What do you think?
Rate this book
Stained
Jocelyn has two boys in her life. And a priest. Gabe has shared fourteen years of growing up next door. He's "a golden boy, an all-star." Yet now, in the spring of 1975, he's missing, disappeared on the brink of senior year at Weaver High. The whole town is set to go searching for him. Benny has only been in New Hampshire since January, yet for Joss, he's the answer to a long-held prayer to be someone in somebody's eyes. She loves them both. Father Warren--hair turning white and "kind of cool in his black clothes"--is the link between the three of them. Or a wedge. Or a threat. For Joss, the priest holds the power over her sense of self; for Benny, power over his soul; for Gabe, so mysterious and alluring, he holds the power of destiny. In a story shot with suspense, these four characters, and the lives of others they've touched in their small town, intermingle with unforgettable force.
208 pages, Paperback
First published February 8, 2005
2 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Richard Jacobson
44 books183 followersJennifer has spent three decades writing award-winning fiction and nonfiction for children. Amongst her titles are picture books: THIS IS MY ROOM (NO TIGERS ALLOWED) and OH, CHICKADEE!; chapter books: Andy Shane series and Twig and Turtle series; middle grade novels: SMALL AS AN ELEPHANT, PAPER THINGS, THE DOLLAR KIDS, CRASHING IN LOVE; and young adult novels: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF WHY I HATE HER and STAINED. Her awards and honors include ALA Best Books For Young Adults, Publishers Weekly Best Books, NYPL Best Books for Teens, Parents Choice Gold Award, IRA Young Adult’s Choice, ILA Social Justice Award, NTCE Charlotte Huck Honorable Mention, Bank Street Best Books of the Year, and Junior Library Guild Selections as well as many state awards. She lives in mid-coast Maine with her husband.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 2, 2012
Jocelyn is dating Benny, the first guy she’s felt special about since her long childhood friendship with Gabe ended. Well, her love for Gabe never really ended, but they were never close after one fateful day. But not all is well for Joss and Benny. Benny’s having a religious crisis (his priest, Father Warren keeps telling him that Joss is evil), his mother is terminally ill, and then Gabe disappears. The frantic search, the history of their friendship and their subsequent falling out is told in a series of Joss’ memories and present day accounts.
After her own discussion with Father Warren, where Joss confronts him, Joss begins to suspect that there’s something slightly off about him. And then she finds Gabe in their old childhood hideout and he confirms her suspicions (Father Warren has been buggering the boys in his parish). Gabe feels he can never go home, and Father Warren’s good name is ruined after Joss spills his secret to Gabe’s parents.
This story is thin. The characters are just outlines of people, and these outlines follow a rather predictable plot. How many stories are there now about priests who seduce young boys? Joss’ eventual empowerment is satisfying, but despite her narration, it’s hard to feel that we know her all that well. Somewhat disappointing.
After her own discussion with Father Warren, where Joss confronts him, Joss begins to suspect that there’s something slightly off about him. And then she finds Gabe in their old childhood hideout and he confirms her suspicions (Father Warren has been buggering the boys in his parish). Gabe feels he can never go home, and Father Warren’s good name is ruined after Joss spills his secret to Gabe’s parents.
This story is thin. The characters are just outlines of people, and these outlines follow a rather predictable plot. How many stories are there now about priests who seduce young boys? Joss’ eventual empowerment is satisfying, but despite her narration, it’s hard to feel that we know her all that well. Somewhat disappointing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2010
I picked this book up for $1 at a used book store. It looked and sounded interesting. It was an interesting, if somewhat depressing read.
This story follows Jocelyn, who is in high school, as she struggles to deal with her boyfriend Benny's off and on again attitude toward their relationship. Benny's mom is really sick and a new priest that comes into town convinces Benny to make a deal with god. If Benny gives up all the physical aspects of the relationship with Jocelyn then maybe God will help Benny's mom get better.
Jocelyn is an outcast because her mom is divorced and living by herself, and she has very low self-esteem. Jocelyn struggles with the churches rejection of her and her mother, while dealing with the small town pressure to fit in. Now she has Benny constantly making her feel guilty. To add to the mess of emotions Jocelyn still has feelings for her neighbor Gabe, Gabe is in general pretty mean to Jocelyn. Still Gabe and Jocelyn have a history that she can't let go. The chapters alternate between Jocelyn at present (in high school) and scenes from Joceyln's childhood.
All in all this was a sad story. It was a story about religious fanaticism in small towns and how sometimes it's not about being good to people but about avoiding the rage of God. It's about a small town's prejudice against people like Jocelyn's mom and how that reflects in Jocelyn's life. Jocelyn's mom also blames Jocelyn for her father leaving. As such, it is about how someone who has no self-esteem or respect for herself puts up with people abusing and walking all over her.
There is a lot of eluded-to and flat-out abuse in this book. I think the book ends as happily as it could given what it is. It is fairly well-written. I suppose it gives incite into how bad things can get in a small-town setting and how much effect one person has on the state of things in a small town if he has the power of God behind him. The plot line was not especially engaging and the ending was not surprising.
Overall all this book did for me was make me happy that I don't live in the 1970's, happy my parents are not divorced, and happy that I don't live in a small town. It also made me very sad for anyone who has Jocelyn's type of life. Definitely not a book to read to raise your mood. A good read though if you want some incite into small-town religious fanatic lifestyles.
This story follows Jocelyn, who is in high school, as she struggles to deal with her boyfriend Benny's off and on again attitude toward their relationship. Benny's mom is really sick and a new priest that comes into town convinces Benny to make a deal with god. If Benny gives up all the physical aspects of the relationship with Jocelyn then maybe God will help Benny's mom get better.
Jocelyn is an outcast because her mom is divorced and living by herself, and she has very low self-esteem. Jocelyn struggles with the churches rejection of her and her mother, while dealing with the small town pressure to fit in. Now she has Benny constantly making her feel guilty. To add to the mess of emotions Jocelyn still has feelings for her neighbor Gabe, Gabe is in general pretty mean to Jocelyn. Still Gabe and Jocelyn have a history that she can't let go. The chapters alternate between Jocelyn at present (in high school) and scenes from Joceyln's childhood.
All in all this was a sad story. It was a story about religious fanaticism in small towns and how sometimes it's not about being good to people but about avoiding the rage of God. It's about a small town's prejudice against people like Jocelyn's mom and how that reflects in Jocelyn's life. Jocelyn's mom also blames Jocelyn for her father leaving. As such, it is about how someone who has no self-esteem or respect for herself puts up with people abusing and walking all over her.
There is a lot of eluded-to and flat-out abuse in this book. I think the book ends as happily as it could given what it is. It is fairly well-written. I suppose it gives incite into how bad things can get in a small-town setting and how much effect one person has on the state of things in a small town if he has the power of God behind him. The plot line was not especially engaging and the ending was not surprising.
Overall all this book did for me was make me happy that I don't live in the 1970's, happy my parents are not divorced, and happy that I don't live in a small town. It also made me very sad for anyone who has Jocelyn's type of life. Definitely not a book to read to raise your mood. A good read though if you want some incite into small-town religious fanatic lifestyles.
Read
February 6, 2009 The Book I read Is called Stained written by Jennifer Richard Jacobson. Stained is a Fiction story with alot of suspence, you'll never know whats going to happen next! The main character in this book is Jocelyn, a young girl who lives the usual life but she's sometimes confused. The theme in this book is Make the right decisions in life because it'll help you out in the future!
Stained brings you to the past and present. In the past Jocelyn and Gabe were very close friends they grew up together as kids while their parents would hang out. In the present Jocelyn has a boyfriend named Benny. Benny breaks up with her because of religious problems, and Gabe is nowhere to be found. Nobody has seen him, later on they find out that he was last seen leaving St. Mary's late at night. Jocelyn goes through alot like her parents divorce, Her break up with Benny and Gabes disapearance.
I would recommend Stained to young urban teens who like the drama and suspence. In the book I really enjoyed how the author took us to the past and the present because it seemed to give me a better understanding! I can also imagine the scenes very clearly!
Stained wasnt my top book but I liked it and enjoyed reading it because I learned from it! It teaches alot about making decisions and learning from mistakes, The book also teaches about making it through life!
Stained brings you to the past and present. In the past Jocelyn and Gabe were very close friends they grew up together as kids while their parents would hang out. In the present Jocelyn has a boyfriend named Benny. Benny breaks up with her because of religious problems, and Gabe is nowhere to be found. Nobody has seen him, later on they find out that he was last seen leaving St. Mary's late at night. Jocelyn goes through alot like her parents divorce, Her break up with Benny and Gabes disapearance.
I would recommend Stained to young urban teens who like the drama and suspence. In the book I really enjoyed how the author took us to the past and the present because it seemed to give me a better understanding! I can also imagine the scenes very clearly!
Stained wasnt my top book but I liked it and enjoyed reading it because I learned from it! It teaches alot about making decisions and learning from mistakes, The book also teaches about making it through life!
March 15, 2025
I picked this up in my school library at random when we were forced to pick a random book and return it but the cover was interesting and starting it was too.I kept it and decided to read it a bit and I got super hooked.Joss and Benny’s relationship was very interesting and her feelings for Gabe seemed to have never left and meeting Benny’s mom was such a heartfelt moment.Them hanging out with her really was sweet. The entire book itself was a rollercoaster and so were the couple of pages between her and Benny.The plot twist with father Warren although it was kind of obvious still was shocking and I felt bad for Gabe that he never found out that his family really did care for him and didn’t hate him for running away after finding out what father Warren did.over all great read and it’s made me want to start picking up reading again so glad I didn’t return it immediately after picking it out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2020
Wonderful, wonderful book set in 1975 ina small New Hampshire town. Joss is 17, and loves Benny, a new boy in town, who's deeply conflicted about being with her. The priest, Father Warren, has told him that he has to stop sinning with Joss in order for Benny's mother to get well. Gabe has been Joss's best friend and neighbour for 14 years. He's a bit of a bad boy, but she loves him too. And he's disappeared. And Father Warren has something to do with it. Loved it, loved it!!
April 29, 2021
This book was probably one of the worst books i've ever read. At first the book was pretty interesting and it had a nice start. But it was going back and forth at the main character and two boys and it started getting more dull as it goes. Then out of nowhere it starts getting ridiculous and shit happens just to happen. This book is not good in my opinion 1/5
May 31, 2018
Heavy topic, so well done! Bravo!
February 1, 2011
YA Jacobson
Three 17 year olds...one gal, the narrator of the story, and two guys all become involved with each other, and the effect of these relationships makes them feel stained.
The suspense begins when one of the characters disappears and a popular priest with questionable motives becomes involved. While it might sound like a soap opera love story, it is actually a well written novel about relationships, honesty, independence, and self worth.
Three 17 year olds...one gal, the narrator of the story, and two guys all become involved with each other, and the effect of these relationships makes them feel stained.
The suspense begins when one of the characters disappears and a popular priest with questionable motives becomes involved. While it might sound like a soap opera love story, it is actually a well written novel about relationships, honesty, independence, and self worth.
August 13, 2011
One boy she grew up with and now he is missing. The priest is everywhere "comforting" the grieving family and friends. He makes it clear to Jocelyn what he thinks of her wild ways, but that is not why she dislikes the priest. Does he have something to do with the disappearance of Gabe, her childhood best friend? And what about Benny who is willing to "play" but not for keeps? Joss will break your heart as you root for her to make things right.
August 4, 2009
I like the Arlington County library and saw a bookmark with the top 10 books for young adults. i thought I should read one of the books off of the top ten lists to keep current. The book was not for me and I am still curious why Arlington County chose this book as one of their top 10 picks for fiction. I love the library but disliked their pick.
July 2, 2012
In Weaver Falls NH in 1975 17 yr old Joscelyn looks for answers when her lifelong neighbor & friend, Gabe, turns up missing and she learns that while her boyfriend has been telling everything to a priest, Gabe has been keeping terrible secrets.
Read
July 13, 2008This book was really slow in the beginning, but it slowly got better. The ending was also kind of confusing.
November 12, 2008
A good story about secrets, which ones should be kept, and the ways love can be torn apart, and what if anything can be done to heal.
August 5, 2010
I liked the style of writing in this book. Every other chapter was a flashback giving glimpses into the life of Jocelyn, the main character.
March 28, 2012
good book
April 2, 2012
Great voice and smooth writing. I saw the ending coming a long way off, but still found it a satisfying read.
January 17, 2016
Not that good. It was confusing at times because the chapters alternated between the past and the present. I honestly have no idea what happened at the end because I was just so bored.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews