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Hard Love

Ellen Wittlinger

Why we're reading this: Sad and realistic story of a boy whose mother avoids physical contact with him, John is sexually mute and…more
[close] Sad and realistic story of a boy whose mother avoids physical contact with him, John is sexually mute and finds expression only through writing a 'zine, until he meets Marisol, an outspoken lesbian with whom he falls hopelessly in love.

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What Members Thought

Oct 28, 2010 karen rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: and-so-this-is-grad-school, why-yes-i-ya

so - more damaged kids attracting each other like magnets, filling in the places left by distant, absent, or overinvolved adults. a strange choice for LGBTQPR3Z week. sure, it is about a friendless boy whose home life is emotionally barren and a firecracker of a lesbian, but it isn't really about sexuality - that part is used more as window dressing than spotlit, and only serves as an obstacle to keep the characters from kissing. she's cool, he's not, and yet they form a relationship based on zi ...more

59 likes · Like · see review

Oct 05, 2011 Jasmine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: american

Karen is waiting patiently for this review, or sort of patiently, or waiting because she has no choice. I guess the biggest thing here is a finished this a bit ago so this won't be the best review ever, percolating makes me fuzzy not more thoughtful like other people.

Reading this book I was like THIS BOOK IS THE STRANGER. it's like what would happen if camus wanted the stranger to have a happy ending, or you know the stranger has a happy ending but I mean a like traditional happy ending. or not ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Mar 23, 2008 Brita added it

Shelves: ya-read

Just one more YA book, and then I'm going back to grown-up reading - I promise! This one was recommended on one of the blogs I read: http://worththetrip.wordpress.com/200... When I saw that the author is from Swampscott, I no longer had any choice but to read it. But the uncanniness was just beginning. The characters are in high school when I was in high school, hanging out at Trident on Newbury Street, and going to Ani concerts at the Orpheum. If the characters were less than 100% fictional, I ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 29, 2008 lyns rated it it was ok

Shelves: youngadult, queer

wow. i was totally unimpressed with this novel. its narrated by a pained straight boy who falls for his lesbian friend. yikes. not that well written or thought out.

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