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Wintergirls

by Laurie Halse Anderson (Goodreads Author)

3.97 · rating details · 16,872 ratings · 3,210 reviews

“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.
“Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Li...more

Hardcover, 278 pages

Published March 19th 2009 by Viking Juvenile

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Sep 09, 2010

kari rated it

Shelves: 2009, ya

I didn't care for the writing style, all the crossed out words just felt like an unneccessary affectation that slowed down the pace of the book. The chapter headings 001.00, etc were a distraction that took me several chapters to even realize what the numbers meant. The descriptions are ugly.
I didn't make any connection to Lia and never grew to like her. As written, her character seemed like a spoiled rich brat who was not even kind enough to pick up the phone to speak to the parents of he...moreI didn't care for the writing style, all the crossed out words just felt like an unneccessary affectation that slowed down the pace of the book. The chapter headings 001.00, etc were a distraction that took me several chapters to even realize what the numbers meant. The descriptions are ugly.
I didn't make any connection to Lia and never grew to like her. As written, her character seemed like a spoiled rich brat who was not even kind enough to pick up the phone to speak to the parents of her dead best friend, even when the girl's mother is begging her.
She is willing to run off with a young man that she barely knows or likes in order to not have to face the consequences of what she's done to herself. She uses him to get what she wants/needs without giving him even a tiny bit of honesty until she is forced to do so. None of the things she does make me understand her or like her. I simply never grew to care whether or not she got well and had this book been successful for me, I should have cared.
Lia makes reference to the fact that she knows she is starving herself so she isn't acting out of unawareness or confusion, she simply doesn't care if she's hurting herself or her family or anyone. Her attitude toward her parents is heartless and cold, although all they try to do throughout the entire book is help her. She blames them for her illness and doesn't ever seem to take responsibility for it on herself. A quote from the end of the book: "The tiny elf dancer became a wooden doll whose strings were jerked by people not paying attention."
That seems to say that she still isn't responisible for what she did to herself, if they'd been paying more attention to her, instead of trying to get her to be what they wanted or pursuing their careers, she wouldn't have gotten sick, in her opinion. I'm sure there are many better books about anorexia. This reads like a manual on how to be anorexic. For me this one is a don't bother to read it.

NOTE: For anyone who wants to rip into me and tell me that I don't know anything about eating disorders. Well, you don't know me and you don't know what I do or do not know about eating disorders. You don't know what personal experience I might or might not have. So I'd appreciate it, if that's your only intent, if you didn't leave a comment telling me what a bad person I am for not liking a fictional story.
My review of a BOOK is not intended to put down or de-value anyone. A careful reading of the review would make it clear that I did not care for the way the author chose to portray this character, not that I was putting her down for having an eating disorder. Let me say that again. If Lia was an alcoholic, chocoholic, shopaholic, drug addict, sex addict, hoarder, snowboarder, prom queen, cheerleader or any other kind of character, I still would NOT have enjoyed the way the story and charcter was presented. I hope that's clear.
This isn't an autobiography or Lia's real-life memoirs. It's made up, a story, fiction, not true. There are characters in many books that, for whatever reason, are not likeable. For me, personally, Lia is one of them.
Any further comments that are merely tearing into me about what I do or not know, any personal attacks, will be deleted, so please don't bother to post them. If you want to discuss the book, I'll gladly do that. Thanks

EXTRA NOTE:If you love the book, please use your time to write your own review instead of wasting it on me. I'm not going to change my opinion. Name calling and hurling insults isn't adding anything to the discussion. Thanks again(less)

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Trudee Bealka I should start by saying that this is not the type of book I usually pick up. It must have been flagged for my recommendations because I reviewed the...more
11 hours, 26 min ago

kari Trudee wrote: "I should start by saying that this is not the type of book I usually pick up. It must have been flagged for my recommendations be...more
8 hours, 51 min ago

Dec 01, 2011

Leanne rated it

Shelves: cover-lust, ya-realistic-fiction, why-yes-this-is-ya, i-recommend

3.5 stars

I define Wintergirls as being a horror novel. Not the oh no, the world turned haywack and is being ravaged by zombies!!! kind of horror. And it wasn't the yum yum your blood looks delisheeeeous! horror, either. More like I dare you to enter my messed up, and extremely disturbed mind. I dare you not to shut out my nasty, morbid, destructive cascade of thoughts kind of horror.

Laurie Halse Anderson succeeded well in portraying Lia's crazy, obsessive mind, where c...more

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Sep 23, 2010

karen rated it

Shelves: and-so-this-is-grad-school, why-yes-i-ya

ariel says everyone loves this book, and that's probably true, these girls today are probably super-drawn to this kind of story. it's not bad, i just already have a favorite teen-problem-novel about anorexia, one that doesn't have the voice of this narrator, who was so immersed in her dreamworld, she frequently spoke in this forced-poetic voice that i found distracting:

"used to be that my whole body was my canvas - hot cuts lick my ribs, ladder rungs climbing my arm...more

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Dec 10, 2008

Karin rated it

Shelves: youngadult, 2008-reads, edgy

Lia fights a war every day.

A war with herself.

A war with food.

At 95 pounds she still feels fat. When she looks in the mirror she sees the pockets of fat hanging on her body. Everyone else is just blind. Two stays in a treatment facility hasn’t cured her; it just forced her to develop techniques to survive in a world of food. She picks the bruised apples at lunch so she has an excuse to cut some of it off, she sews quarters in the lining of her robe to a...more

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Feb 08, 2009

edh rated it

I initially found this book to be absolutely repulsive - the narrative was suffused with this sense that something was hideously wrong, and the devices that Anderson was using to describe narrator Lia's reality hinted at a disturbing mania. As it turns out, this is exactly right - Lia's sense of self was damaged even before her former best friend Cassie died alone and in pain. Their partnership was a deathly one; both girls aspired to be the skinniest as they struggled to grasp their way into ...more

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Dec 19, 2011

Mery rated it

Shelves: e-book, i-love-its-cover, mental-illness-psychology, heart-wrenching, english, drama-ya

Setelah baca Hannah, aku kok jadi suka sama cerita-cerita yang depresi gini yah... :|

Dan yang satu ini super duper bikin stress.

Lia si tokoh utama, bersahabat dengan Cassie dari mereka SD. Suatu hari Cassie ditemukan meninggal di sebuah motel. Lia ngerasa bersalah dan terpuruk. Karena setelah suatu insiden, Lia dan Cassie berhenti bicara satu sama lain selama berbulan-bulan. Dan sebelum Cassie meninggal, Cassie menelepon Lia berkali-kali. 33 kali tepatnya. Dan Lia dengan ...more

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Mar 01, 2009

Kristi (The Story Siren) added it

I love Laurie Halse Anderson. Speak is one of my all time favorite novels, so to say I was excited to read Wintergirls was an understatement. I was excited until I realized what Wintergirls was really about: anorexia. Was that something that I wanted to read about. It sounded truly depressing and slightly disturbing. But as hard as it was to read this novel, I felt like it was even harder to put down. Anderson continues to impress my with her beautifully written novels.

I’ve seen And...more

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Feb 01, 2009

Molly rated it

I am oh-so-ready for more people I know to have read this book so I can talk with them about it!!

Though it will inevitably be compared to SPEAK, I felt like this marked a real advance in Laurie Halse Anderson's ability as a writer in comparison. That said, the main character is dissociated, so it's hard to feel particuarly close to her as a reader. But I think that's the point.

I don't think it's an exaggeration at all to say that some readers will find salvation in this ...more

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Feb 07, 2009

Lisa Vegan rated it

Recommends it for: those who treat young people with eating disorders; not necessarily for those suffering from ED

Shelves: fiction, advance-copy, reviewed, gr-authors, novels, young-adult

This book was absolutely mesmerizing! I was completely engrossed and I really enjoyed it. This book gets five stars and not four from me, despite a couple of flaws, because Lia seemed so real and the writing style was wonderful and the language was lovely.

I’d highly recommend this book to those treating and caring for those suffering from anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and certain types of mental illnesses. I think it would be very educational for some, and useful for those they’re tryin...moreThis book was absolutely mesmerizing! I was completely engrossed and I really enjoyed it. This book gets five stars and not four from me, despite a couple of flaws, because Lia seemed so real and the writing style was wonderful and the language was lovely.

I’d highly recommend this book to those treating and caring for those suffering from anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and certain types of mental illnesses. I think it would be very educational for some, and useful for those they’re trying to help.

I’d be reluctant to suggest it to young people who suffer from anorexia, bulimia, or severe depression because, as with just about every single book about these subjects, it could be a harmful trigger. It’s not that the book glorifies these ailments, but the graphic descriptions of coping methods could set some off on a dangerous and self-destructive path. Then again, I’m sure this book will appeal to sufferers and it has the potential to actually help them, especially if the book is discussed.

As when reading all books about anorexia nervosa, or people starving for whatever reason, reading this made me want to eat! Too much!

I cared about Lia and also her step-sister Emma, and I very much enjoyed the numerous references to other young adult and children’s books & authors. The fact that Lia is a reader is impressive.

I read a paperback advanced uncorrected reader copy. There were lots of strike thrus and other copy that made me unsure what the final book will be. Pages 224-225 were completely blank with no text. The novel in this form was 278 pages, 282 pages with the acknowledgments.

One “error” drove me nuts. Lia (the main character) and her best friend Cassie and also Lia and a friend Elijah play the Hearts card game, apparently with a deck of cards and not on a computer, but you need a minimum of three players, not just two, in order to play Hearts. (I did message the person who provided the ARC to me about that, and also about one of the author’s choices of wording that didn’t ring true to me. Apparently, the final copy of the first edition of the book is printed, but she’ll message the editor about my concerns, and if they agree with me it’s possible changes will be made in future reprints.)

I had very recently read this author’s book Speak. (I had seen the movie years ago. The movie was good; the book is great.) Unlike Speak, which despite the serious subject matter was hilarious, this book was not filled with humor. There were a very few mildly amusing parts but it’s a much darker novel than Speak. It really gets into the mind of an eighteen-year-old girl (told first person by her) suffering from anorexia nervosa and depression. The story is compelling, at times actually terrifying, and I did cry, but reading it was well worth the painful feelings I experienced.
(less)

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Jun 14, 2009

Claudia rated it

Recommends it for: every girl

Recommended to Claudia by: Rebecca

Shelves: ya-books

This one was worth the wait. I had to wait while the pre-publication copy flew around my classes. This one is her best. She writes flawlessly in the voice of Lia, a sad, disturbed, disturbing, girl who may or may NOT be recovering from her recent hospitalization for anorexia...We hear everything in Lia's head. Her real thoughts, which she revises out of her own head, her ambivilance toward her parents, her anger she can't quite express, let us know she's sicker than she will admit. We also see h...more

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Dec 18, 2009

Karla rated it

Shelves: mourning, anorexia-bulimia, cutting, friendship, ya, 2009, favorites

This was a heartbreaking book of a troubled girl named Lia who is hauted with the loss of her friend Cassie. They had a bond or oath to be the skinnest girls. Lia takes strength in her illness of choice Anerexia. While Cassie's feeling not as strong a grip controling her urges to eat, she had bulimia struggles. You find out clues to the inside of Lia's mind as she is suffering hiding her pain by putting her in the danger zone towards death to join Cassie.
This is a quick book to read bu...more

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Mar 26, 2009

46milestogo rated it

Laurie Halse Anderson ~~sinks her teeth into~~ writes about eating disorders in this one. She ~~distracts from the too-familiar story and flat characters~~ uses lots of "clever" formatting, including numbers/tiny text/~~three guesses~~

This could have been a good book if Anderson had spent less time being "clever" and more time creating solid characters that would have strengthened a story that's been told plenty of times before.

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Mar 21, 2009

H rated it

Oh holy wow, this is probably one of the best YA books I've read in awhile. It has some flaws, but overall, it is compulsively readable, a little bit harrowing, and very convincing. Lia and Cassie have been friends since 4th grade. That is until the summer between junior and senior year, when Cassie drops Lia cold. You see, Lia had just come out of her second in-patient treatment for anorexia, and Cassie (who in the words of the girls is "a puker") has decided that Lia just isn't g...more

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Jan 16, 2012

Laura Droege rated it

Shelves: fiction, young-adult, mainstream

Lia and Cassie were best friends, bonded by the secrets of their eating disorders. Now Cassie has died. Lia is left alone, descending ever more surely into the clutches of anorexia. Her divorced parents fight over how to help her, her stepmother is well-intentioned but clueless, and no one seems to understand the mental anguish in Lia’s head. Will she die, just like her former best friend?

Wintergirls was a difficult read for me. As a college student, I was bulimic and borderline anorex...more

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Jan 01, 2009

Nancy rated it

This book is going to set the world on fire in 2009. Absolutely compelling and heartrending.

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Jan 14, 2012

Donna rated it

Shelves: squeemers

My jaw was on the floor by page 14. Literally. I have a big mouth.

This book was so stunningly good that I'm almost at a loss for words. Almost.

The language is so amazingly realistic that it just sucks you right into the story. It wraps around you like a blanket and keeps you warm through the chill of this wintergirl. It's probably the most realistic teen voice I've ever read. It's not overwrought to the point of ridiculous and it's not dumbed down emo to the point of hurling ...moreMy jaw was on the floor by page 14. Literally. I have a big mouth.

This book was so stunningly good that I'm almost at a loss for words. Almost.

The language is so amazingly realistic that it just sucks you right into the story. It wraps around you like a blanket and keeps you warm through the chill of this wintergirl. It's probably the most realistic teen voice I've ever read. It's not overwrought to the point of ridiculous and it's not dumbed down emo to the point of hurling it across the room. It's a delicate balance of words that expertly captures what this girl is going through. Absolutely stunning.

It's loquacious without being melodramatic. It's precise without spelling everything out. You can feel the chill in her bones, feel the snow in her boots, feel the wind whistling through her skin. It's disgusting and captivating and you can't look away. It's impossible. So you keep reading and reading and reading and swallow it whole like Lia so desperately wants to swallow a muffin.

This is real. This is something that so many teens suffer through, and not just girls. And it's not just about being skinny; it's about power and the need to control your own life. The only thing that Lia can control in her world of absentee parents is what she eats. She is strong but so very weak.

I am absolutely amazed reading this book because I find it so hard to relate to someone like this yet I'm so captivated by the story. I don't think there's a teenage girl out there that doesn't have weight issues. While I was never even close to anorexia or bulimia, I was a pretty big exercise nut. I often took double gym classes (which sometimes meant twice in one day on block scheduling, 84 minutes each class) plus sports plus exercising when I got home. But I was never an unhealthy weight. 119 was my thinnest during those years and that lasted for about 10 minutes. 122 was my standard, a far cry from Lia's 85 goal. Christ. I'm a heifer when those two numbers are compared, especially since I weigh about 15 pounds more now.

But I remember, especially when I was heavy into sports, forcing myself to eat something substantial for lunch because food was energy and I wouldn't be able to perform if I didn't eat. Was I sick for how much I exercised? No, not really. I could have gone a lot harder. Instead of a weightman (and a shitty weightman I was), I could have sprinted and been really damn good at it. But I didn't because the sprinting coach was an asshole and I didn't want to run for him. When the winter coaches found out my speed I made them promise not to tell the spring coach. And they kept their word.

Am I stronger because I never succumbed to an eating disorder? I'd like to think so but not everyone's like me. Not everyone's that strong although, like in the book, they feel they are. That anorexic support group website where they constantly told each other how strong they were was absolutely disgusting. And I know it's true. That's not the first time I've heard of something like that. Do they know any better? They think they're okay. Nevermind they're constantly cold, dizzy, physically weak. They're skinny. Double zeros.

I know a girl about a year older than me who weighs 85 pounds out of no effort of her own. She eats like a horse at a trough and cannot, for the life of her, gain the weight. And she gets shit from everyone, including doctors, about how "anorexic" she is. They don't believe her when she says she eats. I knew another girl, my freshman year of high school, who was confined to a wheel chair because she'd just come out of a center like the one in the book for girls with eating disorders. She was exceptionally thin and she was forced to gain back all the weight that she lost. I found out fairly recently that one of my good friends was anorexic. Her home life was absolute shit so along with the drugs and the drinking, there was that. Thankfully she's perfectly fine now, absolutely healthy (aside from the cigarettes) with a beautiful bobble-headed boy (if you saw this kid, you'd cringe for how big his head is) and a loving husband that saw her through all of that shit (yes, they've been together since high school).

I really liked the ending of this book because sometimes it takes exceptionally drastic measures for people to realize what they're doing to themselves. It's not all sunshine and lollipops to get out of something like this and even with the knowledge of how her friend died, Lia still didn't stop. Cassie was a bad influence even in death and didn't stop until the end, and beyond.

I think this book dealt with the issue excellently. There was no sugar-coating anything. Death by ruptured esophagus is an atrocious way to die and so highly plausible that it should scare people straight. The internal struggle portrayed felt like it was going on in my own head. When I was reading, there wasn't anything going on around me. I was in the story, in Lia's head, watching everything unfold. I felt her want and need to eat and I was just as sad as she was when she didn't give in to it.

This book is eye-opening and I'm sure way too many teens can relate to what's between the covers. But maybe it can help them too. There is light at the end of the tunnel but you have to be strong enough to reach for it. The people there aren't trying to hold you down, they're trying to lift you up. Take the lead out of your pockets and let them because I know you don't want to die. No one really does, not when they end up so close to actually doing it.(less)

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Oct 25, 2009

KC rated it

I'm surprised there is so little criticism of this book!

I don't normally write reviews, but I finished the book a couple weeks ago and have been letting my thoughts simmer, unable to just forget it. Amazon seems to have eaten my review (maybe it will be posted in a couple days?). I decided to look for more dissenting opinions on here.

4 or 5 stars for great writing. Anderson creates a page turner and certainly has an admirable command of language.

2 stars for...more

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Jan 26, 2009

Laura rated it

Shelves: mt-bookpile-2009

Yes, I really do think in terms of books linking to others (it helps when students ask for another book like xxxx). I'd put Wintergirls in the same box as Lisa bright and dark, Cut and I Never Promised You a Rose Garden along with other "gone crazy/on the way to mending" books. In this case, Anderson's powerful prose really sets the book apart, as do some interesting typographic elements.

Lia is 17 and has just learned that her BFF, Cassie, died in a motel room. She and...more

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Dec 03, 2011

Nicola rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, chick-lit, young-adult, mental-health

I really loved this book. It's beautifully written and impossible to look away from. Lia's character feels very real and has a very distinct voice. I thought I would find the writing style distracting but it just added to the atmosphere of the story. It's not exactly easy to read, given the topic, but it's still hard to put down. I did feel that it dragged a little at parts and Lia rambled at bit too much sometimes but it always seemed to find its way again and became even more interesting. I th...more

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Aug 10, 2009

Crystal rated it

Shelves: 2009

Wintergirls turned out to be a very tough read for me. I knew from the beginning the basic plot but I had no idea had strong the message would come across. I never knew somebody could hate themselves so much. I was in tears reading the sections where Lia would mutilate herself. I kept hoping that Lia would wake up and talk to either her parents, Elijah, or Cassandras' parents. I loved that the one person Lia finally found in her life was Emma. I feel this book does a wonderful job showing ...more

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Apr 25, 2011

Gabby rated it

Shelves: e-books, young-adult

Wintergirls talks about several teenage problems like

1. anorexia/bulimia
2. suicide
2.family break ups

but mostly this book deals about anorexia and eating disorders.

i'm also a teen i'm only 18 years old. i am fully aware of eating disorders I,myself don't actually have the most modelesque body and i tried once shoving a finger in my throat to throw up what i ate and it's actually harder than i thought,the feeling is not pretty so i decided to stop doing it ...moreWintergirls talks about several teenage problems like

1. anorexia/bulimia
2. suicide
2.family break ups

but mostly this book deals about anorexia and eating disorders.

i'm also a teen i'm only 18 years old. i am fully aware of eating disorders I,myself don't actually have the most modelesque body and i tried once shoving a finger in my throat to throw up what i ate and it's actually harder than i thought,the feeling is not pretty so i decided to stop doing it cause it didn't do any good to me. i just tried doing that out of curiousity and depression. so yeah i never get it why people have to shove a finger in their throat and have to starve themselves just to be skinny and pretty i know i sound so judgemental but as i tried to puke what i ate, it is not the nicest feeling in the world.

to Lia, Starving and not eating anything is like a daily routine for her even though how much her body wants to eat she kept on telling herself she doesn't want the food and that her body doesn't need it, she kept on counting calories of the food she takes and to be able not to feel the hunger she cuts herself . i actually can't blame Lia for being Anorexic, cause i can see that her life is a total wreck , her parents are divorced and she is grieving by the loss of her best friend.

reading from a perspective of an anorexic girl i guess it brought me a whole new light to them, i now know that they have really serious problems and their case are not actually been taken for granted. i mean food is life without it our body won't function well it's absence will highly affect our body's performance but i still don't understand why in some people's perception the epitome of beauty is skinny. i guess i'll never get to figure that one out, but i highly appreciate it that this book thought it's readers that being anorexic doesn't have benefits and starving won't do you no good.

what i don't like about this book is on how it is written. it's written in a very lyrical way and it uses a lot of flowery metaphor so i can't actually distinguish the real one and from Lia's hallucinations and lot of bad dialogues. (less)

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Mar 11, 2009

Becky rated it

Wintergirls is Laurie Halse Anderson's latest book. And it doesn't disappoint. (Or should I amend that to say it didn't disappoint me?!) I would never say that it was better than her previous books--Speak; Fever, 1793; Catalyst; Prom; Twisted; Chains, because each of her books are so different. And it's not really fair to compare. How is this one unique? Well, it's just as powerful as Speak. But I think it is even more haunting. The prose packs a lot. In a strange way, we learn quite a bit by wh...moreWintergirls is Laurie Halse Anderson's latest book. And it doesn't disappoint. (Or should I amend that to say it didn't disappoint me?!) I would never say that it was better than her previous books--Speak; Fever, 1793; Catalyst; Prom; Twisted; Chains, because each of her books are so different. And it's not really fair to compare. How is this one unique? Well, it's just as powerful as Speak. But I think it is even more haunting. The prose packs a lot. In a strange way, we learn quite a bit by what isn't said.

Meet Lia. She's anorexic. Her problem--through her eyes--is that adults keep interfering in her life. Keep forcing her to get treatment. Keep forcing her to eat. There are plenty of people who care about her: her mom, whom she calls Dr. Marrigan, her dad, her stepmom, Jennifer, her half-sister, Emma. But she doesn't have ears to listen or eyes to see what she is doing to herself, her body, her family.

When we first meet Lia, she is learning the news that her former best friend, Cassie, has died. Alone. In a motel room. What we learn soon after is just the beginning of the haunting story: on the night Cassie died, she called Lia's cell phone thirty-three times. But Lia never picked up. Would picking up have made a difference? Could she have prevented this death? Lia doesn't know. But the thought that her friend died a horrible death--a painful death--alone and scared...doesn't sit well with her. How could it? The book traces Lia's reaction to this death and follows her journey down the same path...

Here is Lia's story in her own words:

Girl is born, girl learns to talk and walk, girl mispronounces words and falls down. Over and over again. Girl forgets to eat, fails adolescence, mother washes her hand of Girl, scrubbing with surgical soap and a brush for three full minutes, then gloving up before handing her over to specialists and telling them to experiment at will. When they let her out, Girl rebels. (68)

Wintergirls is a painful book to read. No doubt about it. Lia is a scary narrator--an unreliable one. Here is a narrator that just doesn't get it. She's incapable of getting it, comprehending just how close she is to meeting Cassie's fate. In many ways it is an ugly book because eating disorders are ugly. There's nothing glamorous about skeletons and starvation and bodies shutting down. Painful as it may be, I think it is a good read. I loved that Laurie Halse Anderson so thoroughly develops these characters. Not just Lia, but her family as well. I got a real sense that her family loved her, worried about her, struggled with her. It didn't feel like an after-school special to me. It didn't feel fake and phony. It felt hauntingly real.(less)

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Mar 16, 2009

Maxwell Baldi rated it

Recommended to Maxwell by: Children's Book World, Los Angeles

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Wintergirls, Laurie Halse Anderson’s nightmarish anorexia novel to be released on March 19, reads like an anorexic girl sees her body: good but never good enough with room for improvement always present and just a little bit fake.
Anderson’s strength from her first novel, bestselling Speak published a decade ago, continues to shine through: outstanding control over language.
Her narrator Lia’s manic stream-of-consciousness style paces the novel perfectly allowing the character’s complex ...moreWintergirls, Laurie Halse Anderson’s nightmarish anorexia novel to be released on March 19, reads like an anorexic girl sees her body: good but never good enough with room for improvement always present and just a little bit fake.
Anderson’s strength from her first novel, bestselling Speak published a decade ago, continues to shine through: outstanding control over language.
Her narrator Lia’s manic stream-of-consciousness style paces the novel perfectly allowing the character’s complex arc to develop and enticing the reader to slug through the early chapters that seem a tad overwritten until viewed in context with the rest of the book.
Anderson introduces her characters with well-coined phrases – Lia is “that girl…the space between [her:] thighs, daylight shining through…the bones they want, wired on porcelain frame” – and laces longer poetic descriptions into the usually choppy prose.
“The snow drifts into our zombie mouths crawling with grease and curses and tobacco flakes and cavities and boyfriend/girlfriend juice, the stain of lies. For one moment we are not failed test and broken condoms and cheating on essays; we are crayons and lunch boxes and swinging so high our sneakers punch holes in the clouds. For one breath everything feels better.”
Lyrical passages that capture the teenage experience alone would make the book worth reading but sometimes Anderson’s language is too clever, her metaphors too esoteric; her sly plot dumps too obvious because she tries to hide them too well.
The grammatical errors employed to reinforce the idea that the narrator is a high school senior who sleeps through or ditches more English classes than she attends, instead serve as annoying distractions and further a nagging feeling that the novel is too contrived to actually be good.
The dangerous tightrope walk inherent in any teen angst novel is difficult to balance: in the battle between cliché and contrived creativity, Anderson maintains a balance well. However, she tends to lilt farthest towards contrived in the most crucial moments of the novel.
Perhaps overly conscious of an audience consisting of teenage girls living in a world of bone-thin models, Anderson has seemingly sewn a five-page didactic conclusion on to a well-crafted narrative. Even while trying to avoid a happily-ever-after ending, she still ends up with one.
Anderson pulls her punches. After setting a character towards ruin and damnation, after crafting a psychosis as complex as any in American literature since Thomas Harris’ Hannibal, Anderson takes her climax and allows it to crash down upon itself.
The stylistic aberration serves only one purpose: to hammer an anti-anorexia message into the reader without any room for interpretation. Anderson’s ending deems any secondary ideas, about the teenage experience or coping with grief or even just the pointed prose, to be irrelevant.
Wintergirls mixes profound observations with the stark realities of teenage life and, despite its disappointing finish, is well worth a read.(less)

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Apr 15, 2009

Belicia Buena-Terrones rated it

Ive read only two of Anderson's other books which were Fever 1797, and Prom. I dont remember Prom much but I remember liking Fever 1797 a lot back when I read it in 6th grade or 5th not sure. So I tried this book out and it was sort of a disappointment. I had no idea the book was about a girl with a eating disorder who acts so depressing and low it makes me feel that way too. It was really hard to read this because I was getting so irritated with the main character! There wasnt a part in the boo...moreIve read only two of Anderson's other books which were Fever 1797, and Prom. I dont remember Prom much but I remember liking Fever 1797 a lot back when I read it in 6th grade or 5th not sure. So I tried this book out and it was sort of a disappointment. I had no idea the book was about a girl with a eating disorder who acts so depressing and low it makes me feel that way too. It was really hard to read this because I was getting so irritated with the main character! There wasnt a part in the book that I didnt want to slap her and tell her try harder!though I realize it makes me mad with her attitude about eating but then again with everything else wrong in her life how can I really critcize her for not trying? Things like eating disorders and self abuse shouldnt have that kind of attitude and this book helped me realize that. Although if I had had an open and more understanding mind before starting this novel I dont think it wouldve been so hard for me to read this. the end is the main reason why I kept reading it. I was so curious to figure out what would happen in the end. The were many endings I had already had in mind for the book that I created while reading it. It turned out to be that nothing got really happy until the last 3 pages or so. I realized while books like this may be good to read to give people an out look on what people who abuse them selves live through, why they do these things, but I dont think I will ever really understand because although I am reading about it I really have no clue. I walked away from reading this thinking I dont want to read another book like this because despite the happy ending its just too depressing. The were many memorable lines in the book and I had the phrase "body found alone in hotel room" and "31 missed calls" in my head for the past 4 days. Her writing is really criptic and creepy in the way she describes people and the things going on around her. The were many parts I wanted to gag because she was too descriptive and odd about things. I found myself getting freaked out and reading fast because i didnt want to read the parts anymore. This book gave me a good understanding of abuse and anorexia but Overall I didnt like this book very much.IT was much too dark for me to read and I see the point people make that this is an amazing book but for me it just didnt strike me the way it did others.(less)

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Apr 13, 2009

Michael rated it

Shelves: read-in-2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I've read more than my fair share of scary stores--from the works of Edgar Allen Poe to Stephen King to Richard Matheson. But few of those works have ever chilled me, scared me and horrified me as much as Laurie Halse Anderson's "Wintergirls."

Part of it could be that Poe, King and Matheson are dealing in horrors that are terrifying but can be easily rationalized away as being supernatural in nature. The scary part of Anderson's novel is that what you're reading about is a...moreI've read more than my fair share of scary stores--from the works of Edgar Allen Poe to Stephen King to Richard Matheson. But few of those works have ever chilled me, scared me and horrified me as much as Laurie Halse Anderson's "Wintergirls."

Part of it could be that Poe, King and Matheson are dealing in horrors that are terrifying but can be easily rationalized away as being supernatural in nature. The scary part of Anderson's novel is that what you're reading about is all too scarily real for a lot of young people in our world today.

Lia is a teenage girl with an eating disorder. The story is told from her first-person persepective, making it all the more compelling. As the story begins, Lia is coming to terms with the death of her one-time best friend Cassie. Cassie called Lia 33 times on the night of her death, but Lia never answered. Now, Lia is haunted by that in the most literal sense of the world. Cassie begins to appear to Lia, questioning her and slowly the novel reveals the nature of their friendship and the scary pact the two made together. One afternoon, the two decide to see who can be the thinnest among them.

The pact leads to two admissions to the hospital for Lia and she's slowly on the way to a third. Lia doesn't purge like Cassie does. Instead she denies herself anything more than 500 calories a day and spends hours exercising to try and reduce the few remaining pockets of perceived fat on her body. Lia is convinced that if you can't see bones through her skin, then she's too fat.

The obsession with becoming thin is scarily and eerily presented here. Lia focuses on the weight she wants to be, at one point saying the ideal weight would be zero for herself. Lia also feels like she has tiny evil forces inside her that are only released by cutting herself. She also goes to great lengths to ensure that her step-mother and father don't realize she's losing weight, including drinking copious amounts of water before weigh-ins and sewing quarters into her robe that she wears during the weigh-ins.

Even the horrifying revelation of how Cassie died doesn't deter Lia from her path toward destruction.

Lia's story is a scary, dark one that is probably all too real for many young women in our world today. Anderson's decision to tell the story from inside Lia's head and to see her internal battle with wanting food and convincing herself she can't have it is one of many incredibly vivid moments in a book that will keep your attention. I read and liked her novel "Speak" because it allowed readers inside the character's head. "Wintergirls" follows the same convention but takes it to a wholly different level. Readers will both identify with Lia, but we're kept detached enough to see that what she's doing isn't heroic, but self-destructive. You'll be rooting for her to get the help she so desparately need and as the situation slowly sinks into greater and greater dispair, you'll be hoping and praying Lia won't meet the same end as Cassie.
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Apr 20, 2009

Blurb rated it

Shelves: reading-below-the-grade-level-ya

I really don’t understand all the fuss about Laurie Halse Anderson. Sure, she’s good but she is no better than lots of other YA writers, so I don’t get why people would say she’s like the second coming or anything. I actually saw this book on the Good Reads newsletter and decided to read it based on that.
Overall impression: This moving, spot-on portrayal of the feelings of a very depressed adolescent rises above the standard “issue” novels but is marred with some unrealistic world element...moreI really don’t understand all the fuss about Laurie Halse Anderson. Sure, she’s good but she is no better than lots of other YA writers, so I don’t get why people would say she’s like the second coming or anything. I actually saw this book on the Good Reads newsletter and decided to read it based on that.
Overall impression: This moving, spot-on portrayal of the feelings of a very depressed adolescent rises above the standard “issue” novels but is marred with some unrealistic world elements and some unnecessary literary pyrotechnics.
The Good:
Point of view: I love the insight we get into how the main character sees the world. From the appearances of her dead friend, to calculating stranger’s BMIs, the author subtly shows us how Lia’s warps viewpoint contributes to her depression.
Portrayal of depression: What makes this novel good for me is that it’s actually more about Lia’s depression than her eating disorder. The cold, empty world that Lia lives in, her pain about her family’s dissolution and her self-hatred show to a disturbingly true depiction of her feelings that’s almost painful to read.
The Bad:
Post-modern posturing: The crossed out sentences, blank pages, etc didn’t really work for me. Maybe teens would be impressed by these “innovative” devices but to me it felt like just that—superfluous flourishes used by a writer who isn’t confident that her story can stand on its own merits. She’s wrong: it can.
Unrealistic elements: Lia doesn’t seem to have any friends. I get it – she’s depressed and withdrawn, but we never really see her interacting with her peers at school or anyone but her dead friend Cassie. If this were just in this novel, I would overlook it, but since this “no friends, everyone silently ostracizes the main character for unspoken reason” theme also popped up in Speak it leads me to guess Anderson is either not confident about her ability to show teen friendships or reluctant to include them for some other reason. Either way, not great for a YA author.
(less)

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Jun 05, 2009

Jennie rated it

Shelves: young-adult-books

After experiencing Anderson's genius in Speak, I was bitterly disappointed in this book. There are times in Anderson's description of Lia's physical state that hint at her talent for writing such as her descriptions of Lia's heart as a clanging fire bell or empty garbage can lids flying down the street. However, the story (if you could call it that) grows more improbable and bizarre every page and then just pretty much derails at the end. Like most tales about anorexia, Lia's life is meant to sh...more

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Feb 19, 2010

Josiah rated it

"I believe that you've created a metaphorical universe in which you can express your darkest fears. In one aspect, yes, I believe in ghosts, but we create them. We haunt ourselves, and sometimes we do such a good job, we lose track of reality."

—Dr. Parker, Wintergirls, P. 250

This book is enough to rattle just about anyone. The sense of reality that paves the way for the searingly painful story of Lia's simultaneous descent into anorexia and madness was...more "I believe that you've created a metaphorical universe in which you can express your darkest fears. In one aspect, yes, I believe in ghosts, but we create them. We haunt ourselves, and sometimes we do such a good job, we lose track of reality."

—Dr. Parker, Wintergirls, P. 250

This book is enough to rattle just about anyone. The sense of reality that paves the way for the searingly painful story of Lia's simultaneous descent into anorexia and madness was so effective at plunging me into the heart of Lia's cataclysm that all while I was reading I felt ravenously hungry, as if I hadn't eaten in days even when my stomach was full. The narrative power wielded by Laurie Halse Anderson in this book is awesomely intense, and the voice of Lia is so hauntingly resonant and utterly believable that I found myself numerous times completely caught up in the world of not eating that Lia has created for herself. I became so personally invested in her obsessive calorie counting that, when in the story she goes to lunch one day and eats part of an apple and something more for a total caloric content that reaches into the hundreds, I felt shocked at her indulgence, wondering how she could eat so much in a single meal. Then I took in what all of the students around her were eating at the same time, and realized that their diet is totally normal and not excessive and still dwarfs Lia's meal to an extent that surpasses absurdity. I was so entranced by the pathos of Lia's world that I found myself coming to similar realizations as this the whole time that I read.

Laurie Halse Anderson does not spare us from even some of the most disturbing elements of Lia's wrenching illness. It is nothing short of heart-shattering at times to see the anger that Lia carries toward herself, the internal fury she unleashes about how fat and ugly and stupid she is, unable to absorb the fact that there are people around her who love her more than life, and that she is wasting away to nothing right in front of their helpless eyes.

Wintergirls is a book that largely defies synopses that don't include spoilers. It seems to me that what the book is really about, though, is the mental state we experience through Lia's senses, the swirling thoughts and ideas that hit her while she struggles (and oftentimes doesn't bother to struggle) with the disease that crawls insidiously through her mind and body, clandestinely tearing them both to shreds and bleeding her of her life one burned-away calorie at at time.

This isn't exactly the type of book that one reads for laughs, or as a "pleasure read." Wintergirls will tear at any reader's heart, almost unbearably at times, and while it might not be fun to read, it is an incredible story filled to overflowing with dramatic power and piercing emotion. It is a look into the frightening potential darkness of humanity, one that cannot quickly be dismissed or forgotten. The writing of Laurie Halse Anderson never falters at any point, measuring strong and true to Lia's emotional impetus as well as to the rationale of those around her. Wintergirls is an achievement of far-reaching and incomparable excellence. I would give it three and a half stars. (less)

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Apr 01, 2009

Abby Johnson rated it

Lia's not the smartest girl in school. She's not the fastest or the funniest or the most talented. But, by god, she's the thinnest.

Cassie was thin, too - a frozen Wintergirl throwing up everything she ate - but now Cassie is gone. She's crossed over. And Lia, she of the jutting bones and the strongest will, might be next.

This is a very grim story and it won't be for everyone, but I loved it. The writing is sharp and poetic, just as finely crafted as Lia's body, and just as de...more

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Feb 22, 2009

Relena_reads rated it

Recommends it for: teens, parents of teens, teachers

Laurie Halse Anderson has always been able to harness the difficulties dealt with by teens, and her newest novel is no exception.

Lia's demons feel real. Their causes, heft, and results all match the pain my students breath onto paper every day. Lia happily lives with her demons, sating them and ignoring their damages, until it is almost too late. I willingly followed Lia through her disquieting downward spiral, every inch of it making me want to scream, but every moment of it feel...more

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About Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author who writes for kids of all ages. Known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity, her work has earned numerous ALA and state awards. Two of her books, Speak and Chains, were National Book Award finalists.

Mother of four and wife of one, Laurie lives in Northern New York, where she likes to watch the snow fall as...more

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