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One Thing Stolen
Something is not right with Nadia Cara. While spending a year in Florence, Italy, she's become a thief. She has secrets. And when she tries to speak, the words seem far away. Nadia finds herself trapped by her own obsessions and following the trail of an elusive Italian boy whom only she has seen. Can Nadia be rescued or will she simply lose herself altogether? Set against the backdrop of a glimmering city, One Thing Stolen is an exploration of obsession, art, and a rare neurological disorder. It is also a celebration of language, beauty, imagination, and the salvation of love.
280 pages, Paperback
First published March 21, 2015
21 people are currently reading
1444 people want to read
About the author
Beth Kephart
58 books336 followersI'm the award-winning writer of more than two-dozen books in multiple genres—memoir, middle grade and young adult fiction, picture books, history, corporate fable, and books on the making of memoir.
I'm also an award-winning teacher at the University of Pennsylvania, co-founder of Juncture Workshops, and an essayist and critic with work appearing in The New York Times, Life magazine, Ninth Letter, Catapult, The Millions, The Rumpus, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, and elsewhere.
Please visit me at junctureworkshops.com or bethkephartbooks.com.
I'm also an award-winning teacher at the University of Pennsylvania, co-founder of Juncture Workshops, and an essayist and critic with work appearing in The New York Times, Life magazine, Ninth Letter, Catapult, The Millions, The Rumpus, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, and elsewhere.
Please visit me at junctureworkshops.com or bethkephartbooks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
April 25, 2015
4.5 stars
I was lucky enough to read two gorgeously written books in close succession, which is rare. The first was Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley, and the second is Beth Kephart’s gorgeous new novel. In her new book, Kephart takes us straight to Florence to explore two natural disasters of very different proportions: one that did its best to ruin an entire city, and one that did the same to a very young girl.
Kephart’s writing is pure poetry. It takes some effort to untangle, but it’s stunningly gorgeous even before things start making sense. I wasn’t aware of her many strengths before, for which I have no one but myself to blame, but it’s clear that lyrical writing is one of them. Her sentences are purposely disjointed, with a definite and very loud rhythm, and her expressions are deeply metaphorical and marvelous. It’s difficult to find the right measure with such a rich writing style, but Beth Kephart’s is as close to perfect as it can possibly get.
Rarely do we find an unreliable narrator like Nadia. It’s clear from the start that she cannot be trusted, but we don’t quite know why. She can’t express herself properly, words come very slowly, she’s aware of some memory loss and fairly frequent hallucinations. Compulsive behavior quickly becomes evident as well, but we’re still unable to clearly identify her condition. We only know that we have to question everything she tells us, but we also feel her frustration very deeply. That is precisely what Kephart did best – the feeling of intense claustrophobia caused by Nadia’s inability to communicate with the world.
As the story unravel and things become even more intense, our sympathy for Nadia and her wonderful family grows exponentially. I could just imagine seeing someone I love deteriorate so rapidly and not being able to do anything about it.
The setting is another thing that’s incredibly easy to admire. I am very familiar with Florence, it’s one of my favorite cities and I know it rather well, and apparently so does the author. She takes you through those streets, transfers the atmosphere and captures the rich beauty of it all so easily. If you can’t visit Firenze for yourself, allow Kephart to take you there briefly and show you the city through Nadia’s eyes.
One Thing Stolen is not an easy read. Descriptions of Florence are a welcome distraction from a sometimes very difficult story. But a story filled with hope, no matter how precarious, is always one worth reading, and when it’s delivered in such a gorgeous writing style, it should not be missed by anyone.
I was lucky enough to read two gorgeously written books in close succession, which is rare. The first was Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley, and the second is Beth Kephart’s gorgeous new novel. In her new book, Kephart takes us straight to Florence to explore two natural disasters of very different proportions: one that did its best to ruin an entire city, and one that did the same to a very young girl.
Kephart’s writing is pure poetry. It takes some effort to untangle, but it’s stunningly gorgeous even before things start making sense. I wasn’t aware of her many strengths before, for which I have no one but myself to blame, but it’s clear that lyrical writing is one of them. Her sentences are purposely disjointed, with a definite and very loud rhythm, and her expressions are deeply metaphorical and marvelous. It’s difficult to find the right measure with such a rich writing style, but Beth Kephart’s is as close to perfect as it can possibly get.
Rarely do we find an unreliable narrator like Nadia. It’s clear from the start that she cannot be trusted, but we don’t quite know why. She can’t express herself properly, words come very slowly, she’s aware of some memory loss and fairly frequent hallucinations. Compulsive behavior quickly becomes evident as well, but we’re still unable to clearly identify her condition. We only know that we have to question everything she tells us, but we also feel her frustration very deeply. That is precisely what Kephart did best – the feeling of intense claustrophobia caused by Nadia’s inability to communicate with the world.
As the story unravel and things become even more intense, our sympathy for Nadia and her wonderful family grows exponentially. I could just imagine seeing someone I love deteriorate so rapidly and not being able to do anything about it.
The setting is another thing that’s incredibly easy to admire. I am very familiar with Florence, it’s one of my favorite cities and I know it rather well, and apparently so does the author. She takes you through those streets, transfers the atmosphere and captures the rich beauty of it all so easily. If you can’t visit Firenze for yourself, allow Kephart to take you there briefly and show you the city through Nadia’s eyes.
One Thing Stolen is not an easy read. Descriptions of Florence are a welcome distraction from a sometimes very difficult story. But a story filled with hope, no matter how precarious, is always one worth reading, and when it’s delivered in such a gorgeous writing style, it should not be missed by anyone.
May 11, 2015
One Thing Stolen is about Nadia Cara a teen who moves with her family to Florence, Italy and begins to change. Nadia is able to understand everything that is going on around her but she can’t communicate with the rest of her family. Nadia also feels the need to steal things and use them to create intricate bird’s nests.
This novel is written from Nadia’s perspective and because of her weird mental state her thoughts are hard to follow. There are no dialogue tags at all. As a result most of the novel doesn’t make sense. It is jumpy, disjointed, and I had a hard time distinguishing between what was really happening and what Nadia thought was happening.
About 75% of the way through the book the perspective shifts from Nadia to her best friend who finally tells us exactly what is going on. Although, after being in the dark for so long I found the grand reveal to be lackluster.
Overall, this book wasn’t my cup of tea. It was well written and I thought the end result was interesting but the journey to the end was tedious and cumbersome.
This novel is written from Nadia’s perspective and because of her weird mental state her thoughts are hard to follow. There are no dialogue tags at all. As a result most of the novel doesn’t make sense. It is jumpy, disjointed, and I had a hard time distinguishing between what was really happening and what Nadia thought was happening.
About 75% of the way through the book the perspective shifts from Nadia to her best friend who finally tells us exactly what is going on. Although, after being in the dark for so long I found the grand reveal to be lackluster.
Overall, this book wasn’t my cup of tea. It was well written and I thought the end result was interesting but the journey to the end was tedious and cumbersome.
Read
March 15, 2015Beautifully written, intriguing and different.
I need to discuss with my blogger BFF Heather @ Flyleaf Review and then will post more thoughts!
I need to discuss with my blogger BFF Heather @ Flyleaf Review and then will post more thoughts!
April 19, 2015
Received an advanced copy but am so embarrassed to say I didn't like it. The book just seemed like gibberish. I am not the target audience for non traditional writing I'm afraid.
July 21, 2015
Poets and deep thinkers will enjoy this book. Unfortunately, the purple prose made it difficult for me follow along with Nadia's plight. The writing is simply beyond my reach.
March 19, 2016
This novel provides a compassionate insight into the mind of a 17-year-old girl who suffers the sudden onset of a mental disorder, which is revealed down the track to be a form of early onset dementia. The condition enhances Nadia's appreciation of beauty, while simultaneously tearing apart her ability to express herself clearly.
While events which take place around her are still clear in her mind, Nadia's ability to express her feelings about them to others in spoken words is affected, and her confusion and pain shows in the scattered style of her narrative. With the use of flashbacks and treasured memories, she describes her bewilderment at becoming somebody so different to the person she considers to be her 'real self'. The bafflement and concern of her family come through strongly too.
As a backdrop to the events, Nadia's father, a university professor, has moved his family to Florence where he can research a major flood which took place there in 1966. Nadia's mother is a social worker who focuses on at-risk teens, and her younger brother Jack is a budding chef. The new environment gives Nadia plenty of scope to indulge her new habit of stealing objects which she can form into secret nests. She also develops a fascination with a strange boy, Benedetto, although other members of her family have never seen him.
The narrative becomes confusing at times, and it takes more sensitivity than I probably have to keep track of the progression of Nadia's illness, twisting her self-expression. Although research on her diagnosis is still in its early stages, the novel provides a note of hope that discoveries which have already been made in brain science and neuroplasticity may have more potential to help sufferers like Nadia in the future.
The bond of loyalty and affection between best friends is a good theme. Nadia's friend Maggie, so often the subject of fond reminiscences, arrives in Florence to do all she can to help, the moment she learns what Nadia has been going through. The section of the book written from Maggie's perspective stands in stark contrast to Nadia's confused piecings together. Nadia's heartfelt reaction to Maggie's presence is lovely to read. The two girls prove that the roots of true friendship go far deeper than what may be evident on the surface.
Overall though, it wasn't an easy book to read in spite of its good points. I never got drawn into the story to the extent that I forgot I was reading a fairly arty novel.
While events which take place around her are still clear in her mind, Nadia's ability to express her feelings about them to others in spoken words is affected, and her confusion and pain shows in the scattered style of her narrative. With the use of flashbacks and treasured memories, she describes her bewilderment at becoming somebody so different to the person she considers to be her 'real self'. The bafflement and concern of her family come through strongly too.
As a backdrop to the events, Nadia's father, a university professor, has moved his family to Florence where he can research a major flood which took place there in 1966. Nadia's mother is a social worker who focuses on at-risk teens, and her younger brother Jack is a budding chef. The new environment gives Nadia plenty of scope to indulge her new habit of stealing objects which she can form into secret nests. She also develops a fascination with a strange boy, Benedetto, although other members of her family have never seen him.
The narrative becomes confusing at times, and it takes more sensitivity than I probably have to keep track of the progression of Nadia's illness, twisting her self-expression. Although research on her diagnosis is still in its early stages, the novel provides a note of hope that discoveries which have already been made in brain science and neuroplasticity may have more potential to help sufferers like Nadia in the future.
The bond of loyalty and affection between best friends is a good theme. Nadia's friend Maggie, so often the subject of fond reminiscences, arrives in Florence to do all she can to help, the moment she learns what Nadia has been going through. The section of the book written from Maggie's perspective stands in stark contrast to Nadia's confused piecings together. Nadia's heartfelt reaction to Maggie's presence is lovely to read. The two girls prove that the roots of true friendship go far deeper than what may be evident on the surface.
Overall though, it wasn't an easy book to read in spite of its good points. I never got drawn into the story to the extent that I forgot I was reading a fairly arty novel.
February 2, 2016
"Here and disappearing.
Sonic and gone.
Go on, Dad says. Catch us some dawn."
So, I won an arc of this book through one of Goodreads' First Reads giveaways back in late March (the book came out in early April, but I didn't receive my arc until last Saturday).First, let me start off by saying the writing is beautiful, if not a little confusing at times. One Thing Stolen is a book following three separate POVs , but the story mainly focuses around the first POV Nadia.
Nadia Cara is a girl who just moved with her professor father and the rest of her family to Florence Italy, leaving behind her best friend Maggie Ercolani, her father is there to study the flood that happened there in 1966. Nadia is a thief. A thief obsessed with 'lost things'. She steals these things because she feels they'll be left behind and forgotten, much like she fears people will do to her. She takes the things she steals and makes bird nests out of them. Nadia also has some problems mentally, but we don't know what She has trouble talking, has trouble remembering things, and oh yeah seeing a boy that nobody else can see.
Sonic and gone.
Go on, Dad says. Catch us some dawn."
So, I won an arc of this book through one of Goodreads' First Reads giveaways back in late March (the book came out in early April, but I didn't receive my arc until last Saturday).First, let me start off by saying the writing is beautiful, if not a little confusing at times. One Thing Stolen is a book following three separate POVs , but the story mainly focuses around the first POV Nadia.
Nadia Cara is a girl who just moved with her professor father and the rest of her family to Florence Italy, leaving behind her best friend Maggie Ercolani, her father is there to study the flood that happened there in 1966. Nadia is a thief. A thief obsessed with 'lost things'. She steals these things because she feels they'll be left behind and forgotten, much like she fears people will do to her. She takes the things she steals and makes bird nests out of them. Nadia also has some problems mentally, but we don't know what She has trouble talking, has trouble remembering things, and oh yeah seeing a boy that nobody else can see.
May 3, 2015
One Thing Stolen is a lovely little book. I picked it up on a whim (the gorgeous cover called out to me), and at first, I wasn't sure that the author's writing style was working for me. But a few chapters in, things began to click, and I got caught up in the story of a teenage American girl living in Florence who's exhibiting some odd behavior: she's become a kleptomaniac, she's obsessed with building elaborate nests that she hides away in her bedroom, and words are getting hard for her to find. She's unraveling, and it's a fascinating and moving journey.
January 19, 2015
"Our story begins, every story begins, with the possibility of rescue, with the goodness that is absolute and waits for tragedy to find it." While reading Beth Kephart's nest of words that is "One Thing Stolen," I kept thinking about why we tell and read stories. How stories comfort us and make us feel less alone. How the weave of words stroke our emotions and our cognition. I thought about the power of language and the way some books--mostly text books--strip language of all the poetry and power of narrative. I thought about art as language and as response to the abuse of language reduced to standardized tests. I thought about my students who create art through painting and sculpting and singing and dancing and in myriad other ways as my Native American students do through beading.
"One Thing Stolen" tells the story of Nadia and a rare brain disease--Frontotemporal dementia, primary progressive aphasia--that steals her ability to communicate verbally. When one thing is stolen, another is given. Thus, Nadia develops a unique artistic gift: She builds nests with stolen treasures. These nests symbolize shelter, as well as represent the intertwining of stories from the past and present. Kephart exquisitely layers nests and narrative with multiple meaning. Nadia's disease, for example, comments on our society's propensity to forget--forget our history, world history; forget the power of art and artistic expression, especially in education; forget our family stories; forget that literature first and foremost embodies stories that read for personal connection and empowerment.
Kephart weaves Nadia's story with that of her professor father who has moved his family to Florence, Italy so that he can write a book about the 1966 flood that destroyed many works of art. This narrative thread, too, complicates Nadia's story that is the heartbeat of "One Thing Stolen." Of course, there are others whose stories unfold within Nadia's, but I don't want to deconstruct the nest and in doing so lose the art. To do that would be to risk rescue.
"One Thing Stolen" tells the story of Nadia and a rare brain disease--Frontotemporal dementia, primary progressive aphasia--that steals her ability to communicate verbally. When one thing is stolen, another is given. Thus, Nadia develops a unique artistic gift: She builds nests with stolen treasures. These nests symbolize shelter, as well as represent the intertwining of stories from the past and present. Kephart exquisitely layers nests and narrative with multiple meaning. Nadia's disease, for example, comments on our society's propensity to forget--forget our history, world history; forget the power of art and artistic expression, especially in education; forget our family stories; forget that literature first and foremost embodies stories that read for personal connection and empowerment.
Kephart weaves Nadia's story with that of her professor father who has moved his family to Florence, Italy so that he can write a book about the 1966 flood that destroyed many works of art. This narrative thread, too, complicates Nadia's story that is the heartbeat of "One Thing Stolen." Of course, there are others whose stories unfold within Nadia's, but I don't want to deconstruct the nest and in doing so lose the art. To do that would be to risk rescue.
August 7, 2015
Book 5 of the #booktubeathon
Initial Thoughts:
The writing in this was absolutely stunning. I love the use of three different narrators to tell the story as we moved along. However, the story was lacking to me. While the writing was beautiful and poignant, I'm do not feel like there was a clear story being told. It was more a showcase on Nadia and her difficulties. I also feel like the ending was lacking with little closure. I feel like something was missing.
Initial Thoughts:
The writing in this was absolutely stunning. I love the use of three different narrators to tell the story as we moved along. However, the story was lacking to me. While the writing was beautiful and poignant, I'm do not feel like there was a clear story being told. It was more a showcase on Nadia and her difficulties. I also feel like the ending was lacking with little closure. I feel like something was missing.
June 3, 2015
I liked it but I didn't at the same time. It was a really nice interpretation on mental illness that is for sure. But the author switched perspectives at one point and I had absolutely no idea who the heck it was until someone actually said her name. It really frustrated me a lot. So yeah this book was okay, not great but okay.
December 19, 2014
Once again Kephart dazzles with her use of language and painting the most perfect picture of the teen condition in an interesting setting. There is not a book she writes that I would not read one-thousand times in my lifetime and not love completely.
May 22, 2015
Even while she's losing the ability to express herself fluently through words, seventeen-year-old Nadia Cara is trying to hold onto as many memories as she can. Her family has moved for a year to Florence, Italy so that her professor father can write a book about the 1966 flood that filled the city's streets and destroyed many of its artistic treasures. But Nadia can't keep herself from stealing the most unlikely things and then weaving them into intricate nests that she hides in her room. As her family becomes increasingly concerned about her constant disappearances and behavioral changes, they take her to various doctors, and she is diagnosed as having frontotemporal disorder, a rare brain disease in which she loses her facility with language and somehow develops a heightened artistic sense. Added to this is her certainty that she has spent time with Benedetto, a handsome Italian teen who showers her with flowers. Her family is sure that he is a phantom of her own devising, but still, when her best friend, Maggie, arrives from Philadelphia, she does her best to track him down. As always, the author beautifully captures the city in which her story is set while exploring territory heretofore unexplored in a novel for adolescents. By turns, frightening and hopeful, this book will make readers grateful for their own memories and abilities to express themselves while also charming them with Nadia's surety that Benedetto exists. How hard it must have been to keep on believing him when no one else seemed to! One of the aspects about this book that I particularly liked is how hard everyone around Nadia, including Nadia herself, worked to help her. Although a Prince Charming of sorts arrives in the end, he isn't the one that saves her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2015
This book is not for the faint of heart, a challenging read but the imagery is memorable and the sense of place, especially Florence is very strong. Nadia is losing her grasp on reality, but no name is given to her condition until more than half way through the book. Instead we experience her sense of life through impressions, half formed words, memories. Beth Kephart has created a very real character whose world is not like that of most of her readers, not just because she is in Florence, but because she is losing control of her ability to express herself or even understand her compulsions (to make nests with stolen objects). An original work, a book about friendship, young love survival.
June 12, 2015
Nadia Cara is unraveling during her family sabbatical in Florence, Italy. She is losing her ability to express herself while her compulsion to create intricate nests out of stolen objects grows. Another lyrically beautiful offering from Beth Kephart. A love song to friendship, family love, and Florence, and an exploration of a rare neurological difficulty. Like all of Kephart's oeuvre, a book to savor.
Read
March 14, 2015Beth Kephart's writing is beautiful. I ache for Nadia. I wish I had a friend like Maggie. I want to go back to Florence. This story is lovely and heartbreaking, seeking hope even when everything seems hopeless. It is confusing to get into, but that is because Nadia's mind isn't a regular place. But in these words I felt like I was able to glimpse into Nadia's world for a little while, and understand some of her struggles. A light romance, no triangle. Review to come.
May 15, 2015
This beautifully crafted novel set in Florence examines the neurological connection between language and artistic creativity. Full review on my blog. http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2015/04...
March 12, 2015
I didn't even know what was going on for 150 pages...
Want to read
April 15, 2015That cover <3 <3 <3
August 19, 2017
Unfortunately, I didn't like the writing style.
May 26, 2015
Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.
When I heard about One Thing Stolen by Beth Kephart, I was originally put off by the fact that Nadia is a thief. Stealing is not something I have any time for. But the words "rare neurological disorder" piqued my interest, and I just had to read it - and it's absolutely beautiful!
Nadia is having a difficult time. She's finding herself changing, and she doesn't know why. She's having difficulty speaking. She's stealing, and she can't help it. The compulsion to steal is not something she can control. She's become obsessed with birds and nests. There's a boy who's caught her eye, but nobody else has seen him. Her thoughts jump about, and she feels she's slowly disappearing. In Florence, she loses herself. But will she be able to find herself again?
One Thing Stolen is a really interesting story. When Nadia is narrating, it's almost lyrical. Such beautiful prose is used as she shares with the reader her thoughts, as we see her jump from focusing on now to memories. There are no speech marks when people talk. It's a little jarring to realise someone is talking to her, and she's not actually thinking at that point, but it's a great way to show the confusion Nadia feels. She is obsessed with birds and nests, and has a compulsion to steal, using the things she's stolen to create beautiful, intricate nests. She has trouble communicating; she understands everything everyone says, and her thoughts are complete, but she is unable to get the words out of her mouth properly. And she constantly feels like she's disappearing. She seems to talk to the reader; see this, remember this, I'm here, I'm real - this is real, isn't it? She's just not sure. And it doesn't help when she meets Benedetto, yet no-one else has seen him. Surely he was there, right? Did she make him up? She can't be sure, but he seemed so real. She's so scared of this person she's becoming - or, as she feels, unbecoming. She feels she's losing a bit of herself every day, and doesn't know how to hold the pieces of herself together.
The narration changes once Nadia starts getting help, and the story is now told from the point of view of her best friend, Maggie, who has come to Florence to help her. Here, the writing becomes what you expect from your general YA novel; we get speech marks back, we get a typical teenage voice. The contrast is brilliant; showing how Nadia's mind is works against a teenager who has no mental health problems. I'm not going to go in to what's wrong with Nadia, because we don't find out for quite a while, and I think you should get to know Nadia, her mind, her story before labels are put on her. She's unique, and your heart breaks for her as she tries to work out what's real, and as you see her try to work at improving. It's a really beautiful story.
Florence. Oooh, Florence! The descriptions are lush and beautiful, and I felt like I was there - I could see it all (and now somewhere I want to visit). There is quite a lot of mention of the flood of 1966, which Nadia's father is there to write about. It's the reason they're all there, and so it's discussed a lot. Although the flood was devastating and horrific, I found myself simply not interested in it. I just didn't care in comparison to what was happening with Nadia, with her trying to get help, trying to work out if Benedetto was real. I kept thinking, "Why are you talking to her about the flood? Why aren't you discussing what's going on with her? How is talking about this flood going to help her?" I just didn't get it. In the Acknowledgements, the author talks about her interest in the flood, which makes all the references to it make sense, but I just didn't think it was as important as Nadia's story. It frustrated, but I guess that's what partly inspired the story. If there was no flood, they wouldn't be there, and the story would be different.
One Thing Stolen is a really beautiful and poignant book, with a great look at a rare neurological disorder. I loved it.
Thank you to Chronicle Books for the review copy.
When I heard about One Thing Stolen by Beth Kephart, I was originally put off by the fact that Nadia is a thief. Stealing is not something I have any time for. But the words "rare neurological disorder" piqued my interest, and I just had to read it - and it's absolutely beautiful!
Nadia is having a difficult time. She's finding herself changing, and she doesn't know why. She's having difficulty speaking. She's stealing, and she can't help it. The compulsion to steal is not something she can control. She's become obsessed with birds and nests. There's a boy who's caught her eye, but nobody else has seen him. Her thoughts jump about, and she feels she's slowly disappearing. In Florence, she loses herself. But will she be able to find herself again?
One Thing Stolen is a really interesting story. When Nadia is narrating, it's almost lyrical. Such beautiful prose is used as she shares with the reader her thoughts, as we see her jump from focusing on now to memories. There are no speech marks when people talk. It's a little jarring to realise someone is talking to her, and she's not actually thinking at that point, but it's a great way to show the confusion Nadia feels. She is obsessed with birds and nests, and has a compulsion to steal, using the things she's stolen to create beautiful, intricate nests. She has trouble communicating; she understands everything everyone says, and her thoughts are complete, but she is unable to get the words out of her mouth properly. And she constantly feels like she's disappearing. She seems to talk to the reader; see this, remember this, I'm here, I'm real - this is real, isn't it? She's just not sure. And it doesn't help when she meets Benedetto, yet no-one else has seen him. Surely he was there, right? Did she make him up? She can't be sure, but he seemed so real. She's so scared of this person she's becoming - or, as she feels, unbecoming. She feels she's losing a bit of herself every day, and doesn't know how to hold the pieces of herself together.
The narration changes once Nadia starts getting help, and the story is now told from the point of view of her best friend, Maggie, who has come to Florence to help her. Here, the writing becomes what you expect from your general YA novel; we get speech marks back, we get a typical teenage voice. The contrast is brilliant; showing how Nadia's mind is works against a teenager who has no mental health problems. I'm not going to go in to what's wrong with Nadia, because we don't find out for quite a while, and I think you should get to know Nadia, her mind, her story before labels are put on her. She's unique, and your heart breaks for her as she tries to work out what's real, and as you see her try to work at improving. It's a really beautiful story.
Florence. Oooh, Florence! The descriptions are lush and beautiful, and I felt like I was there - I could see it all (and now somewhere I want to visit). There is quite a lot of mention of the flood of 1966, which Nadia's father is there to write about. It's the reason they're all there, and so it's discussed a lot. Although the flood was devastating and horrific, I found myself simply not interested in it. I just didn't care in comparison to what was happening with Nadia, with her trying to get help, trying to work out if Benedetto was real. I kept thinking, "Why are you talking to her about the flood? Why aren't you discussing what's going on with her? How is talking about this flood going to help her?" I just didn't get it. In the Acknowledgements, the author talks about her interest in the flood, which makes all the references to it make sense, but I just didn't think it was as important as Nadia's story. It frustrated, but I guess that's what partly inspired the story. If there was no flood, they wouldn't be there, and the story would be different.
One Thing Stolen is a really beautiful and poignant book, with a great look at a rare neurological disorder. I loved it.
Thank you to Chronicle Books for the review copy.
February 15, 2016
One Thing Stolen is about family and loved ones rising up to support a girl who is very lost in the world when a rare neurological disorder makes her increasingly compulsive and unable to communicate verbally. It is divided into three parts. The first part is from Nadia's perspective until she starts getting serious treatment. The second part is during Nadia's treatment from the perspective of her best friend Maggie who flies out to support Nadia. The third part, written almost as an epilogue is from the romantic interest's Benedetto's perspective.
I want to make everyone I know read this book just for part one. Kephart writes like music sounds when she weaves in and out of Nadia's grip on reality. It's untraditional and beautiful and everything you hope writing can be and more, because it conveys the real emotions of a trapped teenager. She captures the frustrations in not being able to answer basic questions perfectly, the embarrassment as you sink further and further from normal functioning, the very nature of compulsions. Most of all, Kephart uses the writing to show Nadia's state of mind, rather than just telling. It can make the book hard to read at times, but of course it's hard to read at times - the narrator can't distinguish reality from delusion. Why should we be able to do better?
I wish Kephart had written the entirety of the book from Nadia's mind because it likely would have been one of my favorite books of all time. The artistry in writing music through words is such a rare gift. But, instead, Kephart made the decision to write from Maggie's perspective. And that's where the book fell apart for me.
First, Maggie and Nadia's perspectives are only really distinguishable in that Nadia has a neurological disorder and Maggie doesn't. I'm not sure if you wrote Nadia before the disorder if you could distinguish Maggie and Nadia's voices. This for me is a major failing of the author - characters should have distinct voices, even two teenage best friends from similar lifestyles. There are a few notable exceptions, but the exceptions felt like the were thrown in because someone pointed out the two were too similar. It just wasn't organic. It felt like Kephart found the voice of one amazing character and tried to just tweak it to write the other.
Second, there is a very weird romantic thing that happens in Maggie's part where she tries to find the boy everyone thinks Nadia hallucinated. It just didn't fit with the rest of the story. It was like someone said, "Hey this is a YA novel! You need to have romance!" and this was the solution. This plot line added nothing to the story that couldn't have been achieved in other ways in terms of plot development. It was just a weird subplot the book really really didn't need, and for me, made it so I probably won't read it again.
Of course, that subplot was made ten times worse when that was the note Kephart chose to end on in the third part. I wish I could understand how the writer in part one made the decisions made in parts two and three. Baffling.
I will likely read part one again. I will likely not reread any other parts of this book. It's a real shame - this book really had the potential to be one of my favorite books of all time.
I want to make everyone I know read this book just for part one. Kephart writes like music sounds when she weaves in and out of Nadia's grip on reality. It's untraditional and beautiful and everything you hope writing can be and more, because it conveys the real emotions of a trapped teenager. She captures the frustrations in not being able to answer basic questions perfectly, the embarrassment as you sink further and further from normal functioning, the very nature of compulsions. Most of all, Kephart uses the writing to show Nadia's state of mind, rather than just telling. It can make the book hard to read at times, but of course it's hard to read at times - the narrator can't distinguish reality from delusion. Why should we be able to do better?
I wish Kephart had written the entirety of the book from Nadia's mind because it likely would have been one of my favorite books of all time. The artistry in writing music through words is such a rare gift. But, instead, Kephart made the decision to write from Maggie's perspective. And that's where the book fell apart for me.
First, Maggie and Nadia's perspectives are only really distinguishable in that Nadia has a neurological disorder and Maggie doesn't. I'm not sure if you wrote Nadia before the disorder if you could distinguish Maggie and Nadia's voices. This for me is a major failing of the author - characters should have distinct voices, even two teenage best friends from similar lifestyles. There are a few notable exceptions, but the exceptions felt like the were thrown in because someone pointed out the two were too similar. It just wasn't organic. It felt like Kephart found the voice of one amazing character and tried to just tweak it to write the other.
Second, there is a very weird romantic thing that happens in Maggie's part where she tries to find the boy everyone thinks Nadia hallucinated. It just didn't fit with the rest of the story. It was like someone said, "Hey this is a YA novel! You need to have romance!" and this was the solution. This plot line added nothing to the story that couldn't have been achieved in other ways in terms of plot development. It was just a weird subplot the book really really didn't need, and for me, made it so I probably won't read it again.
Of course, that subplot was made ten times worse when that was the note Kephart chose to end on in the third part. I wish I could understand how the writer in part one made the decisions made in parts two and three. Baffling.
I will likely read part one again. I will likely not reread any other parts of this book. It's a real shame - this book really had the potential to be one of my favorite books of all time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2016
Goodness, gracious, One Thing Stolen is such a gorgeous book. I cried after finishing it, not because of the plot or resolution, but simply because of its beauty. Because this happens so rarely, I know this is a book that will stay with me and one that I will purchase for my personal library. It’s the story of Nadia who is spending a year away from Philadelphia in Florence with her family - her father, a Penn State professor and historian on his sabbatical to research Florence’s 1966 Flood; her mother, a counselor working with troubled youth; and her brother, a foodie with a passion for spices and Brunelleschi. Nadia is a troubled artist (a newly found talent, she creates nests of extraordinary, genius beauty) in love with Florence but missing Philly and her best friend, Maggie. Nadia’s troubles stem from her slipping memory, her slow loss of language, her obsession with stealing, and her fascination with Benedetto (who smells of leather and carries flowers in a pink duffel as he whips through the spiral streets of Florence on his Vespa - who may or may not be real). As Nadia begins disappearing for long periods of time, unable to account for her whereabouts, her family becomes concerned enough to seek help from a retired brain specialist (the lovely Katherine) and Maggie, who the family flies from Philly to come live with them in Florence. The story then turns into a mission where Maggie, Katherine, and the family race to do all they can to save Nadia’s memory and sanity. Maggie does her part by dashing around Florence, return everything Nadia has stolen and searching for the mysterious Benedetto. This is a story about love, hope, beauty, the quest for knowledge, as well as the story of Florence’s flood and a rare neurological disorder known as Frontotemporal dementia, primary progressive aphasia.
In her notes and acknowledgements, Kephart writes of how her learning about the floods of Florence led her to live in Florence for a short time in order to further study the city. This story developed from her time there. This is my favorite kind of story behind a story and a fantasy of mine to do the same.
One Thing Stolen is not going to be wildly popular with teens; however, it is a book that I will recommend to adults or teens looking for a lovely read that will make them feel, hope, and appreciate the beauty of life.
In her notes and acknowledgements, Kephart writes of how her learning about the floods of Florence led her to live in Florence for a short time in order to further study the city. This story developed from her time there. This is my favorite kind of story behind a story and a fantasy of mine to do the same.
One Thing Stolen is not going to be wildly popular with teens; however, it is a book that I will recommend to adults or teens looking for a lovely read that will make them feel, hope, and appreciate the beauty of life.
10-thank-you-print-won-gift
February 22, 2016There are so many reviews which are Perfectly said about this book! Like, 'all' of what's said is exactly what I've been thinking, feeling and puzzled about since page one. I feel SO bad for feeling this way, but the reviews are spot on. At page 105 I'm feeling like a horrible person for sitting here marking my very first DNF. The authors words are so wonderful though so I feel maybe another by her might be one I'd finish. I don't know.
God, I'm so sorry :-/ I wanted to LOVE it, I wanted to like it, but what I thought at first was just me, I've just read many reviews that show I'm not alone in the exact same thoughts. Disjointed, all over the place, no breaks to show where when things are taking place (memories she's thinking about or what's actually happening in that moment are completely flushed together with zero ""'s to show dialogue vs. thinking of memories from the MC. Also, the chapters are 'really' short which I like, but with this one it just hurt this book even more because, as I posted in a previous status update, a chapter ends and the next begins when too often too many parts should have been in one chapter. It was so strange.
Call me crazy, but the authors writing is really beautiful and I'd definitely give another of her books a try, but it's not this one.
Apologies and many thanks to Goodreads, Chronicle Books and the author Beth Kephart for the opportunity to read this book which I won through the Goodreads First Reads Program. Due to the fact that I simply couldn't finish this, I'm not rating it as I believe that would be unfair to the author.
Wow! I feel like a horrible piece of dirt for DNF'ing a book because I only ever did that one other time in my life about 15-20 years ago. I'm so sorry. But, I do see other great ratings and reviews so just because it wasn't for me, doesn't mean it isn't for you. It's worth a shot in my humble opinion since everyone's reading opinions are so vastly different at times.
*I'm delaying hitting save because I feel awful about this* *who knew DNF'ing a book could feel so bad, but I'm a HUGE supporter of authors, publishers and Goodreads so it hurts to do this* Not sure about the date "finished" setting since I only made it about half way through.
God, I'm so sorry :-/ I wanted to LOVE it, I wanted to like it, but what I thought at first was just me, I've just read many reviews that show I'm not alone in the exact same thoughts. Disjointed, all over the place, no breaks to show where when things are taking place (memories she's thinking about or what's actually happening in that moment are completely flushed together with zero ""'s to show dialogue vs. thinking of memories from the MC. Also, the chapters are 'really' short which I like, but with this one it just hurt this book even more because, as I posted in a previous status update, a chapter ends and the next begins when too often too many parts should have been in one chapter. It was so strange.
Call me crazy, but the authors writing is really beautiful and I'd definitely give another of her books a try, but it's not this one.
Apologies and many thanks to Goodreads, Chronicle Books and the author Beth Kephart for the opportunity to read this book which I won through the Goodreads First Reads Program. Due to the fact that I simply couldn't finish this, I'm not rating it as I believe that would be unfair to the author.
Wow! I feel like a horrible piece of dirt for DNF'ing a book because I only ever did that one other time in my life about 15-20 years ago. I'm so sorry. But, I do see other great ratings and reviews so just because it wasn't for me, doesn't mean it isn't for you. It's worth a shot in my humble opinion since everyone's reading opinions are so vastly different at times.
*I'm delaying hitting save because I feel awful about this* *who knew DNF'ing a book could feel so bad, but I'm a HUGE supporter of authors, publishers and Goodreads so it hurts to do this* Not sure about the date "finished" setting since I only made it about half way through.
December 31, 2015
Reading Beth Kephart is an experience in and of itself. Her books almost read like free verse. When I pass one on to someone, I’m never quite sure the reaction I’ll get. Because her writing style is so different, it takes me a while to get drawn into the world of the book. I’ll be reading along, not hooked, and then – poof! – it’s like a switch is flipped and I am immersed. It’s like it takes thirty pages or so for my brain to go, “Oh, we’re reading this way again!” Her books engage all of the senses, and once the moment of poof! happens, I can see the world of the book so vividly, I can smell its smells, taste its tastes. This book is full of tastes, too, as the main character’s brother is doing an Italian cooking project. Oh, the tastes and smells my mind experienced: basil, tomatoes, garlic, pepperoncini….
Nadia’s story is a fascinating one. I had never heard of the disorder she struggles with, and found it fascinating and heartbreaking at the same time. The portion of the story told in Nadia’s point of view has a frenzied, wrenching feel – as Nadia is trying to hold on the vestiges of her ability to communicate. She is terrified by what is happening to her, and unable to stop the compulsive behavior that drives her. As she falls more and more into the grip of her sickness, the feeling of loss becomes profound.
There is so much to this story, and I would hate to spoil any of it for you. There are family relationships that are sticky and tricky. A mysterious romance. But, really, for me, this book boiled down to a fierce, loyal, joyous, love-filled friendship between two teenage girls. In a world in which I see teenage girls often being spiteful and sometimes downright evil to one another, I take such happiness in knowing that these kinds of connections still exist.
As always, turning the last page of one of Beth’s books is a bit like being jerked awake suddenly. I feel muzzy-headed and still halfway in the world of the book. In fact, I finished this five days ago (I’m writing this on January 6th), and yet I still find myself thinking about Nadia, and wondering what is happening to her and Maggie right now.
Nadia’s story is a fascinating one. I had never heard of the disorder she struggles with, and found it fascinating and heartbreaking at the same time. The portion of the story told in Nadia’s point of view has a frenzied, wrenching feel – as Nadia is trying to hold on the vestiges of her ability to communicate. She is terrified by what is happening to her, and unable to stop the compulsive behavior that drives her. As she falls more and more into the grip of her sickness, the feeling of loss becomes profound.
There is so much to this story, and I would hate to spoil any of it for you. There are family relationships that are sticky and tricky. A mysterious romance. But, really, for me, this book boiled down to a fierce, loyal, joyous, love-filled friendship between two teenage girls. In a world in which I see teenage girls often being spiteful and sometimes downright evil to one another, I take such happiness in knowing that these kinds of connections still exist.
As always, turning the last page of one of Beth’s books is a bit like being jerked awake suddenly. I feel muzzy-headed and still halfway in the world of the book. In fact, I finished this five days ago (I’m writing this on January 6th), and yet I still find myself thinking about Nadia, and wondering what is happening to her and Maggie right now.
June 20, 2015
I was so interested in reading this book because I really like Kephart's writing style. I've also read her novel Going Over and while it isn't a favorite of mine, I do love her writing. I think I feel similarly about One Thing Stolen -- though this is a story that is going to haunt my thoughts for a little while now that I've finished it. One Thing Stolen is told in three parts, each featuring a different point of view and Kephart flawlessly changes her style and tone to reflect each narrator.
This book is unique (at least to my reading experience) in that it deals with a teenager facing a neurological disorder, possibly a type of dementia. Although many of the books I've read lately have spoken about mental illness, that has tended toward OCD and schizophrenia. Nadia suffers from something we typically only think of the elderly facing and she's so incredibly young. I think it's so important that books like this continue to be written because the more these diseases are spoken about, the more people in general will understand them as well as the people who suffer through them daily.
Nadia is the first narrator to the story (I won't spoil who the others are) and her thoughts are chaotic to say the least. She's an unreliable narrator and she can't make sense of things for herself so she's constantly pleading for the reader to understand it all for her. She can understand words but finds it nearly impossible to communicate anything about herself. Being trapped like that is unimaginable, utterly terrifying, and as the story continues you're fully immersed in Nadia's world and trying to pick it apart alongside her.
Unfortunately, for all that I loved about this book, there were parts that just didn't work for me. I wasn't feeling that spark in the narrative that would compel me to continue reading when I finished each chapter. There is a love interest that, well, didn't interest me too much. Several things are introduced that seem like they should be major parts of the book that are never fully acted upon.
Although I think that many people may enjoy this book, it simply wasn't for me.
This book is unique (at least to my reading experience) in that it deals with a teenager facing a neurological disorder, possibly a type of dementia. Although many of the books I've read lately have spoken about mental illness, that has tended toward OCD and schizophrenia. Nadia suffers from something we typically only think of the elderly facing and she's so incredibly young. I think it's so important that books like this continue to be written because the more these diseases are spoken about, the more people in general will understand them as well as the people who suffer through them daily.
Nadia is the first narrator to the story (I won't spoil who the others are) and her thoughts are chaotic to say the least. She's an unreliable narrator and she can't make sense of things for herself so she's constantly pleading for the reader to understand it all for her. She can understand words but finds it nearly impossible to communicate anything about herself. Being trapped like that is unimaginable, utterly terrifying, and as the story continues you're fully immersed in Nadia's world and trying to pick it apart alongside her.
Unfortunately, for all that I loved about this book, there were parts that just didn't work for me. I wasn't feeling that spark in the narrative that would compel me to continue reading when I finished each chapter. There is a love interest that, well, didn't interest me too much. Several things are introduced that seem like they should be major parts of the book that are never fully acted upon.
Although I think that many people may enjoy this book, it simply wasn't for me.
June 18, 2016
Kleptomaniac girl with additional unspecified illness submerges us in the murky underwater world that is her brain, leaving us barely able to grasp what is going on in between flashbacks and random tangents and scene jumps. I gather that her family is living abroad in Italy, and she passes her days by stealing crap, making compulsive art with the items, searching for a kindred spirit of a thief boy who is probably a figment of her imagination, eating her brother's fabulous cooking, finding herself missing chunks of time and acting foggy and weird enough to annoy everyone around her, until in the latter half of the book the viewpoint changes and the writing becomes coherent, if not immediately clear.
The new narrator doesn't bother to tell us she is MC's best friend from back in the States for a ridiculous number of pages, assuming we will guess it from context, maybe from her mention of wearing a coat from a specific thrift store that we were apparently supposed to pay attention to early on. For a while I thought we were in a flashback to 1966. But it turns out she is there to do 3 things: explain the nature of the illness, which is actually a rare form of dementia that can affect younger people, lend moral support/help her friend strengthen her language and memory recall as a familiar presence, and then on the side, set out a private quest to both find Worthless Thief Boy (who is totes real! her foggy-brained friend said so!), and return the stolen items to their rightful owners.
The second part actually makes use of the pretty setting and does some good in bringing the city alive, as well as making the stolen items and the art sound tragically pretty and generally giving the plot some momentum...but it was not enough to overcome the Mood I was stewing in after the awful first half. And I still have absolutely no idea what the author was trying to do with the references to the 1966 flood; her note at the end was far more interesting and informative than anything in the book.
The new narrator doesn't bother to tell us she is MC's best friend from back in the States for a ridiculous number of pages, assuming we will guess it from context, maybe from her mention of wearing a coat from a specific thrift store that we were apparently supposed to pay attention to early on. For a while I thought we were in a flashback to 1966. But it turns out she is there to do 3 things: explain the nature of the illness, which is actually a rare form of dementia that can affect younger people, lend moral support/help her friend strengthen her language and memory recall as a familiar presence, and then on the side, set out a private quest to both find Worthless Thief Boy (who is totes real! her foggy-brained friend said so!), and return the stolen items to their rightful owners.
The second part actually makes use of the pretty setting and does some good in bringing the city alive, as well as making the stolen items and the art sound tragically pretty and generally giving the plot some momentum...but it was not enough to overcome the Mood I was stewing in after the awful first half. And I still have absolutely no idea what the author was trying to do with the references to the 1966 flood; her note at the end was far more interesting and informative than anything in the book.
March 16, 2015
This was my update from about 1/3 of the way through: "I'm on page 78 of 272 of One Thing Stolen: This book is weird. Now, I've finished most of Andrew Smith's catalogue this year, so I really like weird, but this is a little weird, even for me. I'm also feeling like without my 'travel-privilege' I would be lost. I hope the actual release version of this book comes with a map because anyone who doesn't know how to navigate both Florence and Philly will be lost."
Now I'm done. The prose is really hauntingly lovely, but I still feel a strange disconnect from the book. I stand behind my note that this book needs maps. I get that feeling lost within the cities is an extended metaphor for the initial narrator's feeling of being lost within her own mind, and the subsequent narrators' being at loose ends as to what to do, but the locations are also too important to not understand.
I also found the shift in voices mid-book to be both necessary and regrettable. We can't learn what we need to learn by staying inside Nadia's head, but seeing her condition through Maggie's eyes just heightens the sense that Nadia's life is so foreign to most people's lived experience as too be fantastical. This is a book that is deeply rooted in real things, allowing us a gateway into both historical and medical worlds that we would otherwise never get to see, but the things that in Nadia's recollections seemed too good to be true are confirmed by Maggie to be actually true, and that makes them not work as well. These Ivy League girls who moved out of HS and into Penn at 14 at the behest of their faculty parents don't feel real, and it makes all the other real things less real in the process.
In that vein, I really disliked the epilogue. It was the biggest flight of fancy. Even travel love, which I've noted before is the only insta-love I find acceptable, can't withstand catastrophic neurological conditions intact and stronger than ever.
Now I'm done. The prose is really hauntingly lovely, but I still feel a strange disconnect from the book. I stand behind my note that this book needs maps. I get that feeling lost within the cities is an extended metaphor for the initial narrator's feeling of being lost within her own mind, and the subsequent narrators' being at loose ends as to what to do, but the locations are also too important to not understand.
I also found the shift in voices mid-book to be both necessary and regrettable. We can't learn what we need to learn by staying inside Nadia's head, but seeing her condition through Maggie's eyes just heightens the sense that Nadia's life is so foreign to most people's lived experience as too be fantastical. This is a book that is deeply rooted in real things, allowing us a gateway into both historical and medical worlds that we would otherwise never get to see, but the things that in Nadia's recollections seemed too good to be true are confirmed by Maggie to be actually true, and that makes them not work as well. These Ivy League girls who moved out of HS and into Penn at 14 at the behest of their faculty parents don't feel real, and it makes all the other real things less real in the process.
In that vein, I really disliked the epilogue. It was the biggest flight of fancy. Even travel love, which I've noted before is the only insta-love I find acceptable, can't withstand catastrophic neurological conditions intact and stronger than ever.
May 6, 2015
Long. High. Cool. White. Green. The nace of this church is a huge stone cage of doves and pelicans, angels and eagles. Everything carved. Everything still. The air is cool and unsunned. The wicks in the candles are burning. The pew is hard. The stone birds stretch their wings. I breathe.
Shhh, I tell my heart. Let this world be.
One Thing Stolen spoke more than just about kleptomania--it's deeper, darker, more intricate. This book captured me with its gorgeous watercolor cover (my kryptonite) and Florence (I always love Italy) plus the promise of uniqueness on the blurb. Like I was sure I'd like this.
At first, the narrative felt like psychological rather than disease. The story was divided into three parts, each of them was voiced by different character in progressive timeline. I knew that I couldn't trust Nadia--obviously--but when the PoV changed to Maggie, then the boy, even though the words arrangement was better I still heard a little bit of Nadia's. Even so, Nadia's condition was gradually understood as the story went then reached a satisfying conclusion in the end. At least there was a hope I hoped it existed for our heroine.
Okay, there was a confusion actually, like how the Florence flood was supposed to do with Nadia and her habit. It didn't feel directly click, but other characters helping her made them connected. Benedetto, Katherine, her parents, Jack and Perdita. Above all, it's about love and caring and angel's heart, a desire to help.
It was a quick reading on a holiday. I so appreciate the experimental writing of Kephart's, her poetic sentence and artsy description, and I loved this book for it. Although sometimes it lost the point and focused on the beautifully-written setting instead, but overall it was enjoyable. The premise was also intriguing I can guarantee that reading this will be worth your time.
Un bel libro, buona lettura. Vieni con me.
March 1, 2017
Nadia is worried that she is going crazy. Literally. She's living in Florence, Italy with her parents and younger brother, while her professor dad is on sabbatical to write a book about the 1966 flood of Florence. Nadia misses her best friend back in Philadelphia, and wishes she had her to talk to about her secret: Nadia feels compelled to steal things, and weave them into intricately constructed artistic birds' nests. And, she keeps glimpsing a boy in the streets, and runs after him, but no one else in her family sees him. At the same time she seems to be losing her ability to speak coherently, so she can't tell her family what is going on. As Nadia spirals downward, the reader is drawn into her swirling anguish. Eventually she gets help, and learns that she has a rare (but real) condition called "frontotemporal disorder." That was the most fascinating thing about this book, learning about this condition where people gain a sudden artistic ability but gradually lose the speech and science centers of the brain. I also loved the setting of this book; you could tell the author has been there many times and has a real love for the twisting streets and venerable architecture and colorful vendors and so forth. The flood is also a real historical event, and the author's note at the end explains more about both the disease and the flood. The book is a little hard to get into at first, because it's a real stream of consciousness style of writing, being inside Nadia's head where it's hard to tell reality from fantasy, just as she is experiencing herself. There is little punctuation, and it really shows her losing her grip on reality. But as you get into it it is quite fascinating.
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