What do you think?
Rate this book
Little Beauties
The lives of three characters -- an obsessive-compulsive, a pregnant teenager, and the teen's unborn child -- come together in National Book Award finalist and Pushcart Prize winner Kim Addonizio's unsparingly funny and transcendent debut novel.
Diana McBride, a thirty-four-year-old former child pageant contender, now works in a baby store in Long Beach. Between dealing with a catastrophic haircut, the failure of her marriage, and phone calls from her alcoholic mother, Diana has gone off her OCD medication and is trying to cope via washing and cleaning rituals. When pregnant teenager Jamie Ramirez enters the store, Diana's already chaotic world is sent spinning.
Jamie can't stand being pregnant. She can't wait to get on with her normal life and give the baby up for adoption. But her yet-to-be-born daughter, Stella, has a fierce will and a destiny to fulfill. And as the magical plot of Little Beauties unfolds, these three characters' lives become linked in ever more surprising ways.
With a poet's ear for fresh, evocative language and a deft humor that exposes her characters' foibles, Addonizio perfectly captures the messiness and unexpected beauty of life.
Diana McBride, a thirty-four-year-old former child pageant contender, now works in a baby store in Long Beach. Between dealing with a catastrophic haircut, the failure of her marriage, and phone calls from her alcoholic mother, Diana has gone off her OCD medication and is trying to cope via washing and cleaning rituals. When pregnant teenager Jamie Ramirez enters the store, Diana's already chaotic world is sent spinning.
Jamie can't stand being pregnant. She can't wait to get on with her normal life and give the baby up for adoption. But her yet-to-be-born daughter, Stella, has a fierce will and a destiny to fulfill. And as the magical plot of Little Beauties unfolds, these three characters' lives become linked in ever more surprising ways.
With a poet's ear for fresh, evocative language and a deft humor that exposes her characters' foibles, Addonizio perfectly captures the messiness and unexpected beauty of life.
242 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
9 people are currently reading
415 people want to read
About the author
Kim Addonizio
65 books610 followersAuthor of several poetry collections including Tell Me, a National Book Award Finalist. My Black Angel is a book of blues poems with woodcuts by Charles D. Jones, from SFA Press. The Palace of Illusions is a story collection from Counterpoint/Soft Skull. A New & Selected, Wild Nights, is out in the UK from Bloodaxe Books.
2016 publications: Mortal Trash, new poems, from W.W. Norton, awarded the Paterson Poetry Prize. A memoir, Bukowski in a Sundress: Confessions from a Writing Life, from Penguin.
Two instructional books on writing poetry: The Poet's Companion (with Dorianne Laux), and Ordinary Genius: A Guide for the Poet Within.
First novel, Little Beauties, was published by Simon & Schuster and chosen as "Best Book of the Month" by Book of the Month Club. My Dreams Out in the Street, second novel, released by Simon & Schuster in 2007.
A new word/music CD, "My Black Angel, "is a collaboration with several musicians and contains all the poems in the book of that name. That and an earlier word/music CD with poet Susan Browne, "Swearing, Smoking, Drinking, & Kissing," available from cdbaby.com. There's an earlier book of stories, In the Box Called Pleasure (FC2); and the anthology Dorothy Parker's Elbow: Tattoos on Writers, Writers on Tattoos,, co-edited with Cheryl Dumesnil.
I teach poetry workshops at conferences and online through my web site. I also play blues harmonica, and I'm learning jazz flute. Music is a good place to focus when I'm in a writing slump.
2016 publications: Mortal Trash, new poems, from W.W. Norton, awarded the Paterson Poetry Prize. A memoir, Bukowski in a Sundress: Confessions from a Writing Life, from Penguin.
Two instructional books on writing poetry: The Poet's Companion (with Dorianne Laux), and Ordinary Genius: A Guide for the Poet Within.
First novel, Little Beauties, was published by Simon & Schuster and chosen as "Best Book of the Month" by Book of the Month Club. My Dreams Out in the Street, second novel, released by Simon & Schuster in 2007.
A new word/music CD, "My Black Angel, "is a collaboration with several musicians and contains all the poems in the book of that name. That and an earlier word/music CD with poet Susan Browne, "Swearing, Smoking, Drinking, & Kissing," available from cdbaby.com. There's an earlier book of stories, In the Box Called Pleasure (FC2); and the anthology Dorothy Parker's Elbow: Tattoos on Writers, Writers on Tattoos,, co-edited with Cheryl Dumesnil.
I teach poetry workshops at conferences and online through my web site. I also play blues harmonica, and I'm learning jazz flute. Music is a good place to focus when I'm in a writing slump.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
April 12, 2011
Worst. Book. Ever.
January 21, 2009
I loved this book. It's a good story: a woman with an obsessive washing problem meets a pregnant teenager, and their unexpected friendship marks big changes ahead for both of them. Not the most original plot, but a good story, and written beautifully. From my little synopsis it might sound like another one of those novels for women that are all the same and all being churned out like crazy lately, but it's not that novel. It's written by Kim Addonizio. It's a novel by a poet. And the unborn child gets to narrate too! It's a beautiful book and it touched me and I really loved it. I can't believe I left it sitting on my To Read shelf all neglected for the past couple of years. Kim, how could I have doubted you?
May 13, 2021
Even though I found myself interested and curious how the story would evolve while I was reading it, I found it potentially triggering for people with OCD. I didn't love that it showed the side of OCD that is already portrayed in the mainstream (i.e. hand washing and cleaning compulsions) because there are so many more facets of OCD that aren't often talked about. Despite that, I kept wanting to know what was going to happen so there was something about the story that kept my interest. I didn't really get the ending though.
March 6, 2009
Not exactly what I expected. The writing seemed subpar for a novel. This is the first book by Addonizio I have ever read. I was not really impressed with the different narrations, especially when coming from the baby. I think I could have read the whole book and skipped over those sections and it would have not been missed. As fore the ending, it was way too open ended. I didn't feel there was anythign actually accomplished or portrayed at the end. A big let down.
November 17, 2012
I really wanted this book to be good. It showed promise in parts but the story never came together and just drifted along. The teenage mother, the OCD divorcee, and the newborn whose thoughts we are privy to are so disconnected its laughable. The only reason I didn’t give this book one star is that I finished it as I kept hoping for the best but kept getting the worst.
December 26, 2024
Maybe in 2005 this would have been more acceptable? But post-Dobbs in 2024, a weirdly sentient fetus/infant and a horribly written woman with OCD is just not doing it for me. The teen mom character, Jamie, was the only bright spot in this book, and got it 2 stars instead of one.
November 6, 2011
Little Beauties by Kim Addonizio.
Simon & Schuster, New York, 2005.
“Rule #23: Clean anything you take to bed – book, laptop, phone (51).
Homework: Confront the situations that cause you distress (119).
Remember: Each time you view your experiences as a test, you set yourself up for disappointment, discouragement, self-criticism, and resignation (223).”
Addonizio’s novel, “Little Beauties,” begins with an introduction to Diana McBride, the protagonist, who reveals in the first line of the piece that she was once a “professional princess” (1). Her mother, Gloria, is a domineering woman, who forced Diana to participate in pageants when she was younger. Unknown to the mother, Diana has obsessive compulsive disorder, which is the reason why her husband left. Diana works at Teddy’s World, a baby furniture store, which is the fourteenth job she has had. Jamie Ramirez, a pregnant teenager, crosses her path while buying a teddy bear for her unwanted child, Stella, even though Stella will be adopted. Although Jamie hardly knows Diana, she turns to her for help when she’s faced with tough decisions that involve her and Stella’s future.
Told in first person, Diana’s character was well developed regarding the actions and daily activities of a person with OCD. When Diana’s coworker has eczema and gets too close to her, she feels the need to leave work to go home and shower. But by the end of the novel, her character has grown. When she’s faced with the possibility of uncleanness, she thinks, “There’s no time to wash properly…I can’t worry about any of that now, because I am busy trying to save a life” (205). We see improvement in Diana’s character though her relationship with her mother and with her obsessive compulsive disorder.
On the other hand, Jamie’s character, told in third person omniscient, is the typical pregnant, drug enraptured teenager who does not want to take responsibility for her child. Referring to her daughter, “’Fuck you,’ Jamie says. ‘I can’t wait to get rid of you’” (20). As a reader, I felt a bit distanced from Jamie, but that might have been because she was portrayed as being an emotional wreck. Stella’s third person omniscient point of view is told from in the “Before” and after birth as a newborn. From the first few pages we see Stella’s love for her mother – “I chose you, Stella says. I’m not going to let you just hand me over to somebody else.” However, after birth, Stella realizes that her choice might not have been a wise one. Writing from the perspective of a fetus is a tricky skill to maneuver, but if I was an author, I’d probably write Stella’s point of view similar to the way Addonizio wrote it. She is the one character that connects all of the other characters and ultimately brings them together.
The plot of this piece is completely unique as a whole. I’ve never read a novel that intertwined the characters of an OCD person, a pregnant teenager, and a fetus. Although both of these are commonly written about separately, together, they form an intriguing novel that explores each of the characters on their journeys. As a writer, Addonizio inspired me to explore the concept of writing from a baby’s perspective, which would prove to be challenging, but rewarding in the end.
Simon & Schuster, New York, 2005.
“Rule #23: Clean anything you take to bed – book, laptop, phone (51).
Homework: Confront the situations that cause you distress (119).
Remember: Each time you view your experiences as a test, you set yourself up for disappointment, discouragement, self-criticism, and resignation (223).”
Addonizio’s novel, “Little Beauties,” begins with an introduction to Diana McBride, the protagonist, who reveals in the first line of the piece that she was once a “professional princess” (1). Her mother, Gloria, is a domineering woman, who forced Diana to participate in pageants when she was younger. Unknown to the mother, Diana has obsessive compulsive disorder, which is the reason why her husband left. Diana works at Teddy’s World, a baby furniture store, which is the fourteenth job she has had. Jamie Ramirez, a pregnant teenager, crosses her path while buying a teddy bear for her unwanted child, Stella, even though Stella will be adopted. Although Jamie hardly knows Diana, she turns to her for help when she’s faced with tough decisions that involve her and Stella’s future.
Told in first person, Diana’s character was well developed regarding the actions and daily activities of a person with OCD. When Diana’s coworker has eczema and gets too close to her, she feels the need to leave work to go home and shower. But by the end of the novel, her character has grown. When she’s faced with the possibility of uncleanness, she thinks, “There’s no time to wash properly…I can’t worry about any of that now, because I am busy trying to save a life” (205). We see improvement in Diana’s character though her relationship with her mother and with her obsessive compulsive disorder.
On the other hand, Jamie’s character, told in third person omniscient, is the typical pregnant, drug enraptured teenager who does not want to take responsibility for her child. Referring to her daughter, “’Fuck you,’ Jamie says. ‘I can’t wait to get rid of you’” (20). As a reader, I felt a bit distanced from Jamie, but that might have been because she was portrayed as being an emotional wreck. Stella’s third person omniscient point of view is told from in the “Before” and after birth as a newborn. From the first few pages we see Stella’s love for her mother – “I chose you, Stella says. I’m not going to let you just hand me over to somebody else.” However, after birth, Stella realizes that her choice might not have been a wise one. Writing from the perspective of a fetus is a tricky skill to maneuver, but if I was an author, I’d probably write Stella’s point of view similar to the way Addonizio wrote it. She is the one character that connects all of the other characters and ultimately brings them together.
The plot of this piece is completely unique as a whole. I’ve never read a novel that intertwined the characters of an OCD person, a pregnant teenager, and a fetus. Although both of these are commonly written about separately, together, they form an intriguing novel that explores each of the characters on their journeys. As a writer, Addonizio inspired me to explore the concept of writing from a baby’s perspective, which would prove to be challenging, but rewarding in the end.
December 5, 2023
3.5 stars
Great beginning but disappointed/underwhelmed with the ending
Great beginning but disappointed/underwhelmed with the ending
April 16, 2012
Interesting premise but ultimately left me unsatisfied. The characters were a little one-dimensional and the resolution too pat.
April 8, 2019
This is a novel that shifts perspective between three interesting characters: a woman with a severe obsessive washing disorder, a teenage mother who is ambivalent about her condition, and the baby girl born of that teenager. It is an entertaining, involving book although I'm not sure what it is trying to say ... maybe nothing more than that a mother-daughter relationship is one to be cherished. No matter how dysfunctional it might be from time to time, the love is always there.
October 2, 2023
found it at a going-out-of-business bookstore as a kid and read it over and over in middle school. made a whole project on it for fun in 8th grade lol. looking back on it, it probably wasn’t the best portrayal of OCD but being fresh out of inpatient as a 13 year old (being treated for severe OCD) it was just nice to have any portrayal of it in media.
November 16, 2017
This is a’thin’ read. A steady stream of three thoughts of consciousness with a cast of supporting characters. A unique comment on ‘the essence of the unborn’ and view of those thoughts that imprison
April 8, 2018
A mercifully quick read. This is a story which revolves around characters which are damaged in various tedious and stereotypical ways. I wish I hadn't bothered to finish it, it never gets any better.
January 2, 2020
and to think i'll never get that time back that i spent reading about these selfish women. oh, and the voice of the baby, i can barely watch those supposedly precocious children miming their parents political thoughts, so the baby was pretty awful. i really should have read a cook book instead.
March 31, 2018
A unique cast of characters in an interesting situation, and I appreciate that it didn't go in a tidy, Hallmark-style overly sentimental direction.
January 30, 2019
This book was tough to get through...
"She is a wrinkly, bluish creature with spindly arms and a head like a misshapen potato. The nurse might be right. She might be the most beautiful thing."
"She is a wrinkly, bluish creature with spindly arms and a head like a misshapen potato. The nurse might be right. She might be the most beautiful thing."
March 17, 2021
I thought this book was lovely. I was completely caught up it the trio of characters, especially loved hearing from the baby. I read it from cover to cover in a day.
January 27, 2022
This book was chaotic to me. The story line was interesting, but the characters never really developed entirely. I didn't care for the chapters written in baby Stella's point of view.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2022
It was a very interesting story. It captured my attention and I read it quick. It could of had a better ending, felt like everything just got wrapped up quickly. But not a bad book at all.
June 19, 2023
love addonizio's poetry and flashes of it were here, but all in all the book was a bit silly
July 10, 2025
It was interesting going through the different perspectives of each character. I liked that format, but the story felt unfinished.
July 16, 2025
Liked, fast-read
April 6, 2011
The story of Little Beauties takes on the perspective of three different narrators. You first get to see, Diana McBride, the main character who is a thirty four year old woman with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Her specific curse is constant washing and extreme germ phobia. At the point you enter her life, her husband, Tim, has just left her, her alcoholic mother, Gloria, continues to criticize her every action, and she is intent on leaving her fourteenth job which she generally loves. You next get to see, Jamie, who is a pregnant teenager with no future plan or prospects in her life and the desire to give up her unborn child for adoption. And finally you meet the most interesting and otherworldly character of, Stella, Jamie’s unborn child. All three women face very different hardships but together they gain the strength to face their problems. They are three different people with completely different personalities yet they become intertwined in each other’s lives by the simple purchase of a music playing teddy bear.
Diana’s point of view comes to the reader in the first person. This style helps to better explain the thoughts that lead to her compulsive cleaning and center her as the novel’s protagonist. The point of view of Jamie and Stella are in the third person limited omniscient. Many times the writing of a novel with so many narrators may seem unclear but in the case of this story all of the stories are very distinct and separate themselves from each other. The three narrators allow you to see the same event and moments in time, happening from different perspectives.
Jamie is the most relatable perspective because she sees the world through the eyes of a teenager with no life experience or dreams except for impossible rock stardom. Her situation is one that can be seen often and related too more easily. Diana and Stella on the other hand are completely different from most points of views. Diana’s OCD is a constant factor in her life that chains her to sinks, showers, and her pristine bedroom. Outside of her home she feels at risk constantly. Dust is her main fear and in her eyes “There is no way to really get rid of dust. It’s like nuclear waste, only worse. Even plutonium has a half-life and will decay, hundreds of years from now. Dust is eternal.” Yet, Stella is the most extreme character because rarely has such a perspective ever been touched. You see through Stella’s eyes even before she is conceived and how she selects her parents. But when Jamie is neglecting her, Stella contemplates that maybe she chose the wrong parents but that it’s too late now anyway. You see her baby thoughts with a knowledge of everything in the world as if she has some ancestral knowledge and her point of view even begins to flow into the possibility of her being a reincarnation of the dead wife of a later central character to the plot, Anthony, who plays an important part in the lives of all three characters.
Kim Addonizio’s writing style is very honest and open. And of what I have read, her portrayal of OCD seems to be very accurate, even in the eyes of current OCD sufferers. She is most known for her poetry but I see her dip into fiction as a successful one. The portrayals of Stella’s thoughts in themselves are very poetic and float through the possibilities, they focus less on fact and more on speculation of what lies beyond our simple reality. The portrayal of Jamie in itself is very accurate. Ms. Addonizio does not shy away from portraying some of Jamie’s more unsavory exploits.
I liked the story and found all of the different perspectives fascinating but I do see that for some people Stella’s perspective can be a problem. It is a very surrealistic portrayal of inner thought that at times can seem foggy if attention is not paid to the details and little moments described throughout the novel.
The style and idea in this book that influenced me as a writer were Stella’s thoughts and portrayal. I find it very bold that the step was taken to show such an uncommon perspective that many could find issue with but could nonetheless be a hit in the eyes of others. As a writer I would like to take from this book the courage to write from unconventional perspectives that have yet to be tried and explored.
Diana’s point of view comes to the reader in the first person. This style helps to better explain the thoughts that lead to her compulsive cleaning and center her as the novel’s protagonist. The point of view of Jamie and Stella are in the third person limited omniscient. Many times the writing of a novel with so many narrators may seem unclear but in the case of this story all of the stories are very distinct and separate themselves from each other. The three narrators allow you to see the same event and moments in time, happening from different perspectives.
Jamie is the most relatable perspective because she sees the world through the eyes of a teenager with no life experience or dreams except for impossible rock stardom. Her situation is one that can be seen often and related too more easily. Diana and Stella on the other hand are completely different from most points of views. Diana’s OCD is a constant factor in her life that chains her to sinks, showers, and her pristine bedroom. Outside of her home she feels at risk constantly. Dust is her main fear and in her eyes “There is no way to really get rid of dust. It’s like nuclear waste, only worse. Even plutonium has a half-life and will decay, hundreds of years from now. Dust is eternal.” Yet, Stella is the most extreme character because rarely has such a perspective ever been touched. You see through Stella’s eyes even before she is conceived and how she selects her parents. But when Jamie is neglecting her, Stella contemplates that maybe she chose the wrong parents but that it’s too late now anyway. You see her baby thoughts with a knowledge of everything in the world as if she has some ancestral knowledge and her point of view even begins to flow into the possibility of her being a reincarnation of the dead wife of a later central character to the plot, Anthony, who plays an important part in the lives of all three characters.
Kim Addonizio’s writing style is very honest and open. And of what I have read, her portrayal of OCD seems to be very accurate, even in the eyes of current OCD sufferers. She is most known for her poetry but I see her dip into fiction as a successful one. The portrayals of Stella’s thoughts in themselves are very poetic and float through the possibilities, they focus less on fact and more on speculation of what lies beyond our simple reality. The portrayal of Jamie in itself is very accurate. Ms. Addonizio does not shy away from portraying some of Jamie’s more unsavory exploits.
I liked the story and found all of the different perspectives fascinating but I do see that for some people Stella’s perspective can be a problem. It is a very surrealistic portrayal of inner thought that at times can seem foggy if attention is not paid to the details and little moments described throughout the novel.
The style and idea in this book that influenced me as a writer were Stella’s thoughts and portrayal. I find it very bold that the step was taken to show such an uncommon perspective that many could find issue with but could nonetheless be a hit in the eyes of others. As a writer I would like to take from this book the courage to write from unconventional perspectives that have yet to be tried and explored.
November 6, 2011
Little Beauties by Kim Addonizio.
Simon & Schuster, New York, 2005.
“Rule #23: Clean anything you take to bed – book, laptop, phone (51).
Homework: Confront the situations that cause you distress (119).
Remember: Each time you view your experiences as a test, you set yourself up for disappointment, discouragement, self-criticism, and resignation (223).”
Addonizio’s novel, “Little Beauties,” begins with an introduction to Diana McBride, the protagonist, who reveals in the first line of the piece that she was once a “professional princess” (1). Her mother, Gloria, is a domineering woman, who forced Diana to participate in pageants when she was younger. Unknown to the mother, Diana has obsessive compulsive disorder, which is the reason why her husband left. Diana works at Teddy’s World, a baby furniture store, which is the fourteenth job she has had. Jamie Ramirez, a pregnant teenager, crosses her path while buying a teddy bear for her unwanted child, Stella, even though Stella will be adopted. Although Jamie hardly knows Diana, she turns to her for help when she’s faced with tough decisions that involve her and Stella’s future.
Told in first person, Diana’s character was well developed regarding the actions and daily activities of a person with OCD. When Diana’s coworker has eczema and gets too close to her, she feels the need to leave work to go home and shower. But by the end of the novel, her character has grown. When she’s faced with the possibility of uncleanness, she thinks, “There’s no time to wash properly…I can’t worry about any of that now, because I am busy trying to save a life” (205). We see improvement in Diana’s character though her relationship with her mother and with her obsessive compulsive disorder.
On the other hand, Jamie’s character, told in third person omniscient, is the typical pregnant, drug enraptured teenager who does not want to take responsibility for her child. Referring to her daughter, “’Fuck you,’ Jamie says. ‘I can’t wait to get rid of you’” (20). As a reader, I felt a bit distanced from Jamie, but that might have been because she was portrayed as being an emotional wreck. Stella’s third person omniscient point of view is told from in the “Before” and after birth as a newborn. From the first few pages we see Stella’s love for her mother – “I chose you, Stella says. I’m not going to let you just hand me over to somebody else.” However, after birth, Stella realizes that her choice might not have been a wise one. Writing from the perspective of a fetus is a tricky skill to maneuver, but if I was an author, I’d probably write Stella’s point of view similar to the way Addonizio wrote it. She is the one character that connects all of the other characters and ultimately brings them together.
The plot of this piece is completely unique as a whole. I’ve never read a novel that intertwined the characters of an OCD person, a pregnant teenager, and a fetus. Although both of these are commonly written about separately, together, they form an intriguing novel that explores each of the characters on their journeys. As a writer, Addonizio inspired me to explore the concept of writing from a baby’s perspective, which would prove to be challenging, but rewarding in the end.
Simon & Schuster, New York, 2005.
“Rule #23: Clean anything you take to bed – book, laptop, phone (51).
Homework: Confront the situations that cause you distress (119).
Remember: Each time you view your experiences as a test, you set yourself up for disappointment, discouragement, self-criticism, and resignation (223).”
Addonizio’s novel, “Little Beauties,” begins with an introduction to Diana McBride, the protagonist, who reveals in the first line of the piece that she was once a “professional princess” (1). Her mother, Gloria, is a domineering woman, who forced Diana to participate in pageants when she was younger. Unknown to the mother, Diana has obsessive compulsive disorder, which is the reason why her husband left. Diana works at Teddy’s World, a baby furniture store, which is the fourteenth job she has had. Jamie Ramirez, a pregnant teenager, crosses her path while buying a teddy bear for her unwanted child, Stella, even though Stella will be adopted. Although Jamie hardly knows Diana, she turns to her for help when she’s faced with tough decisions that involve her and Stella’s future.
Told in first person, Diana’s character was well developed regarding the actions and daily activities of a person with OCD. When Diana’s coworker has eczema and gets too close to her, she feels the need to leave work to go home and shower. But by the end of the novel, her character has grown. When she’s faced with the possibility of uncleanness, she thinks, “There’s no time to wash properly…I can’t worry about any of that now, because I am busy trying to save a life” (205). We see improvement in Diana’s character though her relationship with her mother and with her obsessive compulsive disorder.
On the other hand, Jamie’s character, told in third person omniscient, is the typical pregnant, drug enraptured teenager who does not want to take responsibility for her child. Referring to her daughter, “’Fuck you,’ Jamie says. ‘I can’t wait to get rid of you’” (20). As a reader, I felt a bit distanced from Jamie, but that might have been because she was portrayed as being an emotional wreck. Stella’s third person omniscient point of view is told from in the “Before” and after birth as a newborn. From the first few pages we see Stella’s love for her mother – “I chose you, Stella says. I’m not going to let you just hand me over to somebody else.” However, after birth, Stella realizes that her choice might not have been a wise one. Writing from the perspective of a fetus is a tricky skill to maneuver, but if I was an author, I’d probably write Stella’s point of view similar to the way Addonizio wrote it. She is the one character that connects all of the other characters and ultimately brings them together.
The plot of this piece is completely unique as a whole. I’ve never read a novel that intertwined the characters of an OCD person, a pregnant teenager, and a fetus. Although both of these are commonly written about separately, together, they form an intriguing novel that explores each of the characters on their journeys. As a writer, Addonizio inspired me to explore the concept of writing from a baby’s perspective, which would prove to be challenging, but rewarding in the end.
October 4, 2011
Little Beauties, by Kim Addonizio is about three girls: Diana, Jamie, and Stella. The book starts off with Diana, who I presume as the main character.
The first chapter is titled “Rule#1: Shower after emptying the trash.” The title reflects Diana’s weakness for germs. This chapter goes into detail about Diana’s childhood life, her mother, and how she is now thirty-four. Diana’s husband of twelve years, Tim, has just left her. In the first chapter Diana meets Jamie who comes into Teddy’s World, which is where Diana works. Jamie is pregnant and looking for a music box.
Chapter two is about Jamie. The chapter goes into detail about how Jamie got pregnant, who the dad is, her best friends Leila, and her parents. The third chapter is about Stella, Jamie’s baby who is currently still in her uterus. The first three chapters introduce the characters, and from there the book alternates between those three characters. There are a few other important people in the book, such as Jamie’s parents, a boy Troy whom she meets, her best friend Leila, a man who helps Jamie when she is giving birth and Diana starts to like Anthony, Diana’s mother Gloria and Diana’ boss.
Diana has a crazy disease where she is terrified of germs and bacteria, so she lives her life around crazy rules she has made up so she doesn’t come into contact with any germs. Jamie is a teenager having a baby who doesn’t know what she wants in life. Stella is a newborn who is wondering if she would rather be living in her mothers belly still.
The only thing I didn’t like about this book is when Diana would talk about her therapist. She would really only say negative things about her therapist, and how she didn’t listen to anything the lady told her. She brought her up numerous times, but never talked about many benefits from seeing her. I the therapist was pointless and didn’t really deserve a place in the book.
I think a main message in this book is about finding out who you truly are, and loving yourself for who you truly are. Each main character struggles with knowing who they really are, and loving themselves for who they really are. In the end this is solved and I as the reader begin to see the characters in new and improved ways. Diana realizes germs really aren’t that bad, Jamie realizes she does want to be a mother and that is a rare and beautiful kind of love, and Stella realizes that she is in this world for a reason and will not be able to go back into her mothers wound.
This book never had a dull or boring moment in it. I couldn’t put this book down, and finished it in about two days, on and off. I like how it alternated between the three characters and I think that gave it some extra flare. I can tell the author of this book is also a poet, because of all the figurative language and details used in this book. For example “Pink and orange sunset colors, wicker chairs, water sheeting down one wall, lit by candles.” Another example, “I see myself on a bed in a hotel room in Tijuana, surrounded by roses. The roses have shriveled and blackened. I lie there, looking an smelling disgusting, princess of nothing.” There are details and figurative language like this throughout the whole book, which kept me intrigued the whole time.
The first chapter is titled “Rule#1: Shower after emptying the trash.” The title reflects Diana’s weakness for germs. This chapter goes into detail about Diana’s childhood life, her mother, and how she is now thirty-four. Diana’s husband of twelve years, Tim, has just left her. In the first chapter Diana meets Jamie who comes into Teddy’s World, which is where Diana works. Jamie is pregnant and looking for a music box.
Chapter two is about Jamie. The chapter goes into detail about how Jamie got pregnant, who the dad is, her best friends Leila, and her parents. The third chapter is about Stella, Jamie’s baby who is currently still in her uterus. The first three chapters introduce the characters, and from there the book alternates between those three characters. There are a few other important people in the book, such as Jamie’s parents, a boy Troy whom she meets, her best friend Leila, a man who helps Jamie when she is giving birth and Diana starts to like Anthony, Diana’s mother Gloria and Diana’ boss.
Diana has a crazy disease where she is terrified of germs and bacteria, so she lives her life around crazy rules she has made up so she doesn’t come into contact with any germs. Jamie is a teenager having a baby who doesn’t know what she wants in life. Stella is a newborn who is wondering if she would rather be living in her mothers belly still.
The only thing I didn’t like about this book is when Diana would talk about her therapist. She would really only say negative things about her therapist, and how she didn’t listen to anything the lady told her. She brought her up numerous times, but never talked about many benefits from seeing her. I the therapist was pointless and didn’t really deserve a place in the book.
I think a main message in this book is about finding out who you truly are, and loving yourself for who you truly are. Each main character struggles with knowing who they really are, and loving themselves for who they really are. In the end this is solved and I as the reader begin to see the characters in new and improved ways. Diana realizes germs really aren’t that bad, Jamie realizes she does want to be a mother and that is a rare and beautiful kind of love, and Stella realizes that she is in this world for a reason and will not be able to go back into her mothers wound.
This book never had a dull or boring moment in it. I couldn’t put this book down, and finished it in about two days, on and off. I like how it alternated between the three characters and I think that gave it some extra flare. I can tell the author of this book is also a poet, because of all the figurative language and details used in this book. For example “Pink and orange sunset colors, wicker chairs, water sheeting down one wall, lit by candles.” Another example, “I see myself on a bed in a hotel room in Tijuana, surrounded by roses. The roses have shriveled and blackened. I lie there, looking an smelling disgusting, princess of nothing.” There are details and figurative language like this throughout the whole book, which kept me intrigued the whole time.
November 16, 2011
Three Different Perspectives
Little Beauties by Kim Addonizio
Simon & Schuster, 2006
During a time when teenage pregnancy and OCD are issues faced by many in American, Addonizio writes a story that addresses them both. Throughout the book the point of view switches between three characters, and the reader gets something different from each one. Diana McBride, a woman in her thirties with OCD, Jamie Alvarez, the pregnant teenager, and Jamie’s unborn child named Stella. While it is interesting to get three different perspectives, Stella’s is the most unique for her innocence of being new to the world.
In Diana, one would believe her to be the most together since she’s older, but she ends up being the person that needs the most help. Addonizio really delves into Diana’s condition by opening the chapters from her perspective with rules Diana uses to accommodate her OCD. It’s very pivotal to get inside her mind because although she doesn’t hide her want for clean things, the way she visualizes dirt is something only Diana and the reader can understand and it shows how serious her condition is. Through Diana, the reader also receives her opinion on babies, especially since she works in a baby store, and her only dislike is because of her condition and babies can get really dirty. Which is why it comes as a shock when she allows Jamie, with her child, to live with her.
Since Jamie is still young it makes a lot of sense that for a majority of the book she thinks about only herself. She does start to grow up more after she decides to keep Stella. Being wrapped up a bit in herself makes it easy for her to believe Diana is just a bit weird with wanting things clean not actually suffering from a disease. After Jamie is moved in with Diana, the dilemma many teenage girls with children face comes to light, she wants to be a good mother but at the same time wants to have fun like everyone else her age. The difficulty of the decision from this dilemma is portrayed through the happiness Jamie feels from two very different experiences, holding Stella and doing ecstasy on the beach.
The most unique perspective is definitely Stella, for the reader meets her when she is still in the womb, and she is her own character as she develops depth throughout the book. Through her innocent eyes the reader can really see how troubled Diana and Jamie really are, and it’s a bit painful to witness Stella being powerless to help them. Yet, her presence in both of their lives brings the help each one needs. Stella’s life forces Jamie to grow up and be an adult and attracts Anthony who in turn ends up helping Diana. Stella’s perspective contrasts well with the other two because she comes into the world with so much positive feelings and the problems of the world really shock her, which shows why Diana and Jamie reach a point of such negativity.
It can be hard to juggle between three different characters but Addonizio makes it work for her story. There are some deep-set issues within the story that are lightened by switching between perspectives. Each action and interaction between characters is better understood because the reader knows the thoughts and feelings they’re all experiencing allowing for a stronger connection overall.
Little Beauties by Kim Addonizio
Simon & Schuster, 2006
During a time when teenage pregnancy and OCD are issues faced by many in American, Addonizio writes a story that addresses them both. Throughout the book the point of view switches between three characters, and the reader gets something different from each one. Diana McBride, a woman in her thirties with OCD, Jamie Alvarez, the pregnant teenager, and Jamie’s unborn child named Stella. While it is interesting to get three different perspectives, Stella’s is the most unique for her innocence of being new to the world.
In Diana, one would believe her to be the most together since she’s older, but she ends up being the person that needs the most help. Addonizio really delves into Diana’s condition by opening the chapters from her perspective with rules Diana uses to accommodate her OCD. It’s very pivotal to get inside her mind because although she doesn’t hide her want for clean things, the way she visualizes dirt is something only Diana and the reader can understand and it shows how serious her condition is. Through Diana, the reader also receives her opinion on babies, especially since she works in a baby store, and her only dislike is because of her condition and babies can get really dirty. Which is why it comes as a shock when she allows Jamie, with her child, to live with her.
Since Jamie is still young it makes a lot of sense that for a majority of the book she thinks about only herself. She does start to grow up more after she decides to keep Stella. Being wrapped up a bit in herself makes it easy for her to believe Diana is just a bit weird with wanting things clean not actually suffering from a disease. After Jamie is moved in with Diana, the dilemma many teenage girls with children face comes to light, she wants to be a good mother but at the same time wants to have fun like everyone else her age. The difficulty of the decision from this dilemma is portrayed through the happiness Jamie feels from two very different experiences, holding Stella and doing ecstasy on the beach.
The most unique perspective is definitely Stella, for the reader meets her when she is still in the womb, and she is her own character as she develops depth throughout the book. Through her innocent eyes the reader can really see how troubled Diana and Jamie really are, and it’s a bit painful to witness Stella being powerless to help them. Yet, her presence in both of their lives brings the help each one needs. Stella’s life forces Jamie to grow up and be an adult and attracts Anthony who in turn ends up helping Diana. Stella’s perspective contrasts well with the other two because she comes into the world with so much positive feelings and the problems of the world really shock her, which shows why Diana and Jamie reach a point of such negativity.
It can be hard to juggle between three different characters but Addonizio makes it work for her story. There are some deep-set issues within the story that are lightened by switching between perspectives. Each action and interaction between characters is better understood because the reader knows the thoughts and feelings they’re all experiencing allowing for a stronger connection overall.
April 6, 2011
Ugly Beauties.
Little Beauties by Kim Addonizio. Simon & Schuster: 2005
After reading a couple of Kim Addonizio’s works, the conclusion can be made that she likes to write about women who face many hardships in their lives. From Rita in her novel My Dreams Out in the Street to Jamie and Diana in Little Beauties, these women show their true strengths through the hardships that they face throughout a limited amount of time. In Little Beauties we see the main character Diana facing her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which deals specifically with cleanliness, and Jamie Ramirez, who is dealing with teenage motherhood. Their lived begin to intertwine when Jamie walks into Diana’s store and purchases a teddy bear. From here an unlikely friendship is forged which creates out of the ordinary situations for both characters.
The novel begins, “Once I was a professional princess (3).” This immediately gives the reader a sense of who they are going to be dealing with for the rest of the novel. She is automatically letting us know that she did not have a normal childhood, perhaps trying to use it as an excuse for her illness. Right from the beginning, Diana lets us know what is going on in her life and how she has come to be in this place she called Teddy’s World. In this scene, we are also introduced to the secondary character, Jamie. Addonizio does a great job of once again showing the character through dialogue (both internal and external), “Mom, she calls again. ‘Fuck you,’ Jamie says, ‘I can’t wait to get rid of you.’ (20)” Through the use of dialogue and physical descriptions ,the characters of her novel become more real for the reader.
Addonizio plays with point of view in many ways. Since Diana’s point of view is the only one in first person, this helps the reader to decipher who the main character is. Both Jamie’s and Stella’s points of view are third person limited omniscient. This is not an easy task for a writer to pull off, and she does pull it off. Never once was I confused or left wondering whose point of view I was reading at the time. The different points of view lets the reader to see what is happening from more than on perspective, allowing the reader to decide for themselves how they feel about what is going on, a choice that is not often left up to the reader.
Although the change in point of view was done well and effortlessly, I was left wondering whether or not Stella’s point of view was necessary. One could argue that her sole purpose was to let the reader see the characters for who they really are, from an innocent point of view. Aside from the point of view question, I think some things at the end were a little bit too convenient. The emotional turn around that Jamie, her mother, and Diana all face is unbelievable. This all happens in too short of a period of time. Although the ending might be a bit unbelievable, I found the novel to be a great read.
Little Beauties by Kim Addonizio. Simon & Schuster: 2005
After reading a couple of Kim Addonizio’s works, the conclusion can be made that she likes to write about women who face many hardships in their lives. From Rita in her novel My Dreams Out in the Street to Jamie and Diana in Little Beauties, these women show their true strengths through the hardships that they face throughout a limited amount of time. In Little Beauties we see the main character Diana facing her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which deals specifically with cleanliness, and Jamie Ramirez, who is dealing with teenage motherhood. Their lived begin to intertwine when Jamie walks into Diana’s store and purchases a teddy bear. From here an unlikely friendship is forged which creates out of the ordinary situations for both characters.
The novel begins, “Once I was a professional princess (3).” This immediately gives the reader a sense of who they are going to be dealing with for the rest of the novel. She is automatically letting us know that she did not have a normal childhood, perhaps trying to use it as an excuse for her illness. Right from the beginning, Diana lets us know what is going on in her life and how she has come to be in this place she called Teddy’s World. In this scene, we are also introduced to the secondary character, Jamie. Addonizio does a great job of once again showing the character through dialogue (both internal and external), “Mom, she calls again. ‘Fuck you,’ Jamie says, ‘I can’t wait to get rid of you.’ (20)” Through the use of dialogue and physical descriptions ,the characters of her novel become more real for the reader.
Addonizio plays with point of view in many ways. Since Diana’s point of view is the only one in first person, this helps the reader to decipher who the main character is. Both Jamie’s and Stella’s points of view are third person limited omniscient. This is not an easy task for a writer to pull off, and she does pull it off. Never once was I confused or left wondering whose point of view I was reading at the time. The different points of view lets the reader to see what is happening from more than on perspective, allowing the reader to decide for themselves how they feel about what is going on, a choice that is not often left up to the reader.
Although the change in point of view was done well and effortlessly, I was left wondering whether or not Stella’s point of view was necessary. One could argue that her sole purpose was to let the reader see the characters for who they really are, from an innocent point of view. Aside from the point of view question, I think some things at the end were a little bit too convenient. The emotional turn around that Jamie, her mother, and Diana all face is unbelievable. This all happens in too short of a period of time. Although the ending might be a bit unbelievable, I found the novel to be a great read.
October 5, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. The book had three main characters: Diana McBride, Jamie Ramirez, and Jamie’s unborn child Stella. Diana is now a thirty four year old woman who used to be involved in child beauty pageants, and now she works in a baby store called Teddy’s World. I thought it was interesting how she said in the very beginning of the book that she just became the Employee of the Month in August. I liked how she said “I guess I still have a thing for titles, in spite of my official retirement”. We learn right away that her marriage failed, and Tim had left her. One thing he couldn’t take was “shower after emptying the trash”. This was one of her many rules because she had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (she did stop taking her OCD medication). Jamie is a teenager who becomes pregnant and immediately wants to give her baby up for adoption. Finally, there is Stella. She is Jamie’s unborn child and we get to see her thoughts and views. This fact alone sets this book apart from others because we usually don’t get to see the perspective of an unborn child. I thought this was interesting. These characters come across one another because Jamie was in Teddy’s World searching for a music bear. I like how the author portrays the fact that someone can enter your life in the most unexpected way and have even the slightest impact that changes something for you, maybe it’s how you view something. One example of this is that by the end of the story, Jamie wanted to keep her child. Having three completely different perspectives and narrators allows the reader to completely dive into the book. I thought this technique in itself was very effective for the reader as it shows us the same scene but in different views. Diana’s view was in the first person and this really allows us to get inside her head and know exactly what she’s thinking. For a character like herself, I thought this was very effective. This book was an easy read and was very descriptive at times; there was a lot of imagery. It definitely kept me hooked. This book shows the struggles that some people encounter through life, but it also, in turn, shows the true beauty of life. This book really captures the fact that life is so unexpected sometimes. It shows us as readers that while most of the time the unexpected is feared and it usually seems to have an ugly facade, something good usually comes from it. Some form of beauty that gives us meaning in the end. One thing I found extremely interesting was that this book took on the extremely controversial and saddening topics of “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder” and “Teen Pregnancy”, but it did so in a way that was light and witty at times. Although I could not exactly sympathize with these characters, I still found them and the story itself compelling.
November 8, 2011
Kim Addonizio manages to fuse together a quirky novel and flowing prose in Little Beauties. She creates believable characters, a heartwarming plot, and packages it into a neat little novel.
The story switches between two main characters. One of which is a woman by the name of Diana McBride, who has severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. She can not stick to one job or apartment because of the “contamination” that builds up. She has a list of rules, and she has stopped seeing her therapist because her husband left her, so what's the use of getting better if he left anyway?
Diana's illness is wonderfully written, because it is believable. She makes her OCD sound reasonable, and you understand why Diana washes her hands every couple of minutes. The voice that Addonizio speaks in for Diana makes you feel for her.
The second main character is Jamie Ramirez, a pregnant seventeen year old. Jamie doesn't want to keep the baby, but when she is forced to deliver early, she falls in love with little Stella. Jamie's character isn't very likable at first, but she grows on you, which is fitting because the narration is told mostly through Diana, and Jamie ends up growing on Diana as well.
Through this novel, we are given glimpses into Stella's psych as well, even before she is born. This shows Addonizio's background as a poet, as she used these short chapters to paint a picture of wonderful imagery and flowing language.
Diana is an employee at a department store that specializes in baby supplies. She is dealing with severe OCD, her husband leaving her, and an overbearing alcoholic mother. Jamie comes in and buys a bear for a baby she has no plans on keeping. A few days later, after Jamie gives birth and decides to keep Stella, her mother kicks her out, and Jamie begs Diana to let Jamie and Stella move in with her. This begins a quirky relationship, where Diana teaches Jamie to accept responsibility, Jamie teaches Diana to relax, and Stella teaches everyone the true meaning of love.
Addonizio adds a light subplot with the character of Anthony Perillo. He's the man who helps Jamie deliver her baby, and then somehow gets involved in the lives of both Jamie and Diana. He's a likable character, and he brings a new element into the story. He tells Diana of his late wife, who died from cancer. Towards the end of the novel, we find that Stella is the recreation of Anthony's dead wife, who needed to see that Anthony was okay and moving on. Stella brings Anthony and Diana together, and we get the feeling that he is exactly what she needs to get her OCD under control.
What I hope to accomplish someday is what Addonizio did in this novel. She incorporated a cute feel-good story with great characterization and then added her own touch of poetry. Her characters are believable and likable, and they grow in this 240-page novel.
The story switches between two main characters. One of which is a woman by the name of Diana McBride, who has severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. She can not stick to one job or apartment because of the “contamination” that builds up. She has a list of rules, and she has stopped seeing her therapist because her husband left her, so what's the use of getting better if he left anyway?
Diana's illness is wonderfully written, because it is believable. She makes her OCD sound reasonable, and you understand why Diana washes her hands every couple of minutes. The voice that Addonizio speaks in for Diana makes you feel for her.
The second main character is Jamie Ramirez, a pregnant seventeen year old. Jamie doesn't want to keep the baby, but when she is forced to deliver early, she falls in love with little Stella. Jamie's character isn't very likable at first, but she grows on you, which is fitting because the narration is told mostly through Diana, and Jamie ends up growing on Diana as well.
Through this novel, we are given glimpses into Stella's psych as well, even before she is born. This shows Addonizio's background as a poet, as she used these short chapters to paint a picture of wonderful imagery and flowing language.
Diana is an employee at a department store that specializes in baby supplies. She is dealing with severe OCD, her husband leaving her, and an overbearing alcoholic mother. Jamie comes in and buys a bear for a baby she has no plans on keeping. A few days later, after Jamie gives birth and decides to keep Stella, her mother kicks her out, and Jamie begs Diana to let Jamie and Stella move in with her. This begins a quirky relationship, where Diana teaches Jamie to accept responsibility, Jamie teaches Diana to relax, and Stella teaches everyone the true meaning of love.
Addonizio adds a light subplot with the character of Anthony Perillo. He's the man who helps Jamie deliver her baby, and then somehow gets involved in the lives of both Jamie and Diana. He's a likable character, and he brings a new element into the story. He tells Diana of his late wife, who died from cancer. Towards the end of the novel, we find that Stella is the recreation of Anthony's dead wife, who needed to see that Anthony was okay and moving on. Stella brings Anthony and Diana together, and we get the feeling that he is exactly what she needs to get her OCD under control.
What I hope to accomplish someday is what Addonizio did in this novel. She incorporated a cute feel-good story with great characterization and then added her own touch of poetry. Her characters are believable and likable, and they grow in this 240-page novel.
September 30, 2011
“Little Beauties”
Kim Addonizio
Simon & Schuster 2005
When I first read this book I immediately thought that this is the future of the Toddlers and Tiaras contestants. Little Beauties is about the life of Diana McBride, a former child pageant star turned Employee of the Month at Teddy’s World, who suffers from a severe case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Her life is turned upside down the day a pregnant teenager, Jamie, comes into Teddy’s World and purchases a musical bear. We follow the lives of three very different and very vulnerable women Diana, Jamie and Jamie’s unborn child, Stella.
Diana is the protagonist in the story and Addonizio writes her perspective in first person. We meet her in one of her most trying times, her husband just left her, she no longer sees her therapist and she’s on the brink of quitting her job, which she very much likes. Not to mention, her alcoholic mother criticizes her every move. What really made this character come to life was her consistency with OCD. Addonizio did an excellent job researching this disorder and showcased how it really affected Diana’s life in every possible way. “Rule #27: Wash any bedding that touches the floor” (21). The rules really played a great part in showing how much of a toll this disorder takes on Diana’s life, so much that her husband couldn’t take it anymore. However, you can’t help but think this didn’t stem from her relationship with her mother.
Jamie and Stella were told in third person limited omniscient. Jamie’s character is very relatable because Addonizio created her in the eyes of distressed teenager on the brink of adulthood. She is thrown out of her house by her own mother and lives with Diana. Jamie is just as unstable as Diana, and makes awful choices throughout the entire novel. What captivated me most out of all the characters was Stella. We first meet her in The Before and she is the most levelheaded out of the bunch. She observes life in The Before and is able to have a connection with everyone intertwined in this novel. Like Diana and Jamie, she is figuring things out for herself and learning about life along the way. I think this was a bold move in characterization for an author but it was extremely fresh and worked well with novel.
Addonizio leads the story through character development. Chapter after chapter, the story progresses through the choices made by Diana and Jamie and how everyone is impacted, even baby Stella. This style will really impact me as a writer because I didn’t care about the plot; I was so intrigued to what choices the characters were going to make next. As a writer, Addonizio’s perspective changes were really impressive. This allowed the novel to be very fast paced. All in all, this was a surprising and wonderful read.
Kim Addonizio
Simon & Schuster 2005
When I first read this book I immediately thought that this is the future of the Toddlers and Tiaras contestants. Little Beauties is about the life of Diana McBride, a former child pageant star turned Employee of the Month at Teddy’s World, who suffers from a severe case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Her life is turned upside down the day a pregnant teenager, Jamie, comes into Teddy’s World and purchases a musical bear. We follow the lives of three very different and very vulnerable women Diana, Jamie and Jamie’s unborn child, Stella.
Diana is the protagonist in the story and Addonizio writes her perspective in first person. We meet her in one of her most trying times, her husband just left her, she no longer sees her therapist and she’s on the brink of quitting her job, which she very much likes. Not to mention, her alcoholic mother criticizes her every move. What really made this character come to life was her consistency with OCD. Addonizio did an excellent job researching this disorder and showcased how it really affected Diana’s life in every possible way. “Rule #27: Wash any bedding that touches the floor” (21). The rules really played a great part in showing how much of a toll this disorder takes on Diana’s life, so much that her husband couldn’t take it anymore. However, you can’t help but think this didn’t stem from her relationship with her mother.
Jamie and Stella were told in third person limited omniscient. Jamie’s character is very relatable because Addonizio created her in the eyes of distressed teenager on the brink of adulthood. She is thrown out of her house by her own mother and lives with Diana. Jamie is just as unstable as Diana, and makes awful choices throughout the entire novel. What captivated me most out of all the characters was Stella. We first meet her in The Before and she is the most levelheaded out of the bunch. She observes life in The Before and is able to have a connection with everyone intertwined in this novel. Like Diana and Jamie, she is figuring things out for herself and learning about life along the way. I think this was a bold move in characterization for an author but it was extremely fresh and worked well with novel.
Addonizio leads the story through character development. Chapter after chapter, the story progresses through the choices made by Diana and Jamie and how everyone is impacted, even baby Stella. This style will really impact me as a writer because I didn’t care about the plot; I was so intrigued to what choices the characters were going to make next. As a writer, Addonizio’s perspective changes were really impressive. This allowed the novel to be very fast paced. All in all, this was a surprising and wonderful read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews