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Summary: A Civil War Story
Review: A civil war is going on around the country, in the book Across Five Aprils, by Irene hunt. A young boy , named Jethro, is changed by it. Jethro is left by all of his brothers, during the Civil War, in a farm house, in southern Illinois. He has a very big family, of which he only knows half of, being the youngest of twelve children. Jethro is left for five years to put up with the bitterness of people who despise one of his brothers for being a Confederate. He is not alone. His mother, sister, Jenny, Father, and sister-in-law all deal with the same problems he is going through. During this time of war, Jethro matures and realizes the results of war, and learns to deal with the harshness of it all. A neighborhood of old enemies is brought together again by a war that has torn neighborhoods apart. This is a wonderful book and I would recommend it to anyone that likes Civil War stories. Though it is not a real story, it is based on the authors memories of her grandfather's stories, which are just as great as this story itself.
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Summary: No explosions or mayhem, just heartfelt family drama
Review: If you are looking for a war adventure story with lots of explosions, forget it. If you are interested in what war does to a loving family's everyday life, this is your book. Jethro Creighton, the central character, grows from the carefree "baby of the family" to a hardworking, thoughtful adolescent who has seen his brothers go off to fight and in one case, die in the Civil War. Two of the family's sons fight for the Union, one for the Confederacy, and Irene Hunt explores in some detail the ways in which everyday farming folks dealt with these divided loyalties. Hunt is not the sort of writer to condescend to young readers.She creates situations that make you think and reflect. So maybe a junior-high reader who is "made" to read Across Five Aprils would find it tough going. I first read this book when I was in high school, so I was a little older than some of the readers who seem to be having major problems with it. Twenty years later, it's still a book I re-read from time to time. Hunt's characters lose none of their vividness -- when you're an adult, you find a whole new interest in her portraits of Jethro's parents and their anguish over their children in wartime. My advice is, if you're being told to read this for a report and you don't like it, grit your teeth and get through it -- but don't throw the book away. I guarantee that in a few more years you will love it -- unless you've given up on reading altogether.
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Summary: this book TOOK five aprils to read!
Review: Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt was so boring! We read it in our 7th grade English class, and it took us so long because it was not exciting at all! I realize that some of us might not have grasped the concept of the book, but ive always been a good 'reader', and i thought this book was hard to understand and just plain dull.
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Summary: A wonderful historic novel
Review: Across Five Aprils is a wonderful recollection of what went on during the Civil War, through the eyes of a child. I loved the way the book is written, since we rarely get to experience what children live and how they feel and react to terrible events that not only influence but change their lives forever. It is true, this book is not a history one explaining past events, but a novel about everyday life in a time of war, and as such it includes some not very accurate comments on what happened, but it does a wonderful job telling us what people percieved to be happening at the time. I liked the way the main character Jethro is developed, because I felt I could identify with him, his experiences and his suffering. Also, I thought some of the books passages were very realistic, such as his encounter with President Lincoln. Finally, this is a book about family, about different points of view, about tragedy, but most of all, about an event that changed this country forever.
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Summary: A Boy During the Civil War
Review: Life during the civil war is hard, especially for a 9-year-old boy and his family. His brothers, Bill, John, and Tom, and cousin, Eb Carron, had to leave home and join the arm; now, since all his older brothers have gone to war, Jethro Creighton has to make up the work for them. A few years later, the Matt and Ellen heard some terrible news - Tom was dead. In March 1863 finds Eb, now considered a deserter, hiding in the woods near their home, and Jethro does all he can do to help, even writing to the president. After four years of hardship and pain, the war is finally over. However, to everyone's disappointment, the president, Mr. Abraham Lincoln and been murdered in the fifth and last April of the war. I started reading this book because it was the book literature group was assigned to. I didn't want to read it, but I didn't have a choice. So, I just read 15 pages every night and did the homework assignment. However, as I got farther into the book, I started to read more than I needed to. I thought this book was a little boring because it was only about a 9-year-old peasant's life through the Civil War, but there were still parts of the story I enjoyed reading. My favorite part in this book was when Guy Wortman and his friends broke into Sam Gardiner's store. Sam had pretended to go on a business trip to St. Louise, but he was really hiding in his store. He had hit Guy right where he wanted to with buckshot, and held a lamp for the doctor.
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Summary: The story in this book is meaningful, but boring.
Review: This book is not one of Irene Hunt's greatest novels. Having read the "Lottery Rose" first, I thought that this book would have been equally as interesting. The book is set in the period of the Civil War and it is about a family who goes through a trying period because several of the men in the family leave to take part in the War. The main character is a young boy named Jethro Creighton who journeys from boyhood to manhood throughout the course of the book. He has to take on the responsibilities of the older boys when they leave. The community does not back the Creighton family because one of Jethro's brothers joins the Confederacy. This causes problems for the family as a whole. Needless to say, they stand by one another and stick together. The book has a few other little sub-plots, but none that are overly interesting. Sorry people, the book was not on my list of 'most fascinating' books to be read.
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Summary: NOT for Middle Schools
Review: I read this book in 7th grade as a part of the Civil War Unit of the History Curriculum. YUCK!! It was torture. I am now a middle school teacher and can not fathom how any teacher would force this book on a kid. I have not reread it as an adult and have no intention in doing so. However, this novel is rated at a 7th grade reading level, but I strongly suggest that no 7th grader is subjected to this book.
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Summary: This was the best book iv'e read in a long time
Review: This book I had to do for summer reading. My story is actually very ironic. In the beginning I didnt want to read the book because people who have previously read it were saying that this was the worst book ever. So I blew the book off and totally forgot about it. And when it was two days before the first day of school I relised that I still have yet to read the book. So i found out how many chapters were in the book and made a reading schedule. So I read six chapters a day. But when I got to chapter three I relized how good this book really is. It was soo heartfelt and real. I literally felt as if i was sitting rite next to Jethro and Bill in the field. It was a really strong story and plot line. I could feel the anger, the sadness, and the fear in this book. And when I finally came to the end of the book I didnt want the story to end. I wanted more. I wanted to know what happened to Bill and Eb. I wanted to know if Shadrach and Jenny had any children. I wanted the story to last forever. That is the best book that I have ever read in my entire life. And I would read a thousand times over if I could. I recomend this book for anyone who is from the age 13 up and to anyone who is interested in how the people lived in the Civil War when they weren't the ones fighting in it. So that is why I give Across Five Aprils five out of five stars.
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Summary: THE AUDIO VERSION
Review: My 8.8 year old son and I listened to the audio version of Across Five Aprils to fill "drive time" with something worthwhile. We both rated the book the same (3 out of 5 stars). At the first listen, I thought how soporific! and hoped my son would not complain. To my surprise Ms. Hunt garnered his attention for at least the 40 minute driving time on most days. The story gave an interesting perspective on the Civil War and was a catalyst for discussion on the war, slavery and the social issue of what to do with "them" after they're "free". My son enjoyed the southern dialect, but gives the rating primarily because the book was sad. If you enjoy Civil War history the audio version may be more palatable than the book.
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Summary: Not Good.
Review: I read this book in 5th grade and thought it extremely boring. I recently re-read it in college and still think it is. There are many elements of family time and it does portray the way families were torn apart by choosing sides.
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