Orfe Paperback – May 11, 2009

I read this book first when I was 11 years old. I was browsing through the young adult section (feeling I was at the time far above the intermediate readers area) and this title popped out of me. It was unlike any of the other books there, and I decided I needed to have it. Immediately I was drawn into the book, and after reading it the first time I knew I loved it. In the past 5 years, I've read the book several times. Each and everytime I read it, some new insight and new wisdom speaks to me. It wasn't until a few years later that I realized the parallels to the greek myth, and even now more ingenius parallels pop out at me. It is simply the most heartfelt and beautiful story I've ever read, simple, short, but even as I grow older, and pieces of classical literature 1000's of pages long fill my mind, this book continues to last as my very favorite. Of any book I've ever read, it's touched my heart more deeply and fully than anything else. Everyone should read this book.

I would highly recommend almost all of Cynhia Voight's books--but this is my least favorite. It is well written, but leaves fewer echos in the mind than the Tillerman Books (I regularly assign Homecoming, Dicey's Song and Runner to middle school readers and I love Fredle for grade 2 and 3 readers)

I first read this book when i was thirteen, now seven years later, i'm still reading...I've used it as a teaching book for greek mythology, i've used it as a performance dialog piece, i've used in working with grief striken teenagers...all i can say it wow...a wonderful story, full of life and wonder, with a deep meaningful stripe down the middle. any person, young or old should read this powerful novel that will tear your heart out and replace it will something wiser and better

This was a required book for one of my education lit courses. It's very strange. I understand it's a musician's life and all of that, but it's not Voigt's best. The ending was totally expected and there were no twists to continue engaging the reader. On the plus side, it is a very short read and might be good for a musical-inclined student who "hates reading." Really, though, the ending just wasn't enough for me.

Fans of Cynthia Voigt will still be engaged by this book, but it's something new. While her Tillerman stories were propelled by wonderful characters who faced real life dilemmas in ways that were true to life and themselves, and the Jackaroo series took those same skills and blended them with 'fantasy' elements, here Voigt's focus is less with the characters than with artistry of style and retelling an ancient myth believably in a modern setting. She certainly succeeds, and the reversal of the Orpheus and Eurydice male/female parts was a nice touch. That said, this book falls a little short of what Voigt can do with story lines she dreams up herself. I recommend A Solitary Blue or Dicey's Song (both in the Tillerman series)--if you liked this, you should like those as well.

I got to page 35 of this book before putting it down. The author's writing is jerky, abrupt, and the characters are unlovable. I have a hard time getting drawn into a story where the title character projectile vomits as part of her stage performance.

I liked the idea behind this - gender bending Orpheus and Eurydice and moving death to drugs. It sounds good!However, I felt a little underwhelmed reading it. The writing was decent but nothing grabbed me about the book, it was simply. Alright