I listened to the audio version of this book. Author, Susan Beckham Zurenda narrates the audio version. She does a great job. Her voice is one that is made for audio. It is clear, animated, and because Susan is the author, she is familiar with her characters. Thus she really made them come alive.

The relationship between Eli and Adeline is so lovely. Family bond is the strongest bond. Eli and Adeline showed it in this story. Eli could have come off as depressing due to the tragic event that he went through when he was little but he had a happy deposition. A lot of this was due to Adeline. She never treated him like he had a disability.

Bells for Eli is a heartwarming story that will tug at your heartstrings long after the last page has been turned! ( )

This beautifully written debut novel is Southern fiction at its best. I read a lot of Southern fiction and for some reason, I missed this one. It wasn't until I started reading rave reviews that I knew I needed to buy it and I'm really glad that I did. It's a lyrical novel and a coming of age story for two cousins in the South during some tumultuous times in the late part of the 20th century. The story begins in 1959 and ends in 1973.

As the novel begins in 1959, cousins Delia and Eli live across the street from each other in Green Branch, South Carolina. They are only seven months apart in age but at 3, they are already best friends. When Eli drinks some lye that had been stored in a Coke bottle, his life changes completely. He spent months in the hospital while the doctor's tried to save him. When he came home with a hole in his throat so he could breath and another hole in his stomach where he was fed, he could no longer be the active boy that he was before the accident. When school started, Eli was bullied by everyone - he couldn't run, he breathed funny and he smelled. Delia was his defender and kept him safe from the bullies. He wasn't physically harmed at school but the bullying effected his mind for the rest of his life. As a young man, his emotional scars caused him to become a daredevil. He continues to cherish Delia and to protect her from her own troubles, but has no concern for protecting himself. This attitude ruled his life through high school and when he started college. In turn, Delia tries to protect him from the harm caused by his impulsiveness.

This is a beautifully written story about love and friendship that lasts an entire life. The two main characters, Delia and Eli are so well written that they seem like people I knew back in my younger days. What is also nice is that all the supporting characters are well written - the friends, the parents, the grandmother which helps make this a perfectly delightful book. It's hard to believe that this is a debut novel. I am anxiously waiting to read her future books. ( )

Bells for Eli by Susan Beckham Zurenda is a coming of age novel that can be read by YA and adults. It tells the story of first cousins Ellison Winfield and Adeline( Delia) Green who live across the street from each other. When she drops out of college in 1978 and returns to her home in South Carolina her parents are confused as to why she dropped out. Not sure what she is going to do, her parents try to encourage her to return but she is adamant about staying home.

When the cousins were both three Eli swallows lye his father has left unattended but by the time they reach adulthood, he is handsome and healthy, but also reckless. They have a close almost forbidden relationship that carries over into their adult relationship.
Eli is not accepted at school and is bullied and Delia spends her time defending him.

This story is so sweet, I became engrossed in the story and became to love both characters. Eli makes the mother in me come out. I wanted to reach out to Eli and protect him from himself. Unfortunately, that did not happen.
The author writes a descriptive and engrossing gothic novel that will appeal to anyone who reads it. I highly recommend it! ( )