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14th out of 59 books
—
414 voters
Breathing
by
Cheryl Renee Herbsman (Goodreads Author)
Savannah would be happy spending the summer working at the library and reading. But then she meets Jackson, who Savannah's convinced is the one. At first it looks like she's right. He abides by her mama's strict rules and stays by her side when she is hospitalized for severe asthma, which Savannah believes is improving only because Jackson is there. But when Jackson is cal...more
Hardcover, 265 pages
Published
April 16th 2009
by Viking Juvenile
(first published February 12th 2009)
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Savannah and Jackson's story is a new type of love story. Unlike most stories about long distance relationships, this one inspires hope.
As soon as I started reading this book, I fell in love with Savannah's character. She embodies the typical teenage girl, full of insecurities and hopes. Unlike most girls, though, Savannah has severe asthma.
Savannah was content to be by herself for the summer: working, reading romance novels, and watching out for her little brother. Then she met Jackson Channin...more
As soon as I started reading this book, I fell in love with Savannah's character. She embodies the typical teenage girl, full of insecurities and hopes. Unlike most girls, though, Savannah has severe asthma.
Savannah was content to be by herself for the summer: working, reading romance novels, and watching out for her little brother. Then she met Jackson Channin...more
Breathing was a tale of young love that steals your breath away. The sudden ache when you know that you are just meant to be, but the world prevents it. Or maybe just yourself? It’s the feeling that maybe you just are not good enough to be with that person that steals your breath or soul away. But, let’s aim for the positive. Breathing captured the essence of tender touches, ripping heartache, and soft caresses in one stunning novel.
Savannah was a poignant teen with an adorable sense of humor th...more
Savannah was a poignant teen with an adorable sense of humor th...more
Breathing was a very cute, quick and fun read. Herbsman’s writing transported me to a different place! I felt like I just came back from a southern beach side getaway.
Savannah was a bit excessively melodramatic for me at times, but I guess that’s how extreme first love can be. So although it was slightly annoying at times it also helped reinforce her realism. I wish I could have learned the story from Jackson’s perspective. I didn’t fully understand why he was so drawn to Savannah, yes she is pa...more
Savannah was a bit excessively melodramatic for me at times, but I guess that’s how extreme first love can be. So although it was slightly annoying at times it also helped reinforce her realism. I wish I could have learned the story from Jackson’s perspective. I didn’t fully understand why he was so drawn to Savannah, yes she is pa...more
Wow. Not only is the title incredibly fitting for this wonderful book, the story contains one of the most delicious romances ever.
I loved Savanannah, who springs to life, luring the reader immediatley into her Southern world, complete with heat (more than one kind), phrasing and distinct Southern living. I've never been South but I feel like I had a visit after reading Breathing. And if the Southern boys are like Jackson. Well. Simply swoon worthy.
My heart actually ached in parts of the book....more
I loved Savanannah, who springs to life, luring the reader immediatley into her Southern world, complete with heat (more than one kind), phrasing and distinct Southern living. I've never been South but I feel like I had a visit after reading Breathing. And if the Southern boys are like Jackson. Well. Simply swoon worthy.
My heart actually ached in parts of the book....more
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Savannah can't breathe because of her asthma. Her lungs have all seized up since her daddy left...until she meets Jackson. This sweet story of long-distance summer love will strike a heart with teen readers.
Finishing Cheryl Herbsman's BREATHING prompts one of those moments when you close a book with such complete satisfaction that you can't help but sigh.
The book is really wonderful. It's lyric and lovely and the characters are so very vivid and authentic that I actually felt like I had spent my summer in Savannah's world. And that Jackson...my word. He is a tall drink of water. Cheryl has written a stunning, beautiful, charming book--the story is so simple and so perfect. I want to read it again,...more
The book is really wonderful. It's lyric and lovely and the characters are so very vivid and authentic that I actually felt like I had spent my summer in Savannah's world. And that Jackson...my word. He is a tall drink of water. Cheryl has written a stunning, beautiful, charming book--the story is so simple and so perfect. I want to read it again,...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Savannah's father walked out on her family long ago and her mother has been the one taking care of her and her brother Dog. Savannah is book smarts and has dreams of going onto bigger things as soon as she gets out of her small town. One summer day she meets a guy named Jackson on the beach and soon they find it hard to stay away from each other.
Herbsman writes a sweet, innocent and fast-paced story about first love and how teenagers can truly love one another. Jackson and Savannah are able to m...more
Herbsman writes a sweet, innocent and fast-paced story about first love and how teenagers can truly love one another. Jackson and Savannah are able to m...more
I'm sort of on the fence with this one. I really liked certain aspects of it, but other parts I didn't. Maybe I was just expecting too much since everyone else seemed to think it was the Best Book Ever and I was expected something Sarah Dessen worthy. I liked Savannah's voice as the narrator, as in her personality, but I really could not get past all the Southern dialect. It was just so distracting, because it made me wonder if people really talk like that, since I know tons of Southerners who b...more
I was very excited to read this book from the minute I read about it on the Debs of 2009 Livejournal. A southern girl falling in love for the first time? Sign me up! (In fact, I was so excited to read it that I read it *before* Sarah Dessen's new book -they came in the same book order- and I adore Sarah Dessen.)
If it was an option I would have given this book 3.5 stars. I liked it enough that I will recommend it to people, but not so much that I can see myself reading it over and over again.
I l...more
If it was an option I would have given this book 3.5 stars. I liked it enough that I will recommend it to people, but not so much that I can see myself reading it over and over again.
I l...more
I closed this book and sighed a happy sigh. It isn’t often that I read something that isn’ t blood, violence and intrigue so, I forgot that I liked another kind of book.
A sweet, clean, summer romance that is more than it appears. The tagline, “What if the guy who took your breath away was the only one who could help you breathe?”, is intriguing and really does capture the essence of the this book. Savannah Georgina Brown (not Savannah Georgia, her mama thought that would be tacky!) loves to read...more
A sweet, clean, summer romance that is more than it appears. The tagline, “What if the guy who took your breath away was the only one who could help you breathe?”, is intriguing and really does capture the essence of the this book. Savannah Georgina Brown (not Savannah Georgia, her mama thought that would be tacky!) loves to read...more
This is a great summer, southern story that had me hooked from the very first page. Now this Savannah, I not only adored but fell in love with. She reminded me of me so much. I really enjoyed reading this book. The southern boy in this book, not only said things that made me gasp, but grip my heart hard.
You got to love your southern boys. Always real and true, this boy Jack, said everything right and more. He is your type of guys who knows what he wants. And when he finds it, he will not let it...more
You got to love your southern boys. Always real and true, this boy Jack, said everything right and more. He is your type of guys who knows what he wants. And when he finds it, he will not let it...more
Breathing is about a fifteen year old girl named Savannah who falls in love with eighteen year old Jackson. However, this simple plot is filled with the troubles of Savannah's asthma and the turmoils of true love. Savannah and Jackson's love is a bumpy road filled with family problems, strict rules and asthma attacks.
What I really loved about this novel was the way it was written or it's prose. The novel is written from Savannah's point of view, which is written in a Southern accent, which I abs...more
What I really loved about this novel was the way it was written or it's prose. The novel is written from Savannah's point of view, which is written in a Southern accent, which I abs...more
I had very little faith in this, regardless of the Judy Blume reference in its back blurb because yes, while the cover is gorge, the premise does not leave too much promise, you know? But thank the lit heaven for surprises! It was something fierce. I loved the story telling and more especially, the way it was written. I think I have never read a book written in an American Southern accent before, and it was such a joy, like for realz! (Would it be inapprops to say I sort of heard Forrest Gump's...more
Unputdownable. I love Savannah Georgina Brown. She's such a sweet and funny character.
Although, being a Carolina girl, I am a little put off by the author's choice of grammar, or perhaps I should say, often lack of grammar. The main character, Savannah gets excellent grades and works hard in school, yet in her conversations, she along with the other characters sometimes sound like a bunch of uneducated hicks. But, I do recognize many of the things the characters say as part of the regional dial...more
Although, being a Carolina girl, I am a little put off by the author's choice of grammar, or perhaps I should say, often lack of grammar. The main character, Savannah gets excellent grades and works hard in school, yet in her conversations, she along with the other characters sometimes sound like a bunch of uneducated hicks. But, I do recognize many of the things the characters say as part of the regional dial...more
Breathing is a cute and romantic story about young love. A great novel for a summer’s read.
The book cover instantly caught my attention, the book itself was engrossing. I appreciated the Southern drawl that made the book seem more realistic. The obstacles that the lovers had to face was also relatable and realistic; curfew, chores, money, long distance relationship and strict parents etc. The author captured the teenage minds in her story perfectly.
Savannah is a sweet fifteen year old girl who...more
The book cover instantly caught my attention, the book itself was engrossing. I appreciated the Southern drawl that made the book seem more realistic. The obstacles that the lovers had to face was also relatable and realistic; curfew, chores, money, long distance relationship and strict parents etc. The author captured the teenage minds in her story perfectly.
Savannah is a sweet fifteen year old girl who...more
Fifteen year old Savannah dreams of getting out of her small town and making something of herself. She meets 18 year old Jackson and while she fights to help him have his dreams come true she is willing to set her own dreams aside. This is a cute story but some times I felt the relationship was a little disfunctional. Jackson and Savannah were cute when they were together but when he was not there I didn't like how Savannah just shut herself off from the world.
I loved the southern speach and ho...more
I loved the southern speach and ho...more
Herbsman did a wonderful first love story here and it made for a quick and cute read. I really enjoyed how it was told in a Southern dialect because it made the novel more interesting and unique. I liked seeing Jackson and Savannah connect and also seeing how they coped with being so far apart from each other. It is extremely difficult to do a long distance relationship (as I know myself) and it was very interesting to see how they dealt with the obstacles thrown between them. One thing I wasn't...more
Savannah (named after a "tornada") loves to lie around during the summer and read romance novels. This gives her a break from her hard working school year. This summer becomes different, after she meets Jackson. She senses that something about him might just be different than the way other boys are. He follows her mama's rules and when she has an asthma attack he even stays with her in the hospital. Eventually however, his mom decides she needs help earning money and taking care of her other son...more
Dec 20, 2008
Jenny
added it
These characters feel very real to me -- Mama, Jackson, especially Savannah. Their concerns, desires, interactions with one another combine to create vibrant, living, *breathing* people. And Savannah and Jackson have some heat going on. A very fine debut.
Savannah n Jackson is anothr kind of teenage love. Savannah is only 2 1/2 years younger, but hey, age is just a numbr for some people in some situations. If u were meant to be or thnk if u were meant to be n it's real, then go ahead. Savannah was one of those girls who didn't completely hav self confidence in herself. But whn Jackson comes along, she thnks she has found herself the key to breathing, being fine, so she puts all or most of her confidence in him. Savannah wasn't dragging Jackson al...more
Savannah is a young teenage girl living in a small town off the Carolina coast. She has been working at the library, reading romance books and wondering how she was escaping her small town. She meets Jackson and they decide that they are made for each other. However, when Jackson leaves to go back to his hometown, Savannah struggles with the heartbreak and her asthma attacks. How will she get Jackson to come back?
The book is written entirely in the dialect of the Southeast. I, being a California...more
The book is written entirely in the dialect of the Southeast. I, being a California...more
Set on the Carolina shore, Breathing by Cheryl Renée Herbsman focuses on Savannah (ironically named for Savannah, Georgia) the summer she meets Jackson Channing. When Savannah was young, her father left the family, and since then Savannah has been faced with severe asthma attacks that occur more frequently than she would like to admit, especially to the handsome Jackson. His presence not only captures the attention of her heart, but allows her to breathe a little more easily. When Jackson has to...more
If you want a heartening, fun tale of true love set outside of the usual fairy tale setting, BREATHING is for you. From start to finish Cheryl Renee Herbsman engages us fully with Savannah’s Southern life, most obviously with Savannah’s charming Southern dialect. I don’t believe I’ve ever read a book whose protagonist’s out-of-the-ordinary voice was so convincing as Savannah’s. It didn’t take long before I really felt like Savannah was talking to me, and that, if I really wanted to, I could easi...more
A sweet story about summer love, following your dreams and the important people in your life who love you.
The Southern writing style drove me plumb barmy for about 40 pages until I mentally cast a couple of actors I liked. My favorite thing about this book was the minor kerfluffle about her being 15 to his graduated-18 (just enough age difference to make it interesting but not wrong), after which the book did exactly what I wanted it to do and then some (asthma-related hospital stays, hunkering down from a tornado, that sort of thing). I finished too fast and had to go back and reread portions to so...more
A wonderful, unique love story that will appeal to romantics of all ages.
This is one of the best books I have ever read. I just love the relationship between Savannah and Jackson. She never gave up hope that what they had was real; that it wasn't just a crush. They never gave up on each other's dreams.
I'm glad that Savannah's mom, Porsha, also found someone that loved her and treated her right.
I wish I could find more books like this one. I was grinning from ear to ear when Jackson showed up on Savannah's doorstep, out of the blue, to move back and be near her. I was...more
I'm glad that Savannah's mom, Porsha, also found someone that loved her and treated her right.
I wish I could find more books like this one. I was grinning from ear to ear when Jackson showed up on Savannah's doorstep, out of the blue, to move back and be near her. I was...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Law! It's done.....A girl can only take southern ways to talk so much... I'm sorry I didn´t appreciate it the way it ought to be but it was unavoidable. I cannot think of something real good about this one because it does not have a "wow" factor.
-A girl with asthma(or other medical condition) -being there, done that.
-A messy brother (younger or older) -being there, done that.
-An ultra-protective mother, single -being there, done that.
-The girl we're speaking of has something that hints her some...more
-A girl with asthma(or other medical condition) -being there, done that.
-A messy brother (younger or older) -being there, done that.
-An ultra-protective mother, single -being there, done that.
-The girl we're speaking of has something that hints her some...more
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“It may sound dorky, but I love books--the feel of the paper, the old, musty smell, and especially the way the words roll over you and take you somewhere altogether different. They've been my escape as long as I can remember. Whether I need a break from schoolwork or my brother or just life in general, there's always a books that can take me someplace far away.”
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26 people liked it
“It may sound dorky, but I love books- the feel of the paper, the old musty smell, & especially the way the words roll over you and take you somewhere altogether different.”
—
8 people liked it
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Nov 30, 2011 05:27pm