A Solitary Blue (The Tillerman Cycle) Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
>Jeff Greene was only seven when he came home from school to find a note from his mother. She felt that the world needed her more than her “grown up” son did. For someone who believed she could see the world’s problems so clearly, she was blind to the heartache and difficulties she pushed upon her son, leaving him with his reserved, undemonstrative father.So when, years later, she invites Jeff to spend summers with her in Charleston, Jeff is captivated by her free spirit and warmth, and a happiness he’s been missing fills him. But Jeff's second visit ends with a devastating betrayal and an aching feeling of loneliness. In life, there can be emotional pits so deep that seemingly nothing will grow—but if he digs a little deeper, Jeff might just come out on the other side.
Series: The Tillerman Cycle (Book 3)
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (March 6, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1442428805
ISBN-13: 978-1442428805
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (104 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #115,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #80 in Books > Children's Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Family Life > Marriage & Divorce #109 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Social & Family Issues > Family > Parents #379 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Social & Family Issues > Being a Teen
Age Range: 12 and up
Grade Level: 7 and up
This might very well be my all-time favorite book, and I'm an adult with a college education, not a kid who was force-fed "literature" all through school. Jeff as a character is real and beautiful, and his feelings are relayed throughout the book as universal human emotions of loneliness and longing. I tend to be self-loathing, so I identified with Jeff on that level ("He couldn't think of anything he wanted to do. Ever."). The story is so real that I dream about the characters and wish I could meet them--Brother Thomas working through a crisis of faith by harvesting crabs out of the Chesapeake Bay, the Professor working through a crisis of love by writing a history book. It's so great. I even convinced my aunt and uncle to take me to Crisfield, Maryland, so I could see what Jeff saw and felt. Voigt's descriptions are accurate and clear without boring the reader in the least. This is a book of life.
I just read this book for the first time in several years, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Everyone else has already given a basic summary of its plot, so I won't try for that. However, I greatly appreciated this book.My favorite part of "Solitary Blue" was the character development. I loved watching Jeff grow and change throughout the book, from what he described as a ghost, even in his own life, to someone actively involved in the world, making friends and finding things that he loved to do. I ached for him when his mother broke his heart and he thought it was his fault, got angry at himself for being so fragile and easy to break, and determined not to be that fragile again (I wanted to shake him and say, "You're SUPPOSED to be easy to break at 12 years old! That's because you're supposed to be able to TRUST your parents to protect and watch over you."). I also enjoyed watching his father grow and develop as a character. At the beginning he came across as almost completely unaware of Jeff, as well as unable to care for him at all. However, as the story progressed he began to open up, to care for his son, and to reach out to him. I was glad to see that it wasn't too late, that despite all of his hurt Jeff was still able to respond to his father and develop that relationship.His mother, on the other hand, was something else. One of the strong points of this book was that it got me involved enough to feel passionately angry at Melody for her treatment of her son. Perhaps because I have feminist do-gooder tendencies like the ones she claimed, I had no patience for her constant desire to hide behind her beliefs. I'm sorry, it doesn't matter how much good you want to do the world; you don't abandon your child(ren) to do so (if it was so important to her that Jeff learn about social justice issues, why not take him with her?). You don't send them off on a 16 hr. bus ride with no money or food. You don't use and manipulate the people around you for the "greater good of society". All in all, I was thoroughly disgusted with her. In a weird way, that speaks to the strength of the book; I don't generally get so angry with a book character, and the fact that I did means that Voigt knew what she was doing.As I mentioned, this is a good book and worth reading. It may be for slightly more mature tastes, however; I remember that I thought it rather boring the first time I read it years ago.
A Solitary Blue is based around a boy, named Jeff's, life. When Jeff was young his mother took off and left him with his father. His father was a caring man but he never showed it. He always had his nose in his studies and never really associated with Jeff. Then when Jeff was around the age of 11 he visited his mother for the first time in years. His mom seemed very caring and fun to be with. Jeff didn't want to leave but he did. Jeff tried to get in touch with her but she never wrote or called. Jeff met his fathers friend, Brother Thomas, who brought life to the house. Jeff then visited his mother again but this time she was way different. The whole summer she was gone and only saw him for like 2-3 days. Jeff hated her from that point on. Not really hate but he was very hurt by what she said to him. This whole happening brought Jeff and the Professor(Jeff's father) together. They did more things together and even laughed together. When they moved Jeff made friends and even had a crush. Melody wanted a divorce so she contacted them and she wanted Jeff. But Jeff didn't want to go to her so he stayed with the Professor. When Jeffs great-grandmother died he got her inheritance and her diamond ring. Meoldy was at Jeffs house waiting for him. She said she was moving but she needed money. Jeff knew what she really came for so he gave her the diamond ring. Melody gave him her jade ring. The moral of the srtory was that Jeff found out what the true treasures in life were. He knew it was the little things that count not just money. But that was all Melody thought about. In conclusion I thought this was a really good book. It was interesting and it kept you wanting to read more.
From the first sentence, I had a hard time putting this book. The excellently written plot kept me going. In this novel, Voight tells us an amazing story about a boy named Jeff Greene who struggles with his life with his mother. Jeff at first was blinded by his mother's sweet smile but later comes to see that she was lying to him all along. When Jeff's grandmother dies he inherits his grandmother's diamond ring and his mother becomes jealous. When his emotions kick in and he comes to reality that his mother doesn't love him and pours all of his emotions to her about when she left when he was small and still in first grade. This is a great book to read. I recommend it to teenagers my age and up.
A Solitary Blue (The Tillerman Cycle) Homecoming (The Tillerman Cycle) Solitary: A Novel (Solitary Tales Series) Blue Lily, Lily Blue: Book 3 of the Raven Cycle Eldest (Inheritance Cycle, Book 2) (The Inheritance Cycle) Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner Self-Initiation Into the Golden Dawn Tradition: A Complete Curriculum of Study for Both the Solitary Magician and the Working Magical Group Eastern Chipmunks: Secrets of Their Solitary Lives (Smithsonian nature book) Solitary: Escape from Furnace 2 Gravestone: A Novel (Solitary Tales Series) Hurt: A Novel (Solitary Tales Series) Temptation: A Novel (Solitary Tales Series) Temptation: A Novel (Solitary Tales) Hurt: Solitary Tales Series, Book 4 Temptation: The Solitary Tales, Book 3 Gravestone: The Solitary Tales, Book 2 Gravestone: A Novel (Solitary Tales) Moleskine Volant Journal (Set of 2), Large, Ruled, Powder Blue, Royal Blue, Soft Cover (5 x 8.25) Why Is Blue Dog Blue?
