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Divine Clementine
I blow her a kiss. She catches it and puts it in her pocket for later like she always does.
And then it happens.
Why doesn't she look? Why doesn't the bus brake?
Why is my body frozen?
*
When 16-and-a-half-year-old Clementine Footner witnesses the tragic death of her eccentric aunt Stella, she feels as thought her world will never be the same again.
Clementine idolised her aunt, and their intimate bond was something she treasured deeply. But after finding and reading Stella's diaries, she learns about a very different woman - an unstable, erratic Stella. This Stella suffered from Bipolar . . . and the whole family knew about it.
Feeling betrayed and angry, with her life spiralling even further out of control, Clementine trudges through grief, despair, and the middle of nowhere to discover what truly matters.
And then it happens.
Why doesn't she look? Why doesn't the bus brake?
Why is my body frozen?
*
When 16-and-a-half-year-old Clementine Footner witnesses the tragic death of her eccentric aunt Stella, she feels as thought her world will never be the same again.
Clementine idolised her aunt, and their intimate bond was something she treasured deeply. But after finding and reading Stella's diaries, she learns about a very different woman - an unstable, erratic Stella. This Stella suffered from Bipolar . . . and the whole family knew about it.
Feeling betrayed and angry, with her life spiralling even further out of control, Clementine trudges through grief, despair, and the middle of nowhere to discover what truly matters.
- GenresYoung AdultRomance
320 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2012
2 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 25, 2012
Struggling to get into this.
By the premise, I thought it would be right up my alley. About a girl whose aunt dies suddenly and tragically, and she discovers along the way about her aunt's depression. I've been through something very, very similar recently. Like, identical almost. And maybe that's why I can't get into this book. I'm expecting to read about my journey, but I'm not.
I find the protagonist, Clementine, incredibly frustrating to read. Her uncle Dorian is right - she is a spoilt brat and honestly I want to smack her upside her head. Despite her recent loss I cannot feel any sympathy for her. I cannot connect with her relationship with her aunt. It feels a little two dimensional. I just... I don't know. I'm disappointed by this book and not entirely sure that I'll finish it.
By the premise, I thought it would be right up my alley. About a girl whose aunt dies suddenly and tragically, and she discovers along the way about her aunt's depression. I've been through something very, very similar recently. Like, identical almost. And maybe that's why I can't get into this book. I'm expecting to read about my journey, but I'm not.
I find the protagonist, Clementine, incredibly frustrating to read. Her uncle Dorian is right - she is a spoilt brat and honestly I want to smack her upside her head. Despite her recent loss I cannot feel any sympathy for her. I cannot connect with her relationship with her aunt. It feels a little two dimensional. I just... I don't know. I'm disappointed by this book and not entirely sure that I'll finish it.
April 30, 2013
Divine Clementine was not amongst the better books I have read of late. As it was a book club choice I felt compelled to finish it.
Within the first five pages of this book Clementine had witnessed her favourite Aunty Stella being brutally crushed by a bus- cheerful!. The remainder of the novel is Clem's passage through her grief and the discovery that her adored Stella was both unstable and suffering from bipolar.
This subject matter had the capacity to be both compelling and profound but was ruined by two things. Number 1: the character of Clem was completely unlikable . Her atrocious behaviour, especially towards her mother, renders any sym[pathy you had for her null and void. Number 2: this was not a well written book. It did not feel as though it was narrated by a sixteen year old, rather someone trying to sound like a sixteen year old. It was not particularly believable.
I really wanted to like this book as the subject matter is so important. I just didn't.
Within the first five pages of this book Clementine had witnessed her favourite Aunty Stella being brutally crushed by a bus- cheerful!. The remainder of the novel is Clem's passage through her grief and the discovery that her adored Stella was both unstable and suffering from bipolar.
This subject matter had the capacity to be both compelling and profound but was ruined by two things. Number 1: the character of Clem was completely unlikable . Her atrocious behaviour, especially towards her mother, renders any sym[pathy you had for her null and void. Number 2: this was not a well written book. It did not feel as though it was narrated by a sixteen year old, rather someone trying to sound like a sixteen year old. It was not particularly believable.
I really wanted to like this book as the subject matter is so important. I just didn't.
January 3, 2013
A really good look at what it is like to deal with the death of a loved one, even more so when you discover secrets about them after they have gone.
Clementine has lost a relative who she was close to, worse than that she was there when the accident happened. As she deals with this pain and the nightmares it brings she also has to contend with the fact that she is mourning a person that she didn't really exist in the way Clementine though she did.
A realistic look at how teens deal with grief and what happens when you someone you think you know is not who they seem.
Clementine has lost a relative who she was close to, worse than that she was there when the accident happened. As she deals with this pain and the nightmares it brings she also has to contend with the fact that she is mourning a person that she didn't really exist in the way Clementine though she did.
A realistic look at how teens deal with grief and what happens when you someone you think you know is not who they seem.
February 19, 2021
This is another book I've had on my shelf for yearsssss and never got to. Unfortunately I think this is a book I would have enjoyed more if I'd read it as soon as I got it.
I found it really hard to connect to Clementine. She might be one of the most childish and naïve 16/17 year old perspectives I've ever read from. The text message sections were cringy, and clearly written from an adult trying to remember how teens typed from their msn or myspace days. For a 16/17 year old to react to a family members mental health diagnosis by calling them "coco-locco" was just ridiculous. It shouldn't have taken some cute farm boy to make her think "hey maybe I should do some research of my own on my aunts disorder".
Her constant sarcasm was unbearable, and I myself am a pretty sarcastic person. Her teen angst wasn't the fun relatable kind. It was the "Stop being so cruel to your mother" kind.
She had some very odd phrases that just like the text messaging felt like someone from an older generation trying to be hip and relatable.
The way the chapters were spaced out was very odd and made for a rather boring reading experience at times. It would go from a few shorter, well paced chapters, to chapters of 30ish pages that dragged on. These longer chapters could have been split up in a few smaller chapters and it would have felt much easier to read and digest.
The ending was quite nice. It was good to see Clem grow a little bit and finally come to terms with the death of her Aunt Stella. A happy ending was what the family ultimately deserved, despite Clem being rather unlikeable for the majority of the book.
At the end of the day this book was your typical tumblr era "teenage girl is saved from her dark hole by cute teenage boy" story, just set in Australia during the summer. Many books have done this troupe (and done it better), and I'm sure there are many more to come.
I found it really hard to connect to Clementine. She might be one of the most childish and naïve 16/17 year old perspectives I've ever read from. The text message sections were cringy, and clearly written from an adult trying to remember how teens typed from their msn or myspace days. For a 16/17 year old to react to a family members mental health diagnosis by calling them "coco-locco" was just ridiculous. It shouldn't have taken some cute farm boy to make her think "hey maybe I should do some research of my own on my aunts disorder".
Her constant sarcasm was unbearable, and I myself am a pretty sarcastic person. Her teen angst wasn't the fun relatable kind. It was the "Stop being so cruel to your mother" kind.
She had some very odd phrases that just like the text messaging felt like someone from an older generation trying to be hip and relatable.
The way the chapters were spaced out was very odd and made for a rather boring reading experience at times. It would go from a few shorter, well paced chapters, to chapters of 30ish pages that dragged on. These longer chapters could have been split up in a few smaller chapters and it would have felt much easier to read and digest.
The ending was quite nice. It was good to see Clem grow a little bit and finally come to terms with the death of her Aunt Stella. A happy ending was what the family ultimately deserved, despite Clem being rather unlikeable for the majority of the book.
At the end of the day this book was your typical tumblr era "teenage girl is saved from her dark hole by cute teenage boy" story, just set in Australia during the summer. Many books have done this troupe (and done it better), and I'm sure there are many more to come.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2023
Divine Clementine had so many heart wrenching themes, grief, trauma, self identity. It was a big journey, one I feel many people can relate to different aspects of.
I felt the first 2/3 of the book were slow moving and felt hard to get through, but I loved the last 1/3 of the book. I think what made the first 2/3 hard was that’s where most of the tough and gritty scenes were. We saw clementine lose someone she loves infront of her eyes, then she realises she didn’t know that person as well as she thought, the person she idolised was a stranger. Clementine then loses herself in this grief, the isolation and depression is tough to read, but the story is nothing without it.
It was beautiful reading Clementines journey out of the black hole she ended up in, of her having just a few moments of happiness each day, to more good days. The journey of grief was well written
I felt the first 2/3 of the book were slow moving and felt hard to get through, but I loved the last 1/3 of the book. I think what made the first 2/3 hard was that’s where most of the tough and gritty scenes were. We saw clementine lose someone she loves infront of her eyes, then she realises she didn’t know that person as well as she thought, the person she idolised was a stranger. Clementine then loses herself in this grief, the isolation and depression is tough to read, but the story is nothing without it.
It was beautiful reading Clementines journey out of the black hole she ended up in, of her having just a few moments of happiness each day, to more good days. The journey of grief was well written
December 30, 2025
This was an enxceptionally compelling read! I absolutely loved every page, hours going by whilst I read because this book was just that good! And I would 100% recommend this to anyone who loves to connect with a story and feel every emotion, grief,loss,sadness but aswell as love, light and happiness. So grateful I found this book and got to read it!
August 2, 2024
OMG, absolutely loved this one. So beautifully written!
Heart-warming and sad, the roller-coaster of emotions of grieving through a life-changing death were captured so well.
Heart-warming and sad, the roller-coaster of emotions of grieving through a life-changing death were captured so well.
June 7, 2012
Clementine is 16 and has always shared a special relationship with her aunt Stella, her mother’s younger sister. Stella is only 10 years older than Clementine, a free spirit and someone who understands her. When Clementine is not getting along with her mother, it is Stella she turns to for sympathy.
When Clementine witnesses Stella’s tragic death, her whole world falls apart. Her grief is all encompassing, the loss of her idol making her feel as though the world will never be the same again. When her mother asks if she’d like to come and help them clear out Stella’s apartment and maybe choose a few mementos of Stella’s, Clementine doesn’t hesitate and she’s thrilled to find Stella’s diaries. She knows that she will treasure them forever.
Clementine is heartbroken after she reads the diaries, lost and confused about what she is seeing. The diaries paint a very different picture than the one Clementine has of her aunt. An unstable Stella, full of bitterness, self-loathing and hatred for those around her that cared about her most – including Clementine.
Divine Clementine is a YA novel tackling the tough topic of mental illness and how it feels for the people who are close to someone who suffers from it. Clementine is a typical teenager, she fights with her mother sometimes, going through that stage where you just don’t see eye to eye. She much prefers the company of her ‘cool’ Aunt Stella, who is young, funky, fee-spirited and with whom Clementine shares a deep bond. Clementine is unaware that her aunt was suffering from a mental illness until after her death when she read Stella’s diaries, usually written when she was at her depressive stage, pages and pages of self-deprecation and hatred for her more mentally healthy relatives. Stella is killed at the very beginning of the book so we don’t experience her bond with Clementine firsthand, just Clementine’s pain at her death and then her dreadful realisation of the truth about Stella, found out in the cruelest possible way.
Sometimes when I read YA I forget that I’m not always the target audience and though a lot of YA crosses over, there are moments which make it so glaringly obvious that I am Old Now. And reading about dramatic teenagers is one of them – there are times when Clementine needs a good kick in the pants, even though she’s a grieving teenager who had her world rocked. Some of the things she says and does are really quite shocking and for that, I definitely think that Kirk nailed a teenager’s reactions and also their actions when they’re looking to act out and maybe work off some steam. But I know that I’m drifting to the Other Side when I’m sympathising with parents, rather than the teens!
I do think that Divine Clementine definitely excels at its portrayal of just how difficult it is to be a close family member of someone with bi-polar or another mental illness. Clementine’s mother was Stella’s older sister and as the story unfolds you discover just how much time and effort she put in to helping Stella, or at least keeping her afloat when it became obvious that her ability to help Stella was very limited. Clementine finally realises what a toll that must of taken on her mother and just how special her mother is for continuing to keep doing it, for years and years. The heartbreak of Clementine’s grandmother and Stella’s mother is likewise well written, also her calm acceptance of Stella’s death and the fact that she couldn’t help her either.
Clementine is definitely a character who evolves over the course of this novel, as the tragedy regresses her to childish and difficult and then, at last, forces to grow and mature and deal with the trauma that she has experienced. I do think her progression is perhaps a little too rapid and unlikely but this isn’t a very long novel and I like that it definitely gives some closure, for Clementine personally and also for her and her family. Overall this novel probably isn’t going to help anyone who suffers from bi-polar or even someone who is close to someone who does, but I think what it will help do is raise awareness in the young adult demographic about the seriousness of it and also the helplessness of it. There’s still a stigma on mental illness and there’s also a lack of genuine knowledge about the various mental conditions and addressing this in fiction can only be a positive thing.
When Clementine witnesses Stella’s tragic death, her whole world falls apart. Her grief is all encompassing, the loss of her idol making her feel as though the world will never be the same again. When her mother asks if she’d like to come and help them clear out Stella’s apartment and maybe choose a few mementos of Stella’s, Clementine doesn’t hesitate and she’s thrilled to find Stella’s diaries. She knows that she will treasure them forever.
Clementine is heartbroken after she reads the diaries, lost and confused about what she is seeing. The diaries paint a very different picture than the one Clementine has of her aunt. An unstable Stella, full of bitterness, self-loathing and hatred for those around her that cared about her most – including Clementine.
Divine Clementine is a YA novel tackling the tough topic of mental illness and how it feels for the people who are close to someone who suffers from it. Clementine is a typical teenager, she fights with her mother sometimes, going through that stage where you just don’t see eye to eye. She much prefers the company of her ‘cool’ Aunt Stella, who is young, funky, fee-spirited and with whom Clementine shares a deep bond. Clementine is unaware that her aunt was suffering from a mental illness until after her death when she read Stella’s diaries, usually written when she was at her depressive stage, pages and pages of self-deprecation and hatred for her more mentally healthy relatives. Stella is killed at the very beginning of the book so we don’t experience her bond with Clementine firsthand, just Clementine’s pain at her death and then her dreadful realisation of the truth about Stella, found out in the cruelest possible way.
Sometimes when I read YA I forget that I’m not always the target audience and though a lot of YA crosses over, there are moments which make it so glaringly obvious that I am Old Now. And reading about dramatic teenagers is one of them – there are times when Clementine needs a good kick in the pants, even though she’s a grieving teenager who had her world rocked. Some of the things she says and does are really quite shocking and for that, I definitely think that Kirk nailed a teenager’s reactions and also their actions when they’re looking to act out and maybe work off some steam. But I know that I’m drifting to the Other Side when I’m sympathising with parents, rather than the teens!
I do think that Divine Clementine definitely excels at its portrayal of just how difficult it is to be a close family member of someone with bi-polar or another mental illness. Clementine’s mother was Stella’s older sister and as the story unfolds you discover just how much time and effort she put in to helping Stella, or at least keeping her afloat when it became obvious that her ability to help Stella was very limited. Clementine finally realises what a toll that must of taken on her mother and just how special her mother is for continuing to keep doing it, for years and years. The heartbreak of Clementine’s grandmother and Stella’s mother is likewise well written, also her calm acceptance of Stella’s death and the fact that she couldn’t help her either.
Clementine is definitely a character who evolves over the course of this novel, as the tragedy regresses her to childish and difficult and then, at last, forces to grow and mature and deal with the trauma that she has experienced. I do think her progression is perhaps a little too rapid and unlikely but this isn’t a very long novel and I like that it definitely gives some closure, for Clementine personally and also for her and her family. Overall this novel probably isn’t going to help anyone who suffers from bi-polar or even someone who is close to someone who does, but I think what it will help do is raise awareness in the young adult demographic about the seriousness of it and also the helplessness of it. There’s still a stigma on mental illness and there’s also a lack of genuine knowledge about the various mental conditions and addressing this in fiction can only be a positive thing.
July 25, 2013
Divine Clementine is a story about a teenage girl Clementine whose eccentric Aunt dies suddenly and how Clementine and her family deals with the death, loss and grief.
Clementine is your typical teenager until her Aunt Stella who she idolises and looks up to dies in an accident. The story then uncovers the truth about the fun loving free spirited Aunt that Clementine thought she knew to the depressed anxious unstable person the rest of the family knew her to be. Clementine was unaware how much her Aunt Stella battled with anxiety and the black cloud of depression. All this is discovered when Clementine reads her Aunt Stella's diary and soon realises that everything she thought she knew about her was a lie.
You are taken on the lows of teenage angst dealing with loss and death - from the sullen silent treatments to drunken debacles until Clementine is sent off to a country town and finally accepts that she needs to deal with her loss.
This book didn't keep me engaged all the way through. I was actually a bit frustrated with Clementine and how mean she was towards her family and the way she was carrying on towards everyone even her friends. I wonder if I was really that much of a brat to my family when I was 16 .... and the answer is probably yes but how quickly we forget what it's like to be a teenager.
I would recommend this book as young adult fiction and to anyone wanting an insight into how teenagers deal with grief after the death or loss of someone they love.
Clementine is your typical teenager until her Aunt Stella who she idolises and looks up to dies in an accident. The story then uncovers the truth about the fun loving free spirited Aunt that Clementine thought she knew to the depressed anxious unstable person the rest of the family knew her to be. Clementine was unaware how much her Aunt Stella battled with anxiety and the black cloud of depression. All this is discovered when Clementine reads her Aunt Stella's diary and soon realises that everything she thought she knew about her was a lie.
You are taken on the lows of teenage angst dealing with loss and death - from the sullen silent treatments to drunken debacles until Clementine is sent off to a country town and finally accepts that she needs to deal with her loss.
This book didn't keep me engaged all the way through. I was actually a bit frustrated with Clementine and how mean she was towards her family and the way she was carrying on towards everyone even her friends. I wonder if I was really that much of a brat to my family when I was 16 .... and the answer is probably yes but how quickly we forget what it's like to be a teenager.
I would recommend this book as young adult fiction and to anyone wanting an insight into how teenagers deal with grief after the death or loss of someone they love.
September 6, 2014
Growing up Clementine has always wanted to be just like her Aunt Stella. To Clementine, who is only ten years younger than Stella has always thought of her as a big sister and her closest confidante. One night after spending the day together , Stella and Clementine head off to go their separate way when tragedy occurs and Stella steps out and in front of a bus. Over the next course of the week or more we read as Clementine known to her friends as Clem learns to grieve and move on with a life without Stella. What will happen though when Clem discovers that the Stella she knew wasn't the same Stella everyone else knew and the person she worshipped actually wrote how much she hated Clementine. A few days to a week after the funeral, Clementine and her mother and grandmother go to Stella's flat to clean it out. Clementine goes straight to her room and finds hidden a bunch of diaries written by Stella. Eager to find out more about her favourite Aunty , Clementine starts to read the diaries but what will happen when she starts to uncover the lies and that the Stella she knew and loved dearly never existed and that the "real" Stella , the one everyone else knew was in fact diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and was Manic Depressive. In learning this , it opens the book up to the reader and the questions of whether Stella's death was in fact an accident or did she really mean to step in front of that bus ? This was a well-written teen book and is an Australian book.
July 1, 2016
This is a great read and deals with mental illness, grief, loss and growing-up. Although Clementine annoys and frustrates me at times with her verbal cruelty towards her mother, Theo and Thom, I like her sarcastic inner monologues, her feisty attitude and the deep love she shows towards her young cousin. I also empathised with the confusion and pain Clementine feels over her beloved aunt's horrific death and the secrets she discovers after reading her aunt's diaries. Clementine's mum, her young cousin, Augie, Theo and Thom are all wonderful, supportive characters who support Clementine despite her continual hostilities. This is a lovely story showing how mental illness not only affects the patient, but also all the people who love them.
August 16, 2017
This is about my 10th book this year involving death and grief. I am becoming immune to them.
But Clementine stands out as a main character: Her interior monologue is dark yes, but it's also funny and feisty. She is angry and hostile and is cruel and unrelenting while she acts out, but there is so much pain expressed, we can't help for want her to find peace.
Interesting book. I will think on it some more.
But Clementine stands out as a main character: Her interior monologue is dark yes, but it's also funny and feisty. She is angry and hostile and is cruel and unrelenting while she acts out, but there is so much pain expressed, we can't help for want her to find peace.
Interesting book. I will think on it some more.
July 12, 2015
I really loved this book. Hayley S. Kirk done an excellent job with the characterization and writing of this book. I would recommend this book too many people. Who I would not recommend this book to is anyone under the age of 12. This book uses course language (at times, not heavily). But yeah, I really enjoyed this book.
August 25, 2012
I really liked this book. I originally picked it up for an english assignment, but ended up reading for fun, very quickly. It's the perfect book to do a assignment on because Clem changes so much in the book. I will definitely read it again. Now i just have to write the assignment!
June 26, 2012
AMAZING!!!!!!
July 1, 2012
Beautifully written and interesting story line ! definitely a recommended book~
October 11, 2012
It was very good and heart-warming
May 7, 2014
what a boring book.wtf..
like the main character has issues,she takes ages to get over her aunts death and she loves her aunt too much. like just get over it already
like the main character has issues,she takes ages to get over her aunts death and she loves her aunt too much. like just get over it already
October 27, 2013
this is the book that got me into reading now I just can't stop
March 13, 2014
Amazing book! Very well-written, tugs at the heartstrings a fair bit. I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone! :)
March 1, 2015
I didn't finish this one because I just couldn't get into the storyline or characters, sorry it's just not my kind of thing..
May 2, 2016
Really good book ^___^ not what I thought it would be about and I enjoyed that and how they approached the themes immensely
January 20, 2013
Good quick read. Reminds me of being young and the realization that all is not it seems.
June 28, 2013
Whilst reading this book, I was close to screaming 'shut up' at Clementine.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews