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Product Description
Quill & Quire
Uncle Ted claimed Jimmy bumped his head falling off the swing – but that’s not what really happened. The only person who knows the truth is Jimmy’s best friend, Carolyn. Hiding up a nearby tree, she saw everything. Carolyn is the pint-sized protagonist of Toronto lawyer Nancy Hartry’s first novel, Watching Jimmy. At 11-going-on-12 in 1958, Carolyn becomes Jimmy’s caretaker and guardian after the incident with his uncle leaves him with brain damage, unable to communicate. When she’s not singing in a choir to earn money toward an operation for Jimmy, Carolyn practises a speech she’s been asked to deliver on Remembrance Day. With strong character development and an engaging, well-oiled plot, Watching Jimmy is a suspenseful and provocative read, offering valuable observations on the travails of working-class, single-parent homes. Hartry explores the damage that secrets can wreak upon those who keep them, vividly portraying Carolyn’s descent into constant, claustrophobic anxiety as she guards Jimmy against further harm from Uncle Ted without telling anyone why. A turning point comes when she hears a sermon by hallowed Saskatchewan premier Tommy Douglas. When Carolyn eventually delivers her speech at the war memorial, she veers from her intended script in more ways than one, slipping in a spirited call for socialized medicine. The attempt to draw sudden political consciousness from the strands of the narrative feels a bit forced and didactic. And right before the book ends, we learn just why Uncle Ted turned out so mean. Keeping some mystery about this would have made a strong story even stronger.
Review
"A compelling and satisfying novel..."
-School Library Journal
-School Library Journal
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping and Fast Reading,
By Abigail (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Watching Jimmy (Hardcover)
Watching Jimmy is a wonderful book that allows the reader to witness a terrible act through the eyes of a young girl named Carolyn. Nancy Hartry captures Carolyn's mixture of innocence and toughness beautifully. Her loyalty to her friend Jimmy, of the title, is tenderly portrayed as is her strength in protecting him. The pace of the book is fast, the suspense gripping and the resolution surprising and satisfying. A great read! Highly recommended!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review) 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Watching Jimmy,
By Chowhound "Read to live, live to read" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Watching Jimmy (Hardcover)
Watching Jimmy is a great story about friendship, family, trust and ultimately telling the truth. It's a quick read that will have you turning pages until the end. Even though it is set in 1958, the story is relevant to today's headlines concerning health care. If you are looking for a story about courage and doing the right thing, this is the book for you.
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