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Title details for Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons - Available

Ellen Foster

by Kaye Gibbons
Kaye Gibbons
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
"When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy. I would figure out this or that way and run it down through my head until it got easy."
So begins the tale of Ellen Foster, the brave and engaging heroine of Kaye Gibbons's first novel, which won the Sue Kaufman Prize from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. Wise, funny, affectionate and true, Ellen Foster is, as Walker Percy called it, "The real thing. Which is to say, a lovely, sometimes heart/wrenching novel...[Ellen Foster] is as much a part of the backwoods South as a Faulkner character and a good deal more endearing."

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    August 1, 1996

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780743546690
      • File size: 85224 KB
      • Duration: 02:57:32

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 870
    • Text Difficulty: 4-5

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Kaye Gibbons's drawl has a persistency that wins out over her flat tone. In her character of 11-year-old Ellen, who soothes her wounded spirit by imagining ways to kill her abusive father, the intense monotony of the voice draws the listener into the depths of her hurt and emotional awareness. For all the story's grimness, there's warmth and humor. As read by Gibbons, they're understated but projected nonetheless. We feel, rather than hear, her sneers or affirmations of love. The quandaries of a child's life in an uncaring adult world are well presented by Gibbons in both her writing and her performance. S.B.S. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Ellen Foster is the 11-year-old victim of poverty, abuse and unimaginable neglect. Her story would be unbearable were it not for the direct, no-pity-expected manner in which Ellen relates her sad tale. Her matter-of-fact style is captured expertly by narrator Ruth Ann Phimister, who injects the telling with Ellen's dry humor and honest, clear-eyed recognition of the shortcomings of the adults in her life. Phimister creates a believable 11-year-old and, although her Southern accent occasionally strikes an odd note, she sustains both the accent and the youthful voice throughout. Listeners will be enriched by keeping company with Ellen. D.M.L. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:870
  • Text Difficulty:4-5

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