Up a Road Slowly

This is the best book I have ever read, not necessarily because its a real page-turner, but because the message it gives to anyone who reads it goes deeper. The story is about Julie Trelling growing up in her Aunt Cordelia's house in the country after her mother dies. Julie is seven at the time and the story ends when she is 17. Through the story Julie learns to deal with loss, embarassment, friendship, and most importantly love.
Many characters such as Uncle Haskell, Brett Kingsman, Laura and Danny Trevort help Julie to feel these things. This book also has a very witty dialogue and the characters are not perfect, thus being real. You can't help but feel moved and better after reading this book.

This is an interesting and very well-written book. It's a shame it is not better known; a fate it shares with several other excellent books!

I read this first in my teens, and then forgot the title and name of the author, having borrowed it from the library. But scenes from it kept surfacing in my mind, until I came across it again last year, thirty-two years later.

It is the kind of book which thoughtful girls, who really enjoy reading will like, as it describes the growing up of Julie, who is bookish and a lover of words, herself. Irene Hunt portrays her characters subtly and with depth. Although Julie is the "heroine", my favourite character is actually her Aunt Cordelia, whose "sterling" qualities are gradually revealed through the novel. Seeming on the surface to be rather stern and inflexible, Irene Hunt shows us glimpses into her past, and how despite her unhappy childhood and the sacrifices she made for her family, she developed into a strong, loving, principled woman. Although Julie begins not liking Aunt Cordelia, with whom she is sent to live after her mother's death, the two end up with a very close relationship.

Aunt Cordelia is still a role-model of mine - there that's my secret out!

I've noticed that quite a few people mentioned this book as plotless and boring. Granted, if you're looking for a thriller, this isn't the book for you. I read this book a few years ago and loved it, one of those books you grow up in, read over and over again, a dear friend. But I've forgotten about it until about midnight last night. All the sudden I had an instant craving for the book, like I had to read it IMMEDIATELY. But that's me, and everyone's taste in literature is different. And taste changes, I don't know that if I picked up the book again, that I would love it as much as I did when I was twelve, but I nonetheless have very fond memories of it. I guess I would compare it to Laura Ingalls Wilder's books, or the Anne of Green Gables series. They don't have plots, per se, like an adventure story, or horror, sci fi, or fantasy, they're in the comming to age category in which you appreciate life, childhood, innocence, maturity and the sweetest budding romance. There is heartbreak in this book, and happiness and joy and love. Not that I don't enjoy other genres, but this book will stay with you because it is comforting. Perhaps it is slow for those looking for action, or boring for those looking for suspense, but if thrill is what you're looking for, I don't know why you'd ever choose to read Up A Road Slowly in the first place.

Sonia

I loved the book Up A Road Slowly by Irene Hunt. I thought the story of Julie Trelling growing from a spoiled child to a gentle and kind young woman was very beautiful and touching. When Julie is first sent to live with her Aunt Cordellia after her mother died, she is a tomboy with a mind of her own. As the book progresses, Julie begins to grow up and view her world in a different way.

This book is great because it shows growing into womanhood the way it is: hard. Irene Hunt didn't make Julie seem like she always was perfect like some books make their main charactors. I would recomend this book to anybody over the age of ten.

Julie was seven when her mother died, when she was sent to her Aunt Cordelia's farm. There, she grows into a seventeen year old. Along the way, she deals with love, hate, and disappointment. She falls in love with Danny. At school, Agnes is a bully that is contantly bothering her. Agnes is smelly, dirty, and despised by her classmates. Her sister Laura, who she has always admired, married Bill. Her father marries Alicia, Julie's school teacher. When Alicia redocorates the house, she destroys Julie's precious childhood memories. This is the story of a girl's life, through good times, and bad times.

I gave "Up A Road Slowly" by Irene Hunt two stars. It was dull, and had no plot. What happened in the story was just told, it wasn't masked, and it didn't keep you guessing. I didn't like the part with Mrs. Eltwing, because I felt like it had nothing to do with the story. The parts with Agnes was boring. I thought that Brett wasn't properly described, and that Alicia wasn't too clear with Julie. The ending was okay, but it could've been better. In conclusion, I wouldn't recommend this book to people who like good plots and suspenseful chapters.