating:
Summary: Love the Story and the Writing Style
Review: This is a sweet little "read in a day" book. My first thought was, "Oh no, not another book about an 11-year old girl." But I enjoyed the character, Ellen, thoroughly and felt for her through her trials with a dead mother and abusive father.

I also very much enjoyed the author's writing style in this book. At first I thought the lack of punctuation would be confusing, but it only added to the charm of the book.

I would highly recommend this book, especially for book club discussions.

Rating:
Summary: Sad story told in a unique style
Review: Kaye Gibbons has given us a heartbreaking story, well written and so believable and honest, it is almost painful.

Ellen is an 11 year old who has been forced to make adult decisions most of her young life because her mother is very ill, and her father is cruel and unfeeling. Her story alternates between her past, when she lived with her parents, and the present, where she now lives in a foster home.

I lived the same sort of life Ellen did, had such a similiar childhood that it was almost eerie when I read the book. The thoughts and reasoning of a neglected 11 year old that is portrayed in this book are so on target that I feel very sure that either this must be partially an autobiographical novel by the writer, or either she has talked to the real "Ellen". Ms. Gibbons has captured the truth, and written it in such a way that only someone who has experienced this could write about it.

Great read, my only complaint is that it was too short!!