Heroes: A Novel

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I also really liked Nicole, up until a certain point. She wasn't to blame for what happened, and how she reacted, but her behaviour still irritated me. But, prior to that, she came across as a genuinely kind girl, who was very sweet to Francis. Arthur Rivier: Another veteran from Frenchtown. He takes Francis to the St Jude Club and buys him a drink. He interacts in a positive way with the other veterans but it later becomes clear that he too is traumatized by his experience at war. He once played baseball for the Frenchtown Tigers and recognizes Francis by the sound of his voice. Maimed and disfigured whilst fighting in the World War Two, young Francis Cassavant is returning to his hometown as a hero. But one who must hide both his face and his identity. Just like 'Of Mice and Men', I thought that 'Heroes' was very clever, and it became more so to me the more times I read it. It was less the actual content, but the structure that made it so. There was the story of Francis's childhood, and his escapades with Larry and Nicole, his experiences in the war, and finally, his post-war life, hiding from the world and waiting for his enemy to come home.

Enrico Rucelli: Francis met Enrico during his time at war. His experiences are used to show the extent of war as he lost both his legs and his left arm. He has a cheerful attitude despite his injuries but he does feel despair. Nicole is a kind girl, and wants to help people. She becomes a volunteer... with the Monument Red Cross... preparing food kits for servicemen. Pearl Harbor is bombed. Larry is one of the first men from Frenchtown to enlist in the forces; he becomes a marine. Francis gets a job in the local drugstore close drugstore A type of store which sells medicines, toiletries and milkshakes. and begins to go on regular dates to the movies with Nicole. On one occasion Larry is shown on the news for his bravery in the war. For his past holds a bitter secret, one which he has vowed to revenge and which he can resolve only through his final, desperate plan: to destroy the man who betrayed him as a boy.Francis has loved and felt protective of Nicole Renard since he first saw her when they were in the seventh grade. He fell instantly in love with her and used to create opportunities to be near her. He says he used to wait for her to come out of her friend, Marie LaCroix’s apartment, like a sentry on lonely guard duty. He feels that there is a connection between them, and as they grow older, Francis’ feelings change from those of a child to those of a teenager. He tells her that he loves to watch her dance, and she replies that she feels the same about watching him play table tennis. On the day of Francis’ big tournament, he keeps looking up to see whether Nicole is watching him. She is, and he says that he saw her eyes on me, shining for me.

Recently, I read a book called Heroes, by Robert Cormier. Robert is an American author and journalist known for his novels, which target young adults. His childhood life was mostly reading books, and staying home. Robert was the second of the eight children born to Lucien Joseph and Irma M.Cormier. He has won a number of awards and achievements. For instance, Robert won the Margaret A.Edwards Award, Phoenix Award from the the Children’s Literature Association, and many more, which captures the attention of more and more young adults. I loved to read the book because it explains every setting or mood with great detail, that I had a vivid imagination while I was reading some parts of the book. Also, because of the great details, it was much easier to understand the theme of the book. I absolutely recommend this book to young adults because it “will” really help them understand the true reason of life. Oh, I have eyes… but no ears to speak of… was an important quote because it shows the description of the main character, Francis because it explained his life and how he looks like. As the days pass in Frenchtown, Francis lives out the post-war period, reliving the days of his childhood as he waits for the return of another supposed hero. I even liked Larry, to an extent, if 'like' is the right word. I thought he was an intensely interesting and complex character, and I could never quite make up my minds as to whether I admired him, felt sorry for him, or downright disliked him. Was he a victim or a villain? I am still undecided.This book was interesting and I thought that the characters were well introduced as we are given a lot of information for such a short book but overall it just wasn't my cup of tea. Francis Joseph Cassavant is 18 years old, and has just returned to his hometown of Monument in Massachusetts from the French trenches of World War 2. He has no face - he lost most of it in the war, and covers the bandaged remains with a scarf. Francis returned to Monument to find Larry LaSalle, a man loved by the community and one whom Francis deeply respected and admired, now also a war veteran - and like Francis, a Silver Star hero. However, Francis did not return to Monument to pay his respects - in his duffel bag he carries a loaded gun, and intends to murder his idol when he sees him.