Lark and Termite

Beautifully written, with great sensitivity. The characters feel authentic. Phillips presents them with honesty and without being overly sentimental. Wonderful.

Not sure why this book just didn't work for me. Loved portions of it and was bored during others.

I wanted to love this book, but it was just "okay" if I'm to be honest. I is beautifully-written but not terribly engrossing. The title character was described in what I think is an honest portrayal of a disabled, non-verbal child, but as realistic as it was, I had a hard time relating to him.

A great thing about our book club is that it has enabled me to explore new genres and writers that I would not have been normally drawn to. Lark & Termite is hauntingly beautiful... almost hallucinatory writing, bittersweet about families and crossing social taboos and boundaries to create one's identity and destiny. Beautiful, almost hallucinogenic writing style... learning about love...more

A great thing about our book club is that it has enabled me to explore new genres and writers that I would not have been normally drawn to. Lark & Termite is hauntingly beautiful... almost hallucinatory writing, bittersweet about families and crossing social taboos and boundaries to create one's identity and destiny. Beautiful, almost hallucinogenic writing style... learning about love that crosses social order, and about the Korean War.   hide

I read this in tandem with Housekeeping and see that Phillips has been consciously or unconsciously influenced by Robinson. Floods, unclaimed children, trains, odd out-of-the-way towns. I disagree with reviews that say the ending is unbelievable. I liked it, especially the motorcycle jumping into the open box car. My quarrel was with the Termite sections, which seemed forced and...more

I read this in tandem with Housekeeping and see that Phillips has been consciously or unconsciously influenced by Robinson. Floods, unclaimed children, trains, odd out-of-the-way towns. I disagree with reviews that say the ending is unbelievable. I liked it, especially the motorcycle jumping into the open box car. My quarrel was with the Termite sections, which seemed forced and boring. Too much repetition. But the book is a page-turner and gorgeously written.   hide

This is a wonderful book. It is beautifully written, quite lyrical, visually powerful and surprisingly spiritual. It starts a little slow, but is well worth sticking to. By the second half of the book you can't put it down. Lark is a seventeen year old girl growing up in a dying town in West Virginia in 1959. She spends her days taking care of her handicapped brother Termite. Their...more

This is a wonderful book. It is beautifully written, quite lyrical, visually powerful and surprisingly spiritual. It starts a little slow, but is well worth sticking to. By the second half of the book you can't put it down. Lark is a seventeen year old girl growing up in a dying town in West Virginia in 1959. She spends her days taking care of her handicapped brother Termite. Their story is captivating and the ending is quite suprising. This is a book I'll be thinking about for a long time.   hide

I thought this book took way too long developing the setting and characters and moved slowly until the last 50 pages or so. But I just prefer books with a plot that moves.

I just finished this, and I may be infatuated, but I think I'll still find this to be an extraordinary novel on a second reading. Phillips opens in a Korean War scene that exceeds the lyricism of Tim O'Brien's writing about Viet Nam. I would have been happy to stay there, but she introduces a Shakespearean array of parallel narratives that continue to verge on the poetic. What's...more

I just finished this, and I may be infatuated, but I think I'll still find this to be an extraordinary novel on a second reading. Phillips opens in a Korean War scene that exceeds the lyricism of Tim O'Brien's writing about Viet Nam. I would have been happy to stay there, but she introduces a Shakespearean array of parallel narratives that continue to verge on the poetic. What's amazing is that she manages to maintain a spareness that stimulates rather than confines the imagination. Admittedly there are some plot twists that demand generosity on behalf of the reader, but I forgave her because she made me care so much about her characters. Lovely.   hide