At her tenth birthday party in the garden of her Vermont village home, Alice meets two people unlike any she's known before: Theo is a mixed-race New York City kid visiting his white grandparents for the summer; Kenneth is a cosmopolitan artist with AIDS who has come home to convalesce. Alice and Theo form an instant bond and almost as quickly find themselves drawn into the orbit of the magisterial artist. But Kenneth is losing his eyesight, and when Alice and Theo begin reading aloud to him from the journals of Lewis and Clark, they decide to embark on a wilderness adventure of their own—with unexpected results.
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"I caught the author's name and book title at the end of Faith Middleton's NPR Book Club show. I've learned to listen to Faith. We usually have similar likes/dislikes in books and food. She loved The Rope Walk and said she couldn't wait to read another Carrie Brown. So did I and I've already ordered The Confinement. Carrie writes accurately the life of a child I wanted to be and yet so glad I wasn't. Alice is brilliant, courageous and real. She is 10. Motherless and growing up with 5 older brothers and a Shakespeare Professor Father. Loved it."
— Joyce (5 out of 5 stars)
" This book was just really boring. I suppose it was well written, but nothing really happened. Perhaps if I had kids I would have been more interested because the protagonist was a 10-year-old, but this was not for me. "
— Megan, 2/13/2014" book club selection. Excellent read. "
— Jpldiane, 2/11/2014" I had a hard time getting into this. The voices didn't seem to match the age of the characters. But, the more I read, the more hooked I was. "
— Shelley, 2/7/2014" this Book is a little slow ,if you can imagine it has abittoo much detail, but i loved the story. The Rope Walk tells of Alice who has an increble summer. she finds friendship,adventure and, happiness and tragedy in a gift she gives. I felt like i could be friends with the character and at times identified with her, and her naivete. "
— Emily, 1/24/2014" This book was choosen for an "All Iowa Read." I read this book for an upcoming discussion. This book would not have been my first choice of books to read. The story was very flat, everyday life and New England slow. The children characters were on sided and the character of Kenneth was very sterio-typical. I will find it very hard to recommend this book to people. "
— Brenda, 1/21/2014" An All Iowa Reads, ten year old Alice and her friend Thelonius Swan read for Kenneth who is dying of AIDS. They build a rope walk to give him back some freedom that the disease has taken away. "
— Nancy, 1/14/2014" Alice, a young 10 year old girl has a birthday party and meets two people who will change her life forever. One is a mixed race kid from NC city and the other is Kenneth, a dying artist with Aides. The insights gained through Alice's friendships are profound. This shows how sometimes children are more insightful and compassionate than the adults who attempt to guide them. "
— Melvago, 1/14/2014" I really enjoyed reading this book. It truly was a "good book." It told a story about children that wasn't childish, and the language was lovely. When I'm looking for a book to recommend that is off the beaten path but worth reading, this is one I turn to. "
— Pam, 1/3/2014" Good plot and interesting characters, but I could never shake the feeling that the story did not have a contemporary feel. It was set in the 2000's and mentioned 9/11, cell phones and AIDS, but everyone behaved like they were from the 1940's or 50's. "
— Bobbi, 1/2/2014" Do you rememeber that point in growing up when you were almost aware of the adult world? Growing up with older sisters and mostly just my parents, I sure do. This book is full of beautifully written images of growning up. "
— Sandra, 12/8/2013" Ten-year-old girl in Vermont deals with her widower father, five older brothers, a visiting biracial boy, & a man with AIDS. "
— Mary, 12/6/2013" Hard to get into not a strong story. "
— Carrie, 11/12/2013" very slow start but a lovely ending. a coming of age story about a ten yo girl and her summer friends. "
— Julia, 9/24/2013" This book won't be my favorite, but it was OK enough to read. My favorite parts of the book described the weather and nature of the midwest. There's nothing like a big summer storm. "
— Bonni, 8/24/2013" I almost didn't finish this book. I did not care for the beginning. It did get better as it went on, and the characters grew on me. "
— Carolyn, 6/1/2013" Such a slow beginning! I gave up after the first several chapters. "
— Molly, 5/27/2013" A coming of age story about a young girl in rural Vermont. She meets a biracial city kid for the summer and together they team up to help her bed ridden neighbor dying of AIDS. I always enjoy a good coming of age story and this is a good attempt by first time author, Carrie Brown. "
— Elaine, 3/14/2013" Alice was not a very believable character. The book is told from her point of view, and since it's a literary novel, with very sophisticated writing, she doesn't seem like a very real ten-year-old. Also, it's criminally boring. "
— Susan, 9/24/2012" Dec 10 at Valerie's house "
— Deb, 5/25/2012" Pretty good book, it was entertaining and different but I would not read it again. "
— Annette, 4/9/2012" This is a delightful, short read. I especially loved the character development. The author does a great job of showing the reader how these children encounter the adult world and learn about themselves in the process. "
— Barb, 3/31/2012" saw her at a bookreading; very beautifully written book "
— Anastasia, 3/17/2012" I did enjoy the storyline but the story was told using quite a bit of descriptive writing which bogged me down when reading the book. "
— Marguerite, 8/22/2011" Hard to explain. But I really loved this book. "
— Caroline, 6/6/2011" Good plot and interesting characters, but I could never shake the feeling that the story did not have a contemporary feel. It was set in the 2000's and mentioned 9/11, cell phones and AIDS, but everyone behaved like they were from the 1940's or 50's. "
— Bobbi, 5/12/2011" Hard to get into not a strong story. "
— Carrie, 1/13/2011" Excellent. It reminded me a little of To Kill a Mockingbird. Great characters. I've never read anything by this author before but now I will. "
— Karen, 12/30/2010" REally liked this book. Read it a couple of years ago but just remembered how much I liked it at the time and wanted to share it with some of my Good Read friends. "
— Robin, 11/30/2010" Love it so far, parts of it remind me of Anne of Green Gables and parts of it remind me of To Kill a Mockingbird "
— Karen, 11/13/2010" This book has a sad yearning feeling throughout and a strange twist at the end. Great book for a rainy day in or at the beach. "
— Crystal, 7/8/2010" I listened to the audio version. The book plot was a little thin. "
— Mary, 7/5/2010" I almost didn't finish this book. I did not care for the beginning. It did get better as it went on, and the characters grew on me. "
— Carolyn, 6/21/2010" I could not get past chapter 4. I swear all I read about was nature and every detail of every leaf. I will try again to continue to read this book. But as of now, this is the first book I could not continue to read! Boring! <br/> <br/>I'll try again later... "
— Anabelle, 6/8/2010" BCL FIC Brown, Carrie <br/>Amazing book, lyrical and moving. I was especially struck by the descriptive prose. Ten year old Alice hovers between childhood and not-childhood - magical. "
— Sherri, 4/25/2010" This was a great book. The dad was a jerk. "
— Shelley, 4/17/2010" This book won't be my favorite, but it was OK enough to read. My favorite parts of the book described the weather and nature of the midwest. There's nothing like a big summer storm. "
— Bonni, 3/19/2010Carrie Brown is the author of a number of novels and short story collections. She has won many awards for her work, including a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, the Barnes and Noble Discover Award, and the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize. Her novel Confinement won the Library of Virginia Book Award. She lives in Virginia with her husband, novelist John Gregory Brown, and their three children.
Elaina Erika Davis has appeared in several Off-Broadway productions, including Red, Secret History of the Lower Eastside, and Troilus & Cressida, as well as on numerous television series, including The Guiding Light, All My Children, and Law & Order. She has narrated such notable audio books as Memoirs of a Geisha and Kira-Kira.