The Loud Silence of Francine Green
3.5/5
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About this ebook
Beloved author Karen Cushman follows a young woman’s progress toward her true self, this time exploring the nature of friendship and the experience of growing up Catholic in an era that is both fascinating and relevant to today’s young people.
Francine Green doesn’t speak up much, and who can blame her? Her parents aren’t interested in her opinions, the nuns at school punish girls who ask too many questions, and the House Committee on Un-American Activities is blacklisting people who express unpopular ideas. There’s safety in silence. Francine would rather lose herself in a book, or in daydreams about her favorite Hollywood stars, than risk attracting attention or getting in trouble.
But when outspoken, passionate Sophie Bowman transfers into Francine’s class at All Saints School for Girls, Francine finds herself thinking about things that never concerned her before—free speech, the atom bomb, the existence of God, the way people treat each other. Eventually, Francine discovers that she not only has something to say, she is absolutely determined to say it.
Karen Cushman
Karen Cushman's acclaimed historical novels include Catherine, Called Birdy, a Newbery Honor winner, and The Midwife's Apprentice, which received the Newbery Medal. She lives on Vashon Island in Washington State. Visit her online at karencushman.com and on Twitter @cushmanbooks.
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Reviews for The Loud Silence of Francine Green
92 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Somewhat considered historical fiction because of it's references to certain 1950's/60's characteristics. Could still be applicable to modern readers / realistic fiction.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is quite a timeless story. I mean, it’s set in the fifties and during the Red Scare, but the characters could be people anywhere, at any time. It teaches a good lesson about prejudice and the need to take a stand for what you believe in. The only problems I had with it were that Sophie was extremely annoying at times, and that I'm afraid people would get the wrong idea of religion, since all the nuns in this story were so evil. But those are minor quibbles -- this is on the whole an excellent book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In 1949, thirteen-year-old Francine goes to Catholic school in Los Angeles where she becomes best friends with a girl who questions authority and is frequently punished by the nuns, causing Francine to question her own values.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Karen Cushman’s new historical fiction book is modern compared to her other novels. The Loud Silence of Francine Green takes place in 1950’s Los Angeles during the height of the Red Scare and McCarthyism. Thirteen year old Francine attends All Saints School for Girls, and is constantly being told, by her parents, her teachers, and her confessor, to keep quiet and do as she is told. On the other hand, her new best friend, Sophie, encourages her, by example, to speak out against what is wrong and to question authority. Francine is both embarrassed and inspired by Sophie’s fearless antics, which often lead to Sophie’s standing in the waste basket, Sister Basil’s favorite form of punishment. Francine’s friendship with Sophie causes her to wonder if the advice of the adults in her life to “keep quiet” and “don’t get involved” is really the best advice. We see Francine mature in this book, but not too much - the scene where Francine decides to call the Pope for advice reminds us that she is very much still a child. Cushman endows Francine with a genuine and endearing voice. It sometimes feels like Cushman is trying too hard to illustrate the effects that the fear of Communism had on people, with Francine’s father building a bomb shelter in the backyard, and a family friend of Sophie’s being blacklisted for his political beliefs. Altogether though, the book works, and by novels end we see a more mature Sophie that has grown in courage and self-confidence.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cushman, known for her incredible teen novels set in medieval times, breaks from that time period up into the 1950s with great success. This is the story of Francine Green, a teen who lives in Hollywood and adores all things to do with movies, especially Montgomery Clift. Francine is a quiet girl, always worried about doing the right thing and avoiding trouble. When she becomes best friends with fearless Sophie, she struggles with her own need to not be in the spotlight. Sophie is loud, brash and always getting into trouble, often seemingly deliberately. As the world around them begins to change, Francine is forced to examine whether she can stay quiet as McCarthyism begins to affect the people she loves. As always Cushman's prose is inventive, gloriously clear, and inviting. She has created two teenage girls who are polar opposites but manage to be best friends. Both of the teens as well as their very different families ring true with the adults becoming more human throughout the novel. This is an important novel for teens today to read. The parallels between McCarthyism and today's American society are alarming. Teens will feel themselves called to be vocal about the changes we see happening around us today. Recommend this novel for classroom sharing and discussion. It will generate it. I would also recommend it for book talking.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Set around 1950, Catholic School eighth grader Francine deals with sadistic Sister "Rotten", the communist Cold War scare, decisions about how to choose friends, typical family relationship issues, and just being a pre-teen in Hollywood in the mid-20th century. Characterizations are perhaps a bit too overused or trite (the mean nun, the prissy older sister and bratty but sweet younger brother, the radical friend), but the setting seems right on.