I almost didn't finish this book. The main character was so hard to figure out. He was supposed to be intelligent but he was so naive. I ge...more3. 5 stars.
I almost didn't finish this book. The main character was so hard to figure out. He was supposed to be intelligent but he was so naive. I get being book smart but dumb streetwise, but it was basic social and life knowledge that he didn't get. One minute he seemed wise beyond his years and the next he acted like a child thrust into a teenage life.
There were also a couple of scenes that I didn't think were believable. I almost put the book down (view spoiler)[at the rape scene. There is no way a guy and his girlfriend would go that far with a middle schooler staring at them, much more if it weren't consensual. (hide spoiler)] It seemed like Chbosky was throwing in random drama just to make his novel edgy (I hate that) and was wandering aimlessly. I almost gave it up.
But I kept going. Partly because it was a quick read and partly because the voice was almost amazing. It would have been a great voice had it not been so fraught with inconsistencies, had it not been so hard to figure out, and had it not made so many observations about what adults must think that didn't feel real (more like Chbosky telling us what teenagers will learn when they aren't teenagers anymore). But sometimes I enjoyed Charlie's observations, especially about how a song on a radio while you're driving can make you feel infinite. I know it's a cheesy one-liner, but it reminded me of being a teenager. He did have some great moments as a narrator.
In the end, I'm glad I finished the book. The second half of the book was much better than the first, and by the end I got Charlie. Once he made a little more sense, I could appreciate his story. Plus, I liked the feeling of the epilogue, the way I felt bittersweet and nostalgic when I closed the book. I can see why it's a cult classic. I'd probably like it better if I read it a second time, and probably would have loved it had I read it as a teenager.(less)
Wow. A book hasn't swallowed me whole like that in a long time. This one will be haunting be for awhile. I wish I could tell you what it's about, but...moreWow. A book hasn't swallowed me whole like that in a long time. This one will be haunting be for awhile. I wish I could tell you what it's about, but I wish I hadn't read the back cover 30 pages or so into and changed my own perception. It's best to figure it out along with the story.
I will say that it's about a 5-year-old boy who has never left the room where he lives. His whole world is Room and Bed and Rug. It's a little jarring to read from his point of view and I was worried I wasn't going to be able to get into his story, but once I became accustomed to his voice, I couldn't put his story down. And his story wouldn't have the power it does without his perspective. We think about these type of stories from other perspectives, but never from his. Never from the child who is comfortable in his world that we know is all wrong. The child that never wants to leave his strange circumstances when we understand why he should.
Most of the time his naivete was right one, but there were occasions where Donoghue used his voice to explain something that I didn't buy into him understanding. I wish she would have trusted her reader more to see the discord of reality and his perception instead of using Jack to interpret his mother's emotions or the sequence of events. I loved the juxtaposition of reality and his interpretation and would have liked more of them. There were also some plot twists (view spoiler)[ such as the Great Escape that I thought was too much for Jack to handle as smoothly as he did when he should have been shocked and overwhelmed as well as sometimes his acclimation to Outside (hide spoiler)] that didn't ring entirely true, but I so believed Jack that in the end it didn't matter. There is one point where the plot takes a turn in a different direction from Jack's perception (view spoiler)[where Old Nick runs away but you think he's going back to kill Ma (hide spoiler)] but Jack's reality is so real, you don't even consider other options. That's when I knew I'd follow Jack anywhere.
Maybe it's the unusual perspective or the strong voice. Maybe it's that I know what it's like for a child to change your world. Maybe it's that right now I feel trapped in my own room with my own baby. Maybe it's that Jack's relationship with his mother is so different from own experience and I was both shocked and saddened by their bond. Or maybe it's that Donoghue made me think about the world in a way I never have before. But whatever it is, this book grabbed my attention and wouldn't let it go. I related to Jack's story when I couldn't possibly know what his life is like. It's difficult to make the humdrum of ordinary life day in and day out inside an 11x11 room exciting, but Donoghue manages to keep my intense attention.
Some of the things Jack made me think about were the autonomy of parents and children and how the line is different for a child than it is for parents. It's what sometimes causes conflict, things like that moment when as a parent you have to discipline where your child thinks of you as a friend. How we put our lives on hold for our children, but there is this whole other self that will eventually wake from slumber. What a parent should share with a child and what we should keep secret. How education is a good thing, but also a little magic in the world is good too. How children are smart enough to understand honest answers, but sometimes not mature enough for complete answers. How children think of their families and circumstances as normal no matter how unusual it is. It usually isn't until you move away that you learn that the givens of your own family aren't sacred. It makes you consider the world around you in a whole different light. (view spoiler)[I loved that the book wasn't just about captivity but about the psychological impact upon release too. The news that these stories are based on focus on the horrors of the crime and not on the adjustment afterwards. In many ways Jack was an infant encountering the world for the first time. Donoghue takes us there. My favorite of these new moments was Jack's haircut. (hide spoiler)]
While some of the events in the book are disturbing, I don't think they're too disturbing. Jack's innocent voice saves us from the horror that this story could be. It's not about all the things lost in Outside. It's about wanting to stay in and safe. And it's about the power of maternal love. Because of that, the story has redemption and hope and happiness.(less)
Some 20 pages into the book I thought to myself, "I don't really care what this book is about and honestly the subject matter hasn't grabbed me yet, b...moreSome 20 pages into the book I thought to myself, "I don't really care what this book is about and honestly the subject matter hasn't grabbed me yet, but I don't care. I would follow this girl anywhere." I love a good voice.
Vera is a high school senior grieving over her best friend's death, only at the time of his death, Charlie was her frenemy. It makes the grieving process a little harder when you hate and love the person at the same time, when you have so many unresolved issues that you'll never get answers to. Throw that on top of an already complicated life with a father who expects everything from her to avoid the pitfalls of his own life and a mother who abandoned her and Vera has a lot of conflicting emotions and decisions caving in on her.
As Vera tries to move on with her life, she can't quite get away from Charlie and the things that only she knows about his life and death. The story is weaved with her present life and the little tidbits of her past life she lets bleed into her consciousness. It isn't until she deals with the mess of her relationship with Charlie that we learn the circumstances of his betrayal. I cried for her. It is so hard to find characters in YA that are relatable and real and raw. Vera is definitely one of them.
The book is also scattered with POVs from her father (Ken), from Charlie, and from the town pagoda who's been around long enough to see pitfalls of the human condition. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about Ken's chapters (although I always loved his flow charts) but ended up liking that contrast of perspective very much. I could see where he was coming from and I could see where Vera was coming from and appreciate both sides of the argument. It added to the complexity of the story and the characters.
The only thing that really bothered me was I didn't feel satisfied with the answers Charlie gave. He was a little bit of a drama queen about Vera helping him out but what he left as answers and explanations didn't quite add up to his level of anxiety. He had the opportunity for a grand gesture and it fell a little flat. (view spoiler)[And I never quite understood how he died. He was hiding and then he was thrown from who knew whose moving car drunk. How did they find him? Why did he agree to hang out and get wasted? Why did he feel that he should be in jail? And what exactly was John the pervert doing? (hide spoiler)]
In the end I was satisfied with Vera's story and closed the book smiling. That is the best feeling at the end of a book. It wasn't all better in the end, a bandaid to cover the gaping whole in her heart, but it was about coping and growing into the person she wanted to be. Most importantly, I was left with a sense of hope, which is all I wanted for Vera in the first place.(less)
I'm torn as to how to rate this. On the one hand, Fielding nails the humor. Humor is very hard to capture in literature and I often found myself smili...moreI'm torn as to how to rate this. On the one hand, Fielding nails the humor. Humor is very hard to capture in literature and I often found myself smiling or chuckling. But when I wasn't, I was exasperated with Bridget Jones. Fielding nails her too. Why do women insist on being proud of being so... shallow? Idiotic, blind about themselves and their lives, and obsessed with all the wrong things in life? I didn't sympathize with Bridget at all, nor did I really care about the holes she dug herself into. This book is the perfect example of why I don't read chick lit. I just don't relate to this definition of what women are. More than that, I'm embarrassed by it.
I also didn't buy into the love story. I didn't really get why Bridget liked him other than he was there. But what else than a shallow love interest did I expect from Bridget? I'm glad that the Pride and Prejudice undertones were not blatant or I might of cried that Fielding so disgraced the characters. I liked the way Renee Zellweger played Bridget so much more than the way this is written. At least in the movie she has a brain and a personality worth something and she seems a little above all the nonsense around her. One of these days I'd like to read chick lit with a protagonist I can relate to, but then again, would it really be light and chick-lit-ish?(less)
When you hear people talk about voice, this is what they are talking about. The voice in this book is fabulous: strong, funny, and intelligent. I love...moreWhen you hear people talk about voice, this is what they are talking about. The voice in this book is fabulous: strong, funny, and intelligent. I loved it, and I loved that Zevin tells us absolutely nothing. She shows it to us. She never tells us whether to like Naomi or always what she's thinking or what to expect her to do or want or become. I can see how that could be frustrating for girls who are used to books that tell them what to think, but I thought it was refreshing and made the book all that much more powerful.
Incidentally, I didn't like Naomi, not really. I could sympathize with her and root for her, but she was an authentically selfish teenager and her choices often bothered me (as did, once again, the sex in the book). All the characters are very vivid and very real and multi-dimensional. My favorite character was Will. I adored him and his quirky personality and his banter with Naomi. Every time he was in a scene, I smiled.
I was so into this book that when I got to the last page, I furiously turned the last page and said "Nooo!" But no. It was the end. And so is this.(less)
I love unique voices, especially when their view on the world is skewed and you, as the reader, can see the chasm between reality and the main charact...moreI love unique voices, especially when their view on the world is skewed and you, as the reader, can see the chasm between reality and the main character's reality. Marcelo, a seventeen-year-old with asperger's syndrome, fits the bill beautifully. After spending his childhood sheltered in a school for disabled children, his father makes him spend the summer working at his law firm so he learns how to deal with real-world situations. At the law firm, Marcelo befriends his boss in the mail room, Jasmine, and learns to meander the labyrinth of friendship maybe attraction. He also struggles with the conniving son of the other partner, Wendell, whom his father encourages him to befriend despite the way Wendell treats Marcelo, caught between what he believes is right and what his father expects of him. The lessons he learns in the real world may not be the ones his father wanted but they are very much the lessons Marcelo needs to learn in life. I loved reading his analytic with no emotion trains of thought while he was in sensory overload trying to understand everything thrown at him. And I loved that he referred to everyone in the third person. Marcelo's voice is one that will stick with you.
The line that made me laugh out loud was this: "I don't know if the fact that we are sleeping next to each other means we are going to have sexual intercourse." I may have repeated the line to husband once or twice before going to bed. On a side note, I adore Stork's editor (I read her blog) and was happy not to find one mistake in the book.(less)
This is my first encounter with Stephen King. Maybe I had too high of expectations, but I didn't find the writing amazing. I actually liked the movie...moreThis is my first encounter with Stephen King. Maybe I had too high of expectations, but I didn't find the writing amazing. I actually liked the movie more. The story is good, but I think he spends too much time forcing in issues or discoveries of these boys and I even skipped the lengthy example of the protagonist's story. The relationship of the four boys is amazing but sometimes King got in the way.(less)
Bray takes on the great Don Quixote and delivers more than a modern satire. She gives us a wild ride worthy of Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of O...moreBray takes on the great Don Quixote and delivers more than a modern satire. She gives us a wild ride worthy of Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz that is not only fun and hilarious but moving and exceptionally written. This novel is a monumental undertaking and somehow Bray accomplishes it.
In the beginning, I found Cameron wholly unrelatable, but Bray is so witty and has such a way with sarcastic metaphors and sneaking in description so you see and smell and hear and feel the book without it slowing down the plot that I didn't want to stop reading even though I didn't care about Cameron who was a total loser. He's going nowhere at school. Gets fired from his job with good reason. Hates his family and they aren't too fond of his slackerness either. His only hobby seems to be to listen to music he hates so he can mock it. He's high at least once a week. Shows no hope, no responsibility, and elicits zero sympathy from me. But Bray managed to keep me interested in his story and smiling at her wit despite the f-word coming out in every sentence. (Isn't it against some social norm to say the f-word when you're talking about Disneyland?)
Just as I was getting turned off with the too modern feel (references to WTF, 'rents, things like that) in a story that didn't seem to go anywhere, Cameron develops mad-cow disease and starts his mental decline. That's when he heads out on a mission to save himself and the world. On his travels, he takes a hypochondriac dwarf, picks up a talking garden gnome, and heads toward the happiest place on earth following clues of the seemingly random with help from a punk-rock angel. Yeah, it's that whacked.
I laughed and smiled through all his misadventures that were really the adventure in disguise. The way Bray weaved everything in his life from snow globes to cartoons into this adventure so that it was not only important but part of some grander metaphor for his life was utter genius. I am in awe of Bray's creative power. Through his whole crazy adventure, you can laugh at this story for the slapstick humor or find that deep meaningful awareness of pot talk (not that I've ever been there).
You know that feeling when you finish a book or a movie and you feel like something monumental has happened, but nothing's happened to you. All you did was watch a movie or read a book. That's how I felt when I closed this book, which is pretty amazing that Bray made me experience the book on its terms. But this book isn't for everyone. Just like you have to be in the right mood (or the right person) to appreciate Alice in Wonderland or The Wizard of Oz, you have to be there to appreciate this. For all my disdain at the swearing and my initial turn-off to the character (which ended up being necessary), for what the book accomplishes, I have to to say, "Wow. That's a palindrome." (It's in the book.)
Minor Spoilers in my symbolism-happy analysis: (view spoiler)[Let's start with some of that social satire. Bray criticizes the brainwashing of religious cults, consumerism, and a society of instant gratification in one swoop with CESSNAB (I kept thinking this must be a mingled acronym for something else, but can't find anything in those letters). I think this was my favorite detour. The criticism was pretty self-explanatory, especially library girl's speech about censorship.
Bray also takes on our obsession with celebrities and extreme reality TV with the YA! Party House in a section that reeks of spring break on MTV. She shows what people will do for a little screen time of under the pressure of a cheering crowd. I loved her bits about the travel gnomes and Vikings, not that Vikings are commentary about society but it was sure amusing and Balder's quest proves foreshadowing of Cameron's quest.
I found parallels to the government's fear and oversight after 9/11 with the United Snow Globe Wholesalers, especially their FBI wardrobe and speech about terrorists. And Bray manages to criticize tacky knick-knack souvenirs in the process. Plus, she takes on tabloid news and how much news gives rise to panic instead of information. I loved the employee # stuff too, how impersonal corporate America has become. A lot of social satire packed into every storyline.
There's commentary on celebrity fundraisers that nobody knows what for with the Big Benefit Concert for Peace but Against Non-Peace and People Generally Being Not Nice. I loved the Copenhagen International sections. What is the real meaning of "The Seven Ways to Say Snow" or any of those seemingly deep lyrics to big bands that everyone loves and sings along to without getting. I loved how the band tied into the quantum physics with "Dr. X had a theory that certain musical frequencies could open up portals in the fabric of time and space. Something about the vibrations. He believed that music was in fact its own dimension." Music also gives another underlying theme, which ironically comes from the music he loves to mock: "To live is to love, to love is to live."
Some of my favorite moments had to do with humor about physics. "Quantum physics has a problem of major gravity" and "The Theory of Everything Plus a Little Bit More" (Stephen Hawking humor). I love how Bray uses bathroom pot talk to unveil an underlying theme in the book with Shroeder's cat (without looking in the box, one cannot know if the cat is dead or alive and therefore both possibilities exist). And even how she used the Road Runner cartoon to show the concept of alternative universes, that behind every door is a different possibility and who's to say which one is real?
There's a whole lot of symbolism in the book dressed up in that meaningless adventure. My favorite one is the Disney World e-ticket keeping him alive. The book starts with this line: "The best day of my life happened when I was five and almost died at Disney World." (Isn't that one of the best lines ever?) It is that memory, all of his memories, and his capability to think that keep him alive and give him existence. Besides, how could a book of social satire in America not be pivoted around the happiest place on earth that is real to children but not real?
There's a whole lot with Dr. X too. (did anyone catch that Dr. Specialist's name was Dr. Xavier?) When I read that he was searching for Dr. X, I couldn't help thinking about Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where they're looking for the X and low and behold they're standing on it. That the X that marks the spot (Cameron's mission) is with him the entire time. He just had to find it within himself.
Then there's the Wizard of Reckoning. You can go into the whole "there's nothing to fear but fear itself" and how the only people we have to reckon with in the end is ourselves. I found it interesting that he was dressed as a combination of a knight and a space age astronaut, a redressing of Don Quixote as a modern telling (I did find it disrespectful to talk down the great Don Quixote with some of her slang and the f word). The only class Bray takes the time to go into detail about is the discussion of that book "Is Don Quixote mad or is the world that embraces these ideals... mad." More foreshadowing of an underlying theme of the book.
Everything in the beginning seems random, but it all ties together in Cameron's mission because there is no seemingly random. Things like Phantasos on the Mardi Gras parade: "We are weary travelers trying to find our way home on a road that never ends. Am I part of your dream? Or are you but a part of mine?" The Wishing Tree that grants the essence of a wish. The Star Fighter movies that every kid memorizes because he wants to be the hero of a great adventure. The snow globes where the only way to have a perfect, unaltered life is not to live but be trapped in a glass cage. The Road Runner cartoons with the coyote always chasing something he cannot reach and the episode with the doors of endless possibilities. Balder on a quest to find something that isn't there. Gonzo so afraid to get sick and die that he doesn't experience anything. The old lady across the hall who wants beauty when she dies. And Dulcie who represents the message she can't tell Cameron because he has to find out for himself and when he does that (meaning she as the message) is his reward.
I am in most awe that Bray breaks a cardinal rule of YA fiction, especially first-person YA, and it works. Just in case you clicked on the spoiler tag but still haven't read the book, I won't say what it is, but if you've read it, you should know what about talking about with the ending. It works because you don't like pre-mad-cow Cameron, but on this journey he discovers himself and becomes a likable person so you're rooting for that Cameron. I like the Cameron that meets Dulcie and decides to live instead of sneer at life. I loved how the ending brought his world around full circle (back to Disney World) and gave life to that existential moment of his youth when he realized life is all a charade. The symbolism amazed me. (hide spoiler)]
Favorite quotes: -The best day of my life happened when I was five and almost died at Disney World. -Scoring well on tests is the sort of happy thing that gets the school district the greenbacks they crave. Understanding and appreciating the material are secondary. -I've never done acid, finding it hard to go willingly to a place that could be frightening, hellish, and totally beyond my control. A place much like high school. -For the record, our friend Chet King has read exactly three books in his life, but I'm not sure that sitting through The Happy Bunny Easy Reader twice should count. -Cross-pollination of our educational experience. -Chet nods at me in that ages-old macho greeting: I have acknowledge your existence, peon. Do not ask for more. -"You coming to the game, bro?" "Can't. It's against my religion... Apathy." -Jena's ubergirl lair. No doubt any serial killer would take one look at the lavender walls covered with sensitive girl songwriter posters and dive out the window anyway. -All hail the suburban action hero. -Resigned, I trudge over to the register, wondering if girls can smell your total fear, like wolves or very experienced serial killers. -I've been poked and prodded in places I'd always prided myself on keeping untouched for that one special doctor who gives me a ring and a promise someday. -As a coping tool, denial is severely underrated. -He's decked out in full protective gear... like a giant medical paranoia snowman or some eccentric pop star addicted to bizarre fashion choices. -Had they eaten each other in a drug-induced, hate-fueled orgy of excess—the dark side of celebrity. -There are several Dr. A**holes who come in here every day to scribble on my chart and poke with sharp objects so they can collect points for their Sadistic Scout Badges, but so far, no Dr. X. -The waitress takes note of his Little Person status. It's like it stalls out for a minute and she needs to reboot, but the forced smile comes back. -Gonzo shakes his head like I'm giving him Bubonic Plague in jewelry form. -Gonzo's revving as hard as an engine, like he doesn't know whether to be more freaked out about getting in the van with a bunch of possible serial killers or to take his chances alone on the side of a road in Godonlyknowswhere, Mississippi. -You're guaranteed the same experience every single time. And you're having the same experience as everybody else. It cuts down on things like dissatisfaction, envy, competitiveness, longing, regret. All that bad stuff. -I am special; special people do not die. -I want to help you find what I've found. Here, have a key chain. -They say it might take twenty-four hours to fix [the smoothie machine:]. That's like a lifetime! -I think about dying every day, because I can't stop thinking about living. -Tara looks at him like he's just said all babies should be euthanized. -As a kind, I imagined lots of different scenarios for my life. I would be an astronaut. Maybe a cartoonist. A famous explorer or rock star. Never once did I see myself standing under the window of a house belonging to some druggie named Carbine, waiting for his yard gnome to steal his stash so I could get a cab back to a cheap motel where my friend, a neurotic, death-obsessed dwarf, was waiting for me so we could get on the road to an undefined place and a mysterious Dr. X, who would cure me of mad cow disease and stop a band of dark energy from destroying the universe. -The world's most bada** Viking yard gnome is on the counter by the cash register using a dinner plates as a shield and a steak knife as a sword. -I thought I was having an existential crisis, but it was nothing. Please don't tailgate: body in trunk. -The air smells like it's just been born. -Here. Now This. This is it, cowboy. The whole ride. Pay attention. -It's got enough megawatts lighting to give a space station lightbulb envy. -It's the whole damn unfairness of it all. Like I'm just starting to understand how amazing this whole crazy ride is going to be and now it's coming to an end. -When it comes, her kiss is like something not so much felt as found. Vikings. Not great with subtlety. -I realize I'm really tired. But a good tired, like I've spent all day at the beach. -Who but the mad would choose to keep on living? In the end, aren't we all just a little crazy?(less)
Reading through Sam's last day of life, I was transported back to high school with those girls who were shallow, self-centered, and unaware and though...moreReading through Sam's last day of life, I was transported back to high school with those girls who were shallow, self-centered, and unaware and thought they were cool and better than everyone else because they were shallow, self-centered, and unaware. I felt emotions I had not experienced in years, emotions I had long forgotten. Oliver captures that teenage-centric narcissism so vividly, so much more intently than I ever understood in high school, that I couldn't help but hate Sam and feel some level of vindictive justice.
As she starts the same day over again, just as full of herself, I doubted Sam could grow enough to satisfy me. But she did. It was slow and painstaking at times; sometimes I wanted Sam to just get it and be fixed, but that wouldn't have been realistic. She needed to figure it out on her own and at her own pace. Oliver does an excellent job showing us that gradual shift from spoiled teenager to thoughtful person, realizing that there were consequences to her actions, that the universe did not revolve around her, that maybe popularity wasn't worth the price she'd paid for it. While I don't think Sam reached perfect self-actualization, I don't think I wanted her to. She had a long way to come and I believed a character that was aware but still a little bit selfish.
Oliver is an amazing writer, so unobtrusive and descriptive. I didn't so much read this book as experience it. She manages to keep a day that is lived over and over again from being repetitive and gives us enough events in that day to give Sam plenty of chances to both mess up and unmess other people's lives. She manages to take a story that doesn't sound very original (Mean Girls vs. Groundhog Day) and own it. She manages to make me care about a girl that I couldn't stand, that represents very real girls that I couldn't stand (but not Lindsay; I never liked her).
(view spoiler)[My only disappointment was that the day before the last seemed more perfect than the last. Not for Sam, who learned to fall (or fly), but for everyone else. Especially Kent. I think you can interpret the last day two ways: either Sam learned what she needed to learn to move on, or the final day was the way that day was fated to be and Sam needed to get to a point where she could make that sacrifice. It makes no difference to her, but it makes a difference to everyone else. Which day do they remember? If it's the first, that's too bad for Sam and the mess she left. If it's the last, she left a lot of people with unanswered questions. I get that she couldn't focus on Kent, but she teased him and gave him too little. Even though the day wasn't about him, I still wanted Sam to leave him with an apology and a goodbye. I think Sam believed the last day only happened in her memory and a perfect day included a goodbye kiss to Kent, but then she bothered to give Anna that book and Izzy her necklace and save Juliet. I think a part of her still wanted to leave a legacy. I wanted to believe that last day for Sam and Juliet and Kent and maybe even a little bit for Lindsay. Maybe I didn't hate her so much after all.
I keep going back and forth on what day is the real day. Sometimes I think the first one is an obvious choice, but then there are things about the last day that make me think that maybe that one was real. Especially with Juliet. It's like Sam was being told "you're dead anyway. You can be selfish and claim that day, or you can use it to save someone's life." And that goes for Lindsay too. Getting drunk and killing your best friend would have messed her up. I think I believe the last day. At least I hope it. I love the ambiguity of it, but that it doesn't feel ambiguous. When you close the book, you know what happened, even though it could be interpreted on different levels.
Either way, Sam took seven days to grow into the person she needed to be. For as sad as the ending is, there is so much redemption in. And that's what it's about, Sam's redemption, not Juliet's or Lindsey's or anyone else's. As hard as she tried, there was nothing she could do to affect change in anyone else. Lindsey can take the wake up call of her friend's death to change into a better person; Juliet can take Sam's sacrifice to get her through high school; or they can keep going on their set paths. Their redemption is up to them; all Sam could do was take what little she could in one day to encourage change in a lot of people. I can see this having an affect on teenage girls who might be caught up in their own lives and learn these lessons along with Sam. I'm an adult and I'll be thinking about this one for awhile. There's something amazing in Sam's growth and for that she gets five stars. (hide spoiler)](less)
The pacing of the mystery, the bits of humor, the authentic 1979 New York kids were all spot on. I finished this book with a smile and then reread it...moreThe pacing of the mystery, the bits of humor, the authentic 1979 New York kids were all spot on. I finished this book with a smile and then reread it with my daughter. Now, every few days she reminds me that it was a great book. I guess she finished it with a smile too.(less)
John Wayne Cleaver knows he's a sociopath. He loves fire; he's curious about the insides of animals (and the dead bodies that come to mortuary owned b...moreJohn Wayne Cleaver knows he's a sociopath. He loves fire; he's curious about the insides of animals (and the dead bodies that come to mortuary owned by his mother); and he was a bed wetter. Anyone fascinated by serial killers (like John, okay and me) knows those are the three characteristics attributed to serial killers. In fear of his own dark potential, he follows rules to keep up the appearance of a normal teenager and keep himself safely away from danger. Then a serial killer strikes his town. In order to find and destroy the monster, John must let down his wall of rules and let his own monster out.
Wells does such a good job putting you into John's head that you can root for him even while you're disturbed by him. He's a good kid, but I certainly wouldn't wish any girl to be his girlfriend or even his mom to be his mom. He made a fascinating protagonist as he struggled with his lack of empathy, how to read and connect with people, and where to find his moral ground. Wells asks the question of what makes a monster: the kid who restrains his dark tendencies, feeling nothing at the death he witnesses, or the one who kills out of need and cries for his victims.
The plot took a disappointing turn, bringing in story elements that were unnecessary for the metaphorical message of John's battle (the only reason I didn't give it five stars), but the story was still fascinating and intense. It starts with an embalming and ends with, well I wouldn't tell you that. But it's good. If you are at all fascinated by sociopaths, serial killers, morticians, unconventional protagonists, or a little gore in your thrillers, than you'll enjoy this book.(less)
Reading this book reminded me of why I never joined a sorority, all that exclusivity stuff drives me nuts. Lockhart put me right back into the way I f...moreReading this book reminded me of why I never joined a sorority, all that exclusivity stuff drives me nuts. Lockhart put me right back into the way I felt as a teenager when some arrogant guy thought he could get anything out of the world, out of me, because he was wealthy and good looking and therefore deserved it. I could simultaneously despise the Basset hound gang and see why girls would encourage the status of these funny, likable boys. The status of class, money, gender was very realistically done.
I never thought a story about feminism could be so apropos today, but I guess guys will never get over that instinct to fight and protect and girls the instinct to look pretty and helpless. I could sympathize with Frankie's quest to outwit those boys and not be underestimated. She has major issues about being overlooked, but I did not find her whiny or bitter--calculating, but with heart and plenty of smarts and wit.
The defining moment of this book would be when Frankie finds herself in the tunnel with Alpha and she bolts. For her this was all about her ideals, of making statements, of proving herself, and to the boys, it was all about hanging out with the boys, of loyalty. If Frankie truly were one of the boys, she would have stayed in that tunnel and warned Alpha, but she was never meant to be one of them.
I loved the book, but it only gets four stars for the interrupting narrator who found the need to interject lots of telling instead of showing.(less)
A novel for all the underdogs out there. I'm giving this book four stars for the voice. Lyga captures that tortured, conflicted, awkward stage in life...moreA novel for all the underdogs out there. I'm giving this book four stars for the voice. Lyga captures that tortured, conflicted, awkward stage in life with Fanboy, a nerdy boy who's smarter than everyone else, a little picked on for his size and goody two-shoes, and completely clueless about girls. So authentic 15-year-old boy it hurts. Obsessed with his graphic novel and focused on getting good grades as his way out, Fanboy's view of life changes when he meets Goth Girl, an emo chick who questions everything with way too much take-it-personally emotion. I enjoyed seeing high school through fanboy's eyes, the good kid you want to root for, and watching him figure things out (note that as you wander through this boy's thoughts, he's going to think about girls). It's real and dorky and funny and a little dark and pure teenage overwhelmed with parents and teachers and students without being whiny. It's a great voice. I almost wanted to read a graphic novel after this, almost, but not quite.(less)
Here is an illustrative tale of what it was like to be a black maid during the civil rights movement of the 1960s in racially conflicted Mississippi....moreHere is an illustrative tale of what it was like to be a black maid during the civil rights movement of the 1960s in racially conflicted Mississippi. There is such deep history in the black/white relationship and this story beautifully shows the complex spectrum, not only the hate, abuse, mistrust, but the love, attachment, dependence.
Stockett includes this quote by Howell Raines in her personal except at the end of the novel: There is no trickier subject for a writer from the South than that of affection between a black person and a white one in the unequal world of segregation. For the dishonesty upon which a society is founded makes every emotion suspect, makes it impossible to know whether what flowed between two people was honest feeling or pity or pragmatism. An eloquent way to describe Stockett's intentions for this novel. I know most reviews will probably focus on the racial relationships in the book, but to me the most haunting statement was that when you are paying someone to care for you and their livelihood depends on making you happy, you can't expect an honest relationship.
I did not expect this book to hit so close to home. After all, I did not grow up in the South and completely missed the racial mind shift in the country. But the book isn't just about racism and civil rights. It's about the employer relationship too. And I did grow up in South America with a maid trying to keep herself out of poverty by making our crazy family happy. As much as we loved her, I can see so many of the pitfalls from these complex relationships in my own history. I know our maid was stuck between pleasing my mother and raising us the way she believed appropriate. I know it was physically hard to work from sunup to late everyday and emotionally hard to never relax because she wasn't the decision maker of our home and at any moment she could be reprimanded for making the wrong decision. She had absolutely no power, and yet she was all powerful to shape and mold us.
I needed her, felt bad for how much I imposed upon her, but I never voiced how much I appreciated or loved her. I took her for granted. Even though she was paid to love us, I know she did. We were her children, especially my youngest brothers. And yet when she moved back home, we lost contact. Was it out of laziness of our own narcissistic lives or was the complexity of our relationship so draining she cut the tie? It is my fear that she thinks we did not return her affection and only thought of her as the maid. I often think about her, we all reminisce about her wondering where she is, and more than anything, I just want to know that she is happy and tell her thank you. It is so strange that someone who is such a vital part of your childhood can just vanish out of your life. "They say its like true love, good help. You only get one in a lifetime." I know. Believe me, I know.
The story is strong and real and touched something deep inside me. I could so relate to the motherly love from Constantine to Skeeter, see that pain in the triangle between Aibileen and Mae Mobley and Elizabeth, feel the exasperation of Minny toward Celia, and understand the complexity of the good and bad, the love and hate, the fear and security. Stockett captured all these emotions.
I also loved the writing style. When style compliments plot, I get giddy. I don't always love grammatically incorrect prose or books about an author trying to be published, but here it works because it's honest. The novel is about a white woman secretly compiling true accounts of black maids--and the novel is in essence a white author trying to understand black maids. The styles parallel each other as do the messages. The point of Skeeter's novel is to make people see that people are just people no matter the color of their skin and Stockett's novel beautifully portrays that with both good and bad on both sides. The fictional novel cover is decorated with the white dove of love and understanding. To get us there, Stockett gives us three ordinary birds, a picture of ordinary life asking to be accepted for its honest simplicity.
This book is Stockett's masterpiece, that story in her that was just itching to get out. From the first page, the voice of the characters took vivid form and became real, breathing people. I loved Aibileen, but think I loved Minny's voice more because she is such a strong character. Besides the maids, I loved Hilly as a portrayal of the white Southern belle with the ingrained belief that black people are not as good as whites, verbalized as "separate but equal" so it doesn't sound racist. My favorite scene was when Hilly says they have to be careful of racists because they are out there. She's a bit over the top, but if you've been to the South, not that far of a stretch. I just would have liked to find some redeeming qualities in her from Skeeter's perspective.
While there are some instances where I felt Stockett was squeezing historical facts into the novel, forming the plot around these events instead of letting them play backdrop, and occasionally I could read the modern woman in this tale pushing her message too hard, Stockett's sincerity to understand and appreciate shines through. She lived this book to some extent and the story is a part of her. Because it's important to her it becomes important to me. (less)
I thought this story was well written and the main character intriguing and believable, but I was a little taken aback by the subject matter. My impre...moreI thought this story was well written and the main character intriguing and believable, but I was a little taken aback by the subject matter. My impression was that the story was about someone who was debilitatingly shy, not about someone so traumatized they lost their voice. I think in that way, the story hit just right because like Melinda and so many girls out there, I didn't think it would happen to her.
I liked the irreverence about high school, the nicknames for everyone, the roll-your-eyes parents, the lies the school administration tells you, and the grades for everything beyond grades. It starts out with such a light-hearted tone, I did not expect the sudden delve into subject matter too much for our young protagonist and was heart broken for her. Even more so that I listened to it in audio form and the POV is first person. I found myself experiencing her life right along with her and found her reactions appropriate, which saddened me even more that girls fall into themselves and close off the world instead of lash out the way boys do.
I love the cover art and was sure it would somehow play into her art project about trees, a way for her to heal, but alas there are no easy answers in life. Sometimes it just takes time to heal wounds this deep.(less)
What makes this story so unique is that it's written from the perspective of a dog, and not just any dog but one who believes in reincarnation. He's p...moreWhat makes this story so unique is that it's written from the perspective of a dog, and not just any dog but one who believes in reincarnation. He's paying attention so he can come back in the next life as a race car driver, which so happens to be the profession of his owner. Here's the thing is I don't like dogs or Nascar (or any thing about cars for that matter), so to find myself feeling attached to this dog and this race-car driver was surprising. And to feel so emotional and passionate about this family was just as unexpected. The adoration and loyalty of a family pet certainly shined through the narrative. While the story is at times amusing, sprinkled with insightful tidbits of racing advice that applies to real life, the bulk of the book is full of depth about our human relationships, as viewed by a dog who wants our opposable thumbs and power of language. It makes for an interesting point of view. So when a dog gives you that look like they really understand more than their physical bodies let them express, is there really more intelligence than we give them credit for? Nah, I'm not that much of a dog person. (less)
More than anything, I loved the writing for this book: funny, casual, easy flowing. I wasn't sure where the story was taking me, other than I knew Sta...moreMore than anything, I loved the writing for this book: funny, casual, easy flowing. I wasn't sure where the story was taking me, other than I knew Stanley would get something emotionally out of the camp, and was pleased with the conclusion, even if it did wrap up nicely with too many coincidences. But that's something you expect from Young Adult fiction. I liked Stanley, especially his one-shouldered shrug and no good pig stealing great grandfather comments. Having a sympathetic hero gives a book a tremendous boost. It's a quick read with a heartening story. There's a reason it won a Newbery. It's worth the read.(less)
Boys feel just as insecure getting girls as girls do getting boys. I just love that. Although if this had been a woman author I would have written off...moreBoys feel just as insecure getting girls as girls do getting boys. I just love that. Although if this had been a woman author I would have written off her sensitive boy as unrealistic, but since the author is male, I give him more leeway with emotions. I'd like to think rather than being chauvinistic, I'm taking a man's word for it since us women can only guess. Literature about finding love is normally the sappy girl's perspective and here you get insight into a boy so anxious to give love and find approval that he's hungry, but can't show it. The industry needs more male authors.
The main character, Cameron, is somewhat of a loser with no social life and yet he is a deeply feeling, attentive, and pensive boy, emotionally mature beyond his more outwardly charming brothers. I found myself relating him to my closed-off brother whom my family often writes off as immature and irresponsible, when he has his moments of glory where you do get a glimpse of him, particularly how devoted and sweet he his to his girlfriend. It is those quiet shy boys, "the nice guys who finish last," who are the ones worth waiting for.
As always, Zusak is poetry to read. Each chapter ends with Cameron's insights. The last is my favorite: "There are so many moments to remember and sometimes I think that maybe we're not really people at all. Maybe moments are what we are.... Sometimes I just survive. But sometimes I stand on the rooftop of my existence, arms stretched out, begging for more."
It's an extremely quick read--I read it over a few hours--but it's not an empty mindless read. Admist all the paranormal fantasy out there with unrealistic male love interests, it's nice to read young adult about a real guy (including his adolescent thoughts on sex). I adored Cameron and his vulnerability.
ETA: I met Zusak at a book signing. He was everything I thought he would be. I asked him how much Cameron was based off his own adolescent years and he said very much so. I could see that in him. Is it possible that I adore Zusak more than I did before meeting him?(less)
Sometimes a book touches you and it's not just the subject matter or the vivid characters or the poetic writing but all of it: the magic of a perfect...moreSometimes a book touches you and it's not just the subject matter or the vivid characters or the poetic writing but all of it: the magic of a perfect ensemble.
What an interesting topic. I was not expecting this book to be about the Holocaust (one of my favorite subject matters) but what makes it unique is it is not a biography (when truth is stranger than fiction you stick to the horror of truth) but a tale told by death personified. "Even death has a heart." Death who tells you the end before the middle in a creative form of foreshadowing. Death makes such an interesting narrator not only for his nonchronological sequence, but because of his viewpoint. Death is a compassionate caretaker in love with the beauty of life, particularly the intensity of colors.
It is the prose that makes this story work. The setting is one we are all too familiar with its sorrow, but you juxtapose it with the beauty of imagery like "the suffocation of sleep," "a rumor of sunshine stood behind the clouds," "the rain was stained," or "the stickiness of people" and you find feeling in the horror. You tell the story from an unbiased death who can see resolution during struggle and who comforts souls as they exit the brutality of humanity, and World War II becomes a setting for a story, not a retelling of history.
This story is about the power of words and Zusak is an expert artist molding them for optimal beauty and sadness. It goes without saying that if he can weave words to make you feel, he can weave them to make you care for the characters, to draw you into the story, to create a reality that settles in for lingered reflection.
The characters in this story are so vivid. The way they bring art and feeling to such an emotionally dead time in history is truly beautiful. I just loved Liesel. I felt for her. On the one hand I wanted to shelter her from the tumultuous times surrounding her and yet I enjoyed the growth and strength her character underwent throughout the book. It is this child tough enough to beat the boys at soccer and soft enough to read a gravedigger's handbook because it ties her to her family that has so much life in her you can't help but root for her. And how could you not love the charismatic Rudy who wants to be Jesse Owens? I wanted so much for Rudy. Rosa showing her love in her bitterness, the kind-hearted Hans too good to fall in line in a Nazi state, and Max the gentle broken Jew. All of them so full of life they're almost too vibrant for the gray detachment this era is normally colored with.
Such a powerful story. In the hands of Zusak it becomes a piece of art. It's no mystery I love the power of the perfect words, and I found myself stopping to track down tidbits of pure poetry. Some of my favorite quotes from the book:
"To feel such love without knowing it, mistaking it for laughter and bread with only the scent of jam spread out on top of it." "Two weeks to change the world, and fourteen days to ruin it." Commentary by death: "It kills me sometimes, how people die." "I see their ugly and their beauty and I wonder how the same thing can be both." "I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right." "The same thing could be so ugly and so glorious and its words and stories so damning and brilliant."(less)
I love stories written from the perspective of a strong, believable characters that are unusual. This is the story of a 15-year-old autistic boy who s...moreI love stories written from the perspective of a strong, believable characters that are unusual. This is the story of a 15-year-old autistic boy who sets out to discover who killed his neighbor's dog. A lot of the book is his autistic ramblings explaining his perceptions and personalities. Prime number chapters, the description of the seat cushion patterns, and the math philosophy that teased my own obsessive compulsive nature. Most literature is written by heavily right-brained authors where this has a lot of heavy math philosophy which I thoroughly enjoyed. Math is too often lacking in literatue. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around whether the odds on 2 doors when a third has been eliminated is 1/2 or 2/3. And I'm wondering how strange my own idiosyncratic tendencies and obsessions are. It is a well-written story with an I think accurate glimpse into the workings of an autistic mind.(less)
Powerful. This is the story of a Hasidic Jew who is a gifted painter, a talent not approved of among orthodox Jews. His life becomes a struggle betwee...morePowerful. This is the story of a Hasidic Jew who is a gifted painter, a talent not approved of among orthodox Jews. His life becomes a struggle between his father--who tries to stir him away from the arts to more traditionally accepted hobbies all the while trying to understand him--and his need to draw to express himself. I could sympathize with all the characters in the book: his father for trying to hold onto his religious convictions without dominance but love, his mother for trying to love and encourage her son while staying at one with her husband, the mentor for his love and devotion to art, and especially Asher for trying to balance it all.
I loved that it wasn't a story about how his parents rejected him because he was different but tried to understand and love their son the best way they knew how and still maintain their faith. It was an honest parent/child relationship and I think Asher valued his faith and his parents more for their attempt at understanding him. I enjoyed learning about Hasidic Jews and understanding their religious convictions as well as experiencing the aesthetic pull to explain the world through art. The backdrop was so real to me that I could feel this boy's life. My one complaint would be that I still wonder what a few of terms mean. Like what exactly does Ladover mean?
Asher says this of painting: "I paint my feelings. I paint how I see and feel about the world. But I paint a painting, not a story." I absolutely loved that the writing style correlates with a painting style. Asher is non-descriptive about his feelings, only stating his replies to people's questions instead of delving inside his own emotions. Just a painting, the reader is left to interpret those for himself. The story flows through the years smoothly, but it is the writing style that puts it on a higher level. When style can add another layer by making you feel Asher's love of painting, it makes the book beautiful.
The reason this is one of my favorite books is that I connected with this book on a deeply personal level. As someone who dabbles with the art of writing and an extremely religious person, I often wonder how I would balance art and religion. I hate that it has to be a choice, but if you are going to commit yourself that deeply to an art, there will come a time when you have to pick your art or your faith. I hope I would pick faith, but where I draw the line may different than someone else's and therefore I run the risk of offending. Part of being an artist is coming to terms with this displacement. It is the reason I empathized with Asher and come back to his story time and again in my own quest to balance it all.(less)
What I love most about this book is how well it puts you into Japanese culture in the early 20th century. The characters, both loved and hated, are de...moreWhat I love most about this book is how well it puts you into Japanese culture in the early 20th century. The characters, both loved and hated, are deep, multi-faceted embodiments of that culture. Sometimes while reading a book the stage set by the author becomes more real than your own surroundings. You become so enthralled in the story that you almost believe if you visited the era you could walk into a scene from the book. Even years later the details remain firm in your mind. This is a well-written, strong book that also enlightens and explains Japanese culture. I loved learning exactly what a geisha is and what the Japanese value and desire in them. I was both interested and at times appalled at Japanese cultural tendencies and forever twisted into this girl's life. A fantastic read. (less)
I thought this would certainly end up on my favorites list. A story about a young girl living with an abusive father in a politically volatile era com...moreI thought this would certainly end up on my favorites list. A story about a young girl living with an abusive father in a politically volatile era coming to terms with her mother's death as she explores her own views on race. What's not to love? I felt for this girl and her yearning for a mother and a place to fit in life. The writing is excellent and the characters so vibrant I still remember them years after finishing the book. The growing social conflict and fear of her father certainly left room for a poignant ending. But no it had to be wrapped up with a pretty bow and all those unsightly ends tucked away. It's not that I'm always against happy endings, but if you're going to pick a deep topic and discuss conflict that has no resolution, you can't ignore the questions you bring up yourself and throw it all away as if it didn't happen. I was so disenchanted with the end, that had it not been such a beautifully written book I would have disregarded the story entirely. (less)
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