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Alice Bliss

by Laura Harrington (Goodreads Author)

3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 · rating details · 1,375 ratings · 376 reviews

"Nothing less than a fully realized vision of a young complicated girl." —Entertainment Weekly

Tomboy Alice Bliss is heartbroken when she learns that her father, Matt, is being deployed to Iraq. Matt will miss seeing Alice blossom into a full-blown teenager: she'll learn to drive, join the track team, go to her first dance, and fall in love—all while trying to be strong for...more

Paperback, 320 pages

Published May 29th 2012 by Penguin Books (first published June 1st 2011)

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Sep 30, 2012 Kellee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: war, ya-teen, adult, romance, contemporary-historical-fiction, my-best-of-2012, teach-mentor-texts

Reviewed at: http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2012/...

4.5 stars

I went back and forth between a 4 and a 5 for this book, but overall the story won me over and I had to give it a 5. The story is emotion-packed, filled with beautiful, descriptive writing, and includes some of my favorite male characters.

Matt Bliss, Alice's father, is the center of this book without actually being in most of is. In the first section of the book, Matt is deployed to Iraq leaving his wife and two daughters behind. Tho...more Reviewed at: http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2012/...

4.5 stars

I went back and forth between a 4 and a 5 for this book, but overall the story won me over and I had to give it a 5. The story is emotion-packed, filled with beautiful, descriptive writing, and includes some of my favorite male characters.

Matt Bliss, Alice's father, is the center of this book without actually being in most of is. In the first section of the book, Matt is deployed to Iraq leaving his wife and two daughters behind. Though we don't know him for every long, it is made quite clear that he is an amazing person. I love when the father figure within a book is a positive presence as I feel that too often in young adult books parents, especially the father, are shown to be the bad guy when we all know, as adults now, that more likely they are just trying to protect their children. In this book, Alice loves her father and he is only shown in the positive light that you hope your daughter would have of you. The other character I loved was Alice's best friend Henry who was such an old soul. He is a great teenage boy character and you love him almost instantly.

Along with this truly realistic father figure and a wonderful friend, Laura Harrington has included a cast of believable characters within a story that is happening across the country as we speak. It will touch anyone who reads it, but will especially be special for those going through a similar situation as Alice's.

My only issue with the book was the point of view. I normally understand why authors make a certain choice for POV and even if I don't understand why, I can usually get used to the style; however, in this book I never found myself flowing along with the transitions within the narration. The POV is 3rd person omniscient and switches the focus of the narrator throughout. I wish that it had been 1st person (even alternating) or 3rd person limited. This is the 2nd book that I've had trouble with the POV choice, but I am glad that this time it didn't affect the impact of the story too much for me. The story still was poignant and emotional and I found that I could ignore my trepidation because I loved the characters and story so much.

Mentor text for: Description, Emotional Impact, Multiple formats (letters, newspapers), Characterization, Vocabulary

Snatch of Text: "A climate of expectation fosters the possibility, even the near certainty of achievement. If I believe in you, and I communicate that to you, you will find things in yourself you never knew were there." (p. 198)

"Mrs. Baker says there can be ineffable joy in pursuing the absurd." (p. 60)

"What's your new favorite word?" Gram asks.
"I have two: Acnestis. Noun. On an animal, the point of the back that lies between the shoulders and the lower back, which cannot be reached or scratched. And pandiculation. Noun. The stretching that accompanies yawning." (p. 213) (less)

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Sep 14, 2012 Liza Wiemer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bea, post-about-the-book-on-my-blog, author-interviewed-on-my-blog

If a novel could have a heartbeat, Alice Bliss would have one. If an author could capture a slice of America's soul, Laura Harrington succeeded in doing so!

Alice Bliss is the story of Alice, a fifteen-year-old faced with the absence of her father who, as a member of the New York National Guard, is sent to Iraq. Laura Harrington does such an exceptional job bringing Alice Bliss and the supporting characters to life, that you will find yourself completely enthralled in her story. Each sentence lea...more

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Feb 20, 2012 Ashley (The Bibliophile's Corner) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

From the very beginning, this book had me hooked. I loved the time-line feature, if you will. The dates for each “chapter” that way the we can see how the time has elapsed. The prologue takes place in August while the rest of the book takes places from January to June. It made it that much more real for me as I read the book, seeing how drastically life can change in such a short amount of time.

Alice is such a wonderful character and I really was able to relate to her. Though she is 15 in the no...more From the very beginning, this book had me hooked. I loved the time-line feature, if you will. The dates for each “chapter” that way the we can see how the time has elapsed. The prologue takes place in August while the rest of the book takes places from January to June. It made it that much more real for me as I read the book, seeing how drastically life can change in such a short amount of time.

Alice is such a wonderful character and I really was able to relate to her. Though she is 15 in the novel, she is mature beyond her years because she has to be. When her father leaves for Iraq, it’s up to Alice to try and keep it together as she sees her mom start to lose it. I particularly love Alice and her best friend Henry’s relationship. It made my heart so happy and even the bit of the love triangle that ensued in the novel, made this book that much better. Through all of the loss, pain, and heartache, there is still room for love.

Angie, Alice’s mom, is such a heartbreaking character. I cried every time I saw into her mind. The anguish, the confusion, the hurt. I found myself wondering if I would be like her, if ever my husband got sent overseas. I don’t know what I would do if I woke up and had to remind myself that he’s not there. That he’s in a different land entirely. I also loved how we get to see the doubt that Angie feels as a mother, whether she’s doing it right, questioning how she should do things. It’s so very real.

Ellie, Alice’s little sister, is such an intelligent, adorable child. I believe she is only eight years old, but she too is mature for her age. I would imagine any child who has a parent out of the equation is mature. You have to learn how to take care of yourself when there is just one person to care for you.

Henry is my favorite character besides Alice. He is loyal, funny, charming, and always there for Alice. Uncle Eddie is another favorite. He is so different and teaches Alice life lessons via car and maintenance lessons. Gram is also a wonderful character. I can smell her bread and cookies as I am writing this. She is perfectly depicted as that grandma everyone so desperately wants. The one who shoves food at you when your sad, and holds you without saying a word.

This book is so incredibly wonderful.(less)

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Jul 30, 2011 Nance rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, contemporary-fiction, books-read-2011

What can I say about this book that I simply devoured in the last 24 hours. I cried, I laughed, and I was deeply touched from this novel that destroyed a family's happiness and closeness. Matt Bliss is a father and a husband that feels that it is his duty to serve his country in Iraq via the National Guard. He was always one to get the most out of life, and serving his country would allow this. His family, wife Angie and daughters Alice and Ellie, don't understand why he has to go to Iraq. While...more What can I say about this book that I simply devoured in the last 24 hours. I cried, I laughed, and I was deeply touched from this novel that destroyed a family's happiness and closeness. Matt Bliss is a father and a husband that feels that it is his duty to serve his country in Iraq via the National Guard. He was always one to get the most out of life, and serving his country would allow this. His family, wife Angie and daughters Alice and Ellie, don't understand why he has to go to Iraq. While he is away, the family misses him terribly...Angie immerses herself in work, Alice wears one of his shirts daily to be surrounded by her father so she doesn't forget him, and Ellie tries to improve herself...changing her hair and learning definitions of long words. The family tries to go on with their life while waiting for letters and phone calls from Matt whenever it’s possible. Alice, the oldest daughter, seems very close to her father so she decides not to change anything that her father has done every year on schedule like planting his garden after the first home baseball game. She still works in his workshop often to make it feel that he is with her. She joins the track team to run free and forget her troubles, while relying on her childhood best friend, Henry, to get her through this most difficult time. The family is plugging along until the day when two soldiers arrive on their doorstep...Matt is “Missing in Action”. As the family lies in wait for the military to contact them saying that they found Matt, each main character, along with Uncle Eddie and Gram, realizes that they must turn to each other for support in case the news regarding Matt is bad. Eventually the information that they receive is not good. It’s a story that will tug at your heart and give meaning and respect to all the men and women who serve in our military and have sacrificed their lives for our freedom...not just in the most recent wars going on today, but wars that have occurred many years ago beginning with the Revolutionary War which proclaimed America’s freedom from Great Britain. A tribute to lives lost and rebirth found. Please read this novel, you will not be disappointed!

Here are just a few ideas of everyday life that parents have tried to instill in their children that Laura Harrington wrote in the novel, which I found gratifying and true to one’s spirit:

Cultivate gratitude.
Think for yourself.
Treat all people equally.
Respect your body.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Ask for help when you need it.
Be your own best friend.
Don’t be afraid to fail.
Do one thing at a time.
Learn to dance.
Good manners never go out of style.
Treat your family and your friends like gold.
Give more than you receive.
Aim high.
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Aug 09, 2011 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, family-relationships

Alice Bliss is a 15-year-old girl who is trying to deal with her father's deployment to Iraq. She picks up all the slack when her mom can't handle things at home, while at the same time she is missing her father terribly. This book is written so honestly and so emotionally that it seems like a true life story, not fiction. I could easily sympathize with both Alice and her mother all the way through the story. As I was finishing this book, I saw the story in the news about the recent helicopter c...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Tim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Alice Bliss may belong to the category of coming-of-age novel, but is far more of a "coming-to-grips" novel as the main character, Alice, adjusts to life when her father is posted to Iraq with the military. While the novel follows the innocently precocious 15-year-old Alice, the deeper perspective is the wisdom and love of the persona (the narrative voice/author) who treats childhood as though she could perfectly remember it as a child and yet understand what life will slowly reveal to that same...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Jo at Jaffareadstoo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Matt Bliss is a reservist in the American army, and when he is called to fight in Iraq, he tries to prepare his family for the possibility of life without him. Alice Bliss is fifteen; she idolises her father, loves dancing with him, and plans their garden with him, and with great awareness she tries to keep from imagining a life without him. With wisdom beyond her years, Alice tries to keep her family together without the presence of the father she adores.

The story begins rather slowly, we get t...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Alison rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I ADORED this book. It was so engaging from the first page, and I'm not afraid to admit that I cried on and off (mostly on) for the whole second half of the book. It was so well written and believable. All of the characters were well fleshed out, and they each bought their own emotions to the story. At times I wanted to shake Alice (or her mother), or scream at Henry (or John), and on and on. My only real complaint about the book is that at times the dialogue felt a little to mature and sophisti...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Tricia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read this for the book club. it is a wonderful story and I really enjoyed it. the first half was really slow moving and hard for me to get into but the second half was really good. make sure you have a box of tissues while reading this book.

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Mar 15, 2012 Pauline rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Heartwarming tale of a soldier's daughter who has to deal with adolescence and responsibilities in her father's absence and hangs onto lessons learned and taught by the man she admires. The characters are realistic in presenting all of the emotions that pass during this period in their lives.

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Oct 28, 2012 Rosemary Ibekwe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I am usually not one who cries when reading books, but in this book I cried in almost every page. This book is so good. It is written so beautifully, the style easy to read and the characters easy to connect to. It was such a lovely book, but so painful that it had to be so sad. What I really loved about this book was that Laura, the author, did not try to force down the story on you. She let you connect to the characters, feel their pain, she let the story materialize inside you. She did what a...more

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Sep 13, 2012 Kimberly added it · review of another edition

September 2012 book club selection. I am not giving this any stars because I didn't really read it. I started it, but I couldn't get far past the part where the father left. I just don't want to read this now and put myself through the anguish that I am sure is coming. I lost my own father earlier this year although under much different cicumstances. Still, it brings back too many memories, and I am not ready to go there yet. I will be content with getting the scoop from the other ladies at book...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Marie desJardins rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really liked the way this book was written and enjoyed the different characters' personalities. It's a very realistic coming-of-age novel and it feels very authentic in telling a story of how a 15-year-old girl would deal with her father shipping off to Iraq.

There were two aspects of the story that didn't quite ring true for me. The first is Alice's relationship with her mother -- it is clearly not very *good*, especially at the beginning of the book, but it feels somehow artificial -- why don...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Reading Teen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For those of us who have no real experience with military life, Laura Harrington's book is a window into the lives of those who stay behind when a loved one goes to war. It feels real. It is filled with tension. It is heart-wrenching on many levels. I really, really like this book and it left me in tears when I turned the last page.

The main character is 15 year old Alice Bliss. Her father, Matt, is a member of the Army Reserves whose unit has been called into action. Matt is the heart of his fa...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Diane Yannick rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I bought an autographed copy of this book in Raleigh as the author had visited Quail Ridge book store. It is the story of a family learning how to live again after the loss of their husband/father in the war in Iraq. Every possible emotion and situation is mined for emotional impact. I wasn't affected in any big way because I felt that our emotions were being commanded rather than coaxed.

I enjoyed the relationship between Matt, the dad, and his fifteen year old daughter, Alice. I thought their...more

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Aug 18, 2012 →kelly♥[: rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, 2012-book, r-a-s

Obtained: Through Goodreads First Reads

I have always wondered about wartimes and all the broken families that were left behind when one of their loved ones goes off to fight in the war. I know if I was in that position, I can't deal with it with the constant reminder of my missing loved one. What if he dies? What if I wasn't aware of it? How will I change when they're gone, especially when the bad news come?

I admire Alice's bravery. For a 15 year old, she is so mature. She's the one who tries...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Marleen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Book received from and reviewed for Book Geeks

Alice Bliss is fifteen years old when her father volunteers to go to Iraq to fight a war Alice doesn’t believe in.
While her mother, Angie, her eight year old sister, Ellie and Alice herself are all fervently against this idea, Matt Bliss can’t be dissuaded. He feels the need to do something useful and has to go, no matter how hard the separation will be. And, after all, it will only be for one year.
It is only a few months later when Alice and her fam...more Book received from and reviewed for Book Geeks

Alice Bliss is fifteen years old when her father volunteers to go to Iraq to fight a war Alice doesn’t believe in.
While her mother, Angie, her eight year old sister, Ellie and Alice herself are all fervently against this idea, Matt Bliss can’t be dissuaded. He feels the need to do something useful and has to go, no matter how hard the separation will be. And, after all, it will only be for one year.
It is only a few months later when Alice and her family are visited by army officials informing them that Matt has gone missing in action. Although very little is known, they are told that he was shot and taken away by the enemy.
For the remaining members of the Bliss family a very uncertain time starts. They have to learn how to live with hope when there is nothing to hold on to and subsequently how to say goodbye to a loved one much earlier then anybody could have imagined.
Alice’s personal journey is a complicated one. She has been closer to her dad then her mom for all her life and now finds it almost impossible to communicate with Angie who is not really dealing with Matt’s decision and the subsequent events herself. She is in the middle of the always tumultuous teenage years, trying to discover what she wants from life, where she stands in the world and her new feelings for Henry, who has been her best friend for as long as she can remember.
Alice and the rest of her family will have to find new ways to be together, to cope with grieve and continue living while coming to terms with the loss of the man who was the centre of their lives.

This is a beautiful and heartbreaking coming of age story. Alice is a very realistic teenager; her emotions are all over the place, she is uncertain about most things she feels, thinks and does. She is at times completely unreasonable, and while she is aware of that, unable to do anything to change it.
She is also a wonderful big sister to little Ellie and completely devoted to her father.
Because Alice comes across as a normal teenage girl you could meet any day, anywhere in the world, it is very easy for the reader to share her emotions. You feel her pain, sense her insecurities, share her hopes and experience her despair.
I challenge anyone to read this book and not end up with tears in their eyes on at least a few occasions. I would also be surprised if any reader could read this book without breaking into a big smile once or twice.
The story is mainly told from Alice’s perspectives but occasionally you get an insight into the thoughts and feelings of others around her. This means that the reader knows that Angie is aware of her shortcomings as a mother and her desire to do better, even while she fails. We also get a good idea about the confusion Henry experiences when his feelings for his best friend change into something more, something he isn’t quite sure how to deal with. Because of this shared perspective the story feels balanced and true to life where it could otherwise easily have been an overly sentimental story about a teenager.

Overall this was an engrossing, charming, heartbreaking and wonderfully told story. There were times when the story was maybe a little bit too American for my European mind, but in the end this is a universal story of loss, and the different ways in which we learn to deal with it.
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Jun 05, 2012 Anne Broyles rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This audio-book totally captivated me enough that I am buying a hard copy of the book to experience it on the page. I’m sure some of I what I loved was the excellent reading skills of Kate Rudd, but I also appreciated the way Harrington’s details about each character made them so vividly alive. I connected to prickly, complicated utterly loyal-to-her-father 15-year-old Alice, to her young sister who loves big words, to Gram, who is wise and understated, and even to Alice’s mom, Angie, who is pri...more

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Mar 10, 2012 Roberta rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Alice ha 15 anni e una vita normale come tanti altri, fino a quando un giorno il padre non annuncia alla famiglia la sua prossima partenza per l'Iraq... Da quel giorno la vita di Alice cambierà radicalmente e piano piano si ritroverà a dover diventare adulta...

Il Giardino di Alice è ambientato nel 2006 e racconta una storia attuale, reale e vissuta da moltissime famiglie sia americane sia italiane, famiglie che hanno visto i loro cari partire per una guerra che non gli appartiene in un paese di...more Alice ha 15 anni e una vita normale come tanti altri, fino a quando un giorno il padre non annuncia alla famiglia la sua prossima partenza per l'Iraq... Da quel giorno la vita di Alice cambierà radicalmente e piano piano si ritroverà a dover diventare adulta...

Il Giardino di Alice è ambientato nel 2006 e racconta una storia attuale, reale e vissuta da moltissime famiglie sia americane sia italiane, famiglie che hanno visto i loro cari partire per una guerra che non gli appartiene in un paese di cui si sa davvero poco: l'Iraq.
Non vi sono bellocci straricchi o ragazze con super poteri, non c'è una storia d'amore struggente, solamente la triste realtà di tutti i giorni, lo scorrere lento della vita di una famiglia che ha visto partire il proprio padre e marito per una guerra che nessuno vorrebbe, per un paese lontano dove la morte governa indisturbata.
Il ritmo del libro è lento, scandito dal trascorrere dei giorni e gli avvenimenti sono raccontati in terza persona dal punto di vista di ogni protagonista. Fin dalla prima pagina si viene introdotti nella vita della famiglia Bliss, si imparano a conoscere le abitudini di Alice e del padre Matt, la madre Angie e la piccola sorella Ellie, intorno ai quali ruotano altre vite, ciascuna intrecciata alla loro: storie di famiglie, contrasti e lutti, di amici d'infanzia, problemi adolescenziali e prime cotte... Uno spaccato di vita vera, raccontato con semplicità e forte coinvolgimento emotivo, che riesce a far immedesimare il lettore, che spesso si ritrova tra le pagine del libro.
I personaggi non vengono mai descritti fisicamente, non è il loro aspetto esteriore ad interessare, bensì ciò che pensano, come vivono ciascuno il proprio dolore e la propria vita, cosa desiderano e cosa li spaventa. Ognuno di loro ha una storia da raccontare, un dolore che si porta dentro e che li accomuna, sono persone normali con vite normali che vivono e affrontano i problemi di ogni giorno e lo fanno con forza, coraggio e determinazione.
Il racconto presenta occasionalmente qualche flashback di Alice, che ricorda il padre e le cose che erano soliti fare insieme prima che partisse per l'Iraq, sono ricordi che Alice porta con sé, che l'aiutano ad andare avanti e che la fanno sentire più vicina al padre lontano.
Laura Harrington scrive in modo semplice, pacato e riesce a colpire al cuore il lettore, che divora il libro, lo vive e ne resta talmente coinvolto da sentire lo scorrere leggero delle lacrime sulle guance.
Il Giardino di Alice è un libro che appassiona, che emoziona e che travolge come un fiume in piena, un libro che riporta il lettore alla realtà, facendolo riflettere e nello stesso tempo gli fa battere il cuore, lo fa innamorare, gioire e soffrire e alla fine, nonostante tutto, lo fa sognare e sperare ancora...

http://ilcoloredeilibri.blogspot.com/(less)

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Jan 11, 2012 Debbie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

SPOILER ALERT!

There are many Alice Blisses out there...struggling with not only being a teenager, but also dealing with things as their dad/mom goes off to fight in the war. Alice's dad is a member of the National Guard and gets called up...leaving his wife and two daughter's behind to deal with his departure. They do quite well, juggling things around and trying to keep things as normal as possible...while daily missing their dad. That is until the military arrives on the doorstep telling them...more

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Dec 07, 2011 Sarah Ballance rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh, Alice Bliss. If only I’d known ahead of time . . . or maybe not. This isn’t a story one can prepare for, and it’s not one from which a person can turn away. ALICE BLISS is a slice of life—a timely American classic from the day the words first hit the page. A story that is not only “now,” but also ageless. One of life and love and letting go, of moving on and healing and reaching for life through those hours that seem the darkest and equally those of blinding sun.

It’s amazing.

Alice Bliss the...more Oh, Alice Bliss. If only I’d known ahead of time . . . or maybe not. This isn’t a story one can prepare for, and it’s not one from which a person can turn away. ALICE BLISS is a slice of life—a timely American classic from the day the words first hit the page. A story that is not only “now,” but also ageless. One of life and love and letting go, of moving on and healing and reaching for life through those hours that seem the darkest and equally those of blinding sun.

It’s amazing.

Alice Bliss the character is a fifteen year old girl saying goodbye to a father who, as a Reservist, was never “supposed” to go to war. Existing as a pre-teen girl is a shaky habit at best, but nothing in Alice’s adolescent world has anything on the wrenching act of taking away Matt Bliss. This love—this beautiful, agonizing love between father and daughter—is carved into every nuance of the story . . . into every fiber of Alice.

ALICE BLISS the book is the story of a family desperately trying to rearrange the pieces left behind when a parent is deployed. So much remains the same—the sun rises and sets and the seasons change—but under it all is a threadbare, patchwork attempt at normalcy. It’s as if no matter how they fit together the pieces, there’s always that hole . . . full of hope. Full of anguish. It’s the story, truly, of those who are left behind to “serve” from home—the families who love and wait and worry without choice. Without end.

In Matt’s absence, the Bliss family dynamic hits the skids. Mom Angie is falling apart, any façade she manages to pull together for her day job lost between her car and the front door of her home. She withdrawals, leaving Alice to take care of her younger sister Ellie with the help of Gram and Uncle Eddie, himself a character and a half. And there’s Henry, the boy next door who is equally bewildered and awed by his changing relationship with Alice, though it’s doubtful he is more confused than she.

The frequent clashes between Alice and Angie—over Matt’s garden, his shirt, his space—are perhaps most poignant, as it’s easy for the reader to see how desperately they each love Matt, yet in such different ways their own relationship remains tenuous at best. Indeed, it’s because of those diverse threads that the few moments Alice and Angie share in understanding are so beautiful, so great in magnitude. And just exactly as they should be.

This is the kind of story that can deepen the reader’s sense of self, but not with its depth. It truly is a glimpse of the every day—the extraordinary every day—with a talent for bringing things into crisp focus. Laura Harrington’s ALICE BLISS is not one a reader can walk away from unchanged. It’s a unique look—both timely and timeless—of a world in which far too many families live.

ALICE BLISS defies summation. It’s almost certainly unlike anything you’ve ever read, and as such, it’s absolutely unforgettable.

It’s really that simple, but it is, incredibly, so much more.(less)

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Oct 20, 2011 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone who loves our country

Recommended to Karen by: The Reading Reviewer

Alice Bliss is a superbly written story about a young girl - a teenager - dealing with her father joining the Army reserves and then being activated and sent to Iraq. It’s about a tightly knit and happy family – mom Angie, dad Matt, Alice, and her younger sister Ellie. We’re given insight into how Matt prepares his family for his leaving. He makes lists of things that need to be done. Of people to call and how to plant the garden. He writes letters for them to read on certain occasions should he...more

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Aug 21, 2011 Mary Gramlich rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

ALICE BLISS by Laura Harrington
06/11 - Publisher: Penguin Group - Hardcover, 320 pages

Ask yourself every day - what can I do to support the military and their family?

When Matt Bliss made good choices to support his country as well as his family he never imagined the impact it would have on any of them. Joining the Army National Guard provided extra income, which everyone saw as a plus until the reality of war came knocking and Matt was called up to serve because they desperately needed boots on...more ALICE BLISS by Laura Harrington
06/11 - Publisher: Penguin Group - Hardcover, 320 pages

Ask yourself every day - what can I do to support the military and their family?

When Matt Bliss made good choices to support his country as well as his family he never imagined the impact it would have on any of them. Joining the Army National Guard provided extra income, which everyone saw as a plus until the reality of war came knocking and Matt was called up to serve because they desperately needed boots on the ground, even those filled by an Engineer.

His wife is unsure how to cope without him and his daughter’s especially seventh grader Alice cannot deal with their father being away. Alice and her father have always been close and having him not there to discuss the garden layout or work on a project is breaking her heart. He wants to share his life with her but Matt knows he has to keep in mind he may not be there to do that and Alice try as she might does not want to hear any of this.

Matt ships off and those left at home take on new roles and personalities especially Alice who quickly has to become an adult and take over running the house to help her mother out even though she is still just a child trying to figure out how to deal with middle school. Alice has great friends who stick with her and she maneuvers the landmine that is her new life but nothing will ever be the same regardless of the outcome.

What Matt wanted most was letters from home “something to carry with him close to his heart” and Matt wanted to leave letters to his family so he filled journals with letters and notes to his daughters so at every critical point in their life they have his wisdom to take with them.

This is not Matt or Alice’s story alone it is the real life of every soldier who leaves their family knowing they may never come back and everyone it impacts. It is truly the most difficult book I have ever read and it is a great story that we should all understand. I had a hard time reviewing it because it breaks my heart writing words that can never give you the complete emotion impact of how real this story is to some family right now. But you should read this book and you should remind yourself that if you are not doing something to support the men and women who are defending the rights we are so fond of, then maybe it is time you did.(less)

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Jun 08, 2011 Marlyn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Alice Bliss has a complicated relationship with her mother, as do many girls of fifteen. Alice and her father, Matt, are very close. They both love to garden, and she enjoys helping him build things.

So Alice is understandably devastated when her father's National Guard unit is deployed to Iraq. Of course it's stressful for her mother, Angie and her eight-year-old sister Ellie, but it can't possibly be as hard for either of them as for Alice. Yes, Alice is self-centered, as many teens are.

Althoug...more

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Jun 07, 2011 McGuffy Morris rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Alice Bliss is a teen-aged girl. She is also a “Daddy’s Girl”. When her Reservist father is shipped out to Iraq, she is heartbroken. Finding one of his shirts in the clothes hamper and begins to wear it, much to the dismay of her mother and embarrassment of her sister.

In her grief, she searches for a ways to fill the void he leaves behind. Alice joins the track team, much to her own surprise. Growing into a young woman in her father’s absence, she also attends her first dance, and falls in love....more

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Jun 02, 2011 Fran rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Alice Bliss
Author: Laura Harrington
Reviewed by Fran Lewis

Alice Bliss adored her father. She enjoyed nothing more than having him as a dance partner, someone to confide in and just being around him. Alice Bliss could see, feel, hear and smell the scent of her father just thinking about him. Images stay sharp when people are close by.

Matt Bliss had a vision for his life one that differed from his wife Angie. Angie enjoyed going out to dinner, the finer things in life where as Matt enjoyed the cou...more

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May 24, 2011 Cheryl rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When Alice was fourteen. Her father, Matt Bliss left for war. He left her, her sister, Ellie and their mom, Angie to care for themselves. Every day after that, Alice would wear her father’s blue shirt as it smelled like him. Their mother dropped out of touch with reality, causing Alice to care for her sister. At first Alice wanted to do things that their father did with them like eat backwards dinner. This was dessert first or send pictures of her and him together in his care packages. Though, t...more

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Aug 18, 2012 April rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads

A story of courage, strength and the coming of age of one Alice Bliss. Already struggling through the tumultuous waves of teenage angst, Alice must learn to navigate the confusing roads of life without her father who has been deployed to Iraq. Her biggest fan, her closest ally: gone in body but there in spirit and letters. Their closeness multiplied in his absence. Her entire family braces for his year long deployment, each of them struggling to find their new place in a temporary family of thre...more

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Sep 29, 2012 ❂ Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: tempe-library, checked-out, no-matter-how-small

WARNING: SPOILERS.

I have read a few other books between the Selection and Alice Bliss but I felt like I needed to write this review first. There are very few books that I will sit down and read in one shot. When I started Alice Bliss I knew that it was going to be an emotional story and I knew that it was a story that was going to strike home. I did not intend to stay up until two in the morning reading it. I did not intend to cry as much as I did. This is one of those rare books that I've found...more WARNING: SPOILERS.

I have read a few other books between the Selection and Alice Bliss but I felt like I needed to write this review first. There are very few books that I will sit down and read in one shot. When I started Alice Bliss I knew that it was going to be an emotional story and I knew that it was a story that was going to strike home. I did not intend to stay up until two in the morning reading it. I did not intend to cry as much as I did. This is one of those rare books that I've found I could connect with and I was glad that it was able to capture some of the realities of my childhood.

See, I grew up as an army brat. Second generation - my mom was also a military brat. My father is still active duty and is currently stationed at Fort Drum in Upstate New York for the third time. I grew up there for the most part and if I have a hometown I suppose it's probably there.

Alice Bliss, the title character, is the daughter of a reservist from Central New York. Already we're treading on some common ground. Granted, Alice had a much different childhood than most military kids. Her father was not career military and Laura Harrington portrays an interesting sub-sect of our unique subculture: the kids who never realized that they might some day be must like us until their fathers were taken away.

(view spoiler)[I don't think it's really much of a spoiler to say that Alice's father - who she loves and is extremely close to - dies in this novel. The newer editions of this novel come with the tag line, "Can you ever let go of those who leave?" Maybe you can interpret that as someone leaving for deployment but no. When someone leaves for a deployment they don't really leave. They are gone but they are still there, still a part of your life.

And Matt Bliss doesn't die at first. The first half of the novel is about Alice growing up - turning from your average tomboy into a young woman. It's about first kisses, first loves, boys, and all the sorts of things a father should be there to see. She struggles to hold on to her father, their traditions, and at the same time take care of her mother and sister. It's something that every military kid goes through at some point; you grow up a lot faster than people will ever give you credit for when a parent is deployed.

I loved Alice because she was me. She was that tomboy. If she had been in a traditional military family that moved around I think she really would have been me. I never had a hometown or life long friends or family that lived in town with me. In that regard, Alice is lucky. And each family member and friend and small town neighbor has their own little story and personality. And then there is Matt. Matt, who you only see for a little while and almost always through Alice's eyes.

He's a guy; a lot like my own dad. And when he leaves he makes sure to leave Alice little stepping stones. He helps her come up with a plan if things get too hard for her mom. He shows her where to find extra money in case of an emergency. And he leaves her a series of letters in case he never comes home. A letter for her wedding day, a letter for her first heart break, a letter for her high school and college graduation. Little letters for all those moments where she might have needed him.
Ultimately, Alice Bliss is a book about family. It's a book about trials, heartache, loss, acceptance, and growing up. If you want a good, emotional, and absolutely human story then you should read this book today. You will not regret it.

There are very few books that I would ever gift or pass on to my picky reader of a youngest sister or my mother and her friends. This is one of them. You will need a lot of tissues if you decide to read this book but you SHOULD read this book. Particularly if you have any of these Guard or Reservist Brats in your lives and want to see what things are like for them. Because this book has done a better job of explaining what it's like to live through a deployment than most other books I have read. I only wish there was a book written this well for kids that live with this all the time.

(view spoiler)
(hide spoiler)](less)

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Feb 17, 2012 Jeanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: realistic-fiction

I liked the book because it had great insight to military families and what they go thru. This book with it's characters helps you put a "face" to those families and the sacrifices that are made. A story of family of 4, 2 girls and their father is called up to Iraq. He has a special relationship with each one. His wife, who very dependant on him. His youngest daughter, who tries to find something to replace her father after he is gone. She does that by learning new words and reading the dictiona...more

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About Laura Harrington

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Laura Harrington’s award winning plays, musicals, operas, and radio plays have been widely produced across America, in Canada, and Europe in venues ranging from The Zipper Factory in NYC to Houston Grand Ope...more

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Quotes from Alice Bliss

“He begins to sing to her, very softly, almost not singing at all, just a whisper of a tune. He spins out the tune like it is a tale he is telling her, until he feels her body relax, until he feels her falling into sleep. He sings to let her know he’s there, to stay anchored to the earth, to keep from laughing or crying in amazement that he is lying with Alice in his arms, he sings as if music could keep her alive, as if music could feed her soul, as if music could weave a protective spell around her to survive these days and these weeks and these months and these years, he sings as if he could give her a piece of himself, which will ring inside of her like a bell, like a promise, like hope whenever she needs him; and in his singing, he promises her every single thing he can think of, and more.” — 5 people liked it

“She smoothes the front of the dress, looking down at her hands, at her bitten fingernails, at her big feet in the pointy-toes shoes. This is a woman's dress, she thinks, a young woman's dress. It is not a girl's dress. It is solidly on the other side of the line outside of girlhood. It is a dress that says something big in a very quiet way; it is a dress that is talking to Alice right now, a dress that is making her feel possibilities never before considered, the possibility of perfume and pretty and dancing and boys. This dress is who she might be, only more so.” — 2 people liked it

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