TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER (#1)

[Brooke]

Dessen's characterization is nearly flawless, though I might be biased, having always had a certain adoration for all characters that could be considered eccentric. Macy, the protagonist was certainly well-developed enough and fairly easy to empathize with but it was Wes, Delia, and Kristy that made the story infinitely more appealing. The first few chapters took a bit of effort to get through but once the Catering crew was introduced, I was hard-pressed to put the book down.

The plot is of essentially secondary importance; it's not as well-thought out or amazing as the character's personalities and dialouge but it is interesting.

I am not the type of person who routinely rereads novels, but I could see myself picking up this book again a few years down the road, once the details have faded from the forefront of my memory.

I would say this book does have a place in an educational environment, but doesn't have to be an assignment for the whole class. I think females would have a much greater interest in it, and it would be admittedly difficult to build weeks worth of lessons around. The themes of this book are important and include learning to accept imperfection, dealing with grief, and having a relationship while still retaining your independent identitity. All are valuable lessons, but are also more personal than academic and are presented in a fairly straight-foward manner. I do not believe student's would need too much assistance deciphering the text.

I would utilize this text in a book pass and personal recommendations. I also could see myself taking excerpts from some of her character descriptions and sharing them with my classes as examples of good set-up and characterization.

P.S: The mother-daughter plot in this book is complex, but I found the mother to be more sympathetic than the mother in Jumpstart the World.

[[deleted user]]

BRAVO! I agree with you. Believe me, I've read this book four times in the six years it's been on my shelf. If you enjoyed it as much as you say, you'll pick it up again.