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312th out of 1,139 books
—
5,734 voters
Letters From the Inside
by
John Marsden
Dear Tracey
I don't know why I'm answering your ad, to be honest. It's not like I'm into pen pals, but it's a boring Sunday here, wet, everyone's out, and I thought it'd be something different...
Dear Mandy,
Thanks for writing.
You write so well, much better than me. I put the ad in for a joke, like a dare, and yours was the only good answer...
Two girls begin a friendship - tw...more
I don't know why I'm answering your ad, to be honest. It's not like I'm into pen pals, but it's a boring Sunday here, wet, everyone's out, and I thought it'd be something different...
Dear Mandy,
Thanks for writing.
You write so well, much better than me. I put the ad in for a joke, like a dare, and yours was the only good answer...
Two girls begin a friendship - tw...more
144 pages
Published
(first published January 1st 1992)
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Stunning. Although I agree with many of the reviews that it was hard to tell the voices of the girls at times (wait, was that Mandy...oh no, Tracey) I didn't identify with either girl. I haven't committed any crimes (and don't have that rage) but I wouldn't have continued the pen pal friend ship after the secret was revealed.
And yet, the book just sucked me in. And then, it was done.
An ending that leaves you wondering what could have been. I think, like many reviews, you can guess what happened....more
And yet, the book just sucked me in. And then, it was done.
An ending that leaves you wondering what could have been. I think, like many reviews, you can guess what happened....more
I'm a bit disappointed. I mean, I thought this book was going to be interesting and revealing. It is revealing but... woah, you can tell a guy wrote this book. The language is really immature at times. I cannot believe that some adults look at kids in this way. I would want to be seen as something more. I have more to offer the world than my body. I have a mind, I have goals, I have opinions.
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1. I decided to read this book because it look good and interesting. I read the blurb and thought that this book would good for school and it is small. Also i like reading old letters or books that has a really person telling the story.
2. Letters From The Inside came into my bingo on A dairy, autobiography or biography. Even thought it is a book of letters it is had that feel of a dairy.
3. My favourite quote from this book is: "What do you mean, does anybody read my letters? You must be joking....more
2. Letters From The Inside came into my bingo on A dairy, autobiography or biography. Even thought it is a book of letters it is had that feel of a dairy.
3. My favourite quote from this book is: "What do you mean, does anybody read my letters? You must be joking....more
Sep 14, 2012
Akhila
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Human beans
Recommended to Akhila by:
John Marsden (indirectly)
The first of John Marsden's books (I read) was Tomorrow When The War Began and recently he gave a talk and my best friend and I went to the talk. Towards the end he asked for questions and a girl, my age, near the front, asked him what happened to Mandy. I didn't know who she was or what book she was talking about but this was the first I'd heard of Letters From The Inside . From there I wrote it down to read later, and I did so. Perhaps I'm lazy but I'm glad it was short because if a book is to...more
It was a very creepy story and I don't recommend reading the entire thing Halloween night (or any night). The book was only 146 pages and it left a lot of questions unanswered, which I sometimes like, but there was too much confusion at the end of this book. John Marsden is an Australian author and the story took place in Australia (which wasn't officially established so, we had to do some googling).
Description from inside the book~ "Two teenage girls. An innocent beginning to friendship. Two co...more
Description from inside the book~ "Two teenage girls. An innocent beginning to friendship. Two co...more
Here are the issues I had with this book:
-The two main characters have virtually indistinct voices, and similar enough situations that it's confusing trying to remember who's talking. One is supposed to be quiet and shy but since they're pen pals, the author chose to make her write...shyly...It comes off as weird and phony.
-The book is very eighties--not that that's a bad thing. But the piece isn't period enough to be historical fiction, and if you're not reading closely, or if you're a teen lea...more
-The two main characters have virtually indistinct voices, and similar enough situations that it's confusing trying to remember who's talking. One is supposed to be quiet and shy but since they're pen pals, the author chose to make her write...shyly...It comes off as weird and phony.
-The book is very eighties--not that that's a bad thing. But the piece isn't period enough to be historical fiction, and if you're not reading closely, or if you're a teen lea...more
I picked up this book to read on the weekend thinking "140ish pages... nice and short... maybe I can recommend it to my Year 7s". Maybe not. I had several issues with this book. Firstly, I didn't like the ending (I hate not knowing what happened to so-and-so, but maybe that's just me). Secondly, I don't know how well this book translates across to the world of 2012 teendom. For example, some of the dialogue was quite old school/amusing. Did teenagers (or anyone, for that matter) really use the w...more
The reason I decided to read this book was because it looked interesting in the bookstore and I had never read a book written completely in letter form before.
This completes the ' A book written by a male author' category. Though the book being written by a male didn't affect me as it was from the view of two girls, the way it was written in completely letter form (one letter written from someone then the reply in letter form) was a first me reading this form of a book and I quite enjoyed it alt...more
This completes the ' A book written by a male author' category. Though the book being written by a male didn't affect me as it was from the view of two girls, the way it was written in completely letter form (one letter written from someone then the reply in letter form) was a first me reading this form of a book and I quite enjoyed it alt...more
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The original Cliffhanger. I loved this story completely though I think a lot of it is because when I read this book I was blown away by the unexpected ending and not just that it was unexpected but just that it left you wishing like anything Marsden would have written just one more letter.....
The combination of letter writers/ charaacters in this book was also interesting, both from vastly different backgrounds you somehow get the feeling their lives marry up fairly closely despite the extremet...more
The combination of letter writers/ charaacters in this book was also interesting, both from vastly different backgrounds you somehow get the feeling their lives marry up fairly closely despite the extremet...more
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Two girls started writing to each other: one who seemed to have the perfect family and the other, a regular one. But as the letters progressed, they find out more and more about each other - dark, little secrets about one another. The one with the perfect family... Has no family. She's in a maximum security prison with no one to talk to. Why she was in there, it was never revealed and Marsden drops little hints but he basically leaves it up to us, the audience. The ending was incomplete but in i...more
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May 07, 2013
Courtney Mortemore
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
favourites,
books-i-could-not-put-down
I read this story with my class in 2010, and I loved it, I even ended up finishing ahead of my class and read it again.
I love how you've got two somewhat similar girls that come from completely different worlds but both know the struggles an complications of life.
I adored their friendship and I could relate so much to the two characters. Not to mention the dedication Tracey had to Mandy (how she continually wrote to her; swore to find her -- you'll see what I mean) and vice visa.
I loved this st...more
I love how you've got two somewhat similar girls that come from completely different worlds but both know the struggles an complications of life.
I adored their friendship and I could relate so much to the two characters. Not to mention the dedication Tracey had to Mandy (how she continually wrote to her; swore to find her -- you'll see what I mean) and vice visa.
I loved this st...more
This started out as a book about some standard teenage girls who send each others letters as pen friends. They have happy, normal lives.
But then it got darker and you realize that there's something up with Mandy's brother and that he is not as nice as the rest of her family. This is when it started to get dark and it really got interesting.
Through the letters secrets come out and the girls continue speaking to each other. Then you find out that Tracy isn't who she pretended to be and the book be...more
But then it got darker and you realize that there's something up with Mandy's brother and that he is not as nice as the rest of her family. This is when it started to get dark and it really got interesting.
Through the letters secrets come out and the girls continue speaking to each other. Then you find out that Tracy isn't who she pretended to be and the book be...more
Oct 17, 2011
Little Me
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
books-that-change-your-views,
non-fiction-type
Another book recommended from my best friend, which she picked out and said was spectacular. We have different tastes generally but I liked this book. It was refreshing, not in my usual genre, but interesting.
The letter format was intriguing although it killed me (excuse the pun) in the end because we didn't know what happened, though I guess that Mandy stopped writing because she got killed.
It would have liked to know why Tracey was in jail and he story was amazing and really interesting and s...more
The letter format was intriguing although it killed me (excuse the pun) in the end because we didn't know what happened, though I guess that Mandy stopped writing because she got killed.
It would have liked to know why Tracey was in jail and he story was amazing and really interesting and s...more
This is a book that takes place in Australia and is about two girls, Tracey and Mandy, who meet through an ad Tracey placed for a pen pal. After trading several letters Mandy starts thinking something isn't quite right. After some relentless prodding, she finally learns that Tracey hasn't been completely honest with her and is not who she seems. The letters continue and the girls continue to get closer to each other. The book ends rather abruptly, but the reader can figure out what happened.
I l...more
I l...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I read this a few years ago and I remember thinking... "What!!!???" At the end. It was my first John Marsden book, but it wasnt my last. It was a suspensful, surprising and unputdownable quick read which stayed with me long after I put the book down and left me asking sooo many questions (but I think that was the authors evil plan all along). Hopefully I get a chance to read his 'Tomorrow When the War Began' series very soon. Ive soon the movie and thought it was awesome (especially for an Aussi...more
Mandy decides to answer an ad in a magazine that asks for a pen pal. She is surprised when she gets a letter from Tracey. As their friendship grows Mandy begins to suspect that Tracey isn't being completely honest with her. Their story is told from the letters they write to one another. As the tale progresses we discover the truth of Tracey and learn about the power of friendship. The ending is a complete surprise and leaves the reader with a host of unanswered questions. A powerful and stunning...more
This is a quick read, that will stick with you. Two girls (complete strangers) become penpals. Their letters are filled with basic teenage girl life, and then they are NOT. What makes a friendship?? These two have to actually "work" at being friends. They each learn to trust a virtual stranger with their inner truths. Even though this takes place in Australia, it showed the universal themes in all teenage girls (or grown girls). The ending kicked me in the gut...and I am still thinking about it.
This is a book to break the heart of a thriller writer who has to work himself into a logistical froth trying to have enough "happening" in his novel to generate enough suspense to connect with readers. Nothing happens in this book - two girls writing letters. Just one letter after another. No spies, no assassins, no terrorists. And the suspense... is excruciating.
This is also a book to break the heart of a reader who reads it with their imagination and empathy fully engaged. Watch out.
This is also a book to break the heart of a reader who reads it with their imagination and empathy fully engaged. Watch out.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Wow!!! La verdad no esperaba la gran cosa del libro y me dejo sin palabras, no se como en tan pocas paginas se pueda contar tanto, me dejo algo abrumado y con una sensacion rara, es una historia contada a medias pero creo que eso es lo que lo hace diferente y especial, el final es demasiado fdhjdksjhfjsdhfdsasjak,es tan triste y extraño a la vez; se acaba de convertir en uno de mis libros favoritos.
I'm not normally a fan of stories told in the form of letters, but this one was pretty good. I didn't read the book jacket or really pay any attention to the title - just felt like reading another book by John Marsden, so as the story unfolded it kind of took me by surprise. I should look over some of the reviews and see how teens are liking the book, as overall it's quite dark.
Argh! Another frustrating teen book that ends with the story wide open. Mandy and Tracey are pen-pals (do pen-pals even exist anymore?). They have very different lives but are tied together by a feeling of connection. That is all any 16 year old really wants, right? A connection. Worth reading but just don't expect it to wrap up neat and pretty in the end.
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A greatly written book, in the form of Letter-writing. It's about two girls, who becomes penpals. But one of them gets an awful feeling that the other girl is hiding something from her and never wants to talk about problems. What is really going on?
John Marsden is a wonderful writer that drags the wondering readers into the book. Reading this I thought it felt easy to imagine the girls feelings and.. Yes. Read it!
The first time I read this book was during a skiing trip, and then an awful acciden...more
John Marsden is a wonderful writer that drags the wondering readers into the book. Reading this I thought it felt easy to imagine the girls feelings and.. Yes. Read it!
The first time I read this book was during a skiing trip, and then an awful acciden...more
An incredible book...the atmosphere which is established by the end is remarkably haunting. The book as a whole (but especially the ending) left me a little unsettled...not quite giving you the definitive resolution you would wish for. However, I think half the charm of the novel is its atmosphere of disquiet and simple tragedy. Highly recommended.
I feel like this book really captured a level of intensity of emotion that really just sinks in and stays with you. It's relatable, in a way. You feel like you really get into both girl's heads, it's completely written in letter form, like Dear Miffy from Marsden, but unlike that I think I may read this again down the line.
This book is an easy quick read, but definitely not easy. It will haunt you and affect you, and it is heartbreaking. It will "strangle your heart", as the review on the back of the edition I read said.
It is bittersweet and lovely and, again, heartbreaking.
I read it all in one sitting, two hours on a Christmas night. This is following up on another book that I read today in one sitting, this morning, (nothing to do here at my cousin's house), and wow what a change. This morning's book was garbage...more
It is bittersweet and lovely and, again, heartbreaking.
I read it all in one sitting, two hours on a Christmas night. This is following up on another book that I read today in one sitting, this morning, (nothing to do here at my cousin's house), and wow what a change. This morning's book was garbage...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| What do you think About The Ending & What Do you think happened? | 1 | 4 | Oct 10, 2012 07:43pm |
His first book, So Much To Tell You, was published in 1987. This was followed by Take My Word For It, a half-sequel written from the point of view of another character. His landmark Tomorrow series is recognized as the most popular book series for young adults ever written in Australia. The first book of this series, Tomorrow When The War Began, has been reprinted 26 times in Australia. The first...more
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