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52nd out of 96 books
—
52 voters
Dear Zoe
by
Philip Beard
Philip Beard’s stunning debut novel is fifteen-year-old Tess DeNunzio’s letter to her sister, Zoe, lost to a hit-and-run driver on a day when it seemed that nothing mattered but the tragedies playing out in New York and Washington.Dear Zoeis a remarkable study of grief, adolescence, and healing with a pitch-perfect narrator who is at once sharp and naïve, world- worried an...more
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
April 25th 2006
by Plume
(first published February 21st 2004)
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"Maybe 'Z' is the shape of everyone's life," writes Philip Beard. "You're going along in what feels like a straight line, headed for one horizon, the only one as far as you know, and then something happens..."
But my zigs and zags were few in Philip Beard's slim novel, "Dear Zoe." On this level of writing, it's smooth sailing. Beard is a skilled writer, and his style is seamless enough that he accomplishes the very difficult writer's task - not only of crossing genders in this first person narra...more
But my zigs and zags were few in Philip Beard's slim novel, "Dear Zoe." On this level of writing, it's smooth sailing. Beard is a skilled writer, and his style is seamless enough that he accomplishes the very difficult writer's task - not only of crossing genders in this first person narra...more
i really enjoyed listening to this book but:
1. it is sad;
2. it is even more sad when you grew up in pittsburgh and know all the places the author is talking about.
i listened to this on a cross-country flight and i was looking out the window and crying a lot of the time thinking about going to kennywood as a child and grocery shopping at the giant eagle.
anyways, i liked the narrator and the style of beard's writing. it's easy to listen to and a super-quick read.(like 5 or so hours on audiobook)...more
1. it is sad;
2. it is even more sad when you grew up in pittsburgh and know all the places the author is talking about.
i listened to this on a cross-country flight and i was looking out the window and crying a lot of the time thinking about going to kennywood as a child and grocery shopping at the giant eagle.
anyways, i liked the narrator and the style of beard's writing. it's easy to listen to and a super-quick read.(like 5 or so hours on audiobook)...more
This book made you think about the people in your life and how they make in impact. Its so real and emotional at points. "Dear Zoe" is about a 15 year old girl named Tess, writing a letter to her sister Zoe who just recently passed away. Tess first explains how she is the oldest and that she does not have the same father as her other two sisters. Tess does not feel the same connection with her step dad and feels like an outcast at points. Zoe died from a hit and run driver on a day where no one...more
Often when I am browsing for new books to read, I tend to gravitate towards authors whom I've already "met" (as in read before) or books that I've heard about by a fellow blogger, NPR or some other source I've randomly fell upon. On occasion though, as I wander down the aisles of the library I pick up random books that catch my eye. Dear Zoe, is one of those books.
On September 11, 2001 Tess DeNunzio's life was changed forever, but not because of the terrorist attacks. At least not directly. Tess...more
On September 11, 2001 Tess DeNunzio's life was changed forever, but not because of the terrorist attacks. At least not directly. Tess...more
Dear Zoe is a very pretty book. I don't believe this review will be humorous at all, because of the subject-matter, so bear with me.
Tess is a 15 year-old girl trying to deal with seeing her 2 year-old little sister be hit by a car and later die of internal bleeding and this story is composed as a sort of journal directed towards Zoe. Where Beard excels is at expressing the details of a teenaged girl's day-to-day life that she would find important and meaningful to keep Zoe somehow involved with...more
Tess is a 15 year-old girl trying to deal with seeing her 2 year-old little sister be hit by a car and later die of internal bleeding and this story is composed as a sort of journal directed towards Zoe. Where Beard excels is at expressing the details of a teenaged girl's day-to-day life that she would find important and meaningful to keep Zoe somehow involved with...more
i think this is one of my favorite books i have ever read in my life. philip beard's style of writing is beautiful, and i think it goes a lot deeper than most novels that appeal to teenagers (or at least me) do. i myself am around tess's age, and although a lot of people say that they "didn't think this portrayed a teenage girl well at all" i extremely disagree. it may just be me, but i was able to relate to tess on so many levels it actually felt like philip beard used me to make tess. how she...more
When people say, September 11, 2001, everyone's mind goes to the tragic attack on America, but we all seem to forget that other's lives changed that day as well that had nothing to do with the events that unfolded that. Tess witnessed her little sister, Zoe, being hit and killed by a car outside thier home. This book is written as a letter from 15 year old Tess to Zoe. Zoe's death throw the family into a state of utter confusion- her step-father now works late into the night, her mother sleeps a...more
I liked this book alot, which is why I gave it four stars. It's about a 15 year old girl who is watching her 3 year old sister and turns away for one second and the 3 year old is hit by a car and is killed. The book is pretty much like a diary - the 15 year old feels very guilty and imagines that she ruined her whole family, so she ends up moving in with her father for awhile since she feels like her mother and stepfather blame her for the accident. The girl's character is very likable and you r...more
Dear Zoe is a letter, from Tess DeNunzio to her younger sister, who died in a hit-and-run accident on a day when the world’s attention was focused elsewhere, with no grief to spare for Zoe’s death, except in Tess’s family. On September Eleventh, 2001, Zoe died, leaving Tess and her family devastated. It’s certainly something we don’t think about, all the personal tragedies that played out on that day. When you hear the words ‘September Eleventh,’ you see the towers falling or the Pentagon smokin...more
Dec 30, 2010
Cara
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audio,
fun-or-frivolity
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I drive a lot for my job, and I get bored easily... so I listen to lots of audiobooks. My library doesn't have the greatest selection so I generally just randomly choose something and go for it. That's what I did with this book, and I wasn't sorry.
I like that this book explores another side of 9/11... all the individual tragedies that tore apart families on 9/11/01, unrelated to the terrorist attacks. The book tackles the issue of guilt very well - the narrator, Tess, has an enormous amount of g...more
I like that this book explores another side of 9/11... all the individual tragedies that tore apart families on 9/11/01, unrelated to the terrorist attacks. The book tackles the issue of guilt very well - the narrator, Tess, has an enormous amount of g...more
A sensitive story about a teenage girl that recently lost her young sister on 9/11 - the same day the towers fell. The book is made up of letters that Tess, the main character, write to her deceased little sister Zoe. Through these letters, Tess narrates the year following her sisters death. Tess ends up leaving her mother's house and goes to live with her father through the summer. She meets a love interest, Jimmy and dabbles with drugs and sex. Throughout the events of the summer she comes to...more
I cried. Several times. I also had to check multiple times to make sure that this wasn't a true story. That this was written by a man. Not a teenage girl, or someone who remembers being that girl.
It was honest and authentic. It talked about the directly about nervous energy that comes after setting yourself free or beginning to. It talks about how external acceptance isn't enough. It explains and walks thrugh the process of inept grief. The denial, the frozenness. The secrets. The walls seperati...more
It was honest and authentic. It talked about the directly about nervous energy that comes after setting yourself free or beginning to. It talks about how external acceptance isn't enough. It explains and walks thrugh the process of inept grief. The denial, the frozenness. The secrets. The walls seperati...more
This book all at once was heartbreaking, redemptive and healing. I read it in one sitting, not only because it's not a terribly long novel, but because it's so captivatingly honest, you can't put it down.
I want to especially applaud Mr. Beard for creating Tess in such a real, authentic way. How he was able to get into the mind and nuances of a 15 year old girl is beyond me, but he did so in such a way, that throughout the book, I kept thinking, "wow - he really gets who she is and what she's go...more
I want to especially applaud Mr. Beard for creating Tess in such a real, authentic way. How he was able to get into the mind and nuances of a 15 year old girl is beyond me, but he did so in such a way, that throughout the book, I kept thinking, "wow - he really gets who she is and what she's go...more
This is a very good story about a teen-ager who grieves for her sister. Little Zoe is killed Sept. 11 by an automobile when she runs into the street. While the rest of the world mourns 9/11, Tess and her family mourn Zoe. Tears, bouts of sadness, growing up events and family experiences blend to make a whole. Beard writes the story in the form of letters that Tess writes to Zoe. An entire year passes as Tess learns to cope with her grief. She feels responsible because she was supposed to be watc...more
“Dear Zoe” is honestly one of the best books I've ever read. This story brought me to tears. It starts off a little slow and confusing, but that only makes you want to read more. Many people were affected by September 11, 2001, in various ways. Tess really gives you her view on that day and describes how it affected her even though she was far from the attacks in New York. The horrible guilt she feels about her little three year old half-sister dying is why she is telling the story. Tess explain...more
This book wrecked me...I thought it was very original and the narrator will break your heart.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This book is one of one of the BEST books I've ever read. I actually feel weird reading about Tess (the main character whose sister died in an accident) because we have a lot in common and it is my first time to read about someone so much alike with me. This is a GREAT book and I say you read it before the movie goes out and people would be paying more attention to it - beat them to it! :) It's a book that deals with loss, family, drugs, depression and love.
- and yes it is going to be a movie o...more
- and yes it is going to be a movie o...more
"I have memories of you before you were even born..."
The first time I saw this at a Bookshop, I know that I'm going to read it and fall in love with it. Dear Zoe is an epistolary novel about a 15-year-old girl named Tess who blames herself for her sister's [Zoe] death. She's writing to Zoe even though she's already dead to figure out how to move on with her life after their loss.
Dear Zoe is like The Lovely Bones. It is a story of a girl and her extended family and how they cope with their loss.
The first time I saw this at a Bookshop, I know that I'm going to read it and fall in love with it. Dear Zoe is an epistolary novel about a 15-year-old girl named Tess who blames herself for her sister's [Zoe] death. She's writing to Zoe even though she's already dead to figure out how to move on with her life after their loss.
Dear Zoe is like The Lovely Bones. It is a story of a girl and her extended family and how they cope with their loss.
Nov 04, 2012
Jennifer Wardrip
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
trt-posted-reviews,
trt-gold-star-award-winner
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
On September 11th, 2001, nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in numerous acts of terrorism against the United States. Even now, five years later, people still ask the question, "Where were you on 9/11?" I remember watching, on that fateful day, news coverage that left me horrified, aghast, and haunted. Where was I on 9/11? At work, on a day that started out like any other and quickly turned into one that no one will ever forget.
If you asked Tess DeNunzio, the...more
On September 11th, 2001, nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in numerous acts of terrorism against the United States. Even now, five years later, people still ask the question, "Where were you on 9/11?" I remember watching, on that fateful day, news coverage that left me horrified, aghast, and haunted. Where was I on 9/11? At work, on a day that started out like any other and quickly turned into one that no one will ever forget.
If you asked Tess DeNunzio, the...more
This book was about a little girl named Tess and she has always wanted a little sister. She had a stepsister Em, but could never seem to get close to her because they didnt grow up knowing each other. Tess' mom and stepdad had a little girl named Zoe and Tess thought it was her chance to get to know her and finally have a close sister, so she was super happy. Then one day when Zoe was outside playing in the yard she kicked the ball in thwe street, she ran quickly out to the street not knowing to...more
I was surprised how much Philip Beard (an older man) was able to capture a teenage girls mind. At times it seemed a little far-fetched and stretched, but you can easily get past that.
The most striking thing was the relationships in this novel. They were not half-assed and put there because they had to be, but they were developed and changed as Tess changed. Her relationship with her mother constantly pulled at my heart strings and I found myself tearing up. For anyone who has ever had a strained...more
The most striking thing was the relationships in this novel. They were not half-assed and put there because they had to be, but they were developed and changed as Tess changed. Her relationship with her mother constantly pulled at my heart strings and I found myself tearing up. For anyone who has ever had a strained...more
The storyline in itself is quite interesting. A girl is trying to grieve and come to terms with the death of her sister. Along the way, she makes some mistakes, gets a boyfriend, and seems to try to figure life out. This is a good first novel, but I felt like something was missing. There wasn't really any climax, but at the same time, I think that would have been awkward. The story is basically a letter that Tess is writing to her sister Zoe, who died, almost as if it will help her grieve. Detai...more
Audiobook review:
I really liked this book. Although it seems a bit slow sometimes for a book on tape, it isnt very long, and the story moves fairly well. It's a bit of a throwback to being a teenager, the life, the relationships.
And even though I couldnt relate to what the main character was going through, I really liked Tess, and felt like I might understand someone in her situation much better. I felt like she was really believable- a certain level of insight that made you think, but not so mu...more
I really liked this book. Although it seems a bit slow sometimes for a book on tape, it isnt very long, and the story moves fairly well. It's a bit of a throwback to being a teenager, the life, the relationships.
And even though I couldnt relate to what the main character was going through, I really liked Tess, and felt like I might understand someone in her situation much better. I felt like she was really believable- a certain level of insight that made you think, but not so mu...more
Feb 25, 2008
Kaitie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anybody ages 13 and up
Recommended to Kaitie by:
I was lazy enough to pick up this book instead of the book I was
I really loved this book! It is about a fifteen-year-old girl named Tess DeNuzzio. The entire book is a letter to Zoe, her sister. She is trying to get back to a normal life after Zoe died on 9-11-01 because of a hit and run driver. Her entire family; her mother, stepfather, and her younger half-sister, Emily, and Tess are trying to cope after the tragedy. She runs away to her dad's house to try to figure everything out. In the letter, Tess tells Zoe about everything, from her 2-hour a day make...more
This is an absolutely brilliant book that i would highly recommend. As you read it, you are left wanting more, but are satisfied with the ending. Its only now as i write this that i notice the cover art. It makes the book more haunting.
The book is a letter the main character is writing to her younger sister who she lost on 9/11, but not in the terror attacks. I found the characters likeable, even though they are flawed. The story isnt sugar coated either. This book has left a lasting impression.
The book is a letter the main character is writing to her younger sister who she lost on 9/11, but not in the terror attacks. I found the characters likeable, even though they are flawed. The story isnt sugar coated either. This book has left a lasting impression.
I picked up this book because of my niece Zoe. When I read the cover flap I was scared to read it in case it was awful or in case i would alway think of it when I saw Zoe, but I'm glad I read it. The last few chapters had me crying in the library.
It deals with a teenager who lost her baby sister on September 11, 2001, though not in New York or on an airplane or in DC. The parts referencing that are particularly poignant. Really beautifully written. The four stars are for the last passage of the...more
It deals with a teenager who lost her baby sister on September 11, 2001, though not in New York or on an airplane or in DC. The parts referencing that are particularly poignant. Really beautifully written. The four stars are for the last passage of the...more
I listened to this book on cd which always colors the tone and style a little bit. I really enjoyed the story. The main character was believable. The arrogance of adolescence that is so easily forgotten when she changes her mind. I remember thinking the book was a tad predictable but it was a fun device in which the reader was always one step ahead of the narrator except for her own inner thoughts. I loved loved loved the portrayal of grief and depression for a therapeutic standpoint. It felt re...more
A beautiful story about a 15 year old girl, Tess, who's youngest sister has been killed. The family falls apart and to find her self and come to grips with the death Tess writes letters to Zoe, the sister who died. A beautiful moving story that had me crying and laughing and really thinking about life. I listened to this one in my car on my way to work, and thought that the reader was excellent. An enjoyable book.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| 9/11 reference | 4 | 14 | Apr 05, 2012 06:13pm |
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“That on any day you could pick there are thousands and thousands of little deaths, tiny tragedies, and that all of them matter.”
—
3 people liked it
“But love is this really powerful thing that everyone's got if they'd just learn how to accept it. I mean, come on. If it's something we all have to give, and if it's something we all want, doesn't that mean there's exactly enough to go around?”
—
3 people liked it
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Dec 31, 2010 03:58pm