The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow (P.S.) - Softcover

Leganski, Rita

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062113763 ISBN 13: 9780062113764

Publisher: Harper Paperbacks, 2013

Synopsis

A magical debut novel from Rita Leganski, The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow is the tale of a mute boy whose gift of wondrous hearing reveals family secrets and forgotten voodoo lore, and exposes a murder that threatens the souls of those who love him.

Bonaventure Arrow didn't make a peep when he was born, and the doctor nearly took him for dead. But he was listening, placing sound inside quiet and gaining his bearings. By the time he turns five, he can hear flowers grow, a thousand shades of blue, and the miniature tempests that rage inside raindrops. He also hears the voice of his dead father, William Arrow, mysteriously murdered by a man known only as the Wanderer.

Exploring family relics, he opens doors to the past and finds the key to a web of secrets that both hold his family together, and threaten to tear them apart.

Set against the backdrop of 1950s New Orleans, The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow is a magical story about the lost art of listening and a wondrous little boy who brings healing to the souls of all who love him.

About this title

Review:

"Lyrical."--"Publishers Weekly"

Lyrical. --"Publishers Weekly""

The story keeps you enthralled as each new page seems to offer up new questions that beg answers. Leganski s meticulous attention to the details of the plot provides answers in a revealing and entertaining fashion. --Trevor Smith, The Winnipeg Free Press"

This debut novel is a tour de force. It s a beautifully, lyrically written fantasy and it captures the languorous mystery and allure of New Orleans . . . Magical. --Historical Novels Society"

Rita Leganski has crafted a dreamlike 1950s Louisiana. In the middle of that world stands our mute, but not voiceless hero, Bonaventure Arrow. So endearing, so wise. His love for his family will lift and inspire you. --Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of Wench"

Magically evocative. . . . The prose is lyrically rhythmic . . . A fine novel about love, loss, revenge and forgiveness. --Kirkus Reviews"

Lyrical. --Publishers Weekly"

Brims with love and magic. It s a timeless and lyrical story about the difference between hearing and listening, forgiving and redeeming. Bonaventure Arrow, an imaginative and special young boy, will claim your heart from the very first moment you meet him. --Rebecca Rasmussen, author of The Bird Sisters"

An imaginative and touching story of the surprising ways that we heal. Rita Leganski has created a gem in Bonaventure, a young boy who cannot speak but whose silence rings with truth and humanity. If I could hear a fraction of what he does, my heart would explode with joy. --Todd Johnson, author of The Sweet By and By"

This mystical fairy tale set in a 1950s-era Louisiana rife with religion, superstition, and tradition draws you in from the wondrous first page. Silence has never been so boundlessly eloquent. --Booklist"

From the Back Cover:

Conceived in love and possibility, Bonaventure Arrow didn't make a peep when he was born, and the doctor nearly took him for dead. No one knows that Bonaventure's silence is filled with resonance--a miraculous gift of rarefied hearing that encompasses the Universe of Every Single Sound. Growing up in the big house on Christopher Street in Bayou Cymbaline, Bonaventure can hear flowers grow, a thousand shades of blue, and the miniature tempests that rage inside raindrops. He can also hear the gentle voice of his father, William Arrow, shot dead before Bonaventure was born by a mysterious stranger known only as the Wanderer.

Bonaventure's remarkable gift of listening promises salvation to the souls who love him: his beautiful young mother, Dancy, haunted by the death of her husband; his Grand-mere Letice, plagued by grief and a long-buried guilt she locks away in a chapel; and his father, William, whose roaming spirit must fix the wreckage of the past. With the help of Trinidad Prefontaine, a Creole housekeeper endowed with her own special gifts, Bonaventure will find the key to long-buried mysteries and soothe a chorus of family secrets clamoring to be healed.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0062113763
• ISBN 13: 9780062113764
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400