Thursday, August 22, 2013

Aussie Review: A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley

A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley
Published: June 8, 2010
Publisher:  Knopf Books for Young Readers
A summer of friendship, romance, and songs in major chords. . .

CHARLIE DUSKIN loves music, and she knows she's good at it. But she only sings when she's alone, on the moonlit porch or in the back room at Old Gus's Secondhand Record and CD Store. Charlie's mom and grandmother have both died, and this summer she's visiting her grandpa in the country, surrounded by ghosts and grieving family, and serving burgers to the local kids at the milk bar. She's got her iPod, her guitar, and all her recording equipment, but she wants more: A friend. A dad who notices her. The chance to show Dave Robbie that she's not entirely unspectacular.

ROSE BUTLER lives next door to Charlie's grandfather and spends her days watching cars pass on the freeway and hanging out with her troublemaker boyfriend. She loves Luke but can't wait to leave their small country town. And she's figured out a way: she's won a scholarship to a science school in the city, and now she has to convince her parents to let her go. This is where Charlie comes in. Charlie, who lives in the city, and whom Rose has ignored for years. Charlie, who just might be Rose's ticket out.

Told in alternating voices and filled with music, friendship, and romance, Charlie and Rose's "little wanting song" is about the kind of longing that begins as a heavy ache but ultimately makes us feel hopeful and wonderfully alive.

My Thoughts
See, the water molecules are attracted to each other so much that they hold on for as long as they can. They grip to each other till they’re too heavy and then they break. It’s why water falls in tears.

Spending a quiet afternoon reading A Little Wanting Song is like watching the stars go harmonic. It’s really beautiful and I loved it! This book is sad, hopeful, funny, heartbreaking, happy all mixed in one from beginning to end. As you read this story, these myriad of emotions just keep crashing into each other like a wave in the ocean, and you can’t help but be swept away by the current. What an awesome Aussie book!

Cath Crowley creates a cast of genuine voices tied to characters that feel so clearly real. Having the story told in alternating POVs was perfection because from Charlie and Rose’s differing perspective we see how two people can be so completely different, but in the end they simply want the same thing… a chance at something new, something different.

See, Charlie is great with words, with lyrics. She can put her thoughts into words but only when she’s singing, not in public, but on her own, in the dark. Sometimes she can’t sleep because she’s swimming in so many words. But when she’s around teenagers her own age, she can’t seem to find that comfort zone, which really hurts her chances at making friends. In the end, she’s just a girl who wants someone she can talk to, someone to fix things when they are broken, someone that’s willing to worry about her and simply show that they care.

Now Rose on the other hand is surrounded by people that care, actually too much in her opinion. See she has a secret she can’t share with her family and friends. She won a scholarship to a city school, but chances are her family won’t let her go and her friends will make it hard to leave. All she wants is a ticket out of her small town and a chance to see the world, and that means leaving her friends and family behind.

Put these alternating voices together and you have a summer filled with lessons, love and inevitably a little bit of hurt.

This book is filled with so many funny moments and light hearted dialog between the characters that blend together perfectly. Some of my favorite scenes below include Dave, which I came to adore. I loved his quiet, confident way and how despite his family situation, he never took his friends for granted and found a way to just make it work.

Favorite Quotes
Some people are hard to understand, so you gotta understand yourself.

I’m not angry at all anymore really. I’m not sad. I’m certain.

See friendship is about believing in someone so hard they believe it too. Sure, it’s about trust. But if anyone hurts her tonight, it’s about ripping them apart with my bare hands and really enjoying it.
5 Snowflakes


1 comment:

  1. This book has been on TBR list forever! After reading your glorious review I feel like I need to make to happen sooner than later. Plus, it's got music in it and I love music inspired stories in my books!

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