Wintergirls Review

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Rating: PG-13; 5 stars

Summary: Lia is a wintergirl. Frozen in a world of thin is in, she is like the walking dead. Only now, she doesn't have her friend Cassie to struggle with her. Cassie died, alone, in a motel room. Before her death, she called Lia thirty-three times. Now, Lia has to fight her body's need for food on her own, as well as dealing with the torment of losing her best friend and parents who don't have time to care. But as long as Lia keeps getting thinner and thinner, she is in control. She is winning.

Opinions: This book is scary. I'm not talking scary like Steven King, or scary like Saw. I'm talking so scary because you know it's real. You know that this is something that thousands, if not millions, of people go through. When I started reading this book, I read for over an hour and a half straight without talking, noise-canceling headphones on. I don't recommend this. When I finally returned to the real world, I felt incredibly alienated. Anderson doesn't tiptoe around putting the reader in the story. From the very beginning, you are in Lia's world.

I have read very few books that drew me in as much as this one. When I was reading, I was Lia. I'm nowhere near anorexic, but that didn't matter. I didn't judge Lia; I was Lia. Anderson wrote this brilliantly and in such a way that I had no trouble believing in Lia or her world. I would like to think that people don't think the way Lia and Cassie do, but I know that's not the case.

When I was a sophomore in high school (God, that was three years ago!), I read Speak in my English class. It was assigned on the first day of class, and we had to read like the first chapter. I read the entire thing in one sitting. Laurie Halse Anderson is known for writing exceptional books about difficult issues. I found Wintergirls to be even more stunning than Speak. Sure, I didn't read Wintergirls all in one go, but I'm very glad I didn't. I was incredibly alienated after just an hour and a half; I hate to think of how out of it I would have been had I read the whole thing in one go.

I rated this book PG-13 because of violence and language. Also, it ought to be known that this book could potentially be triggering to someone who struggles with an eating disorder; after every food in the book, Lia lists how many calories are in it. I imagine that this could trigger some people. I originally rated this book 4 ½ stars, simply because it's so emotionally heavy. However, as I wrote this review, I realized that the heaviness is what makes it such a memorable book, and that it is definitely 5 star material. This is a raw, powerful example of exactly what realistic characters and beautiful writing can do when put together. I cried at the end of this book. And yes, I cry a lot when I read, but that's not the point. I cried because I felt the end events as Lia did.

Honestly, I can't say enough by this book. I'm still stunned by the places it took me emotionally. It was certainly a very different book from The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, which is the book I read just before Wintergirls. I wouldn't call Wintergirls an enjoyable book, simply on account of the subject matter, but I would definitely say that it is very necessary book. I feel very different for having read it. Not necessarily better, but different.

Also, as an FYI, I'm a bit backed up on posting for now, so things aren't going to be posted in the order I've read them. And I'm making it a summer goal to post once a week, so here's to lots of reviews!

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

by Catherynne M. Valente

Rating: PG; 5 stars

Summary: One ordinary in day Omaha, Nebraska, twelve-year-old September is whisked from her house and into Fairyland by the Green Wind. Once there, she finds that fairies are not as they seem in stories. She also learns about the cruel Marquess who has recently taken the throne in Fairyland. As she journeys through Fairyland, she makes many friends and learns a great deal, both about herself and about the inhabitants of Fairyland itself.

Opinions: The minute I started this book I was enjoying it. I probably actually fell in love with it the minute I read the title. It is a wonderful title, isn't it? This book reminded me of a combination of The Tale of Despereaux and Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland. The narrator occasionally breaks the fourth wall, as in Depereaux, but the book has that same sense of magic and wonder that Alice has.

There is such a sense of wonder to this book. There is this tone to the story that everything is new, even to the narrator. This wonder really brings the reader in and makes you want to keep going. I loved the fact that traditional fairy lore was used but was totally reinvented. There's a trend nowadays for fairy books to be very edgy and contemporary, and there's nothing wrong with that at all (I'm a huge fan of several of those books), but sometimes it's nice to come back home to a cozier story.

Not that this story was all rainbows and kittens. There were some downright scary parts to it, and I'm in college; I don't (or at least, I shouldn't) scare the same way the intended audience (ages 10-14) does. The Marquess is quite the frightening lady, though. There's also a scene, involving Autumn, that was rather terrifying.

The story is rather episodic, hence my summary is so short. And everything is really intertwined, so by the time I explain one thing, I'd have to explain another, and soon the whole book is given away. I rather like that about it, though. It means that you can read it in small chunks and still be satisfied, but the bigger picture is definitely what makes the whole thing worthwhile.

I rated this book PG because of the scary parts, and also there's some violence. Not very graphic violence, but there are quite a few mentions of blood. I gave this book 5 stars because I absolutely loved it. I loved the storyline, the characters, the world, and definitely the writing style. I really think the writing is what sold me. This is a book meant for younger audiences, in relation to the YA books I usually read, but because of the way it was written, I didn't feel for a moment like I was too old for the book. Nor do I think that it is inappropriately written for its audience. This is one of those books that I can imagine parents reading to young children (and enjoying as much as the kids do) and older children reading it themselves. In any case, I gave this book 5 stars because of how much I enjoyed it. It was a wonderful book, and I am definitely going to be buying it as a gift for someone in the near future.

This book was sent to me by the publisher.

Textual Healing by Eric Smith

Textual Healing

by Eric Smith

Rating: R; 3 ½ stars

Summary: Andrew “Ace” Connor is struggling with life. His former best-seller is now in the clearance bin, his girlfriend is gone, and he hasn't been able to write in over 3 years. However, he does have friends on his side. His best friend, Brian, sets Ace up with his wife's cousin, Hannah. His writer neighbor convinces him to join a writer's group...that just happens to end up being a support group for writers who find themselves unable to write. Ok, so maybe that was a bit of a low move. But still, it was designed to help. And of course, Andrew still has to manage his bookstore, which includes dealing with the shop owner next door, mysterious ninja Brave Orchid. Despite all the issues, Andrew will strive to repair and create relationships and maybe, just maybe, get a little writing done.

Opinions: Regardless of how much I enjoyed this novel, here's a warning to readers: it's in need of some copy-edits. There's nothing major. It changes tenses every so often, once or twice the wrong “there” is used. I also noticed some really nit-picky visual things, but I'll keep those to myself. Still, if you're one to be irritated by such things, you'll definitely notice it.

It took me awhile to get into this book. Because of where the book picks up in Andrew's life, the beginning has a lot of whining in it. It also takes awhile for the book to get to character development. But, the second half really pulls its weight. The characters really start to develop; the plot really starts to unfold. In short, the book becomes much more enjoyable. I truly found myself laughing aloud at several points. The various romantic couples were absolutely adorable. At the climax, I nearly found myself in tears, and just pages after that, my jaw had dropped of its own accord.

So, ratings. The book is rated R solely for language. I do believe that movie ratings allow for one f*** in a PG-13 movie. This book had substantially more than that. However, if it weren't for the language, this would definitely be PG-13. There is some sexual content, but none of it is explicit. The 3 ½ stars is due to the fact that although the second half of the book is very enjoyable, a lot of readers won't ever get to it if they can't get through the first half. Also, until the book picks up, some of the copy-edit things are really distracting.

This book isn't a perfect book. However, there are a lot of really wonderful moments in the second half that I can't really specify for fear of spoiling the plot. So I guess my main consensus is that if you can through the first half of the book, the second half is a very enjoyable experience. I will be recommending this book to some close friends of mine.

This book was sent to me for review by the author.

Wood Nymph Seeks Centaur by Francesca Lia Block

Wood Nymph Seeks Centaur by Francesca Lia Block

Rating: PG-13; 4 stars

Summary: Wood Nymph Seeks Centaur isn't your average book, even for Francesca Lia Block (one of my favorite authors, and someone whose books are never average). It isn't a novel. Rather, it is a dating guide. A dating guide for mythical creatures. The book starts out classifying the reader into one of the mythical creatures. It then has general advice on it, followed by famous people who are also that type, and how each type relates to the other types (both gay and straight).

Opinions: This book is so much more than a dating guide. First of all, the descriptions of different creatures are scarily accurate (I'm an urban elf, by the way). My friends and I (for the most part) figured out who we are quite easily and were surprised by how spot on it was. It could easily be just a book about how to determine one's mythical personality. The descriptions are light and humorous. You can tell that Block had fun with this book.

One of the fun parts about the book is trying to figure out what personality types friends and/or potential lovers are. For this, Block gives us a couple of resources other than just the descriptions of the types. She has a list of celebrities who have each of the types, as well as a list of likely types based on astrological sign (which was entirely inaccurate for me, but fun anyway). Also, almost as a bonus, there was also a list of classic literature and what types the main characters were, which is definitely good for a laugh.

Also worth noting is the fact that the book covers both gay and straight couples. Although in the main descriptions of each type, Block generally uses examples of straight couples, the back of the book (which has a short description of every type with every other type) has separate lists for male and female, male and male, and female and female couples. I don't read a lot of dating or compatibility books, so I can't say whether or not this is the norm, but it is certainly useful for a diverse audience. Also useful is the fact that while the types are classified as male or female, Block specifically states that those aren't set in stone. Males can be female types, and vice versa.

Overall, this book is fun and unique. It definitely contains Block's standard writing personality, even if the type of book is different from her usual style. It's great fun for a group. I got it in college and immediately shared it with my entire lunch table. It was fun for all of us to figure out what type we were and laugh over how accurate it was or where it was way off. This book is fun to have around in any case, but I really recommend it for parties. This book does contain references to sex (the satyr type is even referred to as “Mr. Sex”), which aren't too graphic, but certainly not meant for children. I would say in general that this book is for the high school crowd and up. It's definitely a fun book, and I've no real complaints about it.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Rating: PG-13; 4 ½

Summary: Rhine lives in a world devastated by a genetic virus: females only live to be 20, males to 25. At 16, Rhine is kidnapped and sold to be one of three new brides for wealthy architect whose father is desperately trying to find a cure for this virus. Although she is treated well by her new husband, and forms fledgling friendships with the other girls around her, Rhine is desperate to find a way home to her twin brother. She becomes even more desperate when she finds out that all isn't as it seems in her new home, and that the seemingly harmless may be surprisingly sinister.

Opinions: To start off, I had the impression, based on the formatting of the excerpt on Simon and Schuster's website, that this would be a novel in verse. Now let me tell you, dystopian fiction is my favorite genre, and verse novels are my favorite format, so I was pretty excited about that. Well, it isn't. However, that shouldn't be a huge deterrent for anyone, because there are many times throughout the course of the novel that DeStefano's prose definitely feels like poetry; her writing can be truly beautiful. I've been obsessing over this novel since I stumbled upon it, and because of that I have read some of the short fiction that DeStefano has on her website. It all has this dreamy, poetic feel to it that sticks with you.

I really enjoyed this book. It's about a medium-length book, not too long, not too short. Still, I could have breezed through it in about a day and a half, if I had wanted to. I chose to savor it instead—wondering what would happen to Rhine and her sister-wives. It was worth it. The characters are very life-like and consistent. They all have their personalities, and when they do change, it feels real. Occasionally, Rhine's sister-wife, Cecily, can be the exception to that, but the reader can go along with it because she is significantly younger than the other characters. There were times when Rhine's determination to escape to find her brother irritated me, but I realized halfway through the novel that this was because I knew I would never be brave enough to do the same. The world is realistic too—you can feel the hopelessness of a society that never ages, and the descriptions of everything, from desolate Manhattan to glitzy parties, makes it all seem real. Between the characters and the world, this book really draws you in.

Now for the ratings: this book is definitely PG-13. Part of the plot has to do with controversial genetic experiments, etc. There is also some violence, particularly in the first chapter, as sort of an initiation of the reader into DeStefano's world. There is some sexual content, but most of it is brief, and none of it is graphic. Some readers may have an issue with the ages of the characters having sex, but because society dies so soon, it is a necessity and not merely to shock the reader. I am unsure as to whether 4 ½ stars is the right rating for this book. I absolutely loved it, but part of me thinks that something was missing. I worry that I am biased because it turned out to not be in verse, when I thought it would be. Rest assured that it is an excellent book, and if it isn't 4 ½ stars, then it is certainly worth five stars.

Overall, this was a fantastic book. The ending seemed a little bit rushed (mainly the final chapter), but this is a trilogy, and assuming the next book picks up right, the ending shouldn't be that much of an issue at all. I certainly am looking forward to the next book in this series, and I hope that DeStefano keeps writing, because I will keep reading her work (on a side note—according to Goodreads her influences include Francesca Lia Block and Vladimir Nabokov, two of my favorite authors. No wonder I like her writing so much!)

Disclaimer: ARC was provided by the publisher. The release date is currently set for March of 2011.

Matched by Ally Condie

Matched by Ally Condie

Rating: PG-13; 4 ½ stars

Summary: Cassia lives in the future, in a time when people live relatively pain-free lives, but there are no choices. On her seventeenth birthday, Cassia is Matched with Xander, the boy she will marry one day. However, there's a hitch. When Cassia gets home and reviews her Matching materials, it isn't Xander's face she sees. It's that of her friend Ky. Although she is assured that it is merely a glitch, and that she is, indeed, matched with Xander, Cassia can't get Ky off her mind. The more she gets to know him, the more it seems that perhaps her society isn't as perfect as it seemed.

Opinions: I thought the premise of this book was really interesting. It seems to me that the current trend for YA dystopian fiction is that world has gone to pot and everyone is miserable (examples include Unwind by Neal Schusterman, The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, and the as-yet unreleased Wither by Lauren DeStefano). Matched however, seems to go back to the trend of society seems perfect until the protagonist takes a closer look at it (the best example of which is The Giver by Lois Lowry).

As it turns out, Matched has a lot in common with The Giver. Looking at other reviews online, it seems that many readers looked at this negatively. I view it differently. The Giver is my favorite book of all time. Although there were many similarities between Matched's Society and The Giver's Community, the focus of the novels were completely different. And as far as this type of dystopian lit goes (where life seems perfect, but really isn't), there are only so many different options. Choice has to be taken away from people; emotions must be suppressed. Had the focus of the novels been the same, I might accuse Condie of plaigarism. However, the focus of Matched was entirely different from that of The Giver, both plot-wise and in what they tell the reader about so-called utopia.

I really enjoyed Matched. As I mentioned before, I thought that the premise was a good one. It is rare in a dystopian novel to find a character who does not seek to change their entire society at some point in the novel. And although that goal may come later on in the series (I believe this is set to be a trilogy), it hasn't shown up yet. Everything that Cassia does is motivated by her own interests and her love for the family and friends around her. This makes the novel feel a lot more personal. She's doing the same things that an ordinary teenager might do if placed in her world.

I liked the way the plot unfolded, too. Information was revealed bit by bit, so that the reader could sense something was wrong at the same time that Cassia realized it. There was only one point in the novel when I figured something out before Cassia did, and at the time I didn't think it was a big deal (I was later proven wrong, but that just means that I didn't get it all right). In general, the pacing was good. As it got towards the end, the book definitely reached “unputdownable” level, which was a problem because I was at the dentist at the time. I will say that the very end (meaning the last two chapters or so) was a bit disappointing, but I understand that Condie had to sort of let things down a bit for the next book.

I almost rating this book a PG. There is very little violence and no swearing or sexual content, but I feel like some of the concepts and ideas can be difficult, both to understand and to accept (meaning that they were cruel, not poorly explained). This novel was very good, hence the 4 ½ stars, but it was missing that final oomph that would push it into the 5 star range. However, I have a prediction that the series as a whole could be 5 star material. In general this was a very good book, and I can't wait for the next installment.

A Bottle in The Gaza Sea by Valerie Zenatti

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea

By Valerie Zenatti

Rating: PG; 4 ½ stars

Summary: Tal lives in Jerusalem. When her brother is sent by the Israeli army to Gaza, she sends him with a request: to put a message in a bottle in the Gaza Sea. She desperately wants to communicate with a Palestinian girl like her, to see if Israelis and Palestinians really are all that different. However, when she receives the first email from her Palestinian pen-pal, she finds that they are not a girl her age, but a boy, Naim. Thus begins a most interesting friendship. Though at first their emails are fraught with cultural misunderstandings (mostly on the part of the sometimes overoptimistic Tal), they soon become close friends. Their friendship is put to the test when Tal's love of film making causes her to witness something terrible.

Opinions: This book was a very quick read, but the story lingers with you afterward, making it seem longer than it actually is. Naim and Tal are ordinary teenagers with ordinary lives, they just happen to live in an area of conflict. Had they lives elsewhere, where distance was the only thing that separated them, I don't think there would have been a story. The stumblings and fumblings of Tal and Naim's initial contact are very realistic; they are both quick to be defensive, despite wanting to prove that Israelis and Palestinians can get along. I read this pretty much in one afternoon, and was crying by the end of it. It is a very powerful story that stays with you long after it ends.

Aside from the actual story, I loved the writing. I hate to remark on it, since this is a translation, but I really thought the writing was wonderful. It was simple and eloquent, and it really spoke to me.

I think that this is a fantastic read for American teenagers; so often we hear about conflict in the Middle East, but we don't often get this sort of glimpse into the lives of people just like us. I will emphasize again: Tal and Naim are ordinary people. They stress over tests; they have little crushes. Yet in addition to worrying about school, money, or family, they also have to worry about bombs.

I gave this book a PG because there really isn't that much violence or language or sexual content, but being a YA book, it is of course not appropriate for all audiences. The 4 ½ stars is because this really is a wonderful book. It is missing that final wow factor that would push it up into the 5 star range, but it really is great. I feel like perhaps if I read it in the original French (if I had that much skill in French), that alone might push it into the 5 star range. I tend to be a bit distrustful of translations, just because a lot can be lost between the limitations of either language. If you are fluent in French, I encourage you to look for this in the original language. Still, this is definitely a fantastic book. I think that it goes really well with In the Name of God, by Paula Jolin, which made my Top Ten list for 2009. They both showcase conflict in the Middle East from a less-than-typical angle.