The Healer of Harrow Point

Rating:
Summary: Healing Yourself with the Healer of Harrow Point
Review: Peter Walpole uses the imagery of a boy on the verge of manhood to mirror for us all the times of transition in our lives. Emma is Thomas' spiritual guru through his journey. Ultimately, the lessons he learns about himself transcend the simple physical healing that Emma strives to teach him. The book is beautifully written and captures the fire within all of us. Although it is targeted for "young adults" I think it will speak more directly to those of us who have already passed through various stages of our lives. This is a book to read with your teenage children to use as a springboard into a number of discussions about growing up and relationships.

Rating:
Summary: An engaging warm-hearted tale!
Review: The combination of fantasy with real life contemplation of the value of life made this a really fun read. I particularly respected the non-judgmental way in which Mr. Walpole deals with the hunters in this tale and hunting in general. The very real consequences of the loss of a life are dealt with in a creative and thoughful way. I read the whole book in one sitting!

Rating:
Summary: The Healer of Harrow Point
Review: Thomas Singer will soon be twelve years old. For years, his parents have promised him he could go hunting with the men when he was twelve. His birthday present is to be a brand-new shotgun and an orange safety vest. Thomas's birthday happens to fall on the first day of hunting season.

But Thomas's initiation into manhood is much different that he anticipates. One day, while out walking in the woods he loves, he witnesses a poacher shoot a deer. He remains hidden, only to see an old woman lumber into the clearing, gather the deer in her arms, then murmur to it and stroke it. The fully-recovered deer bounds away. Thomas and the old woman also flee the enraged hunter.

Thomas learns that the woman's name is Emma, and they spend nearly every day together after that. At his insistence, she begins teaching him how to be aware of all living things. Thomas is naturally sensitive and learns quickly. He discovers that he can communicate with, and heal, animals.

Torn between his desire to go hunting with his father or honoring his new-found knowledge, Thomas makes his anquished decision on the morning of his birthday.

The Healer of Harrow Point is Peter Walpole's first novel, and it's engrossing from the first page to the last. It's a "coming-of-age young adult novel that addresses larger issues of spirituality and the connection of all life." Readers of all ages will find it compelling and impossible to forget.

Rating:
Summary: The Healer of Harrow Point
Review: Thomas Singer will soon be twelve years old. For years, his parents have promised him he could go hunting with the men when he was twelve. His birthday present is to be a brand-new shotgun and an orange safety vest. Thomas's birthday happens to fall on the first day of hunting season.

But Thomas's initiation into manhood is much different that he anticipates. One day, while out walking in the woods he loves, he witnesses a poacher shoot a deer. He remains hidden, only to see an old woman lumber into the clearing, gather the deer in her arms, then murmur to it and stroke it. The fully-recovered deer bounds away. Thomas and the old woman also flee the enraged hunter.

Thomas learns that the woman's name is Emma, and they spend nearly every day together after that. At his insistence, she begins teaching him how to be aware of all living things. Thomas is naturally sensitive and learns quickly. He discovers that he can communicate with, and heal, animals.

Torn between his desire to go hunting with his father or honoring his new-found knowledge, Thomas makes his anquished decision on the morning of his birthday.

The Healer of Harrow Point is Peter Walpole's first novel, and it's engrossing from the first page to the last. It's a "coming-of-age young adult novel that addresses larger issues of spirituality and the connection of all life." Readers of all ages will find it compelling and impossible to forget.