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Salvage the Bones

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Salvage the Bones

By: Jesmyn Ward
Narrated by: January LaVoy
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Bloomsbury presents Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward, read by January LaVoy.
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'A brilliantly pacy adventure story ... Ward writes like a dream' – The Times

'Fresh and urgent' – New York Times

'There’s something of Faulkner to Ward’s grand diction' – Guardian
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WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD

Hurricane Katrina is building over the Gulf of Mexico, threatening the coastal town of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, and Esch's father is growing concerned. He's a hard drinker, largely absent, and it isn't often he worries about the family.

Esch and her three brothers are stockpiling food, but there isn't much to save. Lately, Esch can't keep down what food she gets; at fifteen, she has just realized that she's pregnant. Her brother Skeetah is sneaking scraps for his prized pit bull's new litter, dying one by one. Meanwhile, brothers Randall and Junior try to stake their claim in a family long on child's play and short on parenting.

As the novel progresses through twelve dramatic days, this unforgettable family – motherless children sacrificing for one another as they can, protecting and nurturing where love is scarce – pulls itself up to face another day.
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'Masterful ... A palpable sense of desire and sorrow animates every page ... Salvage the Bones has the aura of a classic about it' – Washington Post

'Beautifully written ... A powerful depiction of grinding poverty, where somehow, amid the deprivation, the flame of filial affection survives and a genuine spirit of community is able to triumph over everything the system and nature can throw at it' – Daily Mail©2011 Jesmyn Ward (P)2021 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Natural Disaster
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Continue the series
Sing, Unburied, Sing cover art
Sing, Unburied, Sing By: Jesmyn Ward

Critic reviews

Fresh and urgent
Masterful ... A palpable sense of desire and sorrow animates every page ... Salvage the Bones has the aura of a classic about it
A brilliantly pacy adventure story ... Ward writes like a dream. A real dream: uneasy, vivid and deep as the sea
Beautifully written ... A powerful depiction of grinding poverty, where somehow, amid the deprivation, the flame of filial affection survives and a genuine spirit of community is able to triumph over everything the system and nature can throw at it
There’s something of Faulkner to Ward’s grand diction
All stars
Most relevant
i was disappointed that the story didn't go anywhere. It seemed to still be setting the scene 4 hours in. The narration was good but I'm afraid I really couldn't recommend this.

descriptive and evocative but weak storyline

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It was ultimately the very grotesque descriptions that made me turn this recording off (such as the very detailed description of the birth of some puppies)

But even aside from that, I was not enjoying this book. I have enjoyed other books by Ward, but if I hadn't known this was written by her, I would have thought it was fan fiction written by a teenager.

DNF, too grotesque for me

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