Ludie's Life

By Cynthia Rylant

In “luminous moments told in lovely language,” the poems of the Newbery Medal–winning author of Boris bring a rural woman to vivid life (School Library Journal).
 
Cynthia Rylant returns to her home state of West Virginia with this powerful and evocative collection of poems. In a heartbreaking narrative that flows like a novel, we follow Ludie from childhood to falling in love and getting married, through the birth of her own children, and on into old age. This is the story of one woman’s experiences in a hardscrabble coal-mining town, a story that brims with universal themes about life, love, and family—and all of the joy, laughter, heartache, and loss that accompany them.
 
Would she tell you that six children
were too many,
that some disappointed,
others surprised,
but that, all in all,
six
were too many
and one
would have been just fine?
Would she tell you that she married
that boy at fifteen
not only because he was tall and kind
but also because
she needed a way out?
 
“A brilliant contribution to the growing collection of Appalachian literature that tells the story as honestly and purely as life in the mountains has always been and always will be.” —Teenreads
 
“A collection of Zen-like moments of self-discovery and serenity . . . A powerful read for young and old alike.” —Kirkus Reviews

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Apr 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9780544630871

Cynthia Rylant

Cynthia Rylant is a Newbery medalist and the author of many acclaimed books for young people. She's well known for her popular characters for early readers, including Mr. Putter & Tabby and Henry & Mudge. She lives in the Pacific Northwest. cynthiarylant.com

Book preview

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Reviews for Ludie's Life

[laws_7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent short read by a children's author. The verses flowed together. It was about Ludie's life from childhood until her death at age 95 in a nursing home. It was sad at the same time very enlightening. It made me think about my own life and family. How fast time goes by. I will definetly reread this again.

[satyridae · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A novel in free verse which tells of Ludie, who married young and had six children, watched them grow up, move away, and who grows old and dies. The part where she sends a son off to Vietnam had me weeping. A lovely, quietly lyrical book that I will buy and read again.