Several times throughout this book I asked myself why I was still reading it, and after finishing it the only answer I have is "I was bored and kept hoping it would get better". It never really did. Don't get me wrong - if it was THAT horrible, I'm sure I would've given up - but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.The premise, that of a young girl growing up in Appalachia in the 50's with Tourette's syndrome, sounded interesting and promising, but the writing is...unskilled. The dialogue ranges between quaint and believable to "no one actually talks like that, ever". Gestures and body language are ALWAYS described in an awkward, baffling manner ('Miss Emily centered her hands on top of the table and pushed up' - what the hell is that illustrating?? No, she is not trying to lift the table in that scene, Miss Emily is just chatting). I also found the middle portion of the book, where Icy is institutionalized, to be annoyingly ham-handed. Why are several of the child patients given animal characteristics? Is it to match Icy's ~frog~ theme, and why? If there's supposed to be some symbolism in the autistic boy that headbutts like a bull and the crazy kid who thinks he's a bird (NOT an actual disorder or remotely believable just stop it), it isn't readily apparent and doesn't go anywhere. Also, in a book that's about outcasts and respecting people's differences, I thought it was interesting that the nice aide at the institution was beautiful and the mean aide was ugly. Very progressive.I think the final insult was finding that the climax of the book, and the solution to Icy's social problems, basically involved Icy FINDING JESUS PRAISE THE LORD and almost smacked of faith healing and just NO NO NO. So this entire book was a slow build meant to preach to the reader? Yeah, thanks.Pass on this one.
It could have been better. The build up of characters and plot was going well at the beginning. It started to decline and get all muddled up when Icy was at the institution. The characters, events, and relationships became so weak and confusing. There was no clear explanation as to what finally made them decide to send Icy home, no clear diagnosis or even a prognosis of what Icy had, and there was no resolution to Wilma's case. (The revelation of the Tourette Syndrome came at the epilogue.) The last part became even worse, with the idea of religion too injected that it was like bringing all its readers into some fanatic devotion meeting of some sort. I wonder what happened to the author?! It could have been a good story. She had good characters to work on, her writing style was potential, with natural humor ... but something seemed to have gone amiss along the way. Could she have been in a hurry to wrap up the book and turn it in to the publisher without giving it a second read? Or did she get bored with Icy that she wanted to just end it and start a new writing project?Can anybody tell me how this book got Oprah Book Club label?
What do You think about Icy Sparks (2001)?
Nancy wrote: "I always love your taglines...among my college friends, it would have been WEAK, VERY WEAK. I haven't read the book, but will trust you on this one and probably won't add it to my reading list. Not..."Nancy, I was taught what was then called English Composition at a very strange time and place—Southeastern Massachusetts in the 1940s; and like my accented speech it remains. However, I did spend some months in the coal-mining region of Southeastern Kentucky in the mid-50s and despite some strange colloquialisms I don't recall anyone speaking like Icy Sparks.
—George
A story about Icy Sparks. She is a girl with golden yellow hair, raised in the 1950s, and an orphan child brought up by her grandparents (her mother and father died not too long after she was born). Icy suffers from tourettes (which she doesn't find out until later in life) and has fits of croaks, curses, and arm flailings. She befriends Miss Emily (an older woman and an outcast who weighs over 300 pounds) to find a common bond. Icy's 4th grade year is miserable because of a teacher who constant
—Robin
Wonderful read! I picked this book up from my local library for $0.25 after briefly scanning the back cover. I thought that it would be interesting to read because my son was diagnosed with transient tic disorder (similar to Tourrettes) when he was about 4. I know that this book is fiction, but as I was reading about Icy Sparks (the main character) and how she described what she felt prior to her "fits" and extreme anger, I wondered whether or not my son felt the same way before each tic episode.Icy is a smart, feisty girl and a fantastic character. She's a young girl being raised by her grandparents in a small Appalachian mountain town in the 50's. At the time, no one truly understood her disorder and she was taken out of school and placed in a facility for a period of time. Even after she was released and returned home, she still remained isolated, with only her grandparents and Ms. Emily (an obese older woman) who was also shunned by the people in town. The author tries to show that prejudice is found everywhere, even in a small mountain "hick" town. As Icy grows and matures into a teenager, and then a young woman, she begins to realize that being different doesn't matter because God has created everyone in His image; she also discovers that she is able to sing beautifully. The ending is a positive one, where Icy goes off to college, becomes a therapist and uses her singing talents to help other children. It's a wonderful book - you cry with Icy, get angry with her and for her and just want to reach into the book and give her a big hug. My son, who's 22 now, also got a great big hug! Just a small note....I truly believe that books come to you when you need them - I received an answer to prayers and a message from the Lord! :) I just love when that happens!
—Karen Klein
