The Distance of Hope - Hardcover

Hite, Sid

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 080505054X ISBN 13: 9780805050547

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co, 1998

Synopsis

Yeshe Anjur of Padma is losing his eyesight and must journey across the Great Dream Lake and the Tigri Mountains to find the legendary White Bean Lama of Tigristan, who may be the only man who can restore Yeshe's sight.

About this title

About the Author

Sid Hite is the author of many outstanding books for young readers, including Dither Farm, It's Nothing to a Mountain, Answer My Prayer, An Even Break, and Those Darn Dithers (all Holt). He lives in Sag Harbor, New York.

Reviews

Grade 6 UpAThis is not a story of a teenager's journey into adulthood, but rather the outline of that story. Yeshe, a young nobleman, is losing his vision. His parents send him and a party of crack soldiers through enemy territory to find the White Bean Lama, a wise man who may or may not actually exist. Along the way, he renews an acquaintance with the daughter of another ruler and love blooms in his heart. Unfortunately, the story moves far too quickly to engage readers and many situations that could have been strong plot points are lost in the rush. For example, for all of their fears that enemy spies know of Yeshe's presence and relative vulnerability, there is no nagging worry dogging the party. Even Yeshe's romance lacks sparks. It is difficult to believe that one seasoned warrior is easily bamboozled into a stupid mistake and another never reads a map to figure out where the party is headed. The dialogue is so bland that it quite often needs a narrative explanation to convey meaning and emotion. The one-dimensional characters are difficult to tell apart. Even the protagonist never springs to life. For richly developed characters, realistic dialogue, and the quest motif, steer readers to David Eddings's Pawn of Prophecy (Ballantine, 1990), Lloyd Alexander's Taran Wanderer (Holt, 1967) and the Iron Ring (Dutton, 1997), and Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief (Greenwillow, 1996).APatricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Hite (Those Darn Dithers, 1996, etc.) demonstrates his versatility in this action-filled adventure of a boy's inward and outward journey. The heir to the kingdom of Padma, Yeshe, 14, is sent away to visit with the White Bean Lama, the only person said to be able to cure the young boy's failing vision. Yeshe's ``sight'' is an obvious metaphor, but Hite makes it work through simplicity, action, and suspense. While this fantasy takes place in different time and place, the boy's quandary is timeless: He feels confused, inadequate, and scared to fulfill his fate as a ruler. Along the road, he fights off thieves, bonds with his companions, gets involved in a romance, learns the ``cure'' to his curious eye disease, and poses some philosophical questions that should send young minds reeling. Hite's plain language, humor, and breezy pacing keep the journey rolling along, making it ideal even for readers who usually shun fantasies. (Fiction. 12-15) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gr. 6^-8. Hite, the author of the Dither Farm books, here takes readers on a perilous journey with the young prince Yeshe, who must find the White Bean Lama in hopes that the Lama will help Yeshe regain the sight he is quickly losing. Although he doesn't know for sure that the White Bean Lama even exists, Yeshe perseveres, along with a retinue of interesting characters, who protect the prince but also, at times, become obstacles to the culmination of his journey. The book has several problems. Yeshe, mostly defined by his visual disability, is a flat character until the final chapters, and despite several exciting interludes, the plot is flat as well, primarily because there is no real question about what will happen almost every step of the way. Yeshe's blandness, however, is balanced by the energy of the other characters, especially the White Bean Lama, whose delight with life is buoyantly amusing. Hite's detailed descriptions of Yeshe's kingdom give definition to a story that, like Yeshe's sight, has unexpected moments of clarity. Readers might also like The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen by Lloyd Alexander, the Booklist 1991 Top of the List for Youth Fiction. Ilene Cooper

Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080505054X
• ISBN 13: 9780805050547
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 198