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A review by parklandmom
Leaning on Air by Cheryl Grey Bostrom
4.0
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)
Read: June 2024
Format: post-release ARC (digital advanced reader copy provided by Net Galley) but I also listened to the audiobook on Everand
Narrator: Amy Melissa Bentley (see the Side Notes at the end)
Challenge Prompt: CFG’s “A novel by a new-to-you author”
Book #56 of 2024: This was a new author for me. I enjoyed the amazing nature pictures she painted and the emotions conveyed through the characters.
The main female character, Celia, is one that is difficult to like at times for a few reasons. Yet you can’t help but feel for her due to the childhood she endured with a cruel and detached mother. Her traumatic loss in the story tore at my heart. Yet it was like she forgot all of the beauty of her marriage afterward.
Having a main character (Burnaby) as an adult on the autism spectrum was something new for me. He’s brilliant, successful, and has a good grasp on his strengths and weaknesses as a person. He sees the world in a unique manner and makes beautiful correlations to God and His creation. His faith amazed me.
I was really engaged with the story until there were so many other characters and “side stories” that it caused my attention to wander at times. I found the suspense or mystery aspect unnecessary to the story in many ways. It caused it to become longer than needed and sometimes took the story off-track from what I loved about it.
However, I enjoyed Hazel immensely, as well as the little boys. I appreciated Celia’s growth and the realization of her need for God.
Side Note: While I thought this was a much better performance for this narrator than what I have experienced in the past, a few things were irritating. The production team should have caught them.
1. She pronounced the Bible translation of N.I.V. like a word (“niv”).
2. She pronounced “Canuck” as ka-nook instead of ka-nuck.
3. Her voice for Hazel was quite inconsistent, especially early on.
4. The Canadian “eh” thing got a major eye roll from me every time. While Canadians say “eh” at the end of sentences once in a while, this has been grossly exaggerated by our friends to the south. Plus a southern twang with a weird-sounding “eh” just put it into the realm of annoying. It didn’t sound anything like how it’s used or how we say it.
*** My thanks to Net Galley for providing me with a post-release digital advanced copy to read. I also chose to listen to an audiobook version. My review is voluntary and my words are my own.
Read: June 2024
Format: post-release ARC (digital advanced reader copy provided by Net Galley) but I also listened to the audiobook on Everand
Narrator: Amy Melissa Bentley (see the Side Notes at the end)
Challenge Prompt: CFG’s “A novel by a new-to-you author”
Book #56 of 2024: This was a new author for me. I enjoyed the amazing nature pictures she painted and the emotions conveyed through the characters.
The main female character, Celia, is one that is difficult to like at times for a few reasons. Yet you can’t help but feel for her due to the childhood she endured with a cruel and detached mother. Her traumatic loss in the story tore at my heart. Yet it was like she forgot all of the beauty of her marriage afterward.
Having a main character (Burnaby) as an adult on the autism spectrum was something new for me. He’s brilliant, successful, and has a good grasp on his strengths and weaknesses as a person. He sees the world in a unique manner and makes beautiful correlations to God and His creation. His faith amazed me.
I was really engaged with the story until there were so many other characters and “side stories” that it caused my attention to wander at times. I found the suspense or mystery aspect unnecessary to the story in many ways. It caused it to become longer than needed and sometimes took the story off-track from what I loved about it.
However, I enjoyed Hazel immensely, as well as the little boys. I appreciated Celia’s growth and the realization of her need for God.
Side Note: While I thought this was a much better performance for this narrator than what I have experienced in the past, a few things were irritating. The production team should have caught them.
1. She pronounced the Bible translation of N.I.V. like a word (“niv”).
2. She pronounced “Canuck” as ka-nook instead of ka-nuck.
3. Her voice for Hazel was quite inconsistent, especially early on.
4. The Canadian “eh” thing got a major eye roll from me every time. While Canadians say “eh” at the end of sentences once in a while, this has been grossly exaggerated by our friends to the south. Plus a southern twang with a weird-sounding “eh” just put it into the realm of annoying. It didn’t sound anything like how it’s used or how we say it.
*** My thanks to Net Galley for providing me with a post-release digital advanced copy to read. I also chose to listen to an audiobook version. My review is voluntary and my words are my own.