Write your own review!
Barbara C. (Riverside, CA)
(03/26/12)
Not a book to read on Sunday!
Although I rated this book as good, because it was riveting and kept me reading non-stop until I finished it, I found the premise depressing and sad. No one really saw Judith’s distress. God was portrayed as capricious and more than strange. I guess the redeeming feature was this young lady’s “pluckiness” and faith. The story was well-written and captivating but I struggled with the truths of our young protagonist's life.
Lisa B. (Denton, TX)
(03/26/12)
Creating your own World
I had a hard time reading this book at first because, as a ten year old, I was bullied like Judith McPherson in the Land of Decoration (but in a much less severe way, thank goodness). I was also exposed to some frightening stories about the book of Revelations and the end times that gave me horrible nightmares. Once I got past that I thought the writing and story were wonderful and perfectly captured the life of a lonely 10 year old girl. I also could have imagined when I was ten building my own world out of junk in my bedroom, just like she did. I am not sure the ending was totally believable, but I liked the rest so much that I am willing to overlook that.
Lori L. (La Porte, IN)
(03/23/12)
Faith and Imagination
Debut author Grace McCleen has written a beautiful, thought-provoking book that will appeal to many book clubs, particularly those who enjoy discussions of the nature of faith. Judith is a young girl whose strong faith in God makes her and her father outsiders in their community, but is also the source of her ability to do miracles. Or is it? Discussions regarding faith, imagination, coincidence, and the power of love will surely ensue.
Angela J. (highlands ranch, co)
(03/22/12)
The Land of Decoration
This is a well written novel told from the perspective of a 10 year old girl who believes she can perform miracles when she is tormented by her classmates. It has great descriptive detail, and will appeal to readers who enjoy inner monologues.
Beth K. (USA)
(03/19/12)
The Land of Decoration
Rarely have I encountered such an engaging narrator as 10 year-old Judith McPherson. I am amazed at the way the author crafted the voice of this sensitive young girl who believes that she is in direct communication with God. The descriptions of the bullying and abuse that she and her father endure are so authentic that I found the book hard to read at times. This is a very well written novel, though one that left me feeling quite depressed. For that reason alone, I would hesitate to recommend this to others.
Kelly H. (Martinsville, IN)
(03/18/12)
The Land of Depression
I liked this book, although it was utterly joyless to read, and I usually hate that! I definitely needed to keep reading to see if these characters could ever find any peace or happiness. I liked Judith, the 10-year old main character, but my heart just ached for her the whole way through. And after finishing it, I still don't know what was really happening, and I usually hate that, too, but the end left me reasonably satisfied. I will pass this one around.
Julie G. (West Hartford, CT)
(03/16/12)
Fantasy and Imagination
Grace McCleen has done a very good job of capturing the voice of 10 year old Judith McPherson, a lonely girl raised by a passionately devout widowed father. I was initially entranced by the characters, but, unfortunately, soon found them all to be so stereotypical as to be unbelievable. I was moved at the end of the book [edited for plot spoiler]. Overall, however, I was disappointed in the book, especially because I thought it began so promisingly.
Dorothy S. (Hendersonville, NC)
(03/16/12)
The Land of Decoration
Wow! I'm nearly speechless. I found this book to be extremely compelling and well written. The fact that the entire narrative is told in the voice of a child, a very gifted and sensitive one at that, is one of the book's most unique features.
It is interesting that in order to understand Judith one must try to understand how others respond to her. Her classmates see her as odd at the very best, a freak at worst. Her father, though reticent to show the affection she deeply craves, loves her deeply, but also fears for her and is most anxious to protect. From what? obviously from the cruel torments of her classmates, from the world, from himself? The dour, fundamentalist religious milieu he has created becomes more real for Judith than the life around her, from which she wishes to escape to the land of decoration, where she will be reunited with her mother, and her father will be happy again.
Most telling is the reaction of her teacher who sees Judith for the troubled child she is. Indeed, it seems that at least one point in her development Judith suffered from a form of autism, which would explain her fascination with her imaginary world.
Yet, the most captivating of all, are the conversations between Judith and the god she has created. He is petulant, dogmatic, father-like? and so much more than could possibly be conceived in the mind of a child.
Do I believe in miracles? Let's just say that after reading McClean's brilliant novel, I have an open mind. More importantly, I am convinced of the inherent danger of a rigid, extremely fundamentalist religion that can cripple a child's happy existence in the real world and her relationships with others.