Good-bye And Keep Cold - Softcover

Davis, Jenny

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0439706823 ISBN 13: 9780439706827

Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks, 2005

Synopsis

A classic young adult coming of age novel set in the hills of Kentucky. Now reissued in POINT with stunning new cover art reminiscent of the adult bestseller COLD MOUNTAIN.

Eight-year-old Edda's world is shattered the day her father is killed in a strip mining accident. Edda has always been a lonely child, and without her father beside her, she feels that her connection to the world has been severed. But she bravely assumes the responsibility of holding her family -- especially her grieving mother -- together.

As the years slip by, Edda grows up quickly into an adult world that is often mysterious and bewildering. And she slowly comes to accept that her family may be hurt, but they are still whole.

About this title

From School Library Journal

Gr 7-10 Following her graduation from college, Edda Combs delivers a poignant reminiscence of her father's death in a mining accident years earlier and her mother's subsequent emotional traumas. Her mother struggles to accept her husband's sudden death; courtship by Henry John, the man responsible for his death; and the discovery of her husband's past infidelity with her best friend. Davis breathes life into an interesting mix of characters in remote Cauley's Creek, Kentucky. From age eight, Edda copes with her mother's unpredictable behavior, cares for her baby brother, and sorts out her own grief. By the story's end, she is living in the present, out of college, on her own, and ``resting from her childhood.'' Robert Frost's poem ``Good-bye and Keep Cold'' introduces the theme that Edda must let go and trust her mother and her family ``to be okay on their own.'' Davis weaves together clear, snapshot recollections of past events with the simplicity of a child's uncomplicated viewpoint. Hints of the future propel the story forward. Readers will be drawn in by Edda's honesty and realistic struggles with adversity and the well spaced twists of plot. This is a fine first novel, rich in character, plot, and meaning. Gerry Larson, Chewning Junior High School, Durham, N.C.

Copyright 1987 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

Eight-year-old Edda Combs learns to carry on when her father is killed in a mining accident, but a terrible secret comes to light that nearly undoes the family's bravery. In a boxed review, PW said, "Books like this have the power to show young readers just what it is that great fiction can do." Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0439706823
• ISBN 13: 9780439706827
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224