Please enable JavaScript
Open Wounds | LitPick Book Reviews
LitPick Student Book Reviews logo
Open Wounds
Open Wounds
Open Wounds
Joseph Lunievicz
Cid Wymann, a scrappy kid fighting to survive a harsh upbringing in Queens, NY, is a almost a prisoner in his own home. His only escape is sneaking to Times Square to see Errol Flynn movies full of swordplay and duels. He s determined to become a great fencer, but after his family disintegrates, Cid spends five years at an orphanage until his injured war-veteran cousin Lefty arrives from England to claim him. Lefty teaches Cid about acting and stage combat, especially fencing, and introduces him to Nikolai Varvarinski, a brilliant drunken Russian fencing master who trains Cid. By 16, Cid learns to channel his aggression through the harsh discipline of the blade, eventually taking on enemies old and new as he perfects his skills. Evocative of The Book Thief with a dash of Gangs of New York, Open Wounds is the page-turning story of a lost boy s quest to become a man.
1 Vote

Book Details

Genre: 

  • Historical Fiction

Age Level: 

  • 12 and up
Open Wounds review by RHanse
Profile Picture
RHanse

Growing up in Queens in the 1930s with a drunken abusive father and a strict grandmother, Cid Wymann hasn't had a lot of exposure to the outside world. This changes when he, one day, sneaks out to follow his grandma to church services. When he arrives at a movie theatre, he threatens to tell unless she lets him see the show with her. There, he watches Captain Blood, a dashing swordsman, and his dream of becoming a fencing master is born. Cid eventually becomes friends with two boys as they unite to battle the bullies in their neighborhood.

Rating:
5
Five Star Award
Content Rating:

Content rating - some mature content
What's this?
Recommended Books
Lifeboat 12
Spirits, Graves and Stones (Book 3 - The Stones Trilogy)
What the Night Sings
Calamity Jane: How the West Began
To add your comments, login above or request a LitPick membership.
RECENT BOOK REVIEWS
SHOW ME MORE!

ABOUT LITPICK BOOK REVIEWS

BECOME A REVIEWER

LitPick inspires  our global community of reviewers of all ages (from third grade into adulthood) to read and review books and uses feedback and incentives to encourage them to become better writers.

AUTHORS - PUBLISHERS

LitPick provides authors and publishers book reviews and a means to promote their titles worldwide through written book reviews, video book reviews, and social media blasts.

TEACHERS - LIBRARIANS

LitPick helps teachers and librarians promote reading and writing through book clubs, reading groups, and individualized, personal feedback on written book reviews.

QUESTIONS?

 

© LitPick 2024. All Rights Reserved.