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15th out of 82 books
—
16 voters
Lark
When sixteen-year-old Lark Austin is kidnapped from her Virginia hometown and left to die in a snowy forest, she leaves behind two friends who are stunned by the loss. As Lark's former best friend, Eve can't shake the guilt that this tragedy was somehow her fault. Meanwhile, Nyetta is haunted each night by Lark's ghost, who comes through the bedroom window and begs Nyetta...more
Hardcover, 192 pages
Published
May 24th 2011
by HarperCollins Publishers
(first published April 8th 2011)
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I was thoroughly searching the YA section (at my local library) for a story I’ve never read, something that wasn’t mainstream I guess. Then I came across Lark and after reading its summary I thought “okay, I’ll read it.” Then I saw that it was praised by Francesca Lia Block, and if you read my pervious reviews on her books, you would know that I’m a little skeptical about her writing style, so I was a little apprehensive about Tracey Porter’s book but decided to be open-minded about it. Anyway,...more
I picked up the book because the title was simple and that caught my attention. I also wanted to know how these two girls would overcome their conflicts and be able to help Lark. However, I felt like the book was lacking something, maybe some "real" emotions because I felt like the book wasn't realistic enough to reflect a real situation. The author did not make the story about girls in trees believable enough for me so I felt like I was reading a fantasy novel instead of an emotional story.
Lark:
Author: Tracey Porter
My rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.
A girl is taken,stolen. A gymnast, diver, ballerina, best friend and baby sitter is kidnapped from curbside out side her gym. She's tied to a tree and left to die, having already been beaten, stabbed and bruised. Lark never thought she'd be one of THOSE girls from the news. The ones making sadistic headlines, Missing Girl Found Dead; but she did, she made headlines and the entire town skipped a beat, only a beat.
When Lark finds that her s...more
Author: Tracey Porter
My rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.
A girl is taken,stolen. A gymnast, diver, ballerina, best friend and baby sitter is kidnapped from curbside out side her gym. She's tied to a tree and left to die, having already been beaten, stabbed and bruised. Lark never thought she'd be one of THOSE girls from the news. The ones making sadistic headlines, Missing Girl Found Dead; but she did, she made headlines and the entire town skipped a beat, only a beat.
When Lark finds that her s...more
This was such a dark, dark book, and I can't say I enjoyed it. But it did have some lovely writing and I loved the way the author framed the events through the eyes of the girls versus the adults - whose point of view we never actually hear, but who go on with life as if the murdering of teenage girls is a sad but fairly normal part of living.
I remember one of the girls saying that after Lark's death, she kept waiting for important adults to get together and form a committee to figure out why t...more
I remember one of the girls saying that after Lark's death, she kept waiting for important adults to get together and form a committee to figure out why t...more
Concept/Ideas: 3/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Storyline/Plot: 3/5
Writing Style: 4/5
Overall Rating: 3/5
Mixed feelings about Lark. First of all, let's start off by saying I LOVE THE COVER. So beautiful, and definitely has a lot of signifigance to the book.
I knew this was going to be a fast read. Which I love. But... I feel like it really lacked a storyline plot. I don't know how to exactly expain it. I feel like the author just kind of threw you from Point A to Point B. Example: "Lark is alive... BOOM. Dead....more
Characters: 3.5/5
Storyline/Plot: 3/5
Writing Style: 4/5
Overall Rating: 3/5
Mixed feelings about Lark. First of all, let's start off by saying I LOVE THE COVER. So beautiful, and definitely has a lot of signifigance to the book.
I knew this was going to be a fast read. Which I love. But... I feel like it really lacked a storyline plot. I don't know how to exactly expain it. I feel like the author just kind of threw you from Point A to Point B. Example: "Lark is alive... BOOM. Dead....more
Originally posted on my blog: http://libraryladyhylary.blogspot.com ! Check it out for more reviews!
haunted by the ghost of Lark who believes she will turn into a tree, the fate of other girls who were murdered in the woods. Eve is also haunted, but only with memories of Lark and the experiences they had growing up as best friends. Nyetta becomes more and more upset when it seems that she will not be able to help Lark escape her fate of being trapped in the forest for eternity. Will the two frie...more
haunted by the ghost of Lark who believes she will turn into a tree, the fate of other girls who were murdered in the woods. Eve is also haunted, but only with memories of Lark and the experiences they had growing up as best friends. Nyetta becomes more and more upset when it seems that she will not be able to help Lark escape her fate of being trapped in the forest for eternity. Will the two frie...more
Aug 16, 2011
Nicole
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
another Lovely Bones lite
Shelves:
magical-realism,
ya
More of a novella than a book, this story was…sweet. Well, as sweet as a story about the brutal murder of a 16-year-old girl can be. Peppered with descriptive narratives and sprinklings of magical realism, I never quite bought into the premise but it was fast and fairly enjoyable read nonetheless.
The treatment of the female body was fascinating to me. The curvy girl hates her body and is molested because of it while the stick-straight gymnast is stalked and murdered for her body. Girls are trapp...more
The treatment of the female body was fascinating to me. The curvy girl hates her body and is molested because of it while the stick-straight gymnast is stalked and murdered for her body. Girls are trapp...more
Jun 22, 2011
Emily
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who like therapists with long, flowy skirts, angst ridden middle schoolers
Shelves:
teenage-dream-wannabee
This book is like a painted Easter egg; it's delicate, fragile, sometimes gorgeous, and/or a bit tacky depending on one's perspective of painted eggs.
The premise is similar to Sebold's "The Lovely Bones", although personally I never connected with that book and felt it lacked a certain something...a sprinkle of salt, glitter, and mozzarella cheese...what have you. The smells of home and of fresh bread baking in the oven. The rubber soles of boots. Grandpa's pipe.
I never felt firm in my convict...more
The premise is similar to Sebold's "The Lovely Bones", although personally I never connected with that book and felt it lacked a certain something...a sprinkle of salt, glitter, and mozzarella cheese...what have you. The smells of home and of fresh bread baking in the oven. The rubber soles of boots. Grandpa's pipe.
I never felt firm in my convict...more
One chilly day while waiting for her father to pick her up from gymnastics practice sixteen year-old Lark is abducted, stabbed, sexually assaulted, and left to die tied to a tree in the nearby woods. This book is a haunting tale about three girls and their struggles to come to terms with a horrific event. Nyetta a twelve year old who remembers fondly the times when Lark was her babysitter. Eve, Lark's former best friend, who has dark secrets of her own that created a wedge between her and Lark....more
Don’t let this book’s small size deter you. It packs a pretty mean punch, straight to the heart. I flew through this within two or three hours.
Admittedly, I stayed far away from this until I felt like I had plucked up the courage to finally read it. I needed every ounce of that courage for the story that was waiting for me within these pages. Lark is a very real and heartbreaking account of a young girl who is abducted, raped, and left for dead in the woods of her small hometown in northern Virg...more
Admittedly, I stayed far away from this until I felt like I had plucked up the courage to finally read it. I needed every ounce of that courage for the story that was waiting for me within these pages. Lark is a very real and heartbreaking account of a young girl who is abducted, raped, and left for dead in the woods of her small hometown in northern Virg...more
When sixteen-year-old Lark Austin is kidnapped from her Virginia hometown and left to die in a snowy forest, she leaves behind two friends who are stunned by the loss. As Lark's former best friend, Eve can't shake the guilt that this tragedy was somehow her fault. Meanwhile, Nyetta is haunted each night by Lark's ghost, who comes through the bedroom window and begs Nyetta to set her soul free. Eve and Nyetta realize that Lark is trapped in limbo, and only by coming together to heal themselves wi...more
1 like · like · see review
'Lark' is a very tightly focused narrative centered around the death of one girl and how it's affecting two girls. The visuals are gorgeous and evocative; even without spending much time in forests (I'm not really into nature, okay) the images came easily to my mind.
Keeping in mind how tightly focused this narrative is and the fact that it is as much the story of the deceased Lark as the girls' coping with her death, the length of the book makes sense. Personally I wish it had been longer and ex...more
Keeping in mind how tightly focused this narrative is and the fact that it is as much the story of the deceased Lark as the girls' coping with her death, the length of the book makes sense. Personally I wish it had been longer and ex...more
I did not complete this book. Although it was a very short book, I don't force myself to read something that I don't enjoy. I didn't necessarily enjoy it, although I did think some parts were very powerful where as other sections were just boring and those were the times when I would just skim through the page and wait for something exciting to happen.
I found the beginning of the story quite 'unsuccessful' (basically the first chapter) since I wasn't grabbed by the author. It didn't have that B...more
I found the beginning of the story quite 'unsuccessful' (basically the first chapter) since I wasn't grabbed by the author. It didn't have that B...more
A hard working gymnast is found in the woods left to die, after being kidnapped after her evening practice. Because she was so distant from her social life, her only two real friends, Eve and Nyetta, are haunted by her pleas to be set free from the forest where she died.
Personally, I think the book could of had more plot development. All the details in the booked seemed like they were mushed together. To me, the story line wasn't long or thorough enough to develop a fantastic story, although f...more
Personally, I think the book could of had more plot development. All the details in the booked seemed like they were mushed together. To me, the story line wasn't long or thorough enough to develop a fantastic story, although f...more
more @ (http://antidrugreads.blogspot.com)
I have to admit that my expectations for Lark were embarrassingly too low. After reading it, I came to realize the vast greatness that Tracey Porter's writing has to offer. This intense contemporary novel turned out to be a phenomenal read!
With Lark being merely 180 pages, I thought that I would be able to devour this within a few days. I was wrong. I finished it in barely one. Half way through, I planned on reading just a couple of more pages before I w...more
I have to admit that my expectations for Lark were embarrassingly too low. After reading it, I came to realize the vast greatness that Tracey Porter's writing has to offer. This intense contemporary novel turned out to be a phenomenal read!
With Lark being merely 180 pages, I thought that I would be able to devour this within a few days. I was wrong. I finished it in barely one. Half way through, I planned on reading just a couple of more pages before I w...more
Reading Level: Grade 8+
He was the father of one of the younger kids on her gymnastics team. How was 16-year-old Lark supposed to know that he was a predator? Lark died of exposure after he assaulted her and left her tied to a tree in the winter woods.
Lark's ghost begins visiting Nyetta soon after. Lark needs Nyetta to do something for her, something Nyetta is afraid to do. If Nyetta does not do it, Lark will be condemned to a horrible fate for eternity.
Other ghostly tales include
The Sledding Hil...more
He was the father of one of the younger kids on her gymnastics team. How was 16-year-old Lark supposed to know that he was a predator? Lark died of exposure after he assaulted her and left her tied to a tree in the winter woods.
Lark's ghost begins visiting Nyetta soon after. Lark needs Nyetta to do something for her, something Nyetta is afraid to do. If Nyetta does not do it, Lark will be condemned to a horrible fate for eternity.
Other ghostly tales include
The Sledding Hil...more
Not really a fan of "Billy Creekmore," which I'm sure was very well written and yada, yada, but Historical fiction is not really my thing. It has to be really special to hold my attention, and Creekmore, just didn't do it for me. So, when I saw this one was by the same author, I really hesitated, but the premise sounded really intriguing. Super fast read, and beautifully done. Alternating points of view move the story along and tell the story of three young girls, each suffering from abuse of on...more
Imagine you are being held against your will, tied up against a tree, in the freezing blizzard weather. No one’s there to hear your cries. What would you do? How would you deal with that? The sadness you would feel. How terrified you would be. It would change a person’s life forever. Lark by Tracey Porter is a kind of realistic fiction book that teaches us about true friendship and how these characters deal with the trouble of losing a friend.
Lark, a teenage girl brutally murdered in the woods...more
Lark, a teenage girl brutally murdered in the woods...more
This is one of those quiet, dark books that keeps you interested enough to keep reading. Lark is a sixteen year-old gymnast who is kidnapped and left to die in a snowstorm. Her spirit and memory haunt the friends she left behind. Predictably, they must face her violent death so her soul can rest in peace, and only then can they continue with their lives. There's nothing unique about the writing, but the brevity of the story is refreshing. I finished it in under two hours. I would recommend it to...more
Lark Austin is just a normal girl living an ordinary life, when she unexpectedly went missing; later to be found murdered. As the storyline goes on, the full story slowly but surely peices together by giving perspectives from three characters; Lark herself, Eve, one of Lark's old friends, and Nyetta, a young girl that Lark used to babysit. As this book progresses, and gains more characters, you become fascinated by the storyline and the twists and turns that this book holds. It is very well writ...more
It's rare when I actually hate a book, but it's safe to say that I actually hate this one. It's so freaking stupid. There is barely any story and no character development whatsoever. And if you actually could somehow say there is a story to this, it's not like the story hasn't been used before. It's just a stupid, short version of a book that could actually be good. There isn't even anything I can say in my review besides that, because there was barely anything to write about. The book is crap....more
What? I did not get the point of this book. It was very scattered, and I found myself wondering why I was reading it. Oh ya! Because it somehow ended up on my to-read list! I REALLY need to clean that shelf... Anyway, this story was about three girls. Oh yes, no matter that the story was super-short and I finished it in like thirty minutes, the author decided to use THREE main characters that I had to CARE about enough to go on with the story.
Epic. FAIL.
Okay, I DID go on with the story. Doesn'...more
Epic. FAIL.
Okay, I DID go on with the story. Doesn'...more
1 like · like · see review
Let me start off by saying I hate sad books, and if I'd read the blurb before reading the book, I probably wouldn't have picked Lark up. As it was, the cover reminded me of Maggie Steifvater's The Wolves of Mercy Falls series. That said I am so glad I did. This was my first read of 2012 and I managed to finish it in under three hours. The chapters are short, and it is an extremely fast read.
Part of the fast read is that the characters are engaging. The three points of view made everything even s...more
Part of the fast read is that the characters are engaging. The three points of view made everything even s...more
Lark, namanya diambil dari nama burung mungil lark. Gadis 16 tahun yang cantik ini senang sekali dengan olahraga senam. Suatu hari Lark menghilang. Terakhir kali dia terlihat keluar dari Virginia Gymnastic Academy menunggu ayahnya.
Nyette sangat mengagumi Lark. Dulu Lark mengasuh Nyette saat orangtuanya tidak di rumah. Mereka berbagi masa-masa yang menyenangkan. Dan Nyette ingin jadi seperti Lark.
Terakhir kali Eve melihat Lark adalah seminggu sebelum Lark menghilang. Dulu mereka teman dekat. Sama...more
Nyette sangat mengagumi Lark. Dulu Lark mengasuh Nyette saat orangtuanya tidak di rumah. Mereka berbagi masa-masa yang menyenangkan. Dan Nyette ingin jadi seperti Lark.
Terakhir kali Eve melihat Lark adalah seminggu sebelum Lark menghilang. Dulu mereka teman dekat. Sama...more
3 likes · like · see review
"I was dead when I was alive, and I didn't even know it."
After 16-year-old Lark is murdered, she, her childhood best friend Eva, and Nyetta, a girl Lark used to babysit, find themselves facing hard truths about their lives and seeking a way to move on.
I saw some reviews on here where people said that this book was scary or creepy. I didn't really feel like it was either of those. :b I wasn't like freaked out or scared, but it was more of a mysterious curiosity for me.
Lark Austin is lured in by a...more
After 16-year-old Lark is murdered, she, her childhood best friend Eva, and Nyetta, a girl Lark used to babysit, find themselves facing hard truths about their lives and seeking a way to move on.
I saw some reviews on here where people said that this book was scary or creepy. I didn't really feel like it was either of those. :b I wasn't like freaked out or scared, but it was more of a mysterious curiosity for me.
Lark Austin is lured in by a...more
Wow.
I’m starting this review not really knowing what to say. I’m so infrequently rendered speechless, and, yet, LARK by Tracey Porter blew me away to the point that I’m not really sure what I can say about it other than this: Wow.
I’m thinking that I could tell you it’s the story of a girl, but it’s not…not quite. It’s the story of three girls: One who died, and two who survived. When Lark was murdered she left behind friends and family. But perhaps it was the girl she used to babysit, Nyanna,...more
I’m starting this review not really knowing what to say. I’m so infrequently rendered speechless, and, yet, LARK by Tracey Porter blew me away to the point that I’m not really sure what I can say about it other than this: Wow.
I’m thinking that I could tell you it’s the story of a girl, but it’s not…not quite. It’s the story of three girls: One who died, and two who survived. When Lark was murdered she left behind friends and family. But perhaps it was the girl she used to babysit, Nyanna,...more
Sixteen-year-old Lark is kidnapped, raped and left to die in a snowy woods. The story is told in alternating chapters by Lark and two of her friends. There is Eve, a girl who used to be Lark’s best friend until one argument destroyed their friendship. Finally, there is Nyetta, who struggles with being able to see and hear the ghost of Lark. She is tasked by Lark to save her from being bound into a tree. Nyetta is put into therapy because of this. While the book is certainly centered around the t...more
I've started the summer by tackling my "Oh, this book looks small; I should be able to finish it quickly!" pile. Lark was a good way to start that pile.
I don't often read books like Lark; this one came in the mail and seeing as it was coming out soon at the time I was looking at it, I figured I'd read it. I actually sat down and read it in one sitting.
Though not my typical kind of book, I rather enjoyed it; it's got a lot of good things going for it. The length, of course, was what attracted me...more
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Lark Austin has been found dead—she was stabbed, tied to a tree, and left there in the bitter cold. Eve, Lark’s former best friend, struggles with the loss of Lark—she’s not sure if she should feel anything. Nyetta, a young girl Lark used to babysit, knows that Lark needs her to set her free. The stories of these three girls are woven together in the most lovely way possible, and leave a lingering feeling of hope.
My thoughts: Haunting and shiver-inducing, Lark paints a...more
My thoughts: Haunting and shiver-inducing, Lark paints a...more
Lark came to Nyetta one night, because no one else would listen, no one else would look. Nyetta doesn't want to look either, even if it will set Lark free. Eve used to be friends with Lark, before things happened, and she can't help but feel like if they were still friends Lark would be alive. Nyetta and Eve are the only ones who can help Lark, the only ones who can set her free after her vicious murder.
This was a fast read. A beautifully written story about a girl who was murdered, and needs so...more
This was a fast read. A beautifully written story about a girl who was murdered, and needs so...more
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Tracey Porter is the author of Treasures in the Dust and A Dance of Sisters. Her most recent novel, Billy Creekmore, was named to Oprah.com's Kids' Reading List, compiled by the American Library Association. For the past twenty years she has taught middle school at Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California. She lives with her family in Los Angeles.
More about Tracey Porter...
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Jul 14, 2011 05:34pm