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May 19, 2014JCLChrisK rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I am from Kansas wheat county and would describe many of my favorite books as character-driven, understated, and/or subtle, yet I found this to have an excess of all of those features. It tells a quiet story focused on characters from Kansas working to harvest wheat, and reading it was pleasant enough, I just think the book's appeal is too niche and there wasn't enough story there for it to be more than quietly pleasant. The National Book Award committee obviously enjoyed and admired it, and the writing is admirable; I'm just having trouble imagining many 10-12 year-olds feeling the same way.