Whistling in the Dark

Best book I've read all year. A mystery and funny book. You have to read it. I will re-read this one!

Usually I save a four star rating for “ special “ books. To me this was one of those books, but maybe you need to be of a certain age, or generation, or nationality, or religion to truly know how special it is. I checked all of these boxes. It brought me back to the summers of my youth. To my neighborhood with its collection of kids from so many ethnicities. We were all different yet the same. We had fun in such an innocent way. What a surprise this story was for me because it afforded me the opportunity to go back and remember that special time. It made me laugh at the inaccuracies of our words if you are that person who takes them literally. And I don’t think I will ever be able to think of St. Francis of Assisi without remembering St. Francis is a sissy maybe being light in his sandals. Yes you will have to read the book to understand.

I might want to let you in on the kind of reader I am in order for you to get a better idea of my review. (Very negative and positive reviews are sometimes written by people with vastly different personalities or novel interests than yours are and thus their reviews could mean little to what your reading experience could be like..)So I am a purely fiction reader...and writer for the most part. I do sometimes enjoy an autobiography as long as I don't find it too boring. I'm not into science fiction or anything too un-realistic though I will occasionally pick up a fairy tale. My favorite books are ones just like Whistling in the Dark, books that could be real under certain and probably dramatic circumstances. However, I have a pretty dramatic family history myself so I don't rule anything out. I HATE predictable stories/endings/characters. I love to be woven in and out of events, being thoroughly intrigued about plots and feeling as if reading that book is the best thing I've done all day...because only truly great books will captivate their readers enough to have them finish books in a day or a day and a half. I thought this book came pretty close to that. I've always wondered what it would be like to grow up in the 50's or 60's or basically any decade except the two that I've lived. It seems like those times are so nostalgic to my parents and grandparents, the times seemed easier...carefree, they tell me things were cheaper, life was simpler, you could ride in the back of a pick up truck without it being illegal, you found joy in skipping rocks over a forest stream or making your own go-carts or tree forts. There were no video games, dvds, or nintendo to occupy a child's time and spoil them. But I suppose life was also a lot more secretive, more hidden, the darker parts anyway that people don't talk about. This book really hits the nail on the head as far as that aspect goes. A family torn apart by sickness (one that shouldn't kill but the medicine back then wasn't as good)...and alcoholism (a problem more spoken about today). Two little girls who are WAY more mature than they should be. Well, the younger one, Troo is. Sally seems pretty innocent, not knowing what sexual terms mean while Troo makes it her job to know every dirty word and phrase. She also smokes at (I believe) age 9. However, Troo is innocent in that shes too trusting whereas Sally has 'red flags' and hunches about the badness in some men. However, she never speaks about her thoughts until well into the book; she doesn't think people will believe her or maybe she feels embarrassed or guilty saying those things about respectable men. I think back then, the kids weren't warned about as much to stay away from strangers and they weren't talked to as much about opening up about abuse. That part is all so sad and heart wrenching and there are parts of the novel that are truly hard to read through. But there is also so much light, innocent child humor and play, it's a bittersweet mash-up and it makes it a very intriguing read.Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone. I did not think it was predictable, the author gives enough information to keep you guessing and on your toes and have doubts about your own way of thinking quite a few times. However the ending is believable, maybe a little far fetched, but not too far. If the author gave a more factual realistic ending I think we'd all be disappointed.Hint! There's a sequel! I'm going to order it soon!! Can't wait!

Sally , a 10 year old girl ,tells the story of her family ,neighborhood ,and all that occurred that summer in the late 50's . She comes from a home with a lot of secrets ,and also a lot of problems. Her dad was killed in a car wreck and her mom gets remarried shortly afterwards to an abusive man . Their lives go from bad to worse when her mom ends up terribly ill in the hospital, while she is left home with her 2 sisters and "sometimes" step-dad ,when he feels like coming home .There's also been 2 girls ,close to her age who have been found murdered, so the neighborhood is much different that summer, everyone on guard ,worried about who took the girls and worried that it may happen again .Sally seems to have it figured out and tries to come up with a way to prove it . All in all, it was a good book as far as the writing and the way the story was told by the 10 year old . I guess I would have liked to have the author use more references to life in the 50's than she did, as it would have brought back more memories of my growing -up years . The author also seemed to have an agenda and wanted to take one neighborhood and one summer and put too many topics into one book . I think she could have eliminated some of those issues or saved them for another book .All in all, though, I liked the story, and it kept me guessing to the very end to see who the killer was .I'd read another one by the author, so it was good enough to say that . :)

I had read the reviews of this novel and in my mind I was comparing it to To Kill A Mockingbird - little girl narrating and learning about life. Couldn't even get interested in it until the last third. Can't honestly say why I kept reading until then. If the first part of the book had had the same momentum as the last third it would have received a much higher rating but I can't honestly recommend this novel to anyone.

Good reading with a twist at the end. I enjoyed reading this book from a child,s viewpoint and their quirky way of looking at life.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. It took me back to my childhood when summers were all about playing and using your imagination. I fell in love with Troo and Sally. They are amazing little girls. I highly recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this book. Very well written and a pleasure to read. I passed it on to my daughter and she enjoyed it immensely.