Breath

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Average customer rating 4.7 (3 comments)

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I read the book Breath by Donna Jo Napoli and I believe that it was a very good middle ages book. Breath is about a boy named Salz, who lives in a time when a great sickness overcomes everyone. All the animals become sick and the people turn crazy. Salz and his grandmother try to figure out what is happening to the town and the animals when something occurs that takes everyone by surprise, and when a special someone shows up to save the day. The first thing I liked about this book was that I could not, for the life of me, put it down. It’s defenatly a page turner. Furthermore this book is very detailed and it makes you feel as if you’re there with Salz. Lastly, this book is very unexpecting and it always has a big twist just when you think things have calmed down. The last thing this book is is calm. This book isn’t just good; it has a lot of history in it too. Salz has some form of asthma, and the only way they cure that is to make him stand on his head. Back in the Middle Ages they really knew nothing about medicine. This is exactly what they show in the book. If you like history books and fast paced novels, I’m sure you will love Breath by Donna Jo Napoli.

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I read the book Breath, by Donna Napoli and strongly believe it is one of the best Middle Ages novels out there. Breath is a story told from the perspective of a peasant in Europe who, along with everyone else, struggles to survive in the harsh reality of life at that time period. Things become even more challenging as a strange “sickness” over takes everyone in the town, killing animals and turning people into crazy madmen. The main character Salz tries to find answers where he can, turning to the church, his grandmother’s pagan “witch craft” and, attempting to acquire a rumored “Arab Medicine” that has arrived into Europe as a result of the crusades. This brief description highlights how historically accurate this great novel is. In fact, there’s a lot to like about this novel. First, it has rich characters that allow you to either root for their survival, or fear their reactions. In the same way, as the action builds, every chapter ends before you want it to, and the fast pace action makes you want to keep reading. Furthermore, there is a lot to be learned about what life was like in the Middle Ages from reading this fun book. Besides the fact that Breath is an interesting book, it is also quite historically accurate. For example, the main character Salz probably has what today we would know of as asthma. In the Middle Ages we have learned that they knew nearly nothing about medicine, and we see this happening in the book. Salz’s grandmother concocts strange and disgusting “brews” to treat him and tells him to stand on his head. It is quite accurate that they would have no better ideas or treatments other than herbs and superstition. Without a doubt, I loved the book Breath. Either for a school project, or a book to read on vacation, this is a well written, historically accurate book.

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Breath is one of the most heart-wrenching tales I've read. I glanced at the first thirty pages in a short sitting (I was at Drumline practice)and was immediately excited about it. Then, once I picked it up again, I finished the last 230. I was sucked inside the tale with such ferocity I was unable to come up for air until three hours later, by which time my eyes were tearing up and my throat was choked. I continued. My father yelled at me for reading until four o'clock in the morning but I explained, this was one of those books that Stephen King would describe as seeing his mother "in a chain-smoking marathon until the book was finished"-- needless to say, my father understood. I finished the book two months ago, but my heart, as well as that feeling in the pit of my stomach, has never been the same.