Between anguish and rebirth lies closure, a spiritual crossing point where healing takes place. In this evocatively told tale, author Martha Brooks offers an exquisite insight into the family circumstance and spiritual connections of Alexandra Marie Sinclair, and Lonny LaFreniere, the travellers on this journey.

The Lacs des Placottes Valley area of Alberta has been the site of the homestead for the LaFraniere family for several generations. Tom LaFreniere plans that Lonny, his stepson will one day own this land. This is also the place of an ancestral Indian burial mound, and once, Lonny disturbed it. Hard times and a need for money become the reasons that Tom LaFreniere accepts that he must sell it. The buyer is a solitary man who has spent his life on the move from one prairie town to another. He writes a letter that Lonny is supposed to mail, but doesn't. Unexpectedly the stranger dies and the land is left to a daughter he has never seen. Lonny is tormented in dreams by the spirt of his mother, and those whose bones are buried in the Indian mound. He is also disturbed by the image of a girl who sees straight through him!

Alexandra Marie Sinclair is loved and supported by her mother, her aunt, and her Cree grandfather. From him and his friend, the Old Raven Man, Alex is guided by a vision that sends her on a quest in search of truth about the man who was her father. As she sets foot on the former LaFreniere homestead, Lonny feels the spirits of the ancients moving him to reveal truths he has long suppressed.

This is a well written story that will remain in memory long after the final scene is read, and felt!

This book was beautiful, and I have to say that Martha Brooks is one of my favorite authors. The strong sense of connection is part of what makes this book so good- and as a teenager, I have to say that Alex and Lonny are characters that I don't find at all hard to relate to. All in all, I loved it.

This is one of most magical, moving, beautifully written novels I've read all year. I recommend it highly to adult readers as well as teenagers. It's a little gem.

I loved this book. It gives an inside look into the life of Rachel Carson. You get a sence of who she was and her passion for nature. I recomend it.

This is an excellent book for lovers of this delicacy. Your at-home pantry will contain all the ingredients you need to enjoy Maine's finest export. Recipes are easy to follow. The "tales" of our favorite crustesean are enjoyable too!

When I first began this book, I got hooked straight away. This is Sidonie, 16 years old and her story: How she and her sister aren't able to talk about what they need to, how she deals with her mother's death, how her father "hides" in his work, and how she is falling in love with the brilliant, perfect Kieran. This book is for suckers for romance...aaahhh!

This book rocks! I've read this books a million times and it's still as good as the first time i've read it. This book is about family relationships, and love. It's a really good book for mature 12 year olds and up. It's a story about a girl who becomes interested in the boy across the street. Read it and find out what happens.

I read this book about 4 years ago and it is still one of my favorite books. In fact I reread it at least once every year, whenever I want to return to the world of Sidonie and Kieran or if I need inspiration for my own writing. The characters are real and vulnerable and they stay in your mind long after you've finished the book. Brooks is one of my favorite authors - her talent for description and conveying immense feeling without going overboard is unmatched. It's wonderful and it makes you feel that life can be too.

This is very much a poet's novel, both in its virtues (Brooks' eye for detail and her bright, lively, seemingly effortless prose) and its flaws (the underdeveloped characterizations, a certain flatness in the narrative). "Maud Martha" is a pleasant enough read, and I especially appreciated the vividly realistic descriptions of everything from different heating systems for apartments (steam heat vs. stove) to how to gut a chicken. But ultimately, I think this book is most interesting for the influence it had on more important novelists such as Toni Morrison and Paule Marshall. Brooks' most enduring achievements were as a poet, not as a novelist.

"Maud Martha" is a wonderful novel and a definate must read, for it addresses issues of growing up, but it also tackles race issues in the US. I found the previous customer review passionate, but for those of you waiting for Brooks's next book, you should know that Gwendolyn Brooks, who is known more as a poet, passed away this year. She lives on in her poetry, however. I suggest the book "Selected Poems" by Gwendolyn Brooks.

Oh, how I wish the wonderful Ms. Brooks would write more novels!

First of all, Maud Martha was written very economically which has caused me to gain a greater appreciation of poetry and concise speaking.

Secondly, Maud Martha is not only written to a female or adult audience, but it speaks to all people of different age groups, races, or walks of life.

I appreciate Gwendolyn Brooks for her nobility and classic style. Hope to see at least one more novel from her.

I have already passed on a few copies of Maud Martha. This has gone on to being my favorite book...EVER!

Noreen is a seventeen year old girl who has had a rough beginning in life. Her mother, whom she calls "Amazing," is quite the opposite, and her step-father, whom she calls "Stupid-head," is exactly that. Noreen moves out to live with her step-sister Gladys and her husband to get away from her home-life. In True Confessions of a Heartless Girl, Martha Brooks tells of one girl's struggle for acceptance and a place in the world.
One evening while Noreen is walking along the highway after leaving her most recent boyfriend, Wesley, a truck driver, picks her up. He falls in love with her immediately. After spending a few nights in a hotel room together, Wesley and Noreen go tell Gladys, who has been worried about Noreen's whereabouts for days, that they are moving in together.
Noreen carries on a boring life with Wesley. He goes to work and comes home while she basically stays in bed all day. One day she finds a coffee can full of money and decides to clean up the house. Noreen begins to spend Wesley's money and when he finds out, he is furious. The next day Noreen takes the rest of the money, her belongings, and Wesley's truck and leaves.
She drives through a storm and ends up in a small Canadian town. She walks into a café and all of her problems come out. The owner of the café takes Noreen under her wing and tries to help her. Noreen ends up nearly killing their dog, setting fire to her temporary living quarters, and tearing down a wall in the café. Through all of this she finds out that she is pregnant with Wesley's child. Once again Noreen picks up her belongings and disappears. Only this time she comes back.
The book takes the reader through the mind of a troubled teen who is struggling to grow up. It also reveals the troubles from the past that many older adults deal with. Together Noreen and the people she meets at the café help each other out. It also shows the true power of love and friendship.
Brooks writes the novel freely which makes it an easy read. It holds the reader's attention, and tells a powerful story at the same time. She reveals many of life's hard-learned lessons through the encounter of total strangers. This is an entertaining and influential book for early teens through adults.

True Confessions of a Heartless Girlî takes readers to a hapless girlís last stop in Pembina Lake, a small village where she finds perspective on her life through the help of the local townsfolk. Most of the novel is spent not through the eyes of a 17-year-old girl, but those of the people around here. Though Noreen, the ìheartless girl,î has plenty of problems to work through, this story is also about the emotional journey of the individuals of Pembina Lake, who are middle-aged to senior citizens. In this aspect, this is a nontraditional narrative for juvenile fiction. The various inner monologues donít weigh the book down; instead they balance against the string of accidents created by Noreen. More time actually could be devoted to Noreen, who has no actual described motive for her behavior besides being a teenager. The novel could be expanded to show the impact these ten days had on Noreen. Instead, the novel had a cliff-hanger ending that left many unanswered questions.

But I shouldn't have been. Martha Brooks is a wonderful author, and this book lives up to the high standard set by BONE DANCE.

I often have trouble sympathizing with characters like Noreen, who I sometimes find annoying. But this story drew me in completely and made me care about what happened to everyone. The characters of the elderly women were excellent additions to - it's not every day you find perspective like that in a YA novel.

I like bittersweet endings.

Laker lives with his mother, who had him when she was a teenager. In fact,he was named for the basketball team. She does her best to raise him, although he is at times the grown up in the relationship and she the child. She goes through an assortment of boyfriends and finally marries one she says will be good to them. As part of the marriage Laker must move with them and give up his job babysitting for a family he has become a part of. His new step father hassles him about getting work and their clashes soon lead to violence. With that Laker leaves home. Eventually he is taken in by 83 year old Henry, against the better judgement of his daughter who wants to institutionalize her father. Henry gives Laker shelter in exchange for doing yard work. The two develop a bond and serve each other with strength and support when necessary. Only at the end of the book does the reader get lost. All of a sudden, like magic, Henry is able to help Laker gain information about his real father and fill in the missing parts of his past. The characters are believable and likeable but the fanciful ending is hard to swallow. Books with real male bonding are hard to come by and this one does it well, if only it can find the right readers.

Written in 1953, Maud Martha was the first and only novel to be released by the late poet Gwendolyn Brooks. Although written over 50 years ago, the story and its heroine, Maud Martha Brown, continues to have a strong impact in the literary world today. Edited by Jacqueline Bryant, a series of writers offer a critical perspective in GWENDOLYN BROOKS' MAUD MARTHA: A CRITICAL COLLECTION.

A collection of ten chapters, this book is comprised of writers from many different backgrounds offer their own perspective on Brooks' novel. With supporting evidence, each contributor presents their unique perspective exploring various topics from the story's social themes to the heroine herself. Several interesting criticisms include Larry Andrew's "The Aliveness of Things: Nature in Maud Martha," Dolores Kendrick's "Brooksian Poetic Elegance," and D.H. Melhem's "Maud Martha, Bronzeville Boys and Girls".

Although geared towards supporting the book on a college level, MAUD MARTHA: A CRITICAL COLLECTION offers varying perspectives on Brooks' tale. This collection will open your eyes to new views and allow you to see Maud Martha in a whole new light.

Reviewed by Kanika A. Wade
THE RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

This is a great collection of short stories. M.Brooks takes you on a fantastic ride that you will never forget. Each reader can relate to its own story in this book. Giving inspiration, hope or comfort, M.Brooks invites you to read on...Not too overwhelming with emotion, but loaded with thoughts.