Raising Wrecker
Wood, SummerWhen Wrecker's mother goes to prison, he is three, an angry and damaged little boy living up to his name. It takes a village to raise a child and for Wrecker this ends up being the commune of Bow Farm in Humboldt County, Northern California.
Flower power, hippies, misfits and all, this is a heart-warming story of quirky characters and who and what makes a family.
Comments from Groups
All round enjoyment of the book. The descriptions of the characters were superb. Lower Hutt 008 Easy to read with an interesting plot set in a commune situation. Auckland 058 Not a difficult read but with quite a bit of character interest and depth... Another book showing that a family can be very different and still successfully bring up a child. Owaka 001 All the women loved this book, men not so much - definitely appealed to our motherly instincts! Christchurch 238
Pages
290
290
Year
2011
2011
Reviews
23-06-2023
Enjoyed by all. An interesting mix of personalities.
27-04-2018
Some really good discussion as only 2/12 really enjoyed it, and the rest weren't as keen. It was great to have both viewpoints on an interesting subject.
27-04-2018
Easy to read. Had a mixed reception with the group, some thinking it had no substance and the momentum lagged half way through. We agreed that Wrecker was raised well by the Bow Farm commune, and possibly fared better there than he might have in San Francisco.
27-04-2018
Well written, enjoyed by the majority - a few tears! We would read more of the author's books.
27-04-2018
We thoroughly enjoyed this story about the unconventional upbringing of this boy.
27-04-2018
Everyone enjoyed the book. Average score 8.5/10. We enjoyed the wonderful descriptive writing. Some found it a little slow at the beginning, but enjoyed the gradual unravelling of life stories and the distinctive personalities. Some thought it would make a good movie. All agreed that the somewhat unusual group of personalities eventually formed a strong supportive family.
27-04-2018
We all found the book an 'easier' read - the characters rang true though the situation was possibly a bit far fetched. Ruth was a favourite, and we all agreed that Wrecker turned out really well, although the truth would have been best told sooner.
27-04-2018
We thought the book was a pleasant read. A gentle story. Not overly challenging though, and some thought the story was not developed to its full extent in some situations. A light skim rather than deeply thought-provoking.