Kite Spirit Paperback – Unabridged, May 9, 2013

A gentle read about the devastation of losing, finding and understanding.We follow Kite as she tries to come to terms with the suicide of her best friend Dawn. Going through the stages of grieving, there is plenty of `what if' and `why' for Kite to think about.I was first introduce to Sita Brahmachari with `Artichoke Hearts', however I didn't actually finish the book because I wasn't fond of her way of writing as it was quite childish and I couldn't engage well with the story. Having said that in this book Brahmachari guides the reader through the delicate process of losing someone, using delicate wording to convey different meanings effectively. I really enjoyed the meaning of the owls, along with many hidden meanings that are there to help keep Dawn alive in spirit and for Kite to cling on to some kind of reality.A gentle, delicate and easy read. Covering such a sad subject is hard to understand but Brahmachari has tackled it well. Not the best book in the world, but good in its own way.

It wouldn’t be spoiling the story to say it is about teen suicide seeing that is the main aspect of its promo.There aren’t many stories about teen suicide, and judging from this one, there aren’t many good ones.“Kite Spirit” tells of Kite’s grieving process following the suicide of her best friend, Dawn, an accomplished oboe player, ‘A’ student and perfectionist. Kite’s grief is palpable in the first few pages, until we are subjected to recurring words and phrases, chapter after chapter. We see not so much a grieving teenager but a self-centred whining teenager who has her best friend’s death to deal with.The scenario changes when Kite’s loving Dad, Seth, takes her to his geographical origins in the Lakes District of England; but the wallowing, self-pitying, repetitive tone doesn’t let up. The house they rent, the waterfall, stream and paths didn’t make much visual sense to me. And everyone she meets seems negative in Kite’s jaundiced eye. There is a love interest with Garth that isn’t well-developed – insta-love some would call it.Garth is building a sculpture of sorts in a temporarily-dried-up riverbed that was flooded by a dam for Manchester city’s electricity supply, where Seth’s forebears lived. Some chapters later, we are conversely told that another valley in which Agnes Landseer, Garth’s grandmother and Kite’s temporary landlady, lives, could be the place where Seth’s great grandparents lived. Contradictory.The ghostly scenes and the owl references just made me want to roll my eyes. The author could have told either a ghost story or kept it real, but by using a mish-mash, she did neither well.There are endless descriptions of the scenes. Really! This is just filler in an otherwise fairly plot-less narrative. The elements and scenes feel cobbled together to make a novel, but it could have easily fitted into a short story, as IMHO there is no plot or revelation, and no character development that I could discern.

Sita Bramachari's novels always tackle emotional transitions with a deeply felt but respectful perspective. 'KIte Spirit' explores the confusion and desolation felt by the main character, Kite, when her best friend takes her own life suddenly and shockingly. Teenage suicide is a tough subject to tackle: to make real the pain for those close to the victim coming to terms with a perceived failure to act, to identify the nature and depth of depression during these turbulent years. The author has chosen to situate the novel in Cumbria, a landscape of dark water and high mountains and the backdrop of the Lake District, a new and different environment for Kite used to urban London, serves to reflect the spectrum of emotions in the wake of the death . The back story of the search for the grandmother and the resulting discoveries across the generations make this a satisfyingly rounded journey through the stages of grieving and moving on. As always with Sita's novels for young adults, these are books for parents and grandparents to read and consider.

I read this wonderful novel in one sitting. It tackled the very difficult and thorny subject of teenage suicide with great skill and sensitivity. The main character - Kite - was extremely convincingly drawn.. The descriptions of the Lake District and surrounding nature made me want to go there and the underlying theme of loss of a deep friendship/sister was terribly moving. I highly recommend this book. It is a very accomplished novel aimed at teenagers but as an adult I got a lot out of it.

Brilliant book

I am ten and bought this book on my kindle. I like sitas books, especially artichoke hearts. the beginning of this bok rwas great. catching and full of suspence, leaving the reader with excitant over what was in the letter, why did she LEAVE (only a half spoiler)but towards the end it draggsssssssssssss, and gets increadably boring with no sence of where the book is going. it sort of gives up in the middle and slowly bores, then as if that last chance to grab the attention. everyone dies! :(a good book all together but end is disappointing. :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(::(:(:(:(:(:(:(

As always with a Sita Brahamachari book it flows along, is very readable and engrossing and probably is so for most age groups from teenage onward.