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173rd out of 230 books
—
152 voters
The Prescribed Burn
by
Laryssa Wirstiuk (Goodreads Author)
Constantly overcome by the noise in her head, aspiring young artist Veda can’t seem to loosen her grip from anything beyond her control.
A hesitant and sometimes misguided journey to develop her talent for visual art eventually opens Veda’s passage to self-acceptance and maturity.
In these 15 stories, you’ll meet Veda at both her best and sometimes most unlikable worst. Bonu...more
A hesitant and sometimes misguided journey to develop her talent for visual art eventually opens Veda’s passage to self-acceptance and maturity.
In these 15 stories, you’ll meet Veda at both her best and sometimes most unlikable worst. Bonu...more
Paperback, 195 pages
Published
September 15th 2012
by Painted Egg Press
(first published September 1st 2012)
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The Prescribed Burn collects 17 stories about adolescent and young adult doubt. Veda, the main character in all these stories, is in the process of figuring things out, and what is that process if not the doubting of oneself? More importantly, though, it is the process of questioning the social and societal norms to which we feel required to adhere. Veda doesn’t always break free of the mold of “young American/Ukrainian woman.” She’s not always a reliable narrator. But even when she’s in the mid...more
“I was always trying to piece together the broken pieces.”
Welcome to the life of Veda, the main character in The Prescribed Burn. Laryssa Wirstiuk’s collection of short-stories explores the life of a teenage girl as she develops into a young woman, putting all the broken pieces together. These stories are a search for the self, an identity, in a patchwork of stories and photos. All the big questions are explored: Who am I? Where am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? But, most importantl...more
Welcome to the life of Veda, the main character in The Prescribed Burn. Laryssa Wirstiuk’s collection of short-stories explores the life of a teenage girl as she develops into a young woman, putting all the broken pieces together. These stories are a search for the self, an identity, in a patchwork of stories and photos. All the big questions are explored: Who am I? Where am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? But, most importantl...more
As a 20 year old male, I didn't think I would find this book—which documents the life of Veda, a Ukrainian girl/preteen/teen/adult—relatable.
Was I wrong.
"The Prescribed Burn" is much more than a biography; it is a coming of age tale. All of Veda's experiences are shared: issues of body image, low self-esteem, fears of growing up, intimacy, lasting intimacy, success, and acceptance. Through the eyes of Veda, Wirstiuk projects an image of ourselves, and the life journeys that we are all on.
And,...more
Was I wrong.
"The Prescribed Burn" is much more than a biography; it is a coming of age tale. All of Veda's experiences are shared: issues of body image, low self-esteem, fears of growing up, intimacy, lasting intimacy, success, and acceptance. Through the eyes of Veda, Wirstiuk projects an image of ourselves, and the life journeys that we are all on.
And,...more
This collection of short stories revolves around the life of Veda, a second-generation Ukrainian girl growing up in Jersey, learning why girls diet, why boys are irresistible, and how art ties it all together.
I believe there is a particular kind of reader for every particular kind of book. The Prescribed Burnis a book about growing up--for grown-ups. It's about realizing your friends are shaving their legs and no longer eating Pringles, and how that realization, at one point, changed your life....more
I believe there is a particular kind of reader for every particular kind of book. The Prescribed Burnis a book about growing up--for grown-ups. It's about realizing your friends are shaving their legs and no longer eating Pringles, and how that realization, at one point, changed your life....more
As soon as I saw this promoted as 'stories for anyone who couldn't relate to Holden Caulfield', I was sold -- The Catcher in the Rye is a very strong least favorite of mine. I love coming-of-age stories and Wirstiuk's collection of vignettes immediately grabbed me as I just was smitten with our unlikely heroine.
Veda, from a Ukrainian family in New Jersey, is an aspiring artist. She's self-absorbed, sad, moody, friendly, uneasy, lovely. Veda is the kind of friend I would have liked to have in co...more
Veda, from a Ukrainian family in New Jersey, is an aspiring artist. She's self-absorbed, sad, moody, friendly, uneasy, lovely. Veda is the kind of friend I would have liked to have in co...more
Laryssa Wirstiuk is a wonderful new writer! Her short stories are elegant and pithy.
I rather enjoyed this series of short stories. Veda was easy to relate to and goes through many similar experiences that most teens and early twenty-year-old's do. This was a self-published book and I enjoyed the bonus material (discussion questions & writing prompts). One thing that stopped me from loving it, however, was that the narrative at times was too distant. I would have liked more description about how Veda felt about what was happening to her, or simply more general description to...more
While I prefer the linear narrative of a novel to the short story format of this book, I did enjoy the story telling. Each story's ending left me with something to think about. I related to the pressures felt by the main character, Veda, especially in the story "Welcome to America," and felt that the author narratively pointed out many common themes of growing to adulthood that American women face, including all the burns.
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