Nightingale by David Farland

Nightingale

by David Farland

Goodreads:

“We all become lost children at one time or another. When no one else can find us, we must find ourselves.”
– Olivia

Bron Jones was abandoned as a newborn. Thrown into foster care, he is rejected by one family after another, until he meets Olivia, a gifted and devoted high-school teacher who recognizes him for what he really is—what her people call a “nightingale.”
But Bron isn’t ready to learn the truth. There are secrets that have been hidden from mankind for hundreds of thousands of years, secrets that should remain hidden. Some things are too dangerous to know.
Bron’s secret may be the most dangerous of all.

In his remarkable young adult fantasy debut, David Farland shows why critics have called his work “compelling,” “engrossing,” “powerful,” “profound,” and “ultimately life-changing.”

“The world of fantasy has a new king!”
–John Jerrold

My thoughts:

            Farland wrapped me into this story by pulling my heartstrings for Bron’s situation. I really wanted to see things get better for him. Also, Farland’s attention to detail really brings his book to life, along with great characters. Bron is a very complex character. I was never really sure what he would do or where his loyalty lied even by the end of the book. Will he hold strong to the good in his life? I hope so. The world Farland painted is very cool. I enjoyed the complexity of the plot and neat abilities of the characters. I really enjoyed this book. The only reason I gave it a four stars, instead of five, was because of my personal preference in books. This is what I would call a “smart boy book.” I like these kinds of books, but they don’t make me sigh at the end of them. Also, from the preface, it gave me a sci-fi feel even though it is fantasy. For some reason, it took me halfway through the book to shake that feeling. Sci-fi isn’t my thing, so I had a harder time getting into this book at the beginning, but I kept reading and was glad I did! Farland’s writing is great. If this book sounds up your alley, you will not be disappointed in Farland’s ability to draw you in and captivate you until the end!
Notes: I rate this a PG-13. 

The Worth of Stories

            I am always so inspired by DavidFarland’s writing advice (Daily Kick in the Pants).  He not only spends time talking about the mechanics of writing but the emotional, business, and worth of writing.

I know I loved to write. I know that I would wilt away if it was taken away from me, but I’ve had a hard time justifying the time I spent on something that felt recreational. In the grand scheme of life is my writing going to do any good in the world? It is fictional and filled with mythical creatures and people that don’t even exist. Yet, it makes me happy, so I keep writing, but I want it to mean something.

I have been learning slowly that it is okay so spend time on writing. That, writing is not only healthy for me, but that I could entertain someone else with a ‘good’ story.  I put the “good” in quotations, because that word means so many different things to different people. For me it means that the content in my “good” story wouldn’t embarrass or shame me if my children, parents, or grandparents read it.

But the peace that I have been laboriously trying to come to terms with finally solidified when I read David Farland’s Daily Kick in the Pants—What Stories Can Do.  In his clear and well written email post, he was able to help me understand the underlining worth of storytelling.

He talked of how humans need to talk and when we aren’t talking we are listening, but we need that interaction. We are social creatures. He also brought up that some people might argue that writing a story for entertainment only is a waste of time, but he showed examples how people need to be simply entertained at times. There was a touching story of a man in so much pain from a medical condition that reading one of David’s books was the only thing that could take his mind off of the pain, because it transported him so fully into a different world.

For other’s the story speaks to them in a way that helps them deal with life, as if giving them strength or hope on an otherwise dismal day.

There are so many ways that storytellers can reach out to others. They can educate, entertain, or simply have a story that resonates with someone. For me, when I was a kid, I loved Blue Heron by Avi. It really spoke to me as a child. As an adult, I re-read it and didn’t find it as enjoyable as I did when I was young. I realized that when I was younger and my family was torn apart that I had something in common with the protagonist that made the story my life-line at that point in time.

Sorry, didn’t mean to get so personal, but I had to thank David Farland for this Daily Kick. I love to tell stories, and I hope that others will get something out of them or just simply let me transport them into a different world for a while. Writing stories add meaning to my life, and thanks to people like David, I now feel it in my heart that my efforts aren’t a waste of time.