Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Book Review: The acb with Honora Lee


The ACB with Honora Lee by Kate De Goldi

My rating: ****  (4/5)

The ACB with a Honora Lee is a very grown-up book with a beautifully childlike outlook. The book acknowledges memory loss in the elderly without being heavy-handed about it. We follow young Perry as she gets to knew her grandmother and create a memoir to her in the form of an illustrated alphabet book, the ACB. Through Perry, we see the bittersweet value of an elderly grandmother who has forgotten the names of her recent relatives and instead lives in the past. Her spirit remains vibrant, and her value as a person remains clear, from the innocent and brilliant perspective of young Perry. This book touches a nerve in the modern psyche, as we are forced to come to terms with our overscheduled lives and our uncomfortable feelings related to our elderly relatives who are losing their memories. The book itself is beautifully illustrated with diagram-like illustrations on thick, luxurious paper. The ACB with Honora Lee is an intelligent, mature take on a tough but timely subject.


This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

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