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84th out of 144 books
—
8 voters
Glimpse
This stunning and PEN Award–winning novel of triumph over trauma is a “page-turner for Ellen Hopkins fans” (Kirkus Reviews).In one moment
it is over.
In one moment
it is gone.
Twelve-year-old Hope’s life is turned upside down when her older sister, Lizzie, becomes an elective mute and is institutionalized after trying to kill herself. Hope and Lizzie have relied on each other...more
it is over.
In one moment
it is gone.
Twelve-year-old Hope’s life is turned upside down when her older sister, Lizzie, becomes an elective mute and is institutionalized after trying to kill herself. Hope and Lizzie have relied on each other...more
Paperback, 512 pages
Published
May 1st 2012
by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
(first published May 26th 2010)
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I have been a fan of Carol Lynch Williams' books for a while now but, though I think Glimpse is a decent story, I still believe it to be the weakest I've read so far.
I would be the first to say that the author has a fantastic talent for getting inside the mind of her protagonist and dragging the reader with her along a tumultuous and usually painful journey. Williams' books are all about the characters, the relationships, the emotions and the darkest depths of the human mind. They are not prope...more
3.5 stars
Glimpse is the third Carol Lynch Williams book I’ve read, and my first experience with her verse. I had suspected from the eloquently spare style of The Chosen One and Miles From Ordinary that the author would handle verse effectively, and that theory was borne out by the pared back, sharp poetry used to tell the story in Glimpse.
It’s abundantly clear that Lynch Williams isn’t afraid of tackling complex, even controversial topics, having covered polygamy, child abuse and mental illness...more
Glimpse is the third Carol Lynch Williams book I’ve read, and my first experience with her verse. I had suspected from the eloquently spare style of The Chosen One and Miles From Ordinary that the author would handle verse effectively, and that theory was borne out by the pared back, sharp poetry used to tell the story in Glimpse.
It’s abundantly clear that Lynch Williams isn’t afraid of tackling complex, even controversial topics, having covered polygamy, child abuse and mental illness...more
We were close,
like petals of an
unopened rose.
Heartbreaking and beautiful.
I loved Hope voice and the writing style,this book made my heart ache still I found it beautiful.
(view spoiler)
like petals of an
unopened rose.
Heartbreaking and beautiful.
I loved Hope voice and the writing style,this book made my heart ache still I found it beautiful.
(view spoiler)
Imagine walking in on your sister holding a gun. What would you do ? How would you feel? Well in Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams you get a feeling of what it'd be like. Glimpse is a very deep and emotional book. It was actually my first verse book that I've read and I fell in love. I read Glimpse in a matter of hours, I got so intrigued. The cover also caught my attention, it's really cute.
This book is about a girl named Hope who has an older sister named Liz. Liz has always been more of a mothe
Hope and Lizzie have always been the closest of sisters. Then one day Hope catches Lizzie with a gun. Suddenly, Lizzie is in the hospital and Hope doesn't know why. She doesn't know why Lizzie tried to kill herself or why she has been crying at night for the last few months. Her mom has secrets too. Secrets she is scared of people finding out. Their mom has been a prostitute for a while now; she says it is better money than working at the Piggly-Wiggly and she needs money now that dad is gone. S...more
I'm not the biggest fan of books written in free verse. But I did read Carl Lynch Williams' Waiting and really did fall in love with her particular style. Her writing was beautiful, and so when I had the chance to read her first novel, Glimpse, I snatched it right up.
I never felt stuck in the writing, like I have before when reading free verse. I sometimes get caught up in the fact that it's poetry, and it yanks me out of the story. But with Williams' writing, I was thoroughly wrapped up in the...more
I never felt stuck in the writing, like I have before when reading free verse. I sometimes get caught up in the fact that it's poetry, and it yanks me out of the story. But with Williams' writing, I was thoroughly wrapped up in the...more
POETRY
So, I was happy to find a novel told in verse-form instead of having to read a bunch of separate poems. Also, I just love Carol Lynch Williams. In Glimpse, Lizzie and Hope are sisters and have learned the hard way to watch out for one another. Their neglectful mother, who turns tricks for a living, has left the girls to fend for themselves. When Hope walks in on Lizzie and finds her holding a gun, everything changes. After Lizzie is sent to a psych ward, her sister is left to wonder when a...more
So, I was happy to find a novel told in verse-form instead of having to read a bunch of separate poems. Also, I just love Carol Lynch Williams. In Glimpse, Lizzie and Hope are sisters and have learned the hard way to watch out for one another. Their neglectful mother, who turns tricks for a living, has left the girls to fend for themselves. When Hope walks in on Lizzie and finds her holding a gun, everything changes. After Lizzie is sent to a psych ward, her sister is left to wonder when a...more
The book Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams was a good book. It is about two sisters who live with their mother after their father got into a car accident which killed him. The mother does not have enough money to support them all so she resorts to prostituting. She has had previous jobs before but none of them paid as good as this one.
One of the twin sisters named Lizzie starts to go through some hard times. She does not socialize as much as she used to and she ends up getting placed in the hospi...more
One of the twin sisters named Lizzie starts to go through some hard times. She does not socialize as much as she used to and she ends up getting placed in the hospi...more
Glimpse is an eloquently written journey of two sisters childhood experiences and the bond the is fostered as one discovers the secret of the other. Hope and Lizzie have always taken care of each other; they have shared everything including their secrets, until one day when Hope finds Lizzie trying to kill herself. With Lizzie hospitalized and refusing to talk, Hope must figure out what could cause someone, especially her sister, to attempt suicide, and how can she, Hope, fix it. Carol Lynch Wil...more
My Rating: 3.0
When I first saw the breathtaking cover of Glimpse, I just had to borrow it even though I keep telling myself not to borrow anymore books since I have more than fifty books checked out on my card. Glimpse tells you the story in poetry format like Ellen Hopkin's books, and also like Ellen Hopkin's books, you read Glimpse like it's any other original book.
Glimpse focuses on two siblings: Hope and Lizzie, who are also best friends. Their father died on riding his motorcycle in a car...more
When I first saw the breathtaking cover of Glimpse, I just had to borrow it even though I keep telling myself not to borrow anymore books since I have more than fifty books checked out on my card. Glimpse tells you the story in poetry format like Ellen Hopkin's books, and also like Ellen Hopkin's books, you read Glimpse like it's any other original book.
Glimpse focuses on two siblings: Hope and Lizzie, who are also best friends. Their father died on riding his motorcycle in a car...more
I just had to do author research on this author, because I felt it would determine how i felt about the book. First, the thing I really liked: This is a YA novel written in verse. And that's pretty cool. I like it when writers manage to blend genres in interesting ways, and I think Williams pulled it off admirably. It's spare but totally pithy, and the main character is well-developed.
Things I was skeptical of: This is a gritty novel, with what I felt was a stereotypical portrayal of poor white...more
Things I was skeptical of: This is a gritty novel, with what I felt was a stereotypical portrayal of poor white...more
I've never seen a novel quite like this one, written entirely in poetry-format, so that most lines are, at the most, three words long and are frequently made up of just one word. It means that you can easily read all 300+ pages in a day. At first I thought this would annoy me, but I quickly got used to it and sort of enjoyed the stark (and yet chilling) words. This way of writing meant that Williams never gave you very much detail about anything: no long, drawn-out descriptions of the sunset, or...more
I read this novel-in-verse by Carol Lynch Williams and couldn't put it down. It was compelling to see the main character, Hope, telling her story about her beloved sister, Lizzy, who doesn't want to live anymore. Hope doesn't know why and it is her process of getting to the truth that is particularly sad. Her conscious mind recalls a pretty normal life with her mother, her sister, Lizzie, and Hope. It is only with her revelations as she recounts her life, that we see a mother who has truly been...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I'm really annoyed at the Amazon summary. It gives away the major secret about Lizzie that Hope is trying to uncover. The summary on Amazon mentions it like it is something that you would find out pretty early on, but as I read through this book I realized that it is the mystery that drives this story, the thing that Hope needs to figure out to help her sister. So if you don't want this book ruined for you, don't read the summary on Amazon! (I haven't looked at other sites, I don't know if it's...more
This book was amazing! I absolutely loved it and could not put it down! I finished this book in 2 hours...
This is a story about sisters, Lizzie and Hope, who live with only their mother, since their father died when they were younger. Lizzie is now 14, I believe, since it doesn't really say and Hope is a year younger.
Hope walks in on Lizzie attempting suicide and catches her just in time (not a spoiler) and so Lizzie is admitted into a psychiatric hospital.
The story basically takes off from the...more
This is a story about sisters, Lizzie and Hope, who live with only their mother, since their father died when they were younger. Lizzie is now 14, I believe, since it doesn't really say and Hope is a year younger.
Hope walks in on Lizzie attempting suicide and catches her just in time (not a spoiler) and so Lizzie is admitted into a psychiatric hospital.
The story basically takes off from the...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Why this book is YF I have no idea! It's very adult context is a little disturbing for teens. I would not recommend this book for teens. Adults might find it interesting and tragic, but otherwise, not the best story I've ever read because it was just so tragic and predictable. The mother is the WORST kind--horrible, abusive, neglectful, and broken. All the context and themes in this book are adult in nature. I was a little annoyed by the fact that I had it figured out early in the book too.
I fi...more
I fi...more
I would rate this book between 3.5 and 4 stars. I really enjoyed it. If it weren't such an easy read (I don't mean easy material wise because it's pretty heavy stuff, but I mean flow and length) I would have easily given this a 4 or higher. It was completely captivating. I read it in about 3 hours, maybe a little less. This was a very powerful story that kept unfolding as the verses rolled out.
It was a bit like a puzzle, although it was a little predictable I still had more than a couple thought...more
It was a bit like a puzzle, although it was a little predictable I still had more than a couple thought...more
I was quite surprised when I flipped through this book to see it's all written in poetry style. And, honestly, I groaned. I'm not a big fan of poetry. I think my main problem with it is that I believe in the rules that go with our use of English –grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. They all serve a purpose. As such, it can be hard for me to operate outside these rules. Not for lack of trying, just it slows me down SIGNIFICANTLY. Usually.
While written as poetry, this book flows like a typical n...more
While written as poetry, this book flows like a typical n...more
Having read _The Chosen One_ by Carol Lynch Williams, I was eager to dive into this one, especially after reading raves about it on this site. I was not disappointed at all. Written in free verse, Williams has told a painful and beautiful story of sisters, and what it means to love and protect someone in the face of horrible circumstances.
Hope and Lizzie are sisters, one year apart, living with their mother in a small Florida town. Their father died when the girls were young, in an accident that...more
Hope and Lizzie are sisters, one year apart, living with their mother in a small Florida town. Their father died when the girls were young, in an accident that...more
Glimpse is an amazing verse novel. There's not much of a description on Goodreads, so I'll try to give you a short description here. Hope and her sister Liz grow up with their mother in Florida. When Hope walks in to find her sister holding a shotgun and about to kill herself her whole life changes.
Her sister is sent off to a hospital and Hope spends the summer trying to figure out why her sister changed so much in such a short period of time. And what is her mother afraid of and trying to hide...more
Her sister is sent off to a hospital and Hope spends the summer trying to figure out why her sister changed so much in such a short period of time. And what is her mother afraid of and trying to hide...more
GLIMPSE is absolutely wonderful. It's 484 pages long, but it's written in verse so in terms of word count it's probably pretty short. I read it over about an hour and a half. It's a quick read and an amazing book so please don't let the length scare you off.
Hope is 13. Her older sister Lizzie is 14. They have other friends, but ever since they were 3 and 4, they've been best friends and they've protected each other. So when Hope walks into their shared bedroom to find Lizzie pointing a gun at he...more
Hope is 13. Her older sister Lizzie is 14. They have other friends, but ever since they were 3 and 4, they've been best friends and they've protected each other. So when Hope walks into their shared bedroom to find Lizzie pointing a gun at he...more
This novel was written in verse and was a very fast read. And it deals with very heavy subject matter. Hope's older sister Lizzie tried to commit suicide and gets hospitalized. Hope misses her sister tremendously and is utterly confused why Lizzie would ever want to end her life. Throughout the story it is revealed that Lizzie and their mother share a secret that is so horrific that Hope can't even begin to understand or believe it.
Carol Lynch William wrote The Chosen One and I absolutely loved...more
Carol Lynch William wrote The Chosen One and I absolutely loved...more
The book Glimpse was a great book that really left me wanting to read more and stunned as the book unraveled through every page. I enjoyed reading this book and it allowed me to see how sometimes one sees that in a moment everything can change and the ones involved in it aren't who you think they would be. It also allowed me to see how sometimes a very painful event in one's life can really affect them so much that they may even want to take their life or run away. This story was very impacting...more
This is a dark book, but very well written. I would not say that I would re-read the book, but it was worth the first time through. I was worried about the ending as I made my way through, but it seemed to work perfectly with the story. The free verse form made for easy reading, and I am sure that if I were to read it again, I would pick up on a lot of complexities that I missed along the way.
As a teacher, I would probably not teach the text because of some of the topics presented in the book....more
As a teacher, I would probably not teach the text because of some of the topics presented in the book....more
This is a large book, but I read it in one sitting. The story is told in verse and moves quickly. What seems like a family story about two sisters and their mother really presents itself more like a suspense story about the youngest daughter trying to unravel the mystery of what happened to her sister. Even though I knew the ending from a colleague before I started the book, I was still able to feel all the tension toward the story's climax.
Everything, from the characterizations to the setting...more
Everything, from the characterizations to the setting...more
Presented in verse is the unraveling of the mystery of why Liz just wants to disappear. Hope finds her sister with a gun contemplating suicide, Liz is rushed to a therapeutic hospital where she chooses not to speak.
The verses are carefully crafted as Hope travels the painful path to understanding Liz, her mother and the complex aftermath of her dad's death.
The format is simple and spare with an undeniable wallop. The reader won't easily forget this tragic tale.
Additional notes:
One should be war...more
The verses are carefully crafted as Hope travels the painful path to understanding Liz, her mother and the complex aftermath of her dad's death.
The format is simple and spare with an undeniable wallop. The reader won't easily forget this tragic tale.
Additional notes:
One should be war...more
"Glimpse," by Carol Lynch Williams, may be threatening to some teens because of its first appearance - it is nearly 500 pages in length and the cover is entirely uninviting. However, if you can entice a teen into really examining and reading the cover, actually opening the book, and reading the very first page - he or she will be hooked.
In the fashion of Ellen Hopkins or Cathy Ostlere or Patricia McCormick, Carol Lynch Williams has written a novel in verse with terrific teen appeal! It is long,...more
In the fashion of Ellen Hopkins or Cathy Ostlere or Patricia McCormick, Carol Lynch Williams has written a novel in verse with terrific teen appeal! It is long,...more
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“I'm old with living.
So much older than almost thirteen.”
—
16 people liked it
So much older than almost thirteen.”
“Hope,
Lizzie says
my name over
and
over
and
over
again.
Hope!
And, oh,
I stand there.
Oh, my heart.
I stand there,
still.”
—
9 people liked it
More quotes…
Lizzie says
my name over
and
over
and
over
again.
Hope!
And, oh,
I stand there.
Oh, my heart.
I stand there,
still.”
Jul 26, 2012 03:03am