The crisp, short chapters and slightly funky and therefore realistic characters had me turning pages fast and late. Tell the wolves im home is an incredible debut novel, a coming of age story that is masterfully told. However, the one sentence synopsis, as i understand it, is that tell the wolves im home is a comingofage story about a teenage girl who becomes friends with her late gay uncles partner. A lover of medieval paraphernalia and a loner, june feels more isolated than ever before meeting. So begins carol rifka brunts tell the wolves im home, a dazzling debut novel about a transformative relationshipfirst with finn and then his partner, toby, whos regarded by the rest of the family, in 1987, as a murderer. The characters in tell the wolves im home visit numerous locations in new york city and westchester county, new york, and the accuracy of rifka brunts descriptions adds a rich flavor to the story. Tell the wolves im home by carol rifka brunt mount prospect. It is 1987, and only one person has ever truly understood fourteenyearold june elbusher uncle, the renowned painter finn weiss. Her world upended by the death of a beloved artist uncle who was the only person who understood her, fourteenyearold june is mailed a teapot by her uncles grieving friend, with whom june forges a poignant relationship. Tell the wolves i m home is the debut novel of american writer carol rifka brunt, published by random house in 2012. Tell the wolves im home hardcover quail ridge books.
The night circus, the invisible bridge, state of wonder, the lifeboat, billy lynns long halftime walk, tell the wolves im home, tigers in red weather, and the buddha in the attic are all so similar to the original in theme or execution that theyre like a wink to those in the know and pique the memory of those who have a memory of. Tell the wolves im home carol rifka brunt, 2012 random house 368 pp. This is a book that has so many layers and themes that the reader is sure to discover more upon rereading it. Heres the discussion thread for carol rifka brunts tell the wolves im home. Tell the wolves im home by carol rifka brunt is one of the best books ive read recently. Do you believe there are any villains in tell the wolves im home. In a literary landscape overflowing with comingofage stories, tell the wolves im home rises above the rest.
The novel provides an earnest look at the burdens of choice and the fear of missed opportunities. Tell the wolves im home book club kit arapahoe libraries. Tell the wolves im home cooking with the book club. Tell the wolves im home book club kit hennepin county. Here are my discussion questions on tell the wolves im home. She would wander around listening for the howls of the wolves that inhabit it feeling as though she were at home, in a happy place. The novel deals with a young girl whos mourning the loss of her beloved uncle who had aids. Tell the wolves im home by carol rifka brunt in this striking literary debut, carol rifka brunt unfolds a moving story of love, grief, and renewal as two lonely people become the unlikeliest of friends and find that sometimes you dont know.
Although the title never quite gives up its ghost, june has an idea of what finn meant. This is my favorite read of the year so far in 2012. We read the coming of age novel tell the wolves im home by carol rifka brunt. So begins carol rifka brunts tell the wolves im home, a dazzling debut novel about a transformative relationshipfirst with finn and then his.
The first six questions help to trace what the wolf symbolizes in the book. If youre the type of person who likes to travel to literaryinspired destinations, you might consider these three stops. Jan 20, 2014 tell the wolves im home by carol rifka brunt is one of the best books ive read recently. How does this speak to the events in tell the wolves i m home.
Her first novel, tell the wolves im home, was named a best book of the year by wall street journal, o magazine, kirkus, bookpage and amazon, was an ala alex award. Jun 04, 20 carol rifka brunts astonishing first novel is so good, theres no need to grade on a curve. She is currently trying very hard to forget all that. The cottage book club meets the first and third wednesdays of every month at 10. Tell the wolves i m home is a literary pleasure read. Tell the wolves im home book club kit book club kit.
How does firstperson narration in this book help you feel connected to june. You can read about the book on the authors website. Nov 25, 2017 dissecting tell the wolves im home november 25, 2017 by natalie hart it is possible that, at the 2016 writer unboxed unconference, every presenter quoted or referred to carol rifka brunts novel tell the wolves im home, so it was a natural for the wu breakout novel dissectors bnd group to tackleone year later, we finally have. In tell the wolves im home, june elbus, our fourteenyearold narrator, loses her beloved uncle, finn a respected artist to aids in the opening chapters. Tell the wolves im home by carol rifka brunt wendy. On page 92, june says that not all wolves are bad just hungry and selfish.
Tell the wolves im home is a debut novel about a teenage girl, june elbus who loses her uncle finn, who she is very close to, to aids. Tell the wolves im home book club kit saint paul public. We read the coming of age novel tell the wolves im home. Her first novel, tell the wolves im home, was named a best book of the year by wall street journal, o magazine, kirkus, bookpage and amazon, was an ala alex award winner, a barnes and noble discover pick, target club pick, costco pennies pick and has been translated into 18 languages. Tell the wolves im home for book club reading for robin. Mix the family dynamics with the death of junes beloved uncle, finn, and youve. At some point we must embrace all embrace our wolves. Dissecting tell the wolves im home november 25, 2017 by natalie hart it is possible that, at the 2016 writer unboxed unconference, every presenter quoted or referred to carol rifka brunts novel tell the wolves im home, so it was a natural for the wu breakout novel dissectors bnd group to tackleone year later, we finally have. This is definitely a book you want to talk about with others who have read it. It is 1987, and only one person has ever truly understood fourteenyearold june elbus her uncle, the renowned painter finn weiss.
The book is split into three sections, including a first one which alternates chapters between the time of ellies disappearance and the present and a second section that begins as laurel and floyd meet. The only one person who has ever truly understood fourteenyearold june elbus is her uncle, the renowned painter finn weiss. Carol rifka brunt author of tell the wolves im home. The cottage book club meets year round, with the exception of april and december, and is open to anyone who wishes to join for a day or a season. Tell the wolves im home teen book talks pick april 20. Tell the wolves im home teen book talks pick april. Tell the wolves i m home book club kit book club kit. Praise for tell the wolves im home a dazzling debut novel. Tell the wolves im home is a beautiful, haunting story about a young girl dealing with the death of her uncle from aids. Tell the wolves im home hardcover gibsons bookstore. Carol rifka brunts astonishing first novel is so good, theres no need to grade on a curve. An emotionally charged comingofage novel, tell the wolves im home is a tender story of love lost and found, an unforgettable portrait of the way compassion can make us whole again.
An emotionally charged comingofage novel, tell the wolves i m home is a tender story of love lost and found, an unforgettable portrait of the way compassion can make us whole again. Tell the wolves i m home npr coverage of tell the wolves i m home by carol rifka brunt. The quality of the writing was incredible, and each of us had particular passages that seem to be permanently etched in our minds. Tell the wolves im home is the story of fourteenyearold june and her. A debut novel of love lost and found by carol rifka brunt. As well as having to cope with her loss and the stigma of his illness, june finds out that there are more people out there that miss finn. It follows the life of june elbus, a 14yearold girl, whose gay uncle had died of aids in the 1980s, and the subsequent friendship she develops with his boyfriend.
Throughout the novel one of junes favorite places was the woods located near her school. Reading guide for tell the wolves im home by carol rifka. Tell the wolves im home by carol rifka brunt wendy reads books. Tell the wolves im home book the seattle public library. Rifka brunts story treats a potentially morbid central topic with a surprisingly light touc. Mar 21, 2018 the painting, which finn titled tell the wolves im home, features june alongside her sister, greta. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, june can only be herself in finns company. A lover of medieval paraphernalia and a loner, june feels more isolated than ever before meeting someone who takes her on a different journey. The book is also about sisters, art finn becomes posthumously famous for a painting of june and greta, and loyalty. Its a cliche that death makes people value life, but tell the wolves im home makes it feel sincere. An emotionally charged comingofage novel, tell the wolves im home is a tender story of love lost and found, an unforgettable portrait of the way. Tell the wolves im home by carol rifka brunt, paperback. We cheated a little on our ya book club by picking a novel that wasnt actual ya.
How does this speak to the events in tell the wolves im home. To be honest, i didnt have especially high hopes, but ive learned that sometimes great suggestions can come from unlikely sources. Reading guide for tell the wolves im home by carol rifka brunt. Tell the wolves im home this is the title that finn gave to his portrait of june and greta. The story weaves together a tale of young love and the harsh reality of the 1980s and the start of the aids epidemic. Some will view this as a tragedy, as a story of loss and missed opportunities, a story about the hard truths about living. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Read pdf tell the wolves i m home absolutely for free at.
Tell the wolves im home by carol rifka brunt reading guide. Carol rifka brunt grew up in the suburbs of new york city and now lives with her family in the southwest of england. Read pdf tell the wolves im home absolutely for free at. Theres only one person who has ever truly understood fourteenyearold june elbus, and thats her uncle, the renowned painter finn weiss. In one section of carol rifka brunts debut novel, tell the wolves im home, a character talks about how being diagnosed with aids made him feel free to live his life however he wanted. If nothing else, its a concept i have not read about before. To ask other readers questions about tell the wolves im home, please sign up. The sun kept on with its slipping away, and i thought how many small good things in the world might be resting on the shoulders of something terrible. Tell the wolves im home is not only one of the best debuts of 2012, its one of the best books of the year, plain and simple. The painting, which finn titled tell the wolves im home, features june alongside her sister, greta. The things we hide within ourselves, the good, bad, and the beautiful are the wolves. Tell the wolves im home npr coverage of tell the wolves im home by carol rifka brunt. June is a smart and resourceful 14yearold with a talented but distant older sister, and parents who are both cpas and provide little supervision during tax season. Carol rifka brunts work has appeared in several literary journals, including the.
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