Great story! The author feeds readers just enough fascinating information to keep them glued. "Our Neighbors the Bells" had me on the verge of anxiety throughout. Thank you.
I loved this story. Told through the eyes of the children, "Our Neighbors the Bells" brought to my mind thoughts of Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mocking Bird. If I did not know, I would think Ms. Moore was a southern writer. I do not know what the author's purpose was, but she shot the arrow of her words right to my soul and reminded me of the strength and vulnerability of the human spirit. Her story illustrated the importance of how we treat our fellow man, and of nurturing the spirit of all through our words and our deeds. It is important that we are reminded of that fact that even though bullying may not harm the physical body, it can kill the soul and all of the worth we were made to have.
"Our Neighbors the Bells" is a bittersweet and heartbreaking tale of social isolation. How responsible are we to one another as classmates, as teachers, as neighbors, and as eyewitnesses of prolonged and painstaking wrongs? There are Benny Bells all around us; are we the proverbial Ms. Lafferty? Great story!
Gwenda Sutton replied on Sun, 04/17/2011 - 08:12pm
Thank you for this story. It made me cry. I cried for the Bells I grew up with, and for all the Bell children that are still in our neighborhoods and our schools.
Deidre Wasyliw replied on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 02:41pm
I liked this story, though I am not sure I know what it's about. Is it a period piece? The child's point of view is handled skillfully and the story is refreshingly free of the words formerly known as obscenities that have become almost humorously obligatory in literary magazine fiction. Moore seems to have a unique vision and I would like to read more of her work.
Mary Kalfatovic replied on Fri, 09/09/2011 - 09:00am
Great story! The author feeds readers just enough fascinating information to keep them glued. "Our Neighbors the Bells" had me on the verge of anxiety throughout. Thank you.
I loved this story. Told through the eyes of the children, "Our Neighbors the Bells" brought to my mind thoughts of Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mocking Bird. If I did not know, I would think Ms. Moore was a southern writer. I do not know what the author's purpose was, but she shot the arrow of her words right to my soul and reminded me of the strength and vulnerability of the human spirit. Her story illustrated the importance of how we treat our fellow man, and of nurturing the spirit of all through our words and our deeds. It is important that we are reminded of that fact that even though bullying may not harm the physical body, it can kill the soul and all of the worth we were made to have.
"Our Neighbors the Bells" is a bittersweet and heartbreaking tale of social isolation. How responsible are we to one another as classmates, as teachers, as neighbors, and as eyewitnesses of prolonged and painstaking wrongs? There are Benny Bells all around us; are we the proverbial Ms. Lafferty? Great story!
The slow revelation of details shows that Moore is a very skilled storyteller.
Thank you for this story. It made me cry. I cried for the Bells I grew up with, and for all the Bell children that are still in our neighborhoods and our schools.
I liked this story, though I am not sure I know what it's about. Is it a period piece? The child's point of view is handled skillfully and the story is refreshingly free of the words formerly known as obscenities that have become almost humorously obligatory in literary magazine fiction. Moore seems to have a unique vision and I would like to read more of her work.
Wow. I loved this! It's difficult getting a child's voice to come through realistically, but Liz Moore has mastered it.