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I loved this book although I do wish I hadn’t seen the movie some years ago because the “reveal” was something I knew about already, although that did not prevent me from getting emotional in many places in the story.
Melinda’s voice is wonderful. I love the perceptive and hilarious main character Melinda (and the perceptive and hilarious author) and was glad this story had so much humor throughout as it could have been overwhelmingly sad without it.
I know Melinda wasn’t letting anyone in direct ...more
Melinda’s voice is wonderful. I love the perceptive and hilarious main character Melinda (and the perceptive and hilarious author) and was glad this story had so much humor throughout as it could have been overwhelmingly sad without it.
I know Melinda wasn’t letting anyone in direct ...more
A wonderful, terrible, real book. My heart broke for Mel, but I am so proud of her. This is a contemporary classic in the ya lit genre - you can't address ya lit without somehow including Speak. And it's for a good reason.
Anderson utilizes a powerful writing style with a relatable voice, and it's affecting, and different.
I ran into a similar problem with Speak as I did for Ender's Game: someone spoiled the big secret for me. That didn't ruin the book, but I think it took something away from the ...more
Anderson utilizes a powerful writing style with a relatable voice, and it's affecting, and different.
I ran into a similar problem with Speak as I did for Ender's Game: someone spoiled the big secret for me. That didn't ruin the book, but I think it took something away from the ...more
Had I read this when I was younger, I think I would have loved it. I still found it both well-written and interesting, but I was very obviously above the target age.
It's strength is definitely in its writing style. Melinda hardly speaks, so there's very little dialog - and what little there is, is written like lines from a manuscript - most of the story is told through her thoughts and actions - or lack thereof. In this book Laurie Halse Anderson proves that she is capable of "showing rather tha ...more
It's strength is definitely in its writing style. Melinda hardly speaks, so there's very little dialog - and what little there is, is written like lines from a manuscript - most of the story is told through her thoughts and actions - or lack thereof. In this book Laurie Halse Anderson proves that she is capable of "showing rather tha ...more
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Well, I liked it a lot, but now I feel a deep need to read a fluffy, happy book. Speak was quite depressing...
The book is about Melinda, a girl who is shunned for calling the police at a party during the summer before her Freshman year of high school. No one bothers to find out WHY she called them. (I'm not going to tell you what happened, since the book doesn't say until later...) Mel, not knowing how to deal with her situation, slowly withdraws herself from everything--even speaking.
I'm just g ...more
The book is about Melinda, a girl who is shunned for calling the police at a party during the summer before her Freshman year of high school. No one bothers to find out WHY she called them. (I'm not going to tell you what happened, since the book doesn't say until later...) Mel, not knowing how to deal with her situation, slowly withdraws herself from everything--even speaking.
I'm just g ...more
A great young adult book. It was SO high school too. Heavy subject matter, but engaging and an easy read.
Still great--12 years later. I'd forgotten how spot on Anderson is portraying high school life.
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I'm not sure where I first heard about this book, but I kept hearing that it was good, so I went out and bought it. I really enjoyed how Melinda's art assignment helped her get through a tough time in her life and played such an important role in getting her to tell others what had happened to her. It made me a Laurie Halse Anderson fan for life!
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What a powerful book. Every teen girl should read this.
