Harmony

De: Carolyn Parkhurst

Narrado por: Abigail Revasch, Jorjeana Marie, Cassandra Campbell

"[A] provocative page-turner." —People

“In Parkhurst’s deft treatment, Harmony becomes a story of our time. . . Parkhurst cements herself as a writer capable of astonishing humanity and exquisite prose.” —Washington Post

“Gorgeously written and patently original.” —Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of Leaving Time

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Dogs of Babel, a taut, emotionally wrenching story of how a seemingly "normal" family could become desperate enough to leave everything behind and move to a "family camp" in New Hampshire--a life-changing experience that alters them forever.

How far will a mother go to save her family? The Hammond family is living in DC, where everything seems to be going just fine, until it becomes clear that the oldest daughter, Tilly, is developing abnormally--a mix of off-the-charts genius and social incompetence. Once Tilly--whose condition is deemed undiagnosable--is kicked out of the last school in the area, her mother Alexandra is out of ideas.

The family turns to Camp Harmony and the wisdom of child behavior guru Scott Bean for a solution. But what they discover in the woods of New Hampshire will push them to the very limit. Told from the alternating perspectives of both Alexandra and her younger daughter Iris (the book's Nick Carraway), this is a unputdownable story about the strength of love, the bonds of family, and how you survive the unthinkable.

Heart warming and thought provoking<br />

A very realistic perspective on living life as a family with an autistic child.
Highly recommend to all who want to understand the world of families with special needs children.

Believable characters

The story is told from three characters but the bulk of it is in younger daughter Iris’ point of view. She’s eleven and her voice is authentic—both in the written words and the narration. Older daughter, Tilly, is on the autism spectrum so she sees things in a very different way. Third voice is the mother. The story progresses in a natural way, even as it switches time frames. I had no problem keeping track between past and present. I had trouble putting the book down to take care of my own responsibilities—perfect sign of a good book!

compelling story

Would you listen to Harmony again? Why?

I won't listen to Harmony again,but I will recommend it to a frend or two

What other book might you compare Harmony to and why?

Harmony is unique, I guess I can only compare it to other books written by this writer

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

lots of variety in voices to differentiate the three characters from each other.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

At first, no - but then I felt more comfortable with the subject matter ( I have a child who has issue similar to one of the characters in the book), and I could relate to all of the characters in some manner.

Beautiful

This is beautifully narrated. The writing has a unique way of pulling at ALL of your parental heartstrings. I love the way the story is told from the perspective of the children and the mother. Totally worth every second of your time. My only complaint is that I didn't want it to end!

The different child.

As we grew up in a family of a very different brother we were unaware of autism. Understanding came late in his life but now we all appreciate the books and the talks on this interesting condition. Compassion instead of thinking he was a little crazy and mad. A good read for me. Thank you. And yes he finally found his wings in his mid fifties. Sandra