On one side of the world a girl is born with half of a heart
The Half Hearted Girl –Book reviews
Blogger review on Wordpress by Aaron Writes:The-half-hearted-girl-a-book-review
The Half Hearted Girl is a skillfully written and superbly
illustrated children’s book about a little girl that is born missing
half of her heart. As the girl grows up she seeks out all things that
are whole hearted, but never seems to be able to fill the empty part of
her heart. On the other side of the world is a boy that was born
missing half of his soul, as he grows he tries to fill his life with
soulful things but never fully feels whole inside. When one day the two
of them set out on their own journeys, each seeking to find something
in the world that fill the part of them that is missing. Their journeys
lead them to the very same spot at the very same time. The middle of
the earth. The girl and the boy go on many adventures together and in
the end they both find what they were looking for… This is a book that
transcends age , race, and gender and has a very strong appeal to a much
a older audience.
What is hidden deep in this book past a summary, is more than just a
story of a boy and girl. It is more than just a coming of age tale, and
more than a story of hope and love. While the story is not written
in rhyme the book has this amazing poetic flow, each page playing a
perfect parallel with the next, the book is what I would define as
“perfectly symmetrical” but what amazes me even more than this brilliant
writing style is that no where in the book does it feel forced, the
story flows from page to page so well that you may not even notice the
symmetry at first. The black and white art style and the lay out of the
book also ties into the symmetry of the writing flawlessly.
The book is a quick read, with large print and being under 80 pages,
but it is deep, it evokes real emotion of longing, sadness, wanting,
discovery, friendship, fulfillment, acceptance, and love. It is a great
coffee table book, a great book for swinging in a hammock, a great
coming of age tale, and a tremendous accomplishment by Author Sandra
Harvey.The short Q&A section and Mini Journal in the back of the book are wonderful editions.
The Half Hearted Girl is available here: Buy: The Half Hearted Girl
The Half Hearted Girl is a black and white fully illustrated book. I wish it was easier for me to classify this book, but it simply stands alone. I want to be clear that this book is by no means some obscure novelty book. With a page count of around 100 and with so many illustrations it is hard to classify by modern literary classifications. I think of it more like a modern fairy tale. This is a book you would have seen in books stores 70 years ago. It is similar to some of the works of Hans Christian Andersen. I call it a modern fairy tale because their is no physical antagonist in this story. The challenge our protagonist has to face is that of an internal nature. The main theme of this story is about love and soul mates and how meeting another person can sometimes help us become a more complete person ourselves. The story follows the life of The Half Hearted Girl and her quest to seek out wholehearted things. When one day she discovers something special. This discovery sends her off on an adventure. The author now tells a parallel story of The Half Soul Boy. Who one day also discovers something that leads him off on an adventure of his own. Layered inside of the main story line is a coming of age tale with some very significant and meaningful insights about life, the emptiness we all feel inside at times, and the great mortal coil . There is a real longing so many of us feel to try something new, to meet someone new, to go someplace new, and to find out what is over the horizon. We often think that somehow we will find what ever it is we are missing if we just keep looking, but somehow it's always just one more step away. Often times as humans be do not appreciate who and what we have around us, and how amazing our lives are until we seek out the unknown. What do most of us find out there beyond the rim of the world? Well, some of us do find our Soul Mates, but we also find the answer to our own unique question, the same question that set us on our journey to begin with. The answer more often than not is that all we need, all we love, and all that matters was always there all along we just needed to see the world and to gain knowledge; we just needed to meet new people to gain experiences, so that through comparison we can see who we are, where we come from, and what matters most to each of us. We often get restless and start feeling trapped. This is something a lot of us deal with all of our lives. Perhaps we feel like the daily routine is like living with half of a heart or half, of half of a soul. Sometimes we just have to get far enough away from those things, those people, and those places and to realize there is nothing out there in the unknown that we will find under some rock that will somehow complete our lives and make everything perfect. Even when we find the one thing we seek it always comes with a choice. After all isn't life often about giving up something you want, for something you want more? That is my own interpretation of the story, I do feel the author may have had a more literal meaning in mind, but that is one of the wonderful things about every story I have read from Sandra Harvey. Ultimately it is for you to decide. Do not miss out on this incredibly wonderful and life changing story, with amazing illustrations by Calum Jones.
By
Ross Palmer-Willmott
on 18 Aug 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
The Half Hearted Girl is such a lovely and adventure filled graphic novel!
The sweet and beautiful story coupled with the amazing illustrations made for a really enjoyable read. There is a Tim Burton vibe I get from this book and so I was completely enthralled with both the story and images.
The sweet and beautiful story coupled with the amazing illustrations made for a really enjoyable read. There is a Tim Burton vibe I get from this book and so I was completely enthralled with both the story and images.
This
story is one I feel both children and adults (who are still children
inside) will really enjoy reading, there is adventure and love on each
and every page which filled the void of the empty half of my own half
heart.
The rough and ready look of the illustrations really
worked with the story and looked stunning as the only colours used were
black and white which contrasted really well on the page.
I would really recommend to all who would like an easy going and lovely read!
Here is a link to my video review! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKIk2...
This review is from: The Half Hearted Girl (Paperback)
I thought "The Half Hearted Girl" has a general sweetness about it,
I thought "The Half Hearted Girl" has a general
sweetness about it, with the illustrations setting the visual stage of
what is to become a classic.Reading it made me think about my childhood
and finding my first puppy love, lol.I could have totally imagined
reading this to my kids when they were young,and them asking me many
questions after.I loved this book! And i think you will too.I plan to
pass it on to my friend with a young daughter,so that she can read it to
her and answer her questions after.This will make a great Christmas
gift! Bravo Sandra and Calum!!
By
Oak & Apple
on 4 Sep 2014
Format: Paperback
This is a story that I'll return to again and again... and it will
probably resonate slightly differently each time I read it! I absolutely
loved it!!
Although perhaps written with a younger adult
audience in mind, this is a story that will move readers of all ages.
Beautifully written and presented, the exquisite black and white
contrasting illustrations truly capture the soulful essence of this
wonderful tale. This is a stunningly beautiful book and already a
favourite for me!
The
Half Hearted Girl is part graphic novel, modern fairy tale, romance,
adventure, and storybook.
This book is packed with tons of amazing illustrations.
Available in the USA - The Half Hearted Girl
Available in the UK - The Half Hearted Girl - UK
This book is packed with tons of amazing illustrations.
Available in the USA - The Half Hearted Girl
Available in the UK - The Half Hearted Girl - UK