Jacob Have I Loved: A Newbery Award Winner
Written by Katherine Paterson
Narrated by Moira Kelly
3/5
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About this audiobook
"Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." With her grandmother's taunt, Louise knew that she, like the biblical Esau, was the despised elder twin. Caroline, her selfish younger sister, was the one everyone loved.
Growing up on a tiny Chesapeake Bay island in the early 1940s, angry Louise reveals how Caroline robbed her of everything: her hopes for schooling, her friends, her mother, even her name. While everyone pampered Caroline, Wheeze (her sister's name for her) began to learn the ways of the watermen and the secrets of the island, especially of old Captain Wallace, who had mysteriously returned after 50 years.
The war unexpectedly gave this independent girl a chance to fulfill her childish dream to work as a watermen alongside her father. But the dream did not satisfy the woman she was becoming. Alone and unsure, Louise began to fight her way to a place where Caroline could not reach.
Renowned author Katherine Paterson here chooses a little-known area off the Maryland shore as her setting for a fresh telling of the ancient story of an elder twin's lost birthright.
A HarperAudio production.
Katherine Paterson
Katherine Paterson’s international fame rests not only on her widely acclaimed novels but also on her efforts to promote literacy in the United States and abroad. A two-time winner of the Newbery Medal (Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved) and the National Book Award (The Great Gilly Hopkins and The Master Puppeteer), she has received many accolades for her body of work, including the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal, the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, given by her home state of Vermont. She was also named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress. She served as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature in 2010-2011.Ms. Paterson is vice president of the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance (www.thencbla.org), which is a not-for-profit education and advocacy organization. The NCBLA’s innovative projects actively promote literacy, literature, libraries, and the arts. She is both an Alida Cutts Lifetime Member of the United States Board on Books for Young People (www.usbby.org) and a lifetime member of the International Board on Books for Young People (www.ibby.org).She and her husband, John, live in Montpelier, Vermont. They have four children and seven grandchildren. For more information, visit www.terabithia.com.
Reviews for Jacob Have I Loved
841 ratings40 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Not at all what I was expecting (not sure what I was expecting, but not this!) ... it reminded me in many ways of Little Women, believe-it-or-not. At one point it lurched in a horrifying plot direction, but veered back again, phew, and proceeded in ways I could get behind. Not funny enough, moving enough, suspenseful enough, etc., to warrant the rare 5 stars, but this really was a terrifically-written book.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I think that the plot in this book is fantastic. The main focus is the topic of sibling rivalry- which many individuals can relate to. I still find myself feeling sorry for the main character after reading it a few years ago. Some, however, say that there are many opportunities in the book that the main character had to go and make her life better. So another message I think this book conveyed to me is to not feel sorry for myself but to try and take up every opportunity that comes knocking at my door. I almost cried after reading this book. This is a truly amazing book and deserves the Newbery Award completely.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Louise is determined that she will brake out of her sisters shadow. They live in Rass Chesapeake Bay were Louise is stuck in her twin sisters shadow. she keeps wonering will it take for me to brake free. I liked this book because it really put you in the book thought in the beginning it is a bit boring at first. I could feel Louise's pain because the book was so descriptive. I recommend this book to you if you like books you can not put down.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I recognize the literary merits of this book, but personally, I didn't care much for it.The story is narrated by Louise, who is terribly jealous (with fair justification) of her twin sister Caroline. Caroline is talented, personable, and gets all the attention. Louise is plain, untalented, unladylike, and not as personable either. I sympathized with Louise for the way she was relegated to second place her whole life... but at the same time, even as the narrator, she didn't come off as greatly likable. I believe that was what I disliked most. There were two or three chapters that were about, (although discussed is YA appropriate language), Louise feeling a sexual attraction to a 70 year old man who was a friendly neighbor. Thankfully, the man neither noticed nor reciprocated her interest... but I found that subject matter a bit unsettling all the same.The last few chapters brought Louise all the way into adulthood. Somehow that didn't feel right. Having read the whole book as the thoughts of a 14 year old, it seemed strange to have her reach 30 something before the end. It's well written. It won the Newberry, and I may be deserving. But as a matter of taste, I didn't care much for it.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Such a disappointment. As I read this book, I became involved in the story of a twin who feels as if she's not appreciated or loved as much as her younger sibling. However, the whining and paranoid rants by the teen-aged narrator start to get wearing, and eventually ruined the book for me. It's too bad, as life on the island was interesting, with descriptions of the daily routine of crabbing or fishing well done, and a nice touch. Not recommended unless you appreciate self-involved, pity-me, "it's all God's fault" type of narration.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Book about sisters. Interesting story. I liked the persistence of the one sister even though she was a bit whiny.