Small Damages

Feb 11, 2013 Keertana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: beautiful-prose, books-that-linger, kick-ass-heroines, 2013-favorites

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Small Damages is a quiet tale, filled with a languid prose that not many readers will enjoy. It reads practically like a verse novel, for its lines are so very poetic, but at its heart, it is a story that cannot be explained but one that can only be felt. Admittedly, I didn’t expect to enjoy Small Damages as much as I did. It is a story of an eighteen-year-old girl, Kenzie, who is sent to Spain to give birth to her child so as to save her widowed mother the shame of dealing with...more Rating: 4.5 Stars

Small Damages is a quiet tale, filled with a languid prose that not many readers will enjoy. It reads practically like a verse novel, for its lines are so very poetic, but at its heart, it is a story that cannot be explained but one that can only be felt. Admittedly, I didn’t expect to enjoy Small Damages as much as I did. It is a story of an eighteen-year-old girl, Kenzie, who is sent to Spain to give birth to her child so as to save her widowed mother the shame of dealing with a pregnant daughter. Yet, although Small Damages deals with teenage pregnancy, an issue I’ve always seen as been very black-and-white, more than anything else, it is a coming of age tale of finding yourself and learning what you truly want from life.

What makes Small Damages such an impactful novel is, first and foremost, its prose, but also its general story arc. It starts out with Kenzie staying in Spain, living in a house with Estela, a hardened old cook, and Esteban, a quiet boy who has a way with birds and horses. Kenzie is in Spain to give up her child to a family that desperately wants one and to spare both her mother and boyfriend from having to deal with what has happened to Kenzie, especially as she refuses to abort her child. Kenzie is a quiet heroine, strong in nature and contemplative in spirit. Unlike the kick-ass heroines who grace the pages of adventure novels, bravely slaying beasts, Kenzie tackles her inner demons, a journey which I find infinitely more powerful than any other.

Seville, Spain is the setting of our story and through Kephart’s writing, it comes alive through the pages. You see, reading this book feels much like living in Spain yourself, eating the foreign food, smelling the earthy smells, and seeing the cultural aspects that make it a unique nation. As such, Kenzie’s experience in Spain is felt all the more vividly for the setting of her story plays an important role throughout the novel. Kenzie, too, is a heroine we cannot help but sympathize with. Over the past year, she has lost her father, the one person in the world she was ever close to, and her mother has insisted on moving on, shoving her father’s things into remote locations in the house, pretending as if he never existed.

It is then that we see Kevin, Kenzie’s boyfriend and the father of her child, appear and help her through her rough times. It is him and her close circle of friends who are always with her, supporting her, and better than anyone else, Kevin knows what Kenzie needs even without her having to say it. But, when it came to the issue of Kenzie’s pregnancy, Kevin, bound for Yale in just a few months, refused to come with her to Spain. Now, alone in a foreign country with a cook who is harsh and a boy who won’t talk, Kenzie is lost, confused, and feels unloved. It is only her baby which keeps her going, keeps her putting one step in front of the other. Although it is very subtle, this bond of mother-child is gently built up throughout the novel, making even teenagers feel the wonder of what it is like to have a child, despite never having been pregnant.

Nevertheless, despite all these beautiful qualities, from Kenzie’s personality to the scenery to her slow bond with her child, what makes Small Damages the novel it is are its characters. As the story wears on, Estela slowly opens up to Kenzie, becoming the mother-figure she always wanted but never had. Estela has a brutal past of her own, filled with unrequited love, but she is a strong figure, indomitable in her strength and a constant pillar for Kenzie to lean on, unlike her mother ever was. It is their relationship that truly spoke to me the most. In addition to Estela, Kenzie forms an interesting bond with the surrogate mother of her child. Kenzie, insistent on meeting who will be the eventual parents of her daughter, must now also come to terms with the idea of giving up a part of herself – a part of her father, who she so desperately loved and misses – to someone else entirely.

Small Damages is an extremely thoughtful book. In it, Kenzie is forced to think about what she wants from life – her mother’s understanding, her boyfriend’s support, or something else entirely – but along the way, she finds people whom she can trust, more than her own friends, and who trust her, more than her own family. In other words, Kenzie finds a place to belong in Spain and that, in my eyes, is where the true beauty of this tale lies. Of course, there is a very gentle romance, first springing up as a mutual friendship between Esteban and Kenzie, but truly, I hesitate to call it love. It is something special for sure, but more than that, it is a feeling. Kephart has written a novel where the word “love” is never necessary because you can feel the palpable affection so clearly. In fact, her whole book is like this – one feeling after another, meshing together to make a collage that looks, surprisingly enough, like life and the beauty it holds.

You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.(less)

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Sep 27, 2012 Nafiza rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, favourites, contemporary, recommend-to-friends

I loved this book. A lot. I got my mother to read it and she loved it as well. A lot.

Now, before I start this review, I will say that people who like books in which there are lots of action and things happen will probably not be happy with this book. Not many things happen in this book. If I were to describe it to you using my own words, I’d say this book is a journey of internal growth, a retrospection of life and love. An investigation on what it means to be a mother and what it means to have...more I loved this book. A lot. I got my mother to read it and she loved it as well. A lot.

Now, before I start this review, I will say that people who like books in which there are lots of action and things happen will probably not be happy with this book. Not many things happen in this book. If I were to describe it to you using my own words, I’d say this book is a journey of internal growth, a retrospection of life and love. An investigation on what it means to be a mother and what it means to have a mother. A journey into yourself to find the person you always were and to coax her out into the world. This is a story about finding a family that has ties deeper than blood and the colour of your skin. And above all, this book is a love letter to Spain. You cannot read this book without wanting to go to Spain and experience life the way it is narrated here.

The strongest part about Small Damages is its writing. The prose is so exquisitely beautiful that I, for the life of me, cannot cull out one sentence or paragraph to share – okay, here’s a tiny bit:

“The day is collapsing into dusk. The Gypsies in their white shirts are the only lamps. The moon is coming in like a pan on fire.” (164)

The style of the prose is somewhat stream of consciousness paired with a lyricism that gives it an almost hypnotizing cadence. This is no purple prose but genuine lyrical prose that is anchored by the skein of sincerity and honesty that befits the character. Kenzie is a pregnant teen sent away by her mother to have her baby and then give it up for adoption to a Spanish couple. The book is addressed to the child. Kenzie’s voice is fresh, melancholy and at the time same, a bit hopeful. There is angst but of a different flavor than the usual. The angst is dampened by the grief that is so apparent in her words. She has lost her father and she can’t lose the baby because it contains a bit of her father. The loss here is not imparted by the tears (which are frequent) but the quietness in the book.

And then there are the characters. Every single character in this novel is beautifully etched out. Estela is perhaps my favourite character but she is not the only one who shines. The gypsies, the silent boy who watches Kenzie, the various other adults, even the people who want to adopt Kenzie’s child – they all seem to occupy tangible space, they are that detailed. And then there is the gradual pace of the book – the book is slow and the things that happen are internal. The setting is a character in its own right – vivid, vibrant and demanding an emotional return for its beauty.

This book, you guys, is lovely. It takes realistic fiction and gives it a whimsical twist. It takes grief, fear and all other heavy emotions and filters them through the lenses of a beautiful and strange place. This is one of the few instances when the cover of the book totally matches the story inside. I recommend this to you if you want something introspective, quiet and beautiful.(less)

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Oct 01, 2012 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars

Find a similar review here: http://www.loveisnotatriangle.com/201...

The streets of Seville are the size of sidewalks, and there are alleys leaking off from the streets.

When I read that sentence, my heart started racing, I got chills, and I KNEW I was going to love this book because of the writing alone. I was not disappointed. The descriptive language in Small Damages is gorgeous. I could feel the heat and the dust of the country, see the crowds of Seville and hear the gypsy music play. The way...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

Read all my reviews at The Flyleaf Review:)

Because I haven't read any other books by Kephart (and she has a very impressive array of work under her belt) and because I didn't read any reviews of Small Damages beforehand, I started this book completely blank. I wasn't sure what to expect from her. What I discovered, from page one, is that Beth Kephart is one of those rare breeds that can take a collection of words and construct them in way that almost paints an image. Beth Kephart, like some of m...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kenzie Spitzer, 18, tells this story in the first person, addressing it to her unborn child. Kenzie’s mother arranged for her to go to Spain for the birth and for the baby to be adopted by a childless couple in Seville. But it is clear from the beginning that Kenzie is not going to want to let this child go.

Back in Philadelphia, the father, Kevin, has a college career ahead of him, and no interest in taking care of Kenzie or in her having the baby. She feels abandoned, betrayed, and angry, and i...more Kenzie Spitzer, 18, tells this story in the first person, addressing it to her unborn child. Kenzie’s mother arranged for her to go to Spain for the birth and for the baby to be adopted by a childless couple in Seville. But it is clear from the beginning that Kenzie is not going to want to let this child go.

Back in Philadelphia, the father, Kevin, has a college career ahead of him, and no interest in taking care of Kenzie or in her having the baby. She feels abandoned, betrayed, and angry, and it takes her a long time to warm up to her hosts in Spain. She is, by her own later admission, bitchy and bratty, and consumed with her own problems.

But her new Spanish “family” is hard to resist: Miguel, the owner of the ranch where Kenzie is staying, acts like a father to her; his cook, Estela, acts like a mother; and Miguel’s 19-year-old godchild Esteban shows Kenzie what devotion really means, by the way he loves and respects the people and animals in his life.

Discussion: Beth Kephart is a mystery to me. Her stories always draw me in, even as I rage to myself that “real people don’t talk like this!” Her characters often speak more in poetry than in prose. Yet so does Ms. Kephart, as one can quickly discern by following her blog as well as the trail of comments she leaves on other blogs.

So I value her as an author; I keep coming back to her; and yet I have trouble accepting her voice. Perhaps it is because I have never known personally anyone who speaks as she does. But that is definitely my loss. The loss of us all, perhaps, who have grown too used to sentences filled with “OMG” and “you know” and “so like, um…” and “whatever” (all of which I am guilty of using myself). Woe to us that it should be a "criticism" that characters don’t speak like Ms. Kephart’s do!

Evaluation: This lovely story is irresistible even though the plot arc is not surprising. In fact, I think this may be her best book so far. There is so much passion and poetry in her description of Spain (Southern Spain itself is a character), that you can’t help becoming bound up in the hot and sultry spell she weaves.
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Feb 17, 2013 Liza Wiemer added it

Small Damages was a emotional journey of a pregnant girl named Kenzie sent to Spain to have her baby and give it up. This is a lyrically written novel that takes you into a world many of us know nothing about - what it's like to experience Spain and its people at its finest. As Kenzie's baby grows, so does she as a character. The reader learns more about her ex boyfriend Kevin who clearly was a jerk for not supporting her, Kenzie's mother who is grieving the loss of her husband and Kenzie's fath...more

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Nov 12, 2012 BAYA Librarian rated it 2 of 5 stars

Kenzie is supposed to be having the time of her life with her boyfriend Kevin and close-knit friends the summer after her senior year of high school. Kenzie and Kevin, however, accidentally got pregnant. Now Kenzie's mom is forcing her to go to Spain, where she will stay on a ranch outside of Seville until she can have the baby and then give it up for adoption. Kenzie asked Yale-bound Kevin to accompany her, but he declined and agrees with her mom that disappearing to Spain is the right thing to...more Kenzie is supposed to be having the time of her life with her boyfriend Kevin and close-knit friends the summer after her senior year of high school. Kenzie and Kevin, however, accidentally got pregnant. Now Kenzie's mom is forcing her to go to Spain, where she will stay on a ranch outside of Seville until she can have the baby and then give it up for adoption. Kenzie asked Yale-bound Kevin to accompany her, but he declined and agrees with her mom that disappearing to Spain is the right thing to do. Kenzie isn't convinced that this is the way she wants to deal with her situation, but Kevin and her mom are giving her no other choice. While in Spain Kenzie falls under the tutelage of Estela, the stern cook, befriends Esteban the quiet young man who lives there, and spends some time with the woman who is slated to adopt her baby.

Kenzie's time in Spain is made up of reflection and discovery all centered around her pregnancy. Resigned to her fate, but clearly uncomfortable with it, she tracks the time by the physical development of the baby. Despite the foreign environment and the host of mysterious new people surrounding her, Kenzie is brave and confronts her situation head-on. She doesn't shy away from Estela's hard-nosed directions in the kitchen. She doesn't avoid Esteban even though she isn't sure who he is, or what he's doing on the ranch, and since he's so quiet, it seems like she may never know. She also becomes anxious about the adoptive parents and demands to meet them. Kephart's writing is descriptive and poetic at times. The pacing is measured and all various background stories, including Kenzie's, are subject to a slow reveal. Certain readers will enjoy the slow, meditative quality of the writing and the vivid descriptions of Spain and its food. Others might be turned off by those very elements. Over all it's a strong realistic fiction offering, but one that might not appeal to everyone, especially those accustomed to the likes of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti and Elizabeth Scott.
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Sep 08, 2012 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, ya

Mixed feelings is what I have for this book. I fell for the characters but I hated the writing style. The broken up-short sentences that were used throughout the book, I had a hard time following it and it made for slow reading. As I reading, I had to stop and reread certain passages, as I was not sure what was even happening. It also confused me how the character of Kenzie jumped from thinking of her present-day situation to her life back in the states. I realize that we do that ourselves but a...more Mixed feelings is what I have for this book. I fell for the characters but I hated the writing style. The broken up-short sentences that were used throughout the book, I had a hard time following it and it made for slow reading. As I reading, I had to stop and reread certain passages, as I was not sure what was even happening. It also confused me how the character of Kenzie jumped from thinking of her present-day situation to her life back in the states. I realize that we do that ourselves but as a reader, I was totally confused a few times as Kenzie did this as I was reading and I had no idea where she was at in her thoughts. There were no lead-ins as why she changed, just bam….change of thought.
I almost wanted to give up on the book but the relationship that Kenzie had with the people in Spain was so moving and I knew that something more wonderful was going to develop and boy was I right. Kenzie’s mother makes her go to Spain to have her baby. Only her boyfriend and her mother know that she is pregnant. In Spain, there is a couple who wants to adopt the baby, but Kenzie knows no one. She is to stay with Estela for the reminder of her pregnancy and then go back to the US after the baby is born. As she gets used to the daily routine in Spain, Kenzie learns about Estela and her life. Estela seemed so determined and rigid but at the end of the book, I think I loved her the most; I wanted to reach right out and hug her. She really needed someone and perhaps she needed Kenzie as much as Kenzie needed her. The ending was so terrific and I know that if I was Kenzie, I would have done the same thing. The way the author described Spain using all the characters but especially Kenzie and Esteban as the mediums were wonderful. Their different perspectives, from the inquisitive state to the practical homeland were outstanding. The Gypsies, the olive trees, the horse rides, the homemade meals and recipes that Estela shares….makes you feel like you are in Spain.

“The black birds with the oily heads have found her. The heat rides every wrinkle on her face. Her face is a brown map of worry.” (Estela was tossing seeds from her apron to the birds)
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Sep 04, 2012 Louise rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: literature-fiction

Story Description:

Philomel Publishers|July 24, 2012| Hardcover|ISBN: 978-0-399-25748-3

It's senior year, and while Kenzie should be looking forward to prom and starting college in the fall, she discovers she's pregnant. Her determination to keep her baby is something her boyfriend and mother do not understand. So she is sent to Spain, where she will live out her pregnancy, and her baby will be adopted by a Spanish couple. No one will ever know.

Alone and resentful in a foreign country, Kenzie is a...more Story Description:

Philomel Publishers|July 24, 2012| Hardcover|ISBN: 978-0-399-25748-3

It's senior year, and while Kenzie should be looking forward to prom and starting college in the fall, she discovers she's pregnant. Her determination to keep her baby is something her boyfriend and mother do not understand. So she is sent to Spain, where she will live out her pregnancy, and her baby will be adopted by a Spanish couple. No one will ever know.

Alone and resentful in a foreign country, Kenzie is at first sullen and difficult. But as she gets to know Estela, the stubborn old cook, and Esteban, the mysterious young man who cares for the horses, she begins to open her eyes, and her heart, to the beauty that is all around her, and inside her. Kenzie realizes she has some serious choices to make--choices about life, love, and home.

Lyrically told in a way that makes the heat, the colors, and the smells of Spain feel alive, Small Damages is a feast for the heart and the soul, and a coming-of-age novel not easily forgotten.

My Review:

Young, Kenzie is sent to Seville, Spain in 1995 and upon arrival is setting off for Los Nietos to a farmhouse or cortijo. It is owned by a man named, Miguel and is actually a bull ranch. Miguel is a friend of, Kenzie’s mother, and he has agreed to take Kenzie in until her baby is born who will then be adopted by a couple named Javier and Adair. Once the baby is born, the plan is for Kenzie to head back to American to start college.

Kenzie’s mother has great difficulty dealing with any type of hardship. When Kenzie’s father passed away whom she was very close too, Mom only grieved a short time, got rid of his stuff and signed herself up on match.com. She appears to enjoy making things she can’t deal with disappear and she’s done the same thing with her pregnant daughter by whisking her off to Spain so no one will be the wiser. The father of the baby, Kevin, hasn’t bothered to go to Spain with Kenzie and is letting her handle this all on her own. Kenzie is alone until she get to know, Estela, a very stubborn and old cook.

Although the premise of the story was good, I didn’t enjoy the writing style and found at times the story to be quite convoluted. I don’t think I’ll be reading another Kephart novel.

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Aug 08, 2012 Julia rated it 3 of 5 stars

The story was intriguing and emotionally charged, but the writing tended to frustrate me. Don't get me wrong, I love beautiful prose, but sometimes a writer falls a little too in love with their own words. Some of the most powerful moments in this book are when the author isn't indulging in wordy lyricism:

"Five months is forever," I told her.
"You made your choices," she said, and I said, "No." Because the only thing I chose was you.

That's beautiful, and lyrical, without being verbose. Unlike h...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Lainey rated it 4 of 5 stars

There are several I loved about this book: first of all, southern Spain. Lovely, lovely, lovely. I visited Spain once and I loved it, the architecture, the people, the paella. Reading about Seville and the countryside with its olive trees and sunflowers kindles the old wanderlust.

Kenzie is also my kind of book tourist. There's a certain kind of book tourist I hate, of which there are lots of examples in YA, where a teenager is packed of by mom or dad to some foreign destination and hates it bec...more There are several I loved about this book: first of all, southern Spain. Lovely, lovely, lovely. I visited Spain once and I loved it, the architecture, the people, the paella. Reading about Seville and the countryside with its olive trees and sunflowers kindles the old wanderlust.

Kenzie is also my kind of book tourist. There's a certain kind of book tourist I hate, of which there are lots of examples in YA, where a teenager is packed of by mom or dad to some foreign destination and hates it because you're taking me away from my friends! or some such complaint. I'm sorry but it's annoying. If you can't appreciate Paris because you're too busy sulking I won't read about it.

There is certainly a part of Kenzie that resents being sent by her mother to Spain to hide her pregnancy but she doesn't ignore the world around her nor is she apathetic to its beauty, she's observant in a way a good photographer or videographer is. It's evident from the details we get: the oranges in the bathtub, the way the sun bleaches a landscape of color, the cats around the cortijo. There are lots beautiful images in this book.

There are also some passages about the dishes that Estela, the cook of Los Nietos, prepares which would appeal to someone like me who watches The Food Network for the food porn. There's a scene where Estela is making paella and Kenzie is filming her, Estela asks her to put down the camera and Kenzie refuses. Yeah, If I see someone making paella, I'd also want to record it.

My only problem with the book is that some of the characters are not fully realized. Maybe the author is only giving us what we need to know or maybe, since the novel is written in the first-person, Kenzie is still trying to understand them. However I'm not so sure because sometimes there was more telling than showing. Like with Kenzie's group of friends. I think the author tried to give each of them distinct personalities but they didn't seem like real people to me and I didn't care about any of them. Kenzie obviously cares about them but aside from the fact that she says they're close, I don't get why. There's also Kevin, her boyfriend and the father of the baby. In the flashbacks, he seemed like a thoughtful and generous guy. But his actions when Kenzie gets pregnant show him to be a selfish coward. Nobody is asking him to throw his future away but he should at least assume some responsibility. I don't get why Kenzie still doesn't hate his guts.

The characters in the cortijo are better handled I think although they could still use more development. There's Esteban who works with the horses and Kenzie is obviously falling for him. It's easy to see why, he's sympathetic and honest and he listens to her. However the shift in their relationship is a little abrupt. At first their conversations are limited to single sentences then all of a sudden there's all these details and childhood stories. I'm not complaining about the details, just that it was sudden.

Estela, I think is better realized which makes sense since Kenzie spends most of her time with her. There's all these scenes of her cooking, beating eggs and mixing and frying and it's easy to see her as this very efficient woman, maybe a little bitter but nevertheless loves the makeshift family around her. Miguel, the owner of Los Nietos, is an interesting figure. He loves the bulls he raises, they die in the ring but he feels proud of them. There are also some Gypsies in the cortijo, singing songs and coming up with strange cures however aside from Angelita, I don't think the author bothered to distinguish one from the other which is a pity.

In conclusion, as a travel journal the book is almost perfect however as a novel some of the characters could do with some work and maybe some scenes could have been longer because I always felt like there was more that was happening and there was more to be said when suddenly it cuts. Overall, it could have benefited from being a longer book.
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Jul 28, 2012 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: animals, community, death, families, friendship, ncbla2013, pregnancy, romance, travel

Things fall apart in the life of eighteen-year-old Kenzie Spitzer following the unexpected death of her father. Her mother starts a catering business, and seems to put Kenzie's dad firmly in the past. Kenzie, though, is unable to move on as easily as her mother and relies on her supportive friend-who-then- becomes-her-boyfriend Kevin to help her deal with her sadness. Although Kevin rises to the occasion admirably, he doesn't behave as well once Kenzie realizes that she is pregnant. After all, h...more Things fall apart in the life of eighteen-year-old Kenzie Spitzer following the unexpected death of her father. Her mother starts a catering business, and seems to put Kenzie's dad firmly in the past. Kenzie, though, is unable to move on as easily as her mother and relies on her supportive friend-who-then- becomes-her-boyfriend Kevin to help her deal with her sadness. Although Kevin rises to the occasion admirably, he doesn't behave as well once Kenzie realizes that she is pregnant. After all, he has college to attend, and while he plans for Kenzie to be a part of his future, he isn't ready for a child. Neither is Kenzie's mother, who sends Kenzie from Philadelphia to Spain to hide the pregnancy and to allow a wealthy couple to adopt the child. The author uses memorable language to make her readers feel Seville's heat, explore its architectural treasures, and to taste the foods skillfully, lovingly, and sometimes grudgingly prepared by Estela, the cook where the confused teenager is staying and learning to prepare the same dishes. As no word of rescue arrives from Kevin and Kenzie languishes in Spain, feeling banished and miserable, she bonds more and more with the life that is growing inside her as well as with Esteban, a young man who has a strong connection with nature. Estela turns out to have secrets similar to Kenzie's own, the revelation of which just might influence the decision Kenzie makes in the end. Some readers may be confused by the references to Franco near the book's conclusion, but paying close attention to the glimpses into history will result in a clear enough explanation to help them understand the fear-filled nature of those times.

This author's writing always appeals to me because she puts her readers right in the middle of unusual situations and then expects them to find their way out and because the pages are so filled with sensory imagery. While the book's ending did not surprise me, it certainly will prompt much discussion about choices that are easily made and easily regretted. (less)

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Jul 23, 2012 Liviania rated it 4 of 5 stars

SMALL DAMAGES is set in Seville, Spain in 1995. The older characters remember living under the rule of Generalissimo Francisco Franco, who is still dead. The eighties brought about a huge change in Spanish culture: the death of conservative Franco and new tourism from the rest of Europe brought new lifestyles, including looser sexual mores and greater rights for women to Spain. But Spain didn't entirely assimilate.

SMALL DAMAGES made me feel like I was in Seville, seeing and smelling the same thi...more SMALL DAMAGES is set in Seville, Spain in 1995. The older characters remember living under the rule of Generalissimo Francisco Franco, who is still dead. The eighties brought about a huge change in Spanish culture: the death of conservative Franco and new tourism from the rest of Europe brought new lifestyles, including looser sexual mores and greater rights for women to Spain. But Spain didn't entirely assimilate.

SMALL DAMAGES made me feel like I was in Seville, seeing and smelling the same things as Kenzie. There's descriptions of the food, the clothes, the music, and the dancing. The dialogue gives a sense of the language barrier between Kenzie and her hosts. She sometimes tries her hand at Spanish and others attempt English, but the words are rarely perfect.

Kenzie has been sent to Spain because she's pregnant. She refused to terminate the pregnancy as her mother and boyfriend wanted. The compromise is to live with one of her mother's old friends' friend, Miguel, at his bull ranch Los Nietos and give up the baby to another couple, Javier and Adair. At Los Nietos she works in the kitchen with Estela and becomes fascinated with ranch hand Esteban, who both have their own stories.

Kenzie is uneasy throughout most of her stay at Los Nietos. She finds beauty in the people and the place, but she's unsure about what she's doing and not comfortable with the spoiled Adair. She's struggling to find her way. Then she begins to find it as she and the people around her open up to each other. I felt as adrift as Kenzie was at the beginning while reading SMALL DAMAGES. I appreciated Beth Kephart's talent, but couldn't connect to the story.

I am a huge fan of Kephart's writing. Her prose is as beautiful and absorbing as ever. But I felt like I was at a popular museum exhibit while reading SMALL DAMAGES, like I was on tiptoe so that I could see over people's shoulders and catch a glimpse of a masterpiece ten feet away before I was swept away with the crowd to marvel at the corner of the next work on the wall.

I felt like a failure reading SMALL DAMAGES. If Kephart is one of my favorite authors, then why did I not love this book? And if I didn't love it, why couldn't I articulate what was wrong? But I'm not a failure. There is nothing wrong with appreciating a book but acknowledging that it's not for you. SMALL DAMAGES is full of achingly raw emotions presented with polished, poetic prose. There will be someone at the exhibit who sees a ray of light captured just so and is never the same again. (less)

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Jun 18, 2012 Florinda rated it 5 of 5 stars

The catalog copy for SMALL DAMAGES describes it as “JUNO meets UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN,” and I suppose that’s an effective shorthand. The sun here is in Spain rather than northern Italy, and Kenzie Spitzer is less in control of her situation than Juno MacGuff (and also less blessed with supportive parents)--but if you need to give a point of reference, it’ll do.

The whole idea of sending a pregnant teenager away until she has given birth--and given away her baby to adoptive parents, so that she can...more The catalog copy for SMALL DAMAGES describes it as “JUNO meets UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN,” and I suppose that’s an effective shorthand. The sun here is in Spain rather than northern Italy, and Kenzie Spitzer is less in control of her situation than Juno MacGuff (and also less blessed with supportive parents)--but if you need to give a point of reference, it’ll do.

The whole idea of sending a pregnant teenager away until she has given birth--and given away her baby to adoptive parents, so that she can then return home from her mysterious trip and pick up her life where she left off--is an oddly old-fashioned one, and while the novel is clearly contemporary, its time frame isn’t quite current. It’s also an interesting angle on the question of “choice” debate, in which adoption seems to be the least-discussed choice much of the time--but unlike Juno, Kenzie doesn’t feel much ownership of this particular choice. Feeling resentful and out of control, her stay in Spain seems like exile, and her inadequate knowledge of the language is only one source of her discomfort as she struggles to come to terms with the turns her life has taken.

Beth Kephart, on the other hand, seems to operate very comfortably within this foreign setting, and SMALL DAMAGES is among her best work. Having said that, even less-stellar Beth Kephart is still pretty darn good, but I think this is her richest, most resonant novel since THE HEART IS NOT A SIZE (also set in a Spanish-speaking country). It’s not hard to get caught up in the beauty of Kephart's writing--well-constructed, evocative description is among her particular strengths--but the story she’s telling here is particularly engaging. Her Kenzie isn’t always easy to like--she’s angry, confused, and comes off a bit spoiled at times--but her emotional growth over the course of the novel is convincing. Her voice is distinctive--less articulate than some of the author’s prior teenage protagonists (or Juno MacGuff, for that matter), maybe, but that suits both her general confusion and the foreign-ness of her setting. Influential cross-generational relationships are becoming another hallmark of Kephart's fiction; her teens struggle with their parents (one of whom may be absent or dead), but there are grandparent surrogates who play important roles, like the elderly lesbian neighbors in YOU ARE MY ONLY and Kenzie’s cooking teacher/guardian Estela here. Kenzie and Estela’s relationship develops believably from mutual irritation to real affection, and significantly affects Kenzie’s decisions later in the novel.

I’ve called several of Beth Kephart's books “the best one yet”--and I’m saying it again, but something feels different about SMALL DAMAGES. I think it brings the author’s gifts as writer and storyteller (which are not always synonymous or co-occurring things) together more effectively than any of her earlier fiction has, and I feel that it will stay with me longer. If you haven’t gotten around to reading Beth Kephart yet, start here--SMALL DAMAGES is one of the best books I’ve read this year.(less)

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May 18, 2012 Tee loves Kyle Jacobson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-must-reads, 2012-ya-standalone-challenge, arc-books, around-the-world-arc-tours, may-2012

First I would like to give a huge Thank You to Around The World ARC Tours for allowing me to read this book. I have to say I have never read a book like this before. It was so emotional and poignant and so true to what happens when young love goes wrong.

Kenzie has it all. She has a great boyfriend and she got accepted into a great college but there is only one hiccup to all this. See she gets pregnant and her boyfriend and mother are not happy about it. Her mother is having none of it and sends...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Laurel-Rain rated it 4 of 5 stars

From the opening pages of "Small Damages," the author gifts us with the small moments that define a place, a thought, and a feeling.

Kenzie is a teenage girl with an age-old problem. Pregnant and alone. Or at least she feels alone, for her mother has sent her away to Spain to stay with people recommended to her by a friend. And Kenzie's boyfriend Kevin, bound for Yale in the fall, seems detached and unable to provide even the smallest amount of emotional support.

The story is told in Kenzie's firs...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Wendy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-for-sure, awesome-inner-dialogue, books-i-read-to-learn-stuff, contemporary, found-randomly-at-work, reading-for-my-job, ya-loved, mock-prints-2012

A book about teen pregnancy set in Spain?

Not something I would normally want to read, but the blurb and those oranges on the cover were tantalizing enough to get me out of my comfort zone.

I read it in 3.5 hours.

Kenzie, pregnant at 18 with a child by a guy who is off to Yale and really doesn't see being a dad in his future, is sent off to Seville, Spain because 'we don't want our friends to know this shame'.

The writing was beautiful and full of spice and flavor and feeling. I'm not a fluffy-la...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Thorn MotherIssues rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adoption-reading-challenge, read-2013

I keep going back and forth between two and three stars here. To get the adoption stuff out of the way first, since this is the story of a pregnant 18-year-old shipped over to Spain by her mother with the expectation that she'll place her baby with a Spanish-British couple who's a friend of the mother's friend, I spent much of the book bristling about how this wasn't anything like adoption laws in Spain as I understand them, only to find out near the end of the book that it was actually set in t...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Jessica Day rated it 4 of 5 stars

As someone who is hoping to study Spanish, when I read online that Small Damages takes place in Spain, I ordered a copy from the library. Small Damages provided me with what I was looking for, beautiful imagery and mental pictures of Seville. I understood the basic Spanish thrown among the pages and I loved reading about the culture, the sights and the smells. In turn, I was surprised at how lyrical Small Damages really was. The imagery, the metaphor, the personification would all make an honors...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Alexis Lee rated it 3 of 5 stars

As for me, I loved the language and prose of this book. There is some beautiful imagery in here, a few haunting sentences that describe the protagonist's emotions and thoughts especially well...but I guess its possible to admire the style and not feel anything about the characters within the book.
I felt weirdly detached from all the characters, actually. They looked pretty, sounded pretty, but nothing really touched me - I felt like I was just admiring them from afar, like a painting. Even the d...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Oh, this book is such a sharp beauty.

An ode to the land of Spain through the seemingly incongruous story of a pregnant and unwed American teenager, Beth Kephart has made the absence of words an art form. She eschews typical sentence structure and goes straight for the jugular of an emotion, an observation, a thought. Whether it's describing the decor of a room ("where bulls hang blinkless"), a simple action ("she irons her hand across the dress"), or even just a sound ("Tiera's hooves metronome...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Isamlq rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reading Small Damages was different... with not much actually going on in the present save recollections of the past and considerations of what should be... what could be?

it's reminiscent of ck kelly martin and all her stuff; this with all the soft sweet bitter and hard in it. plus people being people, of choosing and having choices made for them.

A lot is on the fuzzy side here:
- the who she is...
- the what kind of girl she is...
- and even the who they all are to her.

But we find out, like pi...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Vicki rated it 2 of 5 stars

I couldn't make myself care about this book. The prose was beautiful and rich and the sights and smells of Spain made me want to abandon everything at home and go on a Spanish adventure. Unfortunately I found there was a severe lack of depth in the characters, they were so two dimensional and predictable that I just stopped reading. I got about 2/3 of the way and I stopped because the will to read another sentence about citrus had waned. The relationships lack any kind of fire or intensity, it w...more

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Apr 24, 2012 Tara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review to be posted on my blog closer to publication date.

I've only read one other Beth Kephart book, YOU ARE MY ONLY, and while I thought it was unbelievably beautiful and moving, I had a feeling SMALL DAMAGES might be more up my alley, and I was right.

Of course, I loved the setting of SMALL DAMAGES. I'm a huge cheerleader for European settings in books, and while usually the stories end up being fun and flirty traveling abroad books, SMALL DAMAGES was different. It was a lot heavier than most...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is amazing and real. It sometimes is slow and you are definately confused as to what is going on but it was truly an awesoem read.

The main character is Kenzie who my heart breaks for her a million times over in this book! Kenzie is an amazing character who feels everything, and it feels as if she is talking to herself and her baby all through this journey she is on. She had an amazing boyfriend, and friends, got into an awesome film school in the fall, and she finds out she is pregnant...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Trista rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fantasy-romance

2.5
This seems to be one of those cases where this book just wasn't totally for me. There was nothing wrong with it, per se, it's just that the writing style of the book and I didn't mesh all that well.

Although it was a pretty quick read (I had it finished in around three hours, give or take) the story kind of dragged on without much happening. Half-way through I was still waiting for anything to happen, or for some of the character relationships to develop. The whole relationship between Kenzie...more

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Oct 10, 2012 InkBitten rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sarah

Sarah's review of Small Damages by Beth Kephart

Judged By Cover: Feet and..... Oranges?
Time Of Day: Absolutely
Head Over Heels: 7ish
Bonus Features: Poetical, Travel, Teen Pregnancy
Final Flavor: Flan

Judged By Cover: Feet and..... Oranges?
Talk about random..... This book shows almost nothing of what the story is about, but on a larger scale, manages to convey the exact feeling of the book. This is not a novel that makes sense at first glance, or even seems like it fits together. Look a bit deeper...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Lacy Compton rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars is more accurate. Focusing on the story of Kenzie, a young pregnant woman who has been sent to Spain to wait for the birth of her child (and the child's eventual adoption by a Spanish couple), Kephart weaves a beautiful tale of how family and a home can be created when you least expect it. I enjoyed this book, but I felt like it was a bit slow at times, hence the lower rating. However, I have to say that's probably due in part to the relaxed, lyrical mood the author adopts as she descr...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Jane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, recentfiction

This is a wonderful book, very poetically written, and filled with sensory details that evoke the Spanish landscape in and around Seville. The main character is a young girl from the Philadelphia MainLine who gets pregnant as a senior in highschool and is sent to a bull farm outside of Seville where she will learn to cook and wait for her baby to be born. The topic is handled so delicately that I would feel fine suggesting the book to some of my Middle School students. I haven't read Beth Kephar...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Brielle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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