Synopses & Reviews
A timeless novel about the kindness of strangersNear a little cove where a brook runs out to the sea live a girl and her grandmother. All alone with no neighbors at all, the two lead a peaceful existence. They have a house, dine on sea kale and mussels and sand snails, and build fires from driftwood. But the grandmother is very old. When the time comes that the girl must bury the woman, she makes up a funeral song about the birds she is watching: Two crows never fly alone, and death is never, ever past. The next day the same crows seem to beckon her, and so the Crow-Girl begins her journey, one in which she will meet people both warm and cold, hurt and hurtful. And the Crow-Girl, before she knows it, has the makings before her of a new family . . .
This lyrical story, with its characters' moments of darkness always overcome through incredible humanity, introduces a strong new voice for American readers.
Review
"Poignant...symbolism and power of names thread through the narrative. Touching on universal themes, this quiet adventure story has the depth and flavor of a tale from long ago and far away...a rewarding read." --Starred,
School Library Journal"There's a fairy-tale quality about this well written story...compelling." --Starred, Booklist
"Luminous and uncluttered...With resonate concrete images and without sentimentality, Bredsdorff tells a harshly beautiful story that charts the characters' progress toward interdependence." --Starred, The Horn Book
"Satisfying...Readers will hope that more of Bredsdorff's sturdy fiction reaches these shores." --Publishers Weekly
"Strong-boned and sinewy...a potential new favorite." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Review
"Poignant...symbolism and power of names thread through the narrative. Touching on universal themes, this quiet adventure story has the depth and flavor of a tale from long ago and far away...a rewarding read." --Starred,
School Library Journal"There's a fairy-tale quality about this well written story...compelling." --Starred, Booklist
"Luminous and uncluttered...With resonate concrete images and without sentimentality, Bredsdorff tells a harshly beautiful story that charts the characters' progress toward interdependence." --Starred, The Horn Book
"Satisfying...Readers will hope that more of Bredsdorff's sturdy fiction reaches these shores." --Publishers Weekly
"Strong-boned and sinewy...a potential new favorite." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
About the Author
Bodil Bredsdorff is a popular Danish children's book author. This is her first novel to be published in the United States.