Viola in Reel Life (Viola, #1)

Jan 09, 2010 Valerie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic-fiction

Complaints:
-Viola seems like your typical spoiled only child -definite stereotype.

-There is continuous mentioning of how GREAT NEW YORK IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (New York may be a great place yes but constant mentioning of anything gets annoying after a while)

-Acronyms are overused. Using acronyms on the computer for instant messaging and such is fine but she goes a little overboard with the BFFAA thing. When I was in elementary and middle school girls used BFF (no AA at the end that I can reme...more

6 likes · like · see review

Jan 07, 2010 Cara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Cara by: Ash

Shelves: realistic-fiction

Viola feels like her life has been taken away from her. Her parents are both documentary makers and are going to make a film in Afghanistan. Well that’s all fine and dandy but that means Viola has to go to boarding school in Indiana. From her life in Brooklyn that is going to be a huge change. She has to leave her friends and all the things she has known her whole life. To put more into the mix, she will have to live with three other girls. Marisol- the smart Hispanic on scholarship, Romy- the b...more Viola feels like her life has been taken away from her. Her parents are both documentary makers and are going to make a film in Afghanistan. Well that’s all fine and dandy but that means Viola has to go to boarding school in Indiana. From her life in Brooklyn that is going to be a huge change. She has to leave her friends and all the things she has known her whole life. To put more into the mix, she will have to live with three other girls. Marisol- the smart Hispanic on scholarship, Romy- the bubbly athletic one, and Suzanne- the tall blond one, and these are the roommates she will learn to love in time. Of course Viola tops off the group as the sarcastic girl that loves film making.

The story was cute, but not overly so and had its good attributes. She learns to not be so judgmental, has her first relationship, learns how to live with others, and just knowing who she really is. Going away from home is thought more about during the college years, but this can constitute to be somewhat of the same experience. This is your first time away from home and your familiar surroundings, and that is tough. Though I doubt in boarding school you have as much freedom and financial stuff looming over you, but that’s a different topic… I learned just how much goes into making films with this book. I think if I were more of a film junkie I could have appreciated it more because most of the time I had no idea what movies she was talking about. It’s ok though because you get the gist and still get the meat of the story. She survives her first year in a boarding school and is better for it. My favorite line in the book is on page 235, “Their struggles are mine, and mine are theirs. Just the way it should be for parents and children-together as best they can be, on Christmas.”

Of course I have my gripes. Viola is EXTREMELY annoying in the beginning. She is an only child and it shows. It’s hard not to be kind of self-centered (especially at 14) but still when she complained about things all the time I wanted to yank her out of the pages and tell her to BUILD A BRIDGE AND GET OVER IT!!!! But she did mature and that is what counts. And I have to give the author kudos for taking on a character like this. Some aspects of the story seemed a little too convenient at times, but I have to say the descriptions she makes of Indiana totally make up for it.

A solid book that has a lot to offer while showing a different non-bada** side of boarding school, and who knew that there could be one in Indiana? Now I’ve heard of everything.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Sep 06, 2011 Marleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Viola in Reel Life is a very refreshing read. Not in an million years would I have thought I was going to enjoy some young adult book that much, but as Adriana Trigiani is one of my absolute favorite authors I just ordered the book before I realised this was actually a book for young adults. I utterly and genuinely liked this quick and easy read and that is thanks to the author’s talent. No doubt.
Viola and her friends, Marisol, Romy and Suzanne are adorable – yes they seem to be very normal, dec...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 08, 2010 Nicole rated it 1 of 5 stars

Many girls are furious to find themselves packaged and shipped off to boarding school, and are sure that they will hate it. But no girl was ever more determined to detest her home-away-from-home than Viola Chesterton, a New York City freshman who is forced to spend a year at Prefect Academy while her parents film a documentary in Afghanistan. "Viola in Reel Life", while an easy read, had such painfully unrealistic characters that it is difficult to continue reading. Viola's feelings against Indi...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 18, 2013 Jane rated it 1 of 5 stars

Viola Chesterton is possibly the most self-aware fictional teen I've ever read. Among her crop of difficulties--going to a new school in a strange place, having to make new friends, sharing a room for the first time, trying to understand boys--none has time to so much as sprout before she's busy reaping a bounty of insights from it. Important Lessons About Friendship and Life are thick on the ground here.

The story begins well enough: Viola's a sheltered only child from Brooklyn, knee deep in cu...more Viola Chesterton is possibly the most self-aware fictional teen I've ever read. Among her crop of difficulties--going to a new school in a strange place, having to make new friends, sharing a room for the first time, trying to understand boys--none has time to so much as sprout before she's busy reaping a bounty of insights from it. Important Lessons About Friendship and Life are thick on the ground here.

The story begins well enough: Viola's a sheltered only child from Brooklyn, knee deep in culture shock, angst and homesickness on her first day at Prefect Academy in South Bend, Indiana. She immediately makes the situation worse by alienating her roommates. But don't worry; readers are relieved of any need to empathize with Viola because by the next morning she's had an attitude overhaul and is referring to her roomies as "her family," an about-face that seemed to be motivated mostly by her fear of facing the cafeteria alone. It turns out to be a character overhaul, too. That snarky, streetwise, vulnerable girl we meet in Chapter One hardly shows up at all for the rest of the book.

The trio of roommates are plucked straight from an Edwardian boarding school novel, with a few modern amendments (texting! blue hair! a Latina!). One character even calls Viola 'droll' (I assume she picked it up from watching Downton Abbey). These chums always support each other and never, ever fight.

Viola's glad to have such sisterly support, especially when (spoiler!) she breaks up with her first boyfriend, suddenly and in public. Just moments after schooling him about emotions and his lack thereof, she muses that it's really okay, because she didn't know him all that well and she's better off with someone who'll like her for herself. Okay, fine. This I could almost buy. But when she follows up this analysis with "all in all, it was a good first relationship, and I learned a lot," I gave up. "I learned a lot"? What teenage girl says this about a (forty-minutes-old) breakup? How can she know that Jared Spencer was a 'good first relationship'? She has nothing to compare it to yet! For all she knows, it was the worst first relationship EVER and she is DOOMED in the romance department! This kind of assessment does not come from a fourteen year old; it comes from a twenty-four or thirty-four or forty-four year old. It comes with the distance of years. The breakup with your first love, even if he was really only a 'like,' hurts. It hurts a lot. It is raw, unsettling pain that you want to fix, but can't. But throughout the story, Viola never hurts (not much, not for long) and figures out this whole 'teenage' business without much fuss. And if nothing is really at stake, why should we care? Just give Viola thirty seconds and she'll be skipping along on her way to the next wholesome, nourishing lesson. If being a young adult was this easy no one would write about it in the first place. Being a teenager is hard. Who cares if the pain is character building? It hurts now! So if you're going to write for young people, honor that struggle, don't dismiss it. There's more to writing a good YA novel than sprinkling your dialogue with "like" and your plot with a few tender kisses.(less)

like · see review

Sep 04, 2012 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 3-stars, fiction, children-and-young-adult

Aspiring filmmaker Viola spends her freshman year at a boarding school while her documentary filmmaker parents are shooting an important project in Afghanistan. As she misses her friends and her life back in NYC, Viola clings to an initial survival tactic of resiting getting attached and to keep a distance, using her camera and her wry attitude, from everyone and everything at Prefect Academy. This backfires on her when she realizes her roommates are bonding without her, and she quickly changes...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 30, 2012 Dayla rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: annoying-protagonist, contemporary, could-have-been-better, family, fun-read, high-school-issues, not-perfect-but-fun, poor-character-development, potential, romance, school, series, weak-protagonist, young-adult

Review first appeared on my blog: Book Addict 24-7

I came across Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani, the first in the Viola series, a year or so ago and finally got around to reading it while on my trip. This was a surprisingly quick read, yet it lacked a few qualities that would normally make a book stand out for me. What I surmised as I concluded Trigiani's novel is that yes, this book can be read in one sitting, but not because the book is fascinating, original, or gripping--it is simply a...more Review first appeared on my blog: Book Addict 24-7

I came across Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani, the first in the Viola series, a year or so ago and finally got around to reading it while on my trip. This was a surprisingly quick read, yet it lacked a few qualities that would normally make a book stand out for me. What I surmised as I concluded Trigiani's novel is that yes, this book can be read in one sitting, but not because the book is fascinating, original, or gripping--it is simply an easy read.

While Viola in Reel Life is aimed at a teen audience, the prose feels like it is written for a much younger audience. While I love Viola's friends and the relationships she forms while she is at boarding school, Viola herself is hard to connect with, thanks to her unnatural prose. She is naive beyond comprehension and her narrative is at times redundant.

Viola's relationship with her first boyfriend lacks the emotions that one would equate to first love. This observation leads me to believe that Trigiani tells her readers what her characters are feeling, rather than show them the building emotions as her characters grow.

Though the ending is abrupt, I was somewhat sad to see the book finish. Personally, I think Viola has a lot more growth in store for her. I just hope that Trigiani manages it in a less unattached fashion.

There is a fun twist to this novel, however, and that is the short-lived mystery that literally haunts Viola until the conclusion. Though the story reads more as an angst-ridden novel, Viola in Reel Life does teach valuable lessons to readers caught in similar situations. Trigiani teaches us that not everything is as it appears to be, and to have faith during times where life isn't going the way we plan.

Though it is nowhere near perfect, I would recommend this book to younger readers. The writing might connect with younger teens and pre-teens, since it isn't anywhere near the maturity calibre of recently published young adult novels. Trigiani captures the difficulties of growing up and the importance of just letting go and accepting whatever life throws at you.
(less)

2 likes · like · see review

May 18, 2012 Karlyne Landrum rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoy Adriana Trigiani; I read the Big Stone Gap books the way I eat popcorn, which is to say I devoured them by the handful. But, somehow, this book just isn't buttery. Yes, it's "YA", but I've always believed that any kids' books that are worthy to be read by kids ought to be enjoyable to adults, too. I think the problem with it is that it sounds like a book being written by an adult who's trying too hard to be a modern teenage girl. There are some nice moments in it (strangely enough, I enj...more

like · see review

Oct 05, 2011 Kailyn Elyse rated it 4 of 5 stars

What can I say about this book?

Well, to start off it was a different kind of book than I usually reed. I'm into the fantasy books mostly, but because I won a HarperTeen writing contest and got to choose three books, this was one that I chose. And boy, am I glad I did.

I loved that Adriana Trigiani wrote a story about a young girl who knew what she wanted. Viola is a strong character, but a downer as I say. She's positive that she's going to hate Prefect Academy and therefore doesn't try to fit...more

like · see review

May 23, 2011 Alexa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-2011-advisory

Viola is a teenage girl from Brooklyn, New York. She attends LaGuardia High School until one day her parents decide to send her to a boarding school in Indiana. She now attends Prefect Academy for Young Women, or PA. Viola is a filmmaker, and that is how she gets to have a good time at PA. At first she hated it and wanted to leave, but after filming a couple of things for the school, she really enjoys it at PA. She also starts to like it at PA when to get to know her roommates, hanging out with...more

like · see review

May 09, 2011 Jodi rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this story. It started off pretty strong - a girl, Viola, is shipped off to boarding school in Indiana while her parents jet off to Afghanastan for a documentary. She has to get used to small town life after growing up in Brooklyn as well as learn how to share a room with other girls. Viola seemed like a likeable character at first - trendy and snarky - and it seemed like she would be a lot of fun to live vicariously through. Then, Trigiani started throwing all these diff...more

like · see review

Mar 25, 2011 Mary Catherine rated it 2 of 5 stars

There are some books that capture one’s attention and grips onto the reader for the length of its entirety.

Then there are the books that a reader flips through slowly, in a relaxed manner, while lounging at any given time.

Adriana Trigiani’s first foray into the young adult world, VIOLA IN REEL LIFE, fell into the latter category for me.

The writing is fluid and there’s nothing wrong with the book.

My problem lies more in the fact that I didn’t think anything of consequence really happened. It fall...more

like · see review

Nov 21, 2010 Marleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Junior fiction: age 12-14

I love everything by Trigiani. She could write about potatoes growing, and I would marvel at her way with words, This book didn't let me down.
This story is about 14 year old Viola. When her parents have to go to Afghanistan for a year for a movie project, she's send to the Perfect Academy boarding school, much to her displeasure.
She's convinced that she will be miserable, having to spend a year amidst strangers in Indiana, away from everything she knows and loves in New...more

like · see review

Nov 16, 2010 Jodi Papazian rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-reads

I really wanted to like this story. It started off pretty strong - a girl, Viola, is shipped off to boarding school in Indiana while her parents jet off to Afghanastan for a documentary. She has to get used to small town life after growing up in Brooklyn as well as learn how to share a room with other girls. Viola seemed like a likeable character at first - trendy and snarky - and it seemed like she would be a lot of fun to live vicariously through. Then, Trigiani started throwing all these diff...more

1 like · like · see review

May 21, 2010 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: family-story, romance, school-story, young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I wanted to read this book based on all the fabulous reviews, and ended up liking it a lot, if not as much as I had hoped. The South Bend, Indiana setting was well-imagined, though a friend in South Bend laughed when I told her that it was about a boarding school: "A boarding school in SB? Hahaha. ...Around here boarding is a Martian concept." But I found it believable, and really liked the characters. I kind of wished the story had been longer, to spend more time with them and with the setting,...more

like · see review

May 18, 2010 Bianca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Viola In Reel Life is a book is a wonderful, fast-paced read. It's original and isn't the usual cliché boarding school book.

I knew that this book would be about a girl and her love for filming, but I hadn't thought it would talk so much about theatre. I absolutely love theatre and this book has mentions of Buster Keaton and other silent film actors, Arsenic and Old Lace..It was very interesting to read about.

Adriana Trigiani does a great job with the characters. Viola with her filming and sarcas...more

like · see review

Feb 28, 2010 Amber Tichenor rated it 5 of 5 stars

My silent reading I had chosen is “Viola In Reel Life” by Adriana Trigiani. The reason I really in enjoyed this book from this certain author, is because the author makes you feel like you been in that situation. The Summary in “Viola In Reel Life” is a girl name Viola. Which loves making movies just like her parents. Her parents sent her to a boarding school in Indiana. While she in boarding school, her beloved parents travel across the world to get some footage of their movie as a job. Why she...more My silent reading I had chosen is “Viola In Reel Life” by Adriana Trigiani. The reason I really in enjoyed this book from this certain author, is because the author makes you feel like you been in that situation. The Summary in “Viola In Reel Life” is a girl name Viola. Which loves making movies just like her parents. Her parents sent her to a boarding school in Indiana. While she in boarding school, her beloved parents travel across the world to get some footage of their movie as a job. Why she want to follow her beloved parents career? When she was sent to this old boarding school for girls, she thought it was the end of the world. She chugged her bags in a new world she never wanted to be in. She was thinking why she gotten roomed with two other mates, when she requested a single room. The only thing she was thinking at the time was, how she wished to be home with her friends and family. After a few days, she finally felt good about the whole boarding school thing. All her friends was questioning about why she was recording so many videos on her camcorder. After weeks and months, one thing she did not wanted to do. She was so nervous about the school dance were a boy boarding school comes. Then her beloved friend Andrew that she trusted and loved at the same time, felt down about leaving him in her home state. One thing that change her thinking way about her new life, was a new boyfriend that can live with out. One thing that she never does in her life is now different that change her life to look out is…. To find out what will happen to Viola, you have to read the book to see what really happens to her.
The setting of “Viola In Reel Life” is at an all girl boarding school in a small town in Indiana called South blend. How this author describes the setting, it really makes you feel the contention of a past event of your life. When I think when I am reading this book, it reminds me of how of a weeklong camp session I went to in the summer times. The setting deals with many components in the story. This story contains drama, romance, and funny moments.
The main characters in this story are really based on true life. How this author explains each character you can really image what they look like in life. Viola is the main character. Her trait really matches her look. She loves, caring, funny, serious and honest. The other character is almost just like Viola. The other main characters in the story are, her mom, dad, and her grandma, with of course Andrew, Caitlin, Suzanne and Romy.
The Theme of the story is that you always need a place to look out when things are tough and hard. The reason for this is, that Viola had a hard time settling in her new boarding school, but she knew with her heart that everything would work out the best way as you dream. This theme really makes you think, that it really goes on in our today world.
The overall opinion from me is, that it’s a really good book that grabs you. Many people may look on this book by the cover. The right way to choose a favorite book is how the author grabs you and keeps you interested in it. This reason I like this book. Not only it grabs you it is full of drama, and full of foreshowing.

Amber Tichenor
Period 4
Mrs. Baker
March 1. 2010

(less)

like · see review

Feb 18, 2010 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a very cute coming of age book about a 14 year old girl named Viola, who gets sent to a all girls school in Indiana while her parents film a documentary in Afghanistan. I really enjoyed the film aspects because that is something that I don't know a lot about.

I related a lot to Viola, she is very stubborn and she seems to never understand that she is acting a certain way until someone points it out to her. I went into this book wanting to read a teenage romance, but as this story progre...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 29, 2010 Jlaurenmc rated it 5 of 5 stars

You know it's been a good book when you find yourself marking passages that just seem to speak to you. It was that way with Adriana Trigiani's latest novel, Viola in Reel Life. Although the book is Trigiani's first foray into the young adult literary world, she either had some good YA editors or a good head for what should be included in a young adult story because this book is an excellent example of the genre.

Viola, the main character, is 14-almost-15 (as she describes herself) and far from he...more You know it's been a good book when you find yourself marking passages that just seem to speak to you. It was that way with Adriana Trigiani's latest novel, Viola in Reel Life. Although the book is Trigiani's first foray into the young adult literary world, she either had some good YA editors or a good head for what should be included in a young adult story because this book is an excellent example of the genre.

Viola, the main character, is 14-almost-15 (as she describes herself) and far from her native Brooklyn. Her documentary-making parents have gone on assignment to Afghanistan to film a piece on Afghan women, and Viola is forced to attend a year at the Prefect Academy for Girls. PA is a boarding school in South Bend Indiana, and to Viola it might as well be Timbuktu. She is a fish out of water without her best friends, her family, and her home setting. Viola's one passion is filming, and through her camera she begins to understand her new world and to fit into it.

Trigiani hits the nail on the head with her eye for adolescent fashion ("I go to my dresser and pull out a pair of cigarette jeans, a Bob Marley t-shirt, a sky-blue bandanna folded thick around my neck, and my jean jacket, because it's cold in here. I jump into my clothes, slip into my yellow patent leather flats, and grab my backpack" (47).), and manages to seem technologically up-to-date (Viola does a lot of IM-ing and text messaging) without going overboard and ruining the storyline or character development. Viola and her roommates show a fair amount of teen angst -- over homesickness, boys, family problems, and fitting in -- but each tear seems appropriate rather than overly dramatic. Trigiana knows teenage girls, but somehow gets her reader (in this case, a 28-year-old female -- not a teen) to find empathy in the characters and not annoyance.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the book are the slightly skewed ideas of the young female characters, especially their views on boy-girl relationships. Viola gives her (and her roommates') opinion on a boy she meets at a neighboring school:

It's like some miracle. I didn't see this (a real boyfriend) happening to me for years. I thought most boys were dorks (can provide a list) or unrealistic reaches (Tag Nachmanoff) or strictly pals (Andrew Bozelli) but Jared Spencer doesn't fit on any of those lists. He's cute, he's smart, and he's into the exact same things I am. The current status of Jared and me (us) gives me a warm feeling -- like I belong somewhere -- even though I only have one night of talking, one full moon, and three kisses to go on. The rest I'm filling in from instant messages, pictures, and emails. I'm getting to know him, but as far as our quad is concerned, it's already a done deal -- I officially have a boyfriend. (184)

Trigiani's attention to the teenage, female voice is uncanny. Viola and her friends sound like real teenage girls riding on a bus beside you or walking in front of you at the mall. In another Jared-filled paragraph, Viola matter-of-factly explains that "as of December 9, 2009, I'm in a holding pattern of four kisses, one hand-holding, one date, one cookie, and one book. The IMs and texts are at, like, a record-breaking number at this point" (205). She goes on to clarify that while all of this is "perfectly great" (205), she's also learned "with the guidance of Suzanne [her 14-year-old roommate:], to never count on much when it comes to boys, because then you will not be disappointed. So far, that's become the backbone of my romantic philosophy" (205).

Adriana Trigiani has had much success as a novelist, following a television-writing career in which she wrote for hits such as The Cosby Show and A Different World. I own every book she's ever written, including the beloved Big Stone Gap series, Lucia, Lucia, Rococo, Queen of the Big Time, and the Valentine series (the second in that series will be published in February 2010).

In order to give full disclosure, I must admit that I have met Trigiani and may possibly be slightly persuaded to like her novels due to her wonderful personality and good taste... I met the author at the Southern Festival of Books in 2005 when it was in Memphis, rather than Nashville. As I stood to ask Trigiani a question (couldn't tell you if I tried what it was about), she interrupted me with screams for the audience to turn around and look at me. As they did, she screeched, "Oh my GOSH!! Doesn't she look EXACTLY like Cate Blanchett?? Look at her!!" This was a huge compliment, and also embarrassing -- my face turned ten shades of red -- but has endeared her to me forever. At the meet-and-greet, there was talk of a movie being made based on the Big Stone Gap books; my mother told Trigiani that I would be much cheaper to play the role than the actual Cate Blanchett... To her credit, Trigiani laughed and didn't say anything mean. So -- great author, and great person. (And truthfully, I would like the books regardless of some years-old compliment the author paid me!)(less)

like · see review

Jan 09, 2010 Donna rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book gets ten points alone for not being Tall Tales of the Moron Girls and How to Talk Like a Douche. There was literally a sigh of relief as I started reading this because it wasn't stuffed sausage-tight with so-hip-you-need-a-new-one slang and absolutely ridiculous situations.

But . . .

I started getting antsy, anxious, for something to happen. It was so boring and . . . ordinary. I can understand the realistic aspect to it and trying to make that kind of connection to readers that this cou...more

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 13, 2009 Louise rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

On September 3, 2009, fourteen-year-old Viola Chesterton finds herself unhappy after being dropped off in South Bend, Indiana which Viola refers to as the: “...dust bowl of Indiana”, at “The Prefect Academy For Young Women Since 1890.” Viola’s parents are off in Afghanistan for a year making a documentary about Afghan women forcing them to pull her from her home in Brooklyn, New York. This was not going to be an easy or comfortable change for Viola.

Convinced she was going to be unhappy, and feel...more On September 3, 2009, fourteen-year-old Viola Chesterton finds herself unhappy after being dropped off in South Bend, Indiana which Viola refers to as the: “...dust bowl of Indiana”, at “The Prefect Academy For Young Women Since 1890.” Viola’s parents are off in Afghanistan for a year making a documentary about Afghan women forcing them to pull her from her home in Brooklyn, New York. This was not going to be an easy or comfortable change for Viola.

Convinced she was going to be unhappy, and feeling “marooned” and “abandoned”, Viola figures her family will miss her long before her year at the all-girls boarding school is up, and will rush to bring her home. If she can’t convince them through her words, then as an amateur photography and movie maker who never leaves her camera behind, she decides she’ll express her unhappiness through film. It gives her little consolation when she realizes that: “...parents have been dumping their girls here for a solid education since bustle skirts, high-top shoes, and the invention of the cotton gin” and Viola sees the Academy as her “personal prison.”

Used to being an only child and not having to share, Viola decides to take a middle stance and not be “...too quick to make friends” as she doesn’t want to be stuck with a ‘best friend forever’ or viewed as the “...most annoying person on the planet” and is soon introduced to her three roommates. But, as the girls get to know each other and become acquainted, what Viola begins to learn is that sometimes what we term as “family” isn’t what we think.

During her journey through boarding school, Viola not only makes some friends, discovers some things about herself and her family, survives her first boyfriend, but learns that good things do happen to people like her and growing up is sometimes hard to do.

Ms. Trigiani’s talent is amazing!! It doesn't matter if she's writing adult fiction or young adult fiction, all her novels are page-turners! I felt like I was with the group every step of the way, like I had been transported into the pages of the novel!! This novel is for anyone, young or old, male or female and will leave you wanting more.
(less)

like · see review

Aug 21, 2009 Denise rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Normally I don't read young adult novels....I did enough of that while studying to be a teacher in college. But with Adriana Trigiani as one of my favorite authors, I had to make an exception.

This book is about Viola, a fourteen year old girl from NYC, who has been sent away to boarding school because both her parents are off in Afghanistan filming an independent film about the conditions there. Viola's personality is so cleverly woven by Adriana that I felt as if I were reading about one of my...more

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 28, 2010 Cecile rated it 1 of 5 stars

Why did I even bother to finish this book? I'd like to think it was a combination of stupidity and insane boredom from staying at a hospital with my mom for hours with only this book at hand. The beginning was ok... I really loved the transition from Brooklyn to Indiana. I could really understand the frustrations after my own move just recently. I really couldn't stand Viola at the end though, her brattiness and arrogance were just mind-numbingly aggravating. The boy character was interesting, b...more

like · see review

Mar 06, 2010 Adriana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: new-in-2010

I picked this book up for only three reasons: 1) I had a 30% off coupon and wanted to get my money's worth by getting a hard back but not an expensive hard back, 2) I've been wanting to give this author a try for only the same-name solidarity factor, and 3) I wanted something that would be easy to get through.

If I ignored the inflated, ingenuine syntax, this was easy to get through because it didn't really get into anything too deeply. It's almost as if it was an idea the author briefly had and...more I picked this book up for only three reasons: 1) I had a 30% off coupon and wanted to get my money's worth by getting a hard back but not an expensive hard back, 2) I've been wanting to give this author a try for only the same-name solidarity factor, and 3) I wanted something that would be easy to get through.

If I ignored the inflated, ingenuine syntax, this was easy to get through because it didn't really get into anything too deeply. It's almost as if it was an idea the author briefly had and she briefly put it to paper.

This is the story of Viola, the only child of filmmakers and granddaughter of a stage actress, who has to leave her beloved New York and BFFAA Andrew while her parents go to the Middle East to film a documentary on Afghan women to go to boarding school her freshman year in South Bend, Indiana. Viola has a hard time adjusting because 1) she's a hardened New Yorker, 2) as a budding filmmaker, she's too artistic for country bumpkin life, and 3) she's a teen with a snarky attitude. But she's put into a dorm room with three girls who are (stereotypically) the complete opposites as she and she learns that she can find the sisters she never had in life. Not that the static, supporting characters really make an impact in the story. It is all about Viola, after all. She does change throughout the book but it's kind of a let down that it's because she finds out she's poor and has boy problems.

Viola keeps a video diary but we only get to see two stylized entries. She's a filmmaker but can't appreciate the adventure of going to boarding school in another state. She doesn't try to get to really know and understand her roommates' stories (even at the end, she still sees them superficially). There's a mystery but that gets resolved a little too neatly. Loads and loads of pop culture references (and one imaginary one-Rock Band 3) but not nearly as charming as the way Meg Cabot uses them. And then there's the boy.

Anyway, two and a half stars for the book and half a star for being easy to get through. I haven't read any of this author's other books but I think she should stay away from YA fiction in the future.(less)

like · see review

Jan 07, 2010 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

I know I'm not exactly up on the teen reading scene, but if I had a teenage daughter, this is the type of book I'd like her to read. I've already recommended it to my teenaged cousin - and with good reason.

I've been a fan of Adriana Trigiani since she gave my commencement address at our shared alma mater, Saint Mary's College, which the general reader will see mentioned in this book. The SMC grad will see in many of the descriptions of the Prefect Academy - from the tree-line avenue and the gro...more

like · see review

Mar 12, 2013 Hope rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Apr 26, 2011 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

Several members of the local Friends of the Library group were excited to see that I had checked out Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani. Adriana did a book signing in Richmond, and everyone just loved her. With raves about her writing and her personality, I was excited to start reading!

Viola Chesterton is an aspiring filmmaker from New York. She lives, breathes, and loves her Brooklyn neighborhood.

She's also a teenager, which means she has to attend high school. Much to her dismay, her paren...more

like · see review

Apr 12, 2010 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful coming-of-age book by Trigiani in her first ever Young Adult book. Fourteen-year-old Viola Chesterton loves making movies as much as her parents do. They make film documentaries. Viola’s grandmother, “Grand,” is an actress, so it’s safe to say it’s in Viola’s blood. Viola is sent to “The Prefect Academy for Young Women Since 1890” in South Bend, Indiana because her parents are off to Afghanistan to make a documentary about Afghan women. It’s a big change for the native Brookl...more

like · see review

Aug 20, 2009 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Viola in Reel Life worked for me despite the fact, that it sounded to me like the type of book I usually do not like. The thing about Viola in Reel Life is the pace is extremely slow for most of the novel, but in the words of a dear friend, “slow is not always a bad thing. “ In the case of Viola in Reel Life the slow pace was easy for me to deal with because of Adriana’s ability to bring all of her characters to life.

Adriana Trigiana truly does bring all of her characters to life. Viola’s strong...more

like · see review

Apr 04, 2013 G.K. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit-ish, realistic-fiction, unfinished-series, young-adult

3.5 stars

This book is so good. Maybe people who are more aquainted with ghost stories then I am will disagree, but I usually don't read them. I loved the red lady element. It transformed this story from an okay boarding school plot to a really cool, mysterious mystery-ish plot.

Viola was kind of a strange character for me, because she seemed like sometimes she liked Prefect Academy, sometimes she hated it. I thought she had finally adjusted there, and then she would say something like, 'Indiana...more

like · see review

title link	preview: Viola in Reel Life
avg rating	preview: Viola in Reel Life Goodreads rating: 3.41 (1697 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6317932-viola-in-reel-life?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347025674l/6317932.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6317932-viola-in-reel-life?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani[/url]

Viola in Reel Life (Viola #1)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (11)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Adriana Trigiani

Books by Adriana Trigiani

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Viola in Reel Life

Quotes from Viola in Reel Life