A Girl Could Stand Up

by Leslie Marshall

Book Overview

A debut novel of startling originality that follows a young girl''s passionate and eccentric quest for invincibility, courage, trust, and love.Leslie Marshall''s first novel is a startling, fresh,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802117481
• ISBN13: 9780802117489
• Release Date: June 2003
• Publisher: Grove Press
• Length: 374 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Uniquely Wonderful

I LOVED this book! It was clever, zany, and impossible to put down! It's about a six year old named Elray who is orphaned at age 6 and left to be raised by her two hilarious uncles. The book follows her hysterical journey from childhood into young adulthood, and documents all of her extraordinary adventures. The book is full of unique characters and comical situations. It is unlike anything I have ever read before. I hope that Leslie Marshall comes out with another book soon because I can't wait to read it!

Out of the ordinary

this book is about a six-year old girl who lost her parents in a tragic accident and then her two uncles one a cross dresser and the other a photographer whose a carefree bachelor were appointed as her guardians. this book describes these eccentric characters and their life in the little girls narration. how she copes with her parents death and how she adjusts to this different life style. her friendship with Raoul, their weird adventures. Marshall has written this book in an unusually remarkable manner creating a mixture of drama, mystery and amazingly fantasy all woven together. you cant help being entranced when reading this book. imagining it was like literally being under a spell. realistically you might not agree with the characters way of living and might not even like the end on a basis of principle but still you cannot help liking all the characters. Although you can tell this was her first novel because the writing style and story-telling structure of the book was a little complicated. its an intense book, not your usual bedtime story.

Uniquely warm and charming

I was so disappointed when I finished this book. I grew to love the characters and was so sad to see them "go". This book definitely is oddball and the storylines are not ordinary or obvious. But as kooky as they are, the characters are so well-drawn and interesting, that they soon become irresistable. I especially enjoyed the main character, Elway, and her imaginative - and non-judgmental - outlook on life. Leslie Marshall is a wonderful writer - she has a very poetic, yet humorous style. There are smiles and laughs and surprises throughout. Just buy it. It will be one of the most enjoyable books you'll ever read.

Great fun

Quick read, never lags. Quirky characters and a few plot twists. Shame on Publisher's Weekly for giving away so many plot details. I'm glad I read the book before reading their review. A little fanciful, but where's the harm in that?

fantastic storytelling

"...the raw challenge of a bizarre situation that had the appeal of possibly yielding a giant pot of gold." In some ways, this quote is an apt description of this novel. Reading this book is much like going on an amusement park ride -compulsive, silly, ridiculous, gripping, pleasurable, exhilarating. There are great moments of emotionally charged tension and anticipation that inevitably lead you somewhere unexpected. I loved the sense of adventure and the humor and weirdness of it. And the love story between Elray and Raoul is magical.