Alive and Well in Prague, New York

by Daphne Grab

book data

109 ratings, 3.80 average rating, 42 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		36%
4		19%
3		33%
2		9%
1		1%

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published

June 1st 2008 by HarperTeen

binding

Hardcover, 256 pages

isbn

0061256706 (isbn13: 9780061256707)

description

Matisse Osgood is a New York City girl through and through. She buys her clothes at Andy's Cheapies, watches indie films at the Angelika, and wouldn'

...more

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03/17/09

Ash rated it:

Read in April, 2009

I really wasn't sure how many stars to give this book. The ending was very satisfying and I really got into the book during the last few chapters, but for most of the book Matisse just annoyed me. She hates Prague, she loves New York, there's nothing to do, my dad has Parkinson's and I have to make sure no one finds out because I don't want their pity. That is about the extent of her thoughts. Oh, wait! She also talks about her clothes. I found myself being more interested in her new friend Vio...more

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08/05/08

Lauren rated it:

bookshelves: young-adult

Read in August, 2008

Matisse Osgood's natural habitat is the Upper West Side of Manhattan. However, when her father's Parkinson's Disease symptoms worsen, her parents make the executive decision to move to Prague, New York, a small town where the local teens take football pep rallies and annual hayrides very seriously. Far too seriously, in Matisse's opinion. While she appreciates her new friendship with offbeat poet Violet, she spends much of her time trying to resist assimilating into Prague life, and trying to ig...more

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03/27/08

Tasha rated it:

recommends it for: Everyone!!

Matisse Osgood is a full fledged city girl. She loves everything that the city has to offer and can't even imagine what life would be like without the the bustle of New York City and all the art galleries. When Matisse's father is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and just can't handle the city anymore her family moves out to Prague, New York. Prague is the complete opposite of city life. Matisse is awoken by a rooster every morning and the main event of the season is a hayride. Obviously Matis...more Matisse Osgood is a full fledged city girl. She loves everything that the city has to offer and can't even imagine what life would be like without the the bustle of New York City and all the art galleries. When Matisse's father is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and just can't handle the city anymore her family moves out to Prague, New York. Prague is the complete opposite of city life. Matisse is awoken by a rooster every morning and the main event of the season is a hayride. Obviously Matisse is devastated and feels that she'll never fit in and even worse people will find out about her dad. Then she meets Violet. Violet doesn't have many friends because she's different than most kids in Prague, but her and Matisse mesh perfectly. Then there's Hal, Matisse's hick neighbor. He is always so nice to Matisse even when she's mean to him and even though Matisse can't stand him at first he ends up being pretty decent. As her life at school improves, her life at home is disintegrating. Her dad's becoming more depressed and her mom is pretending like nothing is even wrong. As for Matisse she doesn't even know how to act around her dad anymore and just sits back and remembers what life was like before the accident. When untrue rumors start flying around the school about her dad Matisse is devastated, but the friends she's made in Prague help her through it and don't throw her the pity party she was expecting. Actually they open her eyes to what she's missing out on. With the help of her friends will Matisse be able to actually begin to like life as a country girl? Will she be able to start looking at her dad in a different way and at least try to have a normal relationship with him once again?

This was a great book. I could completely relate to Matisse. I remember vividly moving from a city to the middle of no where, knowing that the schools would be different and I would have a hard time making friends. For me this made the book extra special, but even if you don't have an experience like Matisse's you will still enjoy the book. Matisse's story takes you on an emotional roller coaster, which honestly hasn't happened to me a lot. I loved how I was cheering on Matisse one minute and feeling sad for her the next. While the book was a quick read it was extremely well written and jam packed with action and feeling. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an amazing read where you will laugh, cry, and smile along with each page you turn. I also cannot wait to see what Daphne Grab has coming for us next as I know it will be just as great as Alive and Well in Prague, New York. I suggest you all pre-order the book now as it comes out May 20. You will want to read it over and over again.(less)

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04/24/09

Miriam rated it:

This book was disappointing, and not because I am from upstate New York and resent the suggestion that everything upstate of Westchester is farmland and hicks. There is rather a divide between New York the city and New York the state, and I do think it would be a difficult transition for a highschooler to move from NYC to rural upstate, particularly when the move is prompted by her father's worsening Parkinson's. The problem is that the narrator didn't feel real, or open-minded or interesting, n...more

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05/15/08

Melissa rated it:

bookshelves: er-review-books, ya

A good look at a girl dealing with her father's Parkinson's Disease as well as a move from New York City to a small town in upstate New York. Vivid characters, and Grab does a good job portraying anguish and hurt.

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12/29/08

Anna rated it:

bookshelves: chick-lit, fiction, read-in-2009, teaching-tolerance, young-adult

Read in January, 2009

I had high expectations going into this book since I had read a lot of good stuff about it so I think that was partly why I felt somewhat disappointed in the beginning few chapters. I expected the font to be smaller (it's rather big, probably a size 14 or so) and I thought the physical book would be bigger, meaning more text. It's actually a very quick read. I guess I felt like the beginning was not as solid and well-developed as it could have been. But as I kept reading, the really did redeem ...more

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10/07/08

Kathy rated it:

Alive and Well In Prague, New York is a story about 16 year old Matisse Osgood who recently moved to a rural community from New York City. The transtion from city to small town is more than Matisse can handle; people dress weird, act weird, and basically have no culture or appeal. In addition to moving, Matisse's dad,an artist/sculptor is battling Parkinson's Disease. The family dynamics between Matisse and her parents has taken a complete shift since her father's diagnosis. Mom pretends nothing...more

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04/29/08

Jennifer Wardrip rated it:

bookshelves: trt-reviews

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Matisse Osgood is the daughter of two well-known New York City artists. Life is good for Matisse. She's a city girl through and through. Then her father gets diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, and is told that he should avoid working on the sculptures that he loves, for fear that he may fall off of a ladder at some point.

After much consideration, Matisse's parents decide that the best thing for the family is to get out of the city....more

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04/10/08

Rachael rated it:

Matisse Osgood is the daughter of a painter and a sculptor, so it’s no wonder she’s named after an artist. But tragedy strikes her family when her father topples from a ladder and gets a concussion. It turns out that he has nerve damage and is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. That prompts the family to move from New York City to small town Prague, which breaks Matisse’s heart because she has to leave behind the city she loves. And moving doesn’t seem to help anything at all. Her fat...more Matisse Osgood is the daughter of a painter and a sculptor, so it’s no wonder she’s named after an artist. But tragedy strikes her family when her father topples from a ladder and gets a concussion. It turns out that he has nerve damage and is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. That prompts the family to move from New York City to small town Prague, which breaks Matisse’s heart because she has to leave behind the city she loves. And moving doesn’t seem to help anything at all. Her father is still sick, her mother pretends like nothing is wrong, and Matisse is worried someone will find out her family’s secret.

In the process, Matisse manages to make one true friend, Violet. They are similar in so many ways; they both hate Prague and can’t wait until they can finally get away from the small town. There’s also her friendly neighbor Hal, who seems dorky at first but grows on Matisse. But not everyone is so welcoming. There’s the nasty popular girl Jennifer who seems determined to make everyone hate Matisse. The false rumors start to fly, and Matisse still can’t deal with her father’s sickness; she compares it to a wound. And eventually, all secrets have to come out.

Alive and Well in Prague, New York is a beautiful story about a young girl learning to cope with her father’s illness. It was interesting to watch Matisse grow and find out what really mattered to her. In some ways, Prague was stereotyped as other backwards small towns with its hayride and seemingly stupid traditions, but the setting wasn’t as important as the characters. I have to say that Matisse and Violet are probably two of my new favorite fictional characters; they have so much style and I’m not just talking about clothes. At first, they only have each other, and they are perfectly content with that; that is something to be admired. They might not seem like it in this small town setting, but they are truly kick-butt heroines. I also appreciated the romance, even though it was only added in at the end.

I recommend Alive and Well in Prague, New York if you like a shorter but meaningful read. There’s a lot that can be learned from this novel about family and friendship. Look out for it when it comes out early in June.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com (less)

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03/08/08

Ealaindraoi rated it:

bookshelves: 2008, ya

Read in March, 2008

Matisse is the daughter of two artists, who is definably a city girl. She loves everything about living in New York City. Then her father becomes ill and seemingly overnight the whole family's life changes. They move to a small town in upper New York State and neither parent is really working anymore. No one is talking about the changes.
Matisse reacts by withdrawing from everyone, her old friends in New York, her parents, her potential new friends in Prague.

This book is rea...more

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03/05/09

Joni rated it:

bookshelves: 2009, young-adult-fiction

Read in March, 2009

This is a book about a girl whose father has Parkinson's Disease and how she handles his worsening condition after they move out of NYC to upstate NY. She feels isolated and alone and misses her dad even though he's living with her and her mom. She makes some friends and discovers some surprises about friendship along the way as well.

I was a little disappointed. I thought the author could have gone deeper with some of the things she was exploring. It was a very fast read though.

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03/04/09

Amy rated it:

bookshelves: 2009, library, youngadult

Read in March, 2009

Reading this book is like eating a favorite meal at a restaurant and noticing that a subtle ingredient missing. It's still enjoyable, but you aren't satisfied and wish maybe you'd ordered something else that night. The characterization, especially of the protag, is slim. It's a blink and you'll miss it story that I probably won't remember in about six months.

However, if Daphne Grab writes another book, I'll definitely give it a shot.

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12/21/08

Rishara rated it:

The dust jacket to this book told the whole story - beginning, middle, and end. I hate that! Spoilers make me grumpy. Oh well, I didn't care for this much regardless. It was trying hard, but just wasn't very compelling. I probably wouldn't have finished it, except that it was short.

I think I am going to read to read some books that were written for and marketed towards adults next. Novel concept, I know.

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10/17/08

Becky rated it:

Read in November, 2008

Grab, Daphne. 2008. Alive and Well in Prague, New York.

Matisse Osgood is our struggling narrator. She's unhappy that she's had to move from New York City to Prague, New York. She's upset that her father has Parkinson's disease. She's frustrated with having to start a new school and make new friends. The truth is Matisse has very little control over her own life, and everything is changing so quickly. Too much is going on at once. It's too hard for her to absorb, to accept. But life h...more

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06/30/09

Afton rated it:

Read in June, 2009

After a long stretch of so-so books, finally one I couldn't put down! A little angsty in spots, but overall, a completely enjoyable read. Matisse is well developed, but Hal could have used a bit more face time and Violet seemed to be too much of a device for periodic info dumps. Other than that...I loved it.

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07/11/08

Jennifer Marie rated it:

bookshelves: 2008-books, contemporary, ya-2008

Read in July, 2008

At 100 pages into the book I'd have to say this is the YA equivalent of the Middle Grade book Rules, but not done quite as well.

No it's not the same story, but it deals with the same issue of a sick family member and how the family deals with the trials, joys, pains of it. So far it's been an easy read, it does flow very well, but it's lacking that "wow" quality that made me love Rules.

Another thing that bothers me at times is Violet doesn't ring true to me - t...more

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03/19/09

Not rated it:

(review of isbn 0061256714)

Read in March, 2009

This is a brilliant book. It replaced Twilight as my favorite book. I could read this again and again and again. It shows hardships, and how friends can help you through it; how sometimes, you just need a shoulder to cry on. And yet though having a hard life at home, has a harder one at school.

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11/16/08

Andrea rated it:

bookshelves: read-in-2009, young-adult

Read in January, 2009

Matisse Osgood is one of those kids who grows up in Manhattan and can't imagine life outside the city. But when her father's Parkinson's Disease gets to be too much, the family moves away from all that hustle and bustle (and the site of dad's now-stagnant art career) to the upstate town of Prague. It's the kind of place where people wear overalls and go on hayrides. Not so cool to Matisse.

Alive and Well in Prague, New York conveys complicated feelings through simple words. It's a lit...more

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10/07/08

Gwen the Librarian rated it:

bookshelves: teenbooks

Read in October, 2008

This is a typical fish out of water story that follows Matisse, a sarcastic teen from Manhattan who moves to a country town in upstate New York because her father wants to live at a slower pace after he is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. As a novel, it's almost too painfully realistic; without the glimmers of humor and warmth that normally make a painful story rewarding to read. Matisse struggles against reverse culture shock while trying to keep her feelings about her father's disease bur...more

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