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The Sharp Time

by Mary O'Connell (Goodreads Author)

3.37 of 5 stars 3.37 · rating details · 366 ratings · 83 reviews

Sandinista Jones is a high school senior with a punk rock name and a broken heart. The death of her single mother has left Sandinista alone in the world, subject to the random vulnerability of everyday life. When the school system lets her down, her grief and instability intensify, and she ponders a violent act of revenge.

Still, in the midst of her crisis, she gets a job a...more

Hardcover, 228 pages

Published November 8th 2011 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

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19th out of 56 books — 62 voters

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Aug 16, 2012 Bibliojunkies added it

Sandinista Jones is a high school senior with a punk rock name and a broken heart. The death of her mother has left Sandinista alone in the world, isolated and vulnerable. When the school system lets her down, her grief and instability intensify, and she ponders a violent act of revenge against her teacher.

Still, in the midst of her crisis, she gets a job at the Pale Circus, a funky vintage clothing shop, and finds a kindred spirit in her coworker, Bradley, a boy struggling with his own secrets....more

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Jan 14, 2012 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: outdo-yourself-challenge, support-your-local-library-challeng, ya-reading-challenge

This is the authors first book which came out in 2011.

This was a great book! It happens over the course of a week and there is so much in this story.

The MC, Sandanista, named after the Clash album, has recently lost her mother and so is now living on her own (she is 18-a senior in HS). The book tells us about a day at school when her alegbra teacher attacks her verbally and phsically, by kicking the desk Sandinista is sitting in. Thus begins our story.

Sandinista walks out of class and out of sc...more This is the authors first book which came out in 2011.

This was a great book! It happens over the course of a week and there is so much in this story.

The MC, Sandanista, named after the Clash album, has recently lost her mother and so is now living on her own (she is 18-a senior in HS). The book tells us about a day at school when her alegbra teacher attacks her verbally and phsically, by kicking the desk Sandinista is sitting in. Thus begins our story.

Sandinista walks out of class and out of school and promptly goes and appies for a job at a second-hand store, which she gets on the spot. She has no intentions of going back to school, but every intention of getting revenge on the teacher who did this to her. (and who has been doing this to another girl in the class who is mentally challenged). Sandinista feels she has to stick up for the girl, Alecia, as well as for herself.

The day Sandinista walks out of school and applies for the job she walks into a thrift store of sorts and comes across a case full of handguns. She is so enthralled with these handguns that it actually shocks her. But what comes next really upset me and was so unrealistic. I would have to say this one thing is what prevented me from giving this book 5 stars. Probably because I come from a home where my husband collects guns and is very big of the safety of them.

Sandinista begins fantasizing of ways to get revenge and this takes up all of her days. No matter what she is doing she cannot seem to stop thinking about it. I would say she is a little obsessed. Her thoughts are kind of scary and Columbine is mentioned briefly in the story.

Besides for obsession with the teacher, she is also making a friend at the store she works at. Bradley. I really loved the friendship the two of them have. It is instantaneous and real. They get each other and Bradley is oh, so fun. Something Sandinista needs to take her mind off of things.

During the course of the week we follow Sandinista around with her day to day things. The thoughts in her head and the fantasies in her mind. Bradley and her discover so many things about themselves and each other.

I love the store that she works in and I love her sense of style. That really added to the book. I liked that the book was raw on the way she was feeling. Still trying to cope with the loss of her mother and then the incident that happened at school. She is feeling so many different things, but still trying to remain strong, tough. I like that it takes place over a week and in that week you are introduced to a quite a few different characters who are so well liked. I really wish I knew people like that. You see how her relationships with these characters develope and the inpact it has on her.

There is so much in this book. The meaning is so deep and the author executed this story perfectly.

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Jan 03, 2012 Amy Lignor rated it 4 of 5 stars

“The Pale Circus” is the Nirvana that all clothing connoisseurs are dying to see. From taffeta ball gowns to pastels that most people would’ve killed for back in the 1980’s to cabinets filled with 1940’s gold compacts and other vintage treasures left behind, this store has it all. Sandinista Jones walks through the doors of this Technicolor palace one day and lands a job after a very ‘odd’ interview with the humorous and unforgettable owner.

Yes, she should be in school, but the school has let he...more “The Pale Circus” is the Nirvana that all clothing connoisseurs are dying to see. From taffeta ball gowns to pastels that most people would’ve killed for back in the 1980’s to cabinets filled with 1940’s gold compacts and other vintage treasures left behind, this store has it all. Sandinista Jones walks through the doors of this Technicolor palace one day and lands a job after a very ‘odd’ interview with the humorous and unforgettable owner.

Yes, she should be in school, but the school has let her down. A woman by the name of Catherine Bennett is an all out jerk to Sandinista and this is the last thing that she can handle, seeing as that she’s still trying to deal with her mother’s death. Her mother would’ve loved The Pale Circus; she had been the ultimate nonconformist - loved the “Clash,” wore safety pins in her nose, all of that good stuff - and she is sorely missed.

What Sandinista doesn’t understand is why no one from the school, or her friends, seem to miss the fact that she’s not around anymore. They don’t even call to check up on her and see what’s going on. So instead of going back to the school, she simply lives alone and spends a great deal of time not wanting to be ‘Lil’ Miss Tragedy.’

Life looks up as she meets Bradley, a worker in the store, who soon becomes her friend and helps her out in more ways than she can imagine, giving her the humor and understanding she needs to get by. Add in a woman who runs the Second Chance Pawn Shop; a Trappist monk named Brother Bill who lives in the monastery that’s located across the street; and Erika, a woman who owns Erika’s Erotic Confections (which is a hysterical store with busts, literally, made out of chocolate), and Sandinista soon finds herself building a new - slightly odd - family that takes care of her, shares their secrets with her, and proves that life is not over unless you want it to be.

The story is full of interesting characters and a plotline that, although it starts dark and painful, ends with a very uplifting appeal that readers will love.

Until Next Time, Everybody.
Amy
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Dec 04, 2011 Jenn Estepp rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: lit-wall, teenage-wasteland

3.5, probably. Today I will round up, because I have an admitted weakness for the Iowa Writer's Workshop. Fair warning if you don't though - or even if you're one of those people who roll their eyes at the mention of it. (And if you've no idea what I'm talking about, just ignore this portion of the program.) It's very much a product of an author who has spent time there. Without question, it's the most literary young adult novels I've ever read. And I mean that with all due respect to the YA des...more

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Nov 10, 2011 Andrea Hoag rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Teens and Gen-X/Gen-Y

Even though this is Ms. O'Connell's debut novel, it doesn't have the feel of a first book. It's too fluid and captivating to be the work of a newcomer. Sandinista Jones will feel like a hilarious best friend whose voice you'll love to have banging around in your head for a couple of days. Even though the book bears a sense of tragedy (18 y.o. Sandinista's single mother recently died) she's so sharply observant and mordantly funny that each page is a literary minefield of jabs and jewels to be sa...more

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Sep 17, 2011 Bailey (IB Book Blogging) rated it 5 of 5 stars

THE SHARP TIME is a brilliantly crafted YA novel that had my emotions going. I became so invested in Sandinista's complicated and heart-breaking story that I could think of nothing else while I was reading. It is so blatantly honest and real that you can't help but get sucked in. This is the first novel I have read from O'Connell and it certainly won't be the last.

Sandinista is one of those characters who will stick with you forever. Her mother, the one person she had a connection with, died in...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction, read-in-2012

Sandinista Jones is struggling through the loss of her mother and with the fact she can no longer handle the way her math teacher treats a fellow student who has been mainstreamed. It's straight on bullying. When Sandinista ditches school, she knows she's got to take on a job to fill her time. She takes it at Pale Circus, a vintage store in town.

Coworker Bradley quickly takes a liking to Sandinista, and the two of them spend a week together sharing their secrets with one another (fully and not-s...more Sandinista Jones is struggling through the loss of her mother and with the fact she can no longer handle the way her math teacher treats a fellow student who has been mainstreamed. It's straight on bullying. When Sandinista ditches school, she knows she's got to take on a job to fill her time. She takes it at Pale Circus, a vintage store in town.

Coworker Bradley quickly takes a liking to Sandinista, and the two of them spend a week together sharing their secrets with one another (fully and not-so fully). Through their friendship and sharing with each other, Sandinista begins to learn people can care about her, even if it feels like she's all alone against the world.

While the story itself is interesting, and while I found myself sympathizing with all of the weight Sandinista had to unfairly carry, the writing killed me. This is a short book, and it's over a short time span, but it took me a long time to get into. I felt so removed and distanced from the characters. While this is intentional -- Sandinista is guarded and protected and doesn't want to make her thoughts or feelings obvious -- it's also distracting. The writing is so flowery at times it's hard to even know what's going on. It took me a long time to figure out what the deal with the teacher was and (view spoiler)

I could have used more, too, with some of the other characters. Harry was interesting and I wanted more life out of him to make the truth of his character stronger. Because ultimately, this is a book about how everyone has a kernel of truth to them other people don't see on the surface. That's why Sandinista has the feelings she does toward the behavior her teacher displays with Alecia. That's why Bradley loves the person he loves.

The references in this book were dated for me, and while I know this will certainly work for some teens, this is a hard sell of a book. It's literary but it's trying not to be so. Ultimately, I found it hard to relate to much of the story or the characters because the writing distracted me too much. (less)

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Sep 21, 2012 Anastasia & Demitra added it

Finished: 9/18/12
Review to come :)

9/21/12
Sandinista is a defiant, searching, sarcastic, dark, and open-minded spirit. She’s a spec that’s seizes to exist, yet her irrelevance makes her the most important aspect of “The Sharp Time.”

“The Sharp Time,” begins with Sandinista’s job “interview” for her favorite vintage clothing store, if you can even call it that. She’s shooed away from the store, and asked to write about why she deserves the job. Any other person I know, might’ve come back the next...more Finished: 9/18/12
Review to come :)

9/21/12
Sandinista is a defiant, searching, sarcastic, dark, and open-minded spirit. She’s a spec that’s seizes to exist, yet her irrelevance makes her the most important aspect of “The Sharp Time.”

“The Sharp Time,” begins with Sandinista’s job “interview” for her favorite vintage clothing store, if you can even call it that. She’s shooed away from the store, and asked to write about why she deserves the job. Any other person I know, might’ve come back the next day, or the day after with a neatly written paragraph or two. But, never fear, Sandinista’s here! She storms up a quick paragraph, and marches back up to the store owner. Nevertheless, she’s hired. Not for exquisite taste - no, but for her name! Lucky, lucky. Though she pretty much looks like the epitome of confidence, and put-togetherness, Sandinista has a few monsters under the bed.

She and her mom were involved in a car crash, resulting from a Cutlass that had jumped the curb. She survived, but her mother didn’t. Her father killed himself a month after, leaving her alone in her house, and the world. She gets by each day doing just that, getting by. Until, one unlikely Monday - everything changes. A crazy teacher wakes her up to her sad, miserable, reality, and every word that was uttered haunts her for the rest of week. Guilty thoughts, and repressed memories lead her to an old, vintage clothing store, where she gets a job, and makes a friend that has some monsters of his own.

Throughout the novel, Sandinista struggles with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). Her thoughts, life, concerns, and mind tend to wander quite a bit. There’s no doubt that Sandinista, isn’t like any other troubled eighteen-year-old girl. What ends up making her special, are her unique perspectives, and train-of-thoughts. At first I was a bit confused, and irritated about how all-over-the-place her thoughts were, but as I began to read on, I realized that what was just an irrelevant thought, had a link to something bigger, with much more meaning.

I, without a doubt, judged this book by its cover. But, how can you not?! The cover says SO much, with SO little. I really enjoyed “The Sharp Time,” I was a bit aggravated by the lack of kick-ass action, and a love interest, however, that was all made up for with Sandinista’s extraordinarily, well-developed character. My advice? When you clear up a bit of that never-ending, TBR-list, read “The Sharp Time.”

If you hate it, then you might need to fill out one of these to verify that you're human.

4 stars - More reviews at our blog: http://characterized.blogspot.com/
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Oct 29, 2011 Chelsea rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was not sure what to expect with this book. The premise sounded promising and the cover is a pretty rainbow of colors... but there was nothing that really stuck out for me and screamed "you have to read this book!" And I will be honest, it took a little work to get into this story. Mary O'Connell writes with flowery descriptions and a short attention span. Sandinista is brilliant as a narrator, but the reader has to work hard to keep up with her thoughts. There is no exposition and explanation...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks

The first few pages, I wasn't sure I would like this book. The descriptives felt a little overdone and I imagined the author with a thesaurus pulling out too many words. The sentences ran on and on. Then it clicked. I was inside Sandinista's head. It was so different than the way my own thoughts go, that I loved being pulled in by her. I really ended up enjoying the way she described the things around her, all relating back to the incidents in her life. The long trailing thoughts were indicative...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Amber Wortz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Amber Wortz
Contemporary Realistic Fiction

"The Sharp Time" by Mary O'Connell is a work of fiction about a high school senior who has just lost her mother and is thrown into the world of real-life and taking care of herself. When her math teacher humiliates her in front of her entire class, she is forced to think about who really cares about her and who she really cares about. Through the help of a new friend and a special possession, she begins to find the person she knows she needs to be.
I was h...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Marathon County Public Library rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen, teen-fiction, teen-fiction-realistic, mcpl-review

Meet Sandanista Jones, a lonely girl with a broken heart. On Monday morning, Sandanista walks out of her high-school and finds herself a job at The Pale Circus, a quirky vintage clothing store. Isolated since her mother's death, she struggles to find a place to belong. She makes friends with a fellow employee equally flawed and hurting, and struggles with her own pain and the pain of others around her. As she tries to cope, Sandanista prepares herself to carry out a violent act of revenge. O'Con

...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Lacey rated it 2 of 5 stars

The Sharp Time by Mary O'Connell is a reasonable book with an original conflict between the protagonist and the villainess. The story offers the use of unpredictable, but if you think about it, predictable outcomes that have not been used for the longest in YA. Yet, this still did not motivate me to finish the entire book, but instead reading bits and pieces that I thought were interesting since the story contains quite a lot of fluff that dragged on and seemed to never end.

Even though the book...more

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Nov 19, 2011 Trish Doller rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really liked this one! Characters were well-defined, tension was great, loved (!) the gritty realism of the setting SO much. I think there are cultural references that might be lost on some younger readers, but not so much that it diminishes the overall effect of Sandinista's story. Definitely a keeper for me.

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Dec 08, 2011 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

when i first started reading this book, i was so mesmerized by the style of writing. the words were so lush, grandiose, and i couldn't put the book down. halfway through it though, the ADD aspect began to annoy me. i am sick of the words, " Have you paid attention ?" and "Sandinista, you're a real cool person, you're a real cool person everyday." granted, the character had ADD, and she seemed to not be able to not focus on either Catherine Bennett,Alecia Hardway,the pink gun, and her thoughts on...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Anne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, realistic-fiction, young-adult, lgbt

Sandinista Jones is a senior in high school. Her mother just died when hit by a car while standing on a street car. Luckily Sandinista is 18, so she doesn't have to go into the CPS/foster care system. She has a horrible experience with a teacher at school, so she leaves and gets a job at a vintage clothing boutique. There she meets Bradley, her gay, pot-smoking co-worker, plus her boss Henry, who is also gay. she (understandably) is still grieving and is having a hard time coping with life in ge...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Gerri Leen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: will-look-for-this-author-again

I wish there were a way to give bonus stars, because this book really deserves some. Fabulously written: this is a narrator who loves words, who inhabits the world and invests it with so much significance and meaning the way she describes things, and who you can really get behind (you WILL care what happens to her, even if she starts out a little bit of a cipher). This is straight YA, no paranormal, but yet there is still a little bit of a fairy tale aspect to this. But mostly, it's one of the m...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Tammy rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Sharp Time is a beautifully worded book of grief and friendship. Sandinista wishes she could go back to when her mother was alive, when they embarked on lovely fun filled Saturdays together. But now, her mother has been killed in a car accident, and Sandinista is trying to move on. But when her teacher verbally and physically abuses her in front of the whole class, she leaves school, and heads out to get a job at The Pale Circus, all the while waiting, and hoping that this teacher isn’t hurt...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Zhanna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mary O'Connell is a genius. Point blank, period. This did not seem like her first novel at all. The way O'Connell knitted her words together almost made it seem like poetry. Her words were so lush and grand that I couldn't believe this was a young adult book.
I'm not going to lie though, there were some flaws in the writing. O'Connell almost made it seem that Sandinista, the main character was insane and made the book confusing and clouded at times. The use of repetition was used so much that I...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Sarah by: Trish Doller

Shelves: 2011, artsy-oh-yeah, contemporary, on-my-kindle, read-in-april-2012

{This review was originally published on Clear Eyes, Full Shelves.}

And look at me: My mother gave me a punk-rock name, but my spirit is composed of elevator music: Tra-la-la-la./Don’t mind me./I’m a nice girl./I have good manners./I’ll not bother you./Tra-la-LA!

Mary O'Connell's The Sharp Time is a unique, quiet novel that sneaked up on me.

I credit Trish Doller with my discovery of The Sharp Time, as she posted about it on her (fabulous, must-follow) Tumblr, and since I adored Trish's book (my...more

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Jul 20, 2011 Onceupona rated it 5 of 5 stars

Oh my, I loved this book. I am well beyond my teenage years, and I found The Sharp Time to be so much more sophisticated than most "grown-up" books. That's Mary O'Connell's genius--she's so funny and accessible and reading her (also loved "Living With Saints") is such a delight that you forget how freaking smart she is. Sandinista is that smart, soulful girl you always wanted to know (or wish you were) in high school and the way she navigates the ragingly unfair circumstances of her life is ......more

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Aug 18, 2012 Kathleen rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book caught my eye because of the title. It sounded like a L'Engle title, some piece of poetry or literature that she would reference. And I swear there IS a literary reference to "the sharp time" in this book, but darned if I can find it now. There ARE lots of nice literary references.

This book isn't at all like L'Engle in style or in its characters, but it IS like L'Engle in that it's about love (and not romance) in a messed-up world.

The characters are well-drawn and believable, and even...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, fiction

I really enjoyed this debut novel by Lawrence author Mary O'Connell (as I did her short story collection, Living with Saints). I loved the voice of the main character, Sandinista Jones, at times wickedly funny and achingly vulnerable. Living on her own after her mother's death, she walks out of high school and into a job at a hip vintage clothing store and its hodgepodge surrounding businesses. Meanwhile, she entertains violent revenge fantasies against one teacher while hoping to be saved by an...more

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Jan 11, 2012 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: american, religion, dreamy-adolescence, feminist

In the past year I’ve read books that are smart, strange, sad, funny. Yet Mary O’Connell’s teen novel The Sharp Time takes the cake for "loveliest."

First, there’s the heroine’s name: Sandinista Jones. Next, you’ve got the frothy sweet vintage couture she wears to her job at The Pale Circus. And did I mention her teenage crush on the boy with a tiny crucifix tattooed to the pad of his thumb?

Much has been made of the fact that O’Connell is a graduate of the same Iowa Writer’s Workshop that produce...more In the past year I’ve read books that are smart, strange, sad, funny. Yet Mary O’Connell’s teen novel The Sharp Time takes the cake for "loveliest."

First, there’s the heroine’s name: Sandinista Jones. Next, you’ve got the frothy sweet vintage couture she wears to her job at The Pale Circus. And did I mention her teenage crush on the boy with a tiny crucifix tattooed to the pad of his thumb?

Much has been made of the fact that O’Connell is a graduate of the same Iowa Writer’s Workshop that produced Kurt Vonnegut and Flannery O’Connor. And sure, it makes sense when you consider how tightly each phrase of The Sharp Time is written, and the quiet poetry of seemingly inconsequential details like the fermented bottle of organic carrot juice that Sandinista keeps in her fridge to remind her of her recently killed mother. But the part that seems so un-workshoppy is the punk rock vibe of the heroine’s salty inner monologue. Witness Sandinista on applying for a new job: "I was about to go all Marcel Proust on his ass."

Then there were the parts that surprised me – the monks and the saints, which shape the whole story in a sense, but in a way that will satisfy both believers and non-believers alike. These religious, saintly figures serve as a parable for O’Connell’s core message that mercy and compassion exist, even for punk rock girls in vintage couture with dead moms: “I can tell you’re full of sorrows. But the sharp time passes.”

But my favorite reason for loving The Sharp Time is the sweet, magical little universe O’Connell has imagined on Kansas City’s 38th Street – The Pale Circus vintage clothing store. The Second Chance? pawn shop. Erika’s Erotic Confections. The Trappist monks up the hill who make raspberry jam. If you blink, you might miss it, but partway through the book O’Connell reveals that Henry Charbonneau, the impeccably dressed vintage connoisseur, and Arne, the rough-around-the-edges pawnshop proprietor, are in a book club together. They’ve been reading the poem "The Monk’s Insomnia" by Denis Johnson: "A boy sets out like something thrown from the furnace of a star."

I love The Sharp Time mostly because I want to go to 38th Street and sit in on Henry Charbonneau and Arne's book club. Then I want to head over to Erika's Erotic Confections for one of Erika’s eye-popping banana curry chocolates. But I'll avoid her pale green frosting. You would, too, if you'd already read The Sharp Time.(less)

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May 06, 2013 Sohela rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is definitely my favorite book of all time. The way the author has written it is beautiful, and the story is simple, set over the span of one week, but you really get to know and love all the characters. The author uses ways of describing things you never would have thought of, but you can see exactly what she's talking about. You can see character development even in the short time period. It expanded my vocabulary a lot- and that's saying something. You can reread it several times, and st...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Anastasia (At Bookish) rated it 1 of 5 stars

I finished. Oh thank god I'm finished.

This book took forever to read. It's short enough that I would normally have finished it in a few hours, but it took me a week to finish instead.

And the thing is, I'm not sure why. It wasn't an awful book. It just... wasn't very interesting. I felt like there wasn't anything going on in the book. Sandinista was caught up on the same thing throughout the entire book, and it got annoying. So, don't waste your time on this book. Find a better realistic fictio...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Danna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: beach-reads, heroines, priests, speed-read, tragic, ya, recommended, light-and-fun-reading

The Sharp Time is about Sandinista Jones, an 18-year-old girl who has recently lost her mother to a random accident. The Sharp Time covers a tumultuous and eventful week in Sandinista's life, when Monday, after an encounter with her algebra teacher Catherine Bennet, she decides to drop out of school. Instead of going home to sulk, Sandinista applies for a job at the Pale Circus, a whimsical and colorful vintage clothing store on 38th Street.

This book is made entertaining by the cast of characte...more The Sharp Time is about Sandinista Jones, an 18-year-old girl who has recently lost her mother to a random accident. The Sharp Time covers a tumultuous and eventful week in Sandinista's life, when Monday, after an encounter with her algebra teacher Catherine Bennet, she decides to drop out of school. Instead of going home to sulk, Sandinista applies for a job at the Pale Circus, a whimsical and colorful vintage clothing store on 38th Street.

This book is made entertaining by the cast of characters Sandinista meets throughout her week on 38th Street. First, is Henry Charbonneau, owner of the Pale Circus. Henry is an extraordinarily good-looking, wealthy, and eccentric gay man, who makes Sandinista write her application with colored pencils on a large board. My guess is that Mary O'Connell has an affinity for clothing, because only someone who loves clothing as much as I do could describe Sandinista's feelings upon entering the Pale Circus in such eloquent detail.

Next, is Arne, the owner of the pawn shop Second Chances?, which is next door to the Pale Circus. Arne connects with Sandinista immediately, and gives her a gift that transforms Sandinista and her week. Bradley, her colleague at the Pale Circus, is a pothead and flamboyant college-aged young man. He fears going to hell for not letting people use the private bathroom at the Pale Circus. Another wild resident of 38th Street: Erika, the naughty confectioner who seeks revenge on misogynist young men who buy her cakes by including Comet dish powder in her cake frosting. And of course, the monks. Because, on 38th Street, in addition to a vintage store, a pawn shop, and the naughty confectioner, is a monastery, home to monks who walk up and down the street and sell jams.

The descriptions in this book are ethereal and joyful to read. It is filled with metaphor and extravagant descriptions, that I found enjoyable. However, I started to lose interest about halfway through the book - getting slightly irritated with Sandinista's single-minded focus on her evil teacher Catherine Bennett, and one of her classmates, Alecia Hardaway. Nonetheless, I would absolutely recommend this book. Sandinista Jones is a unique individual, and the motley crew surrounding her is so much fun to read about.

Favorite quotes:

Sandinista's mother, talking about her conception: "This was the eighties, Sandinista, when sex with a near stranger seemed feminist and daring, not self-harming and slutty. Actually, in truth it's probably all those things" (57).

Henry Charbonneau, introducing Sandinista to his lovah: "This is the new girl... Is she not a peach?... Is she not a little doll in the house of life?" (69).

Sandinista, describing Erika's chocolates, "...it's warm and sweet and savory, comforting but also interesting, like you hope the world will be" (109).

"Without speaking, we--we! the sweetest of pronouns--pull our feet off the snow at the same time and the sled takes off with a swoooosh, my arms around Bradley, Christ in my mouth and birds in my stomach as we fly into morning" (215).(less)

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Jan 05, 2012 Ashleigh Paige rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-decent-shelf-of-meh

Also appears on The Screaming Nitpicker.

Since the death of her mother a few months before, Sandinista has been on a slow downward spiral and a haunting incident involving her, Alecia Hardaway, and their teacher Catherine Bennett has pushed her closer to the edge. Getting a job at the Pale Circus, a vintage clothing store, with Bradley and the store's owner Henry helps her and getting to know other business owners on the same street does too, but that might not be enough. If she can't conquer her...more Also appears on The Screaming Nitpicker.

Since the death of her mother a few months before, Sandinista has been on a slow downward spiral and a haunting incident involving her, Alecia Hardaway, and their teacher Catherine Bennett has pushed her closer to the edge. Getting a job at the Pale Circus, a vintage clothing store, with Bradley and the store's owner Henry helps her and getting to know other business owners on the same street does too, but that might not be enough. If she can't conquer her anger, Sandinista may end up taking her pretty pink gun and doing something she will regret.

I may not like most of the characters (especially Erika; what happened to her is terrible, but what she is doing is wrong and not at all anything that should be construed as "girl power" or feminism, something I'm glad Sandinista realizes), but I understand why they are the way they are and sympathize with them. That's an accomplishment in itself because if I dislike a character, it's often because I find them unsympathetic. Sandinista, our school-skipping and orphaned heroine, is a little difficult to understand, fairly sympathetic, and very, very angry. I can't recall if I've ever read about such an angry heroine.

One of the novel's main subjects, the abuse of students by teachers and faculty and how the school system can so badly fail the students, was unexpected, but I found it to be a powerful event to focus on. No parent wants to think their child is being abused not just by their peers but by the teachers that are supposed to be helping them. As I've seen while watching the news, this still happens all too often to be comfortable. I wish I could find more YA novels dealing with that subject. Recommendations, anyone?

I did struggle with the novel at some parts. Multiple times, I stopped and thought that this was less of a young adult book and more of an adult literary novel. I wouldn't be able to come up with proof to support why I feel that way, but that's what kept coming to mind. I do have an appreciation for adult litfic, but one reason I don't seek it out as regular reading material is because it reads so monotonously to me. It's nothing to do with the content, just the way it's written. That same problem happened to me while reading The Sharp Time.

Not to say the entire novel reads in such a dull way (or as dull as this review, if you ask me, but I guess I expended so much of my energy and enthusiasm on a recent glowing review that I'm having trouble being my usual bouncy self while reviewing). Some of the scenes in the novel are undeniably tense, like when Sandinista drives to Catherine Bennett's house with her gun and ends up throwing Toad at her window. I just about bit another hole in my lip when I was reading that scene.

Strangely enough, my brother shares a name with the character Bradley. I love my brother (I call him Bubba), but he says things that make me want to castrate him. Book Bradley said this on page 37: "How fun to work with a girl; it's like having my very own Barbie doll." If Bubba were less of the foul-mouthed-gamer type and more free-spirited, I could see him being like Book Bradley just because of that one line. The problem? Bubba is a misogynistic shitwaffle. Book Bradley reminding me of Bubba in such a way was not good for him at all.

I've been debating back and forth about whether or not I would recommend this for anyone, but I think I'll go with yes. It may help to approach it as adult litfic instead of young adult, though. Maybe if I'd known ahead of time and approached it differently, this short book wouldn't have felt like it was five times longer.(less)

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Feb 22, 2012 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars

Eh...I thought I would really like this book. It sounded so good in the description. And the beginning of it was pretty good. But as it went on, it got more and more weird and kind of boring, to be honest.

The one aspect I really liked was the waiting. How Sandinista constantly checked her messages, waiting for someone to notice that she wasn't there, and to notice what happened. When someone finally did call her, the book ended, and we don't get to see what happens, which kind of upset me.

Thin...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Hannah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-finished-copy

I've been staring at the screen trying to figure out how to explain this book for way too long already. I still don't know what to make of it. The Sharp Time is strange, and it kept going back and forth between being too weird for me and being amazing in a very unique way. But ultimately, while there are things I didn't understand, I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the weirdness of it all.

The writing is what carries the novel. Even when I was confused and didn't know what was going on,...more I've been staring at the screen trying to figure out how to explain this book for way too long already. I still don't know what to make of it. The Sharp Time is strange, and it kept going back and forth between being too weird for me and being amazing in a very unique way. But ultimately, while there are things I didn't understand, I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the weirdness of it all.

The writing is what carries the novel. Even when I was confused and didn't know what was going on, I always marveled at the pure beauty of the words. The author's words are mesmerizing, they did something to my mind, because I honestly couldn't stop reading. Mary O'Connell's style won't work for everyone - it's mainly stream of consciousness, and I know that wouldn't work for some readers. But I for one loved it; Sandinista's pain is presented in a raw and honest way, making her a character that I grew to feel for and love. There were parts where I felt kind of removed from the story and our main character, but I didn't mind - that helped emphasize the guarded, hardened aspect of Sandinista's character. And like I said, even when I couldn't relate to the story, I still enjoyed the writing, which is simply gorgeous.

I loved the secondary characters, too. Each of them has their own story that we only get a tiny glimpse of. I can see how this might disappoint some readers, and I, too, would have loved to get to know some of them more, but I loved the little bit of insight we got into their lives. The portrayal of the secondary characters contributes to the overall feeling that this is less a story with beginning and ending and more just a portrayal of one week in real people's lives.

If you need a fully-developed plot, The Sharp Time probably isn't for you because, to be honest, I have no idea what happens in the novel. There really isn't much of a plot - the novel is just Sandinista's thoughts, going around and around and around. Sandinista ponders the same things over and over again, which sounds boring but somehow works - that's just the obsessive way she thinks, and I loved being inside a mind like that.

The Sharp Time is not your typical YA novel. There's no romance, no real coming-of-age; we just spend a week inside the mind of a deeply disturbed girl. There's no action; we simply get raw, honest feelings. It's a strange story, but it's somehow fascinating, mesmerizing - I couldn't stop reading. If you like literary YA and want a unique, original novel, The Sharp Time is definitely for you.

Reviewed at http://www.paperbacktreasures.blogspo...(less)

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About Mary O'Connell

Mary O'Connell is a graduate of the University of Kansas and the Iowa's Writer's Workshop. She is the author of the short story collection Living With Saints (Grove/Atlantic) and her debut novel, The Sharp Time, was published by Delacorte in November. She lives with her husband and her three children in Lawrence, Kansas.

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Quotes from The Sharp Time

“So maybe my own life is not so drastic and dreadful...maybe I am just like all those other girls who have come before me with their oily T-zones and random terrible days and bittersweet triumphs, the world billowing out behind them.” — 1 person liked it

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