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Breathe My Name

by R.A. Nelson

3.80 · rating details · 591 ratings · 115 reviews

Frances can forgive. She can even forget. But she can never escape her past . . .

A compelling psychological thriller from the acclaimed author of Teach Me. Frances Robinson has the perfect life: loving adoptive parents, a great best friend, and a cute new boyfriend. But Frances has a secret.

Once upon a time she wasnt Frances Robinson. She was Shine, and she lived with h

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Paperback, 320 pages

Published October 16th 2008 by Razorbill (first published November 8th 2007)

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Jan 25, 2009

Michelle rated it

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like 2 likes

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Mar 11, 2008

Celia Powell rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: youngadult

I picked this up off the YA shelves at the library because of the cover (I love the title written in condensation), and then because of the "my mother killed all my siblings except for me and she's now in a mental hospital" storyline. Because I find those news stories about mothers who kill their children horrifically fascinating.

Breathe My Name wasn't bad - when her mother's released from prison and leaves her a mysterious message, Frances and the new guy at her school, N...more

like 3 likes

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Nov 29, 2008

Jennifer rated it

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Shelves: teen-reality

Well... At first I was pretty into this book. It deals with a teen who was the only surviving sister of infanticide. Her mother suffocated her 3 younger sisters in a post partum, isolated, depressed situation. I think many aspects of how she may feel growing up, and why this could have possibly happened is interesting. I also feel like many of the characters were fairly well flushed out. So why the 2? Towards the end of the book the author throws in what i felt was a totally superfluous plot twi...more

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Sep 10, 2007

Lauren rated it

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Shelves: ya

A haunting portrayal of what it is to live with a truly terrible event. The main character's mother killed her sisters and tried to kill her when she was little. Suddenly, she hears that her mother is being released from the mental institute she was sentenced to.
In the midst of the main tragedy that takes place, the main character goes through a very real and convincing first teenage love that. While the beginning was solid, the end felt forced and confused. Something so terrible could nev...more

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Mar 05, 2009

Megan rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Megan by: Heather Norman

R. A. Nelson’s work Breathe My Name is a sensible work of fiction that will tug at your heart and draw you in. Along with a recent work, Teach Me, he follows a girl in her troubles to overcome her past and move toward forgetting her mother. With every other chapter switching from Frances’ life when she was seven to the present with her as a junior in High School, it keeps you active in the story line. I enjoyed her protective parents and her childish innocence, or so she would seem.
...more

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Jan 19, 2012

Erica rated it

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Shelves: dead-friends-and-family, horror, murder, real-life-fiction, sisters, survival, women-and-girls

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It was great until the end when it became awful.
Much of the current YA fiction seems to be depressing and morbid and while this book certainly fits both those descriptions, it is also well-written and hopeful.
I enjoyed the subtlety in which Frances releases herself from her emotional prison; smothering is an underlying topic not only because of the past she shares with her mother and dead sisters, but because of her smothering adoptive family and the way she smothers her own emotion...moreIt was great until the end when it became awful.
Much of the current YA fiction seems to be depressing and morbid and while this book certainly fits both those descriptions, it is also well-written and hopeful.
I enjoyed the subtlety in which Frances releases herself from her emotional prison; smothering is an underlying topic not only because of the past she shares with her mother and dead sisters, but because of her smothering adoptive family and the way she smothers her own emotions. It was very easy for the me to feel Frances' growth as she breaks free of her past, her present and herself.
The trip she takes to confront her mother, her father, her memories, is poignant and memorable and while some of the scenes between her and her hero/savior/love-interest are a bit contrived, they are not unbelievable. The thee main teens are interesting and play well off each other. For most of the novel, Frances doesn't display much personality, nor does she seem very self-aware. Her best friend is the opposite and serves to show strength and confidence, as does the mysterious new boy who helps her save herself. These supporting characters serve to highlight just how shut-off and shut-down Frances is, how she has smothered everything about herself.
I was really taken with the book up until the end. Once Frances makes it to the safe-house where her mother is being kept, however, I felt the book became something like a screenplay for an episode of Scooby-Doo; the appearance of a nefarious villain, who wouldn't have been out of place in saying, "And it would have worked, too, had it not been for you meddling child!", bordered on the ridiculous. The book could have ended in the mental ward and that would have made sense, ending on a note of hope, love and redemption, but it seems the author wanted Frances to have a little more closure. I found that closure to be super-quick and unbelievable; people just don't get to tie up deep emotional problems so neatly or with the support of the volunteer fire department. I was horribly disappointed in the end and felt that I had been let down. Frances had been created as a real-feeling persona only to have that taken away so she could become a caricature for all abused children who have succesfully healed themselves and entered healthy adulthood.
Regardless, the book is still worth reading. Not only does it satisfy the horrified voyeur of the tragic and senseless, but it offers hope that even the worst cases can have healthy outcomes. (less)

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Apr 09, 2010

♥ttlyoverit17♥♪ rated it

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Shelves: ya-romance, drugs-and-abuse

Frances is haunted by her past. When she was small she lived with her mother and small sisters whom she helped cared for. Her mother created a new, magical world that she raised her children around. Frances' father was always away and that's why what happened was such a miracle: Frances' mother took each one of her kids, one by one, up to her bedroom and smothered them. Frances was th elast one and only one to survive because someone walked in.

Now 18, she is adopted an still in schoo...more

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Jan 04, 2010

Carrie Walker rated it

· review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Tonight I finished this book. I enjoyed the book because it supplied me with a struggle between an average girl and herself while also adding a hint of love story. I recommend "Breathe My Name" to those who love a good conflict with high stakes. Also to those who like a good love story. The book kept my interested the entire time I was reading and I found myself dying to know what would happen next. In this story, the main character, Frances, lives a normal life as a junior in high sch...moreTonight I finished this book. I enjoyed the book because it supplied me with a struggle between an average girl and herself while also adding a hint of love story. I recommend "Breathe My Name" to those who love a good conflict with high stakes. Also to those who like a good love story. The book kept my interested the entire time I was reading and I found myself dying to know what would happen next. In this story, the main character, Frances, lives a normal life as a junior in high school. A perfect family, a perfect house, and a perfect life. But she soon discovers she must confront her gross past. Eleven years before, she was adopted into the family she was in, but the reason why still haunts her. When she was little, Frances has 3 other sisters. She lived with her birth mother and birth father in a small country house. Her mother would imagine a world, Fireless, and the children would join her on adventures as they explored the forest around them and the creeks. But soon, her birth mother became sick. Sick as in crazy. She started to see black all the time and felt the need to protect her children. She needed to get them away from the world. She decided to take them to "Fireless". On an average day she called each child up to her bedroom one at a time. Once there, she would tell them where they were going and then before they could run, she smothered them with a pillow, murdering her children. Only Frances survived. Her birth mother was then placed in jail and then in a mental facility. Eleven years later, Frances receives a visit from a lawyer, saying that her mother is soon to be released from the psychiatric facility because she was "responding well" and was "recovering". She also sent a letter to Frances through this lawyer. It read, "I need to see you. Please come right away. We have to finish." Feeling the need to confront her mother, she heads off to find her birth mother with her boyfriend, Nix. Overall I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone. (less)

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Apr 16, 2009

A.lam rated it

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Breathe My Name by R.A. Nelson is an intriguing tale that keeps you reading. Nelson develops character and theme with excruciating detail, creating a unique reading experience.His use of foreshadowing added an essential component of suspense in the already gripping tale. To appreciate the story, we have to realize that as much as it talks about extremities, it also is reflective of the haunting yet heart-warming details of life. Nelson adds in small, almost undetectable moments of human frailty ...moreBreathe My Name by R.A. Nelson is an intriguing tale that keeps you reading. Nelson develops character and theme with excruciating detail, creating a unique reading experience.His use of foreshadowing added an essential component of suspense in the already gripping tale. To appreciate the story, we have to realize that as much as it talks about extremities, it also is reflective of the haunting yet heart-warming details of life. Nelson adds in small, almost undetectable moments of human frailty and tidbits of normality that strikes a note in the reader. This causes a resonating effect and causes the audience, suspecting or otherwise, to fall in love with all aspects of the story.

The themes of love and acceptance are laced into the novel with every word. R.A. Nelson takes care in injecting love into the imagery and into the characters to grow and develop this concept. We as the audience get the full, haunting power of love and of the bond between family members in this lasting tale. Through all odds, even amidst darkness, death and insanity, a family was reconciled in a moment of brokenness and fragility. This resonates so well with our own world, where families are in need of reconciliation and true love.

Like some other reviews have said before, this story had a lacking ending. However I feel that the ending, however rushed and dry, leaves the reader to imagine and fill in the blanks themselves.The emotions, as others mention, are unbridled and beautiful and very real. They reflect the emotions felt by us all.

Breathe My Name is a gripping novel that will drown you in emotion and thought. Sensitive and beautiful, R.A. Nelson has created not only a story, but a piece of art reflecting love at its best. Torn families are mended and new relationships are made. However, truth remains. The love in the blood of a mother and child will be the purest love in the world. R.A. Nelson has created a powerful novel from which we can all learn from and love. Truly a masterpiece, literature at it’s best. (less)

like 1 like

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Sep 05, 2011

Gorfo rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Gorfo by: summer

Shelves: realistic, where-did-my-face-go

Breathe My Name didn't click for me. It has all the elements that generally interest a reader, a shy, messed up teenaged girl,and a beautiful teenage boy who by some trick of fate somehow fall into each other's lives and click, and of course the typical boisterous best friend. However, Frances is not the typical troubled teenager, her name isn't even Frances. But which name do you want to know? Do you want to know her real name? Francine Jelks. Or her secret name? Shine. When Frances was a littl...more

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Jan 11, 2009

82banana95 added it · review of another edition

The novel Breathe my name is an incredibly fast paced novel, capturing every effect is hard. The novel begins with great interest and keeps you on your knees and toes. The main characters consist of: Francine Jelk: the oldest sibling out of her three sisters; John Mullinix: An interesting character, who helps Francine and the one she destine to fall in love with;This thriller has amazing twists and turns that you would never imagine were coming up. You would be surprised by the ending and t...more

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Dec 18, 2009

Christine rated it

· review of another edition

This book...was pretty incredible. The flashbacks are terrifyingly vivid, and the Frances is undeniably adorable. Also super easy to relate to, as she was so small and shy. Like me. :) the fact that she likes a tall guy makes me smile, and their romance was really cute. I think Nix is like...amazing. Yeah. Totally epic. Smiley! He was really friendly and cool cuz of his brother. One thing that annoyed me, and wasn't even important...Frances is watching TV at some point, and says "Some tooth...more

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Dec 07, 2011

Christie rated it

· review of another edition

Fireless is the country where we live. Every day Momma teaches us something new about it.

Frances is 18 and something of a loner. She lives with her parents and two younger brothers in small-town Alabama. It isn’t until the new boy, John Mullinix or Nix, arrives at her school that Frances’ life cracks open. Frances has been living in the shadow of a traumatic event – an event so horrible that she never talks about it and has, in many ways, surpressed its horror.

Frances’ b...more

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May 27, 2009

Rosanne rated it

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

like 2 likes

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Mar 05, 2011

Krista (CubicleBlindness Reviews) rated it

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By luck Frances was saved that day from being suffocated by her mother. She is now almost an adult, very insecure and soft-spoken. Her adoptive parents are awesome and her new boyfriend is quirky.It's obvious she's attracted to him for his ability to connect with people. She soon finds out that his brother is autistic and his home-life requires this special attention to people others just don't understand. So this makes him kind of a weirdo to others in the school. But Frances feels an instant c...more

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Sep 29, 2010

704gabriella rated it

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Shelves: read-in-7th-grade

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Dec 09, 2008

West Region, added it · review of another edition

Shelves: angst, highschool, ya, suspense, sexuality

Breathe My Name by R.A. Nelson

Frances is in high school and living a happy enough suburban life, far from her childhood past. Her adoptive parents love and support her. She has a best friend and a blossoming crush on the new boy in town. But she can't escape her childhood past.

Her biological mother gets released -- released from a prison's psychiatric ward. She wasn't ever supposed to get out for what she did; but, model behavior, the state says. Sure, there's a restrainin...more

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May 26, 2010

Emily rated it

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Oct 07, 2010

Wisteriouswoman rated it

· review of another edition

Mental illness touches so many kids' lives. This book goes deep into the territory of the disturbed mind and how it affects young people that have to deal with the terror of living with an imbalanced parent. You learn details about Frances's childhood as the story peels back each layer of her past life while continuing the story of her current life. It adds a sense of mystery to the story that makes you want to keep reading. The love story that holds the book together will keep teenage girls int...more

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Jan 27, 2009

Lauren rated it

· review of another edition

Before reading Breathe My Name, I had seen a couple of stories on TV or in newspapers where the mother or father had killed their children after facing a big form of depression, but I had never really given it much thought to what it must be like to be the child left behind, the one who was saved. So, when I began this I didn't really know what to except from Frances. I wondered if she would have an all around pity party for herself constantly, pretend it didn't happen, or just deal with the con...more

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Sep 12, 2011

Julia Driscoll added it · review of another edition

Shelves: appropriate-for-high-school, death-grief, crime, families, illness-mental, realistic-fiction, romance-dating, violence

This was a really engrosing book. The story alternates between Frances's past life before her mother goes insane and kills her 3 sisters and her present in an adoptive home. (She also tried to kill Francis, but Frances got away.) Frances's actions that drive the plot are in many ways illogical, but totally understandable given the trauma she experienced. Her road trip with a new boyfriend remains fairly chaste. The emphasis is on the emotional/psychological journey here & it's very well don...more

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Oct 14, 2010

Lauren DeStefano rated it

· review of another edition

I will never be able to say enough good things about this book. The characters were so vivid, and they appeared on the page fully-formed. The prose was lyrical and lovely, only sticking to necessary details. It wasn't too heavy, though it tackled a very tragic subject matter. It touches upon the ascending madness of the protagonist's mother in flashbacks that lead to a devastating conclusion. And, though the protag's sisters are long gone by the time we hear of them, they are whole, complete bei...more

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Jun 28, 2010

Laura (Bookish Belle) rated it

· review of another edition

I have to start off by saying that this novel took my breath away! ;) Now that the pun is out of the way, this book was completely unforgettable! I found myself not wanting to put it down because I had to know what happened next. My heart went out to Francine and I felt everything she felt as I read. It was such a roller coaster ride and this novel made me fall in love with R.A Nelson's type of writing. The ending was something I was NOT expecting, and I felt the book was worth it just for that....more

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Jul 26, 2011

Rachel rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-books

I liked the premise of this book, which is why I picked it out: older teen girl living with her very protective adoptive family, sole survivor of her birth mother's attempts to murder her and her three younger sisters. Shortly after the novel opens, she receives communication from her mother, who was recently released from prison. The novel turned out to be one part thriller to three parts romance/coming-of-age, which was fine, just unexpected from the summary on the flap. The pace of the novel ...more

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Sep 06, 2010

Aileen rated it

· review of another edition

This story didn't hit home exactly, but it did have some similarities to my own life, which made this story an even better book then I originally thought. Francis is now living with her adoptive parents and having a pretty alright life. The thing is, she didn't use to be Francis, she used to be Shine, and she lived with her three sisters and her birth mother Afton Jelks. That was before Afton had a psychotic break and tried to smother all her children. She almost succeeded, since only Francis es...more

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Apr 04, 2011

Infinite Playlist rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: mine, family-siblings, mental-illnesses-depression-ocd, death-murder-loss, genre-contemporary, genre-ya

Kurz und knapp
Eine sprachliche Hochzeitstorte, garniert mit einer schockierenden Kindheitsgeschichte und der spannenden Entschlüsselung eben dieser. Dazu eine angenehme, recht gewöhnliche Protagonistin und eine leise Prise Romantik. Wäre da bloß nicht dieses überspitzte Ende…

Lang und breit
Viele Jahre nach Teach Me folgt nun mein zweites Buch von R.A. Nelson. Womit der Autor mich sofort auf seiner Seite hatte, war wieder die wunderbare Sprache. R.A. Nelson kann das mit de...more

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Mar 29, 2009

Celestasaurus rated it

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Shelves: young-adult

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

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Nov 14, 2008

laaaaames rated it

· review of another edition

It's interesting I grabbed this at random while needing to get better at writing descriptive narrative, something this book does and does and does. Fascinating how you can accidentally read the right thing at the right time.

I don't like a lot of romances happening within the pages of YA books, mostly because sometimes it feels forced and sometimes I think it sends bad lessons about relationships and sometimes I just wish books were about more than boys and sex. (Not that I have any p...more

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Jul 23, 2008

MaryAnn Harlan rated it

· review of another edition

I don’t often read for plot. I enjoy a good story but if the voice of the characters doesn’t catch me, or doesn’t sound authentic I don’t usually keep reading. And Breathe My Name is a pretty good example of why that is. Frances has a secret, a secret name and a secret past and it is all about to catch up with her. Sounds pretty good right? It was - I enjoyed the story, the journey she takes. Except. Except at times the dialog rang false, even her internal dialogue and it would jar me int...more

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Aug 14, 2008

Suzi rated it

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Shelves: young-adult-books

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

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About R.A. Nelson

R.A. Nelson is the author of the novels TEACH ME and BREATHE MY NAME, both nominated to the YALSA Best Books for Young Adults list. Nelson’s third book is DAYS OF LITTLE TEXAS, coming out on July 14 with Knopf. He is working on his fourth book, THROAT, slated for Fall 2010, also with Knopf.

Nelson was chosen as a Horn Book Newcomer in 2005 and his books have been recognized by the New Y...more

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Quotes from Breathe My Name

“Life is a war, and the families are the armies. Even if you win the war, some will never see you plant the flag.” — 5 people liked it

“I'd make oatmeal cookies."
"Cookies?"
"I would. That's just what I would do."
"Why?"
He lifts one hand from the steering wheel and pinches his chin. "Because the world is changing so fast all the time. There's nothing you can do but just say, 'cool,' and roll with it. But some things can stay the same. Flour is still flour. Vanilla still smells like vanilla. Say a giant fireball is motoring toward us right now from Alha Centauri. Okay, universe. You expect us to run and scream and kill one another? Sorry, we're making oatmeal freaking cookies.” — 2 people liked it

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