Alive and Well in Prague, New York

by Daphne Grab
Alive and Well in Prague, New York
book data
109 ratings, 3.80 average rating, 42 reviews (more data...)
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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'

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Ash
03/17/09
Ash rated it: 3 of 5 stars

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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Lauren
08/05/08
Lauren rated it: 3 of 5 stars

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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Tasha
03/27/08
Tasha rated it: 5 of 5 stars

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
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Miriam
04/24/09
Miriam rated it: 2 of 5 stars

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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Melissa
05/15/08
Melissa rated it: 4 of 5 stars

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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Anna
12/29/08
Anna rated it: 3 of 5 stars

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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Kathy
10/07/08
Kathy rated it: 3 of 5 stars

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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Jennifer Wardrip
04/29/08
Jennifer Wardrip rated it: 5 of 5 stars

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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Rachael
04/10/08
Rachael rated it: 5 of 5 stars

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
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Ealaindraoi
03/08/08
Ealaindraoi rated it: 4 of 5 stars

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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Joni
03/05/09
Joni rated it: 3 of 5 stars

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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Amy
03/04/09
Amy rated it: 2 of 5 stars

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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Rishara
12/21/08
Rishara rated it: 2 of 5 stars

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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Becky
10/17/08
Becky rated it: 3 of 5 stars

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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Afton
06/30/09
Afton rated it: 4 of 5 stars

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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Jennifer Marie
07/11/08
Jennifer Marie rated it: 3 of 5 stars

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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Not
03/19/09
Not rated it: 5 of 5 stars (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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Andrea
11/16/08
Andrea rated it: 4 of 5 stars

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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Gwen the Librarian
10/07/08
Gwen the Librarian rated it: 2 of 5 stars

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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Kacper
05/14/09
Kacper rated it: 4 of 5 stars

It's a very fluffy book and it's like all the characters are the same -- and I liked it ;-)
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