Dreaming of Flight by Catherine Ryan Hyde - #BookReview

Stewie rolled his shoulders and pulled the collar of his shirt away from his sweaty neck. It bothered him when it clung there.

He had never gone down to that last house before, because he hadn't needed to. He had always sold out his wagon full of eggs without needing to walk so far.

There was a good quarter of a mile gap along the banks of the lake - an undeveloped spot with no houses. It was after six but still quite hot in an unseasonably summerlike spring. Four of his regular customers had not been home, or had not answered their doors.

***

Never knowing his parents, eleven-year-old Stewie Little and his brother have been raised on a farm by their older sister. Stewie steadfastly tends the chickens left by his beloved late grandmother. And every day Stewie goes door to door selling fresh eggs from his wagon―a routine with a surprise just around the corner. It’s his new customer, Marilyn. She’s prickly and guarded, yet comfortably familiar―she reminds the grieving Stewie so much of the grandmother he misses more than he can express.

Marilyn has a reason for keeping her distance: a secret no one knows about. Her survival tactic is to draw a line between herself and other people―one that Stewie is determined to cross. As their visits become more frequent, a complicated but deeply rooted relationship grows. That’s when Stewie discovers how much more there is to Marilyn, to her past, and to challenges that become more pressing each day. But whatever difficult times lie ahead, Stewie learns that although he can’t fix everything for Marilyn or himself, at least he’s no longer alone.

***

Oh my goodness, it is extremely rare that I cry when reading a book. This novel had me reaching for the tissues well before the end, and of course, at its conclusion also.

The main character, a child called Stewie, has what my mum would have described as 'an old head on young shoulders'. He has had to deal with so much loss in his short life, and consequently, he is a boy who is filled with sadness and takes life very seriously. He is an utterly delightful character and one I felt fully invested in. My heart ached for this little boy, and I wanted to scoop him up and cuddle him.

His relationship with his surly, elderly neighbour Marilyn is the main theme of the book. Marilyn is a woman with secrets of her own and initially it appears to be a very unlikely friendship. However, it serves to demonstrate Stewie's character perfectly. He is caring, sensitive and loyal to the extreme. 

Although the book is the story of Stewie's sadness and inability to deal with his grief, it is ultimately a life-affirming and hopeful story which I highly recommend.

The author already has an extensive back catalogue and I am looking forward to delving into some of those.

ISBN: 978 1542021586

Publisher:  Lake Union Publishing

Formats: e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  304

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About the Author:

Catherine Ryan Hyde is the author of 44 published and forthcoming books.

Her newer releases are Dreaming of Flight, Boy Underground, Seven Perfect Things, My Name is Anton, Brave Girl, Quiet Girl, Stay, Have You Seen Luis Velez?, Just After Midnight, Heaven Adjacent, The Wake Up, Allie and Bea, Say Goodbye for Now, Leaving Blythe River, Ask Him Why, Worthy, The Language of Hoofbeats, Take Me With You, Walk Me Home, and When I Found You.

Forthcoming are So Long, Chester Wheeler, and Just a Regular Boy.

Other novels include When You Were Older, Where We Belong, Don’t Let Me Go, Second Hand Heart, Jumpstart the World, Becoming Chloe, Love in the Present Tense, The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance, Chasing Windmills, The Day I Killed James, and Diary of a Witness.

She is co-author, with publishing industry blogger Anne R. Allen, of How to be a Writer in the E-Age: a Self-Help Guide.

Her bestselling 1999 novel Pay It Forward was made into a major Warner Brothers motion picture. It was chosen by the American Library Association for its Best Books for Young Adults list, and translated into more than two dozen languages for distribution in over 30 countries. Simon & Schuster released a special 15th anniversary edition in December of ’14.

Pay It Forward: Young Readers Edition, an age-appropriate edited edition of the original novel, was released by Simon & Schuster in August of ‘14. It is suitable for children as young as eight.

(book courtesy of NetGalley)

(author photo courtesy of her website)

(author bio courtesy of Good Reads)

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*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.