Jen's life hasn't been all fun and games. In fact, the tough exterior she shows the world is all she has left to protect herself. But, being a rebel is getting a little old, and she has gotten bored. Hence, the bet. Jen bets her girlfriends that she can turn geek, Trevor Hoffman, into a bad boy. She captures his attention immediately, but somehow she ends up doing charity work at an old folks home and watching sci-fi movies on Saturday nights instead of Trevor partying with her friends. Hanging out with Trevor isn't so bad, but when he finds out about the bet, nothing is fun anymore.
I liked Jen. She was tough, even mean, but her evolution was believable because she didn't really fit the protective shell she had created. Trevor was a little too good, but his own background, family and values rang true, and his kindness or as Jen would say "Trevor the Polite" was genuine. Overall, I simply enjoyed the ride.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Confessions of a Murder Suspect
Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson is his splash into the whirlpool of teen literature, and for the most part it's a success.
Tandy Angel and her siblings have always been special. Each are gifted or brilliant in their own given universe: music, football, academics. Their parents made their wealth through pharmaceuticals; as a result the kids have all the advantages of wealth, including a private school education and the elite address of the Dakota building in New York City. But, life for the Angel children unravels when their parents are discovered murdered in their bed and the kids become prime murder suspects. It's up 16 year old Tandy to solve the case, even if it means that she did it.
Patterson's characters are difficult to relate to. Tandy is the extreme of "outsider" in a family of odd characters. Her life is extreme, including weirdly controlling parents, but I liked her. I had to be willing to struggled with her convoluted memories, sudden emotions, and desire to go back to her "old self," the one who was perfect and perfectly controlled. Perhaps be creating a character caught in the extremes, Patterson created a relatable character for teens.
Of course, it was the plot, and it's twisted, suspenseful revelations that kept me reading and sent me on to read the second in the series, Confessions: The Private School Murders. I would give both novels a 3.5 or 4 star review.
Tandy Angel and her siblings have always been special. Each are gifted or brilliant in their own given universe: music, football, academics. Their parents made their wealth through pharmaceuticals; as a result the kids have all the advantages of wealth, including a private school education and the elite address of the Dakota building in New York City. But, life for the Angel children unravels when their parents are discovered murdered in their bed and the kids become prime murder suspects. It's up 16 year old Tandy to solve the case, even if it means that she did it.
Patterson's characters are difficult to relate to. Tandy is the extreme of "outsider" in a family of odd characters. Her life is extreme, including weirdly controlling parents, but I liked her. I had to be willing to struggled with her convoluted memories, sudden emotions, and desire to go back to her "old self," the one who was perfect and perfectly controlled. Perhaps be creating a character caught in the extremes, Patterson created a relatable character for teens.
Of course, it was the plot, and it's twisted, suspenseful revelations that kept me reading and sent me on to read the second in the series, Confessions: The Private School Murders. I would give both novels a 3.5 or 4 star review.
Smoke
Pattyn and Jackie are obviously survivors. What I appreciate most about Smoke, by Ellen Hopkins was the fact that the girls didn't just magically heal overnight, in fact, they are still healing at the end of the book.
As usual, it is the character development that secured my interest, and my admiration of the book which is why I give it four stars, but I have some serious issues with many aspects of the book.
First, smack in the middle of the story, Jackie is suddenly dealing with symptoms of depression and addictive behaviors, a totally plausible situation considering what she has been through. However, Hopkins never really addresses these problems again. In fact, the story implies that Gavin's love and the fact that Jackie finally discovers and deals with the truth were the solutions to these complicated and difficult issues.
Next, she implies that Diedre is psychotic, but the resolution in the end is that she confesses to her crimes. Really?
Finally, I do appreciate the fact that Hopkins is trying to address and reveal the fact that religious people can be hypocrites that hide behind religion, but I have serious issue with her portrayal of the LDS church as cult like, suppressing women into the role of baby spouting, subservient second class citizens. One bothersome passage states, "The idea that a woman --even a chosen by God vessel --might have such power [like that of the Virgin Mary in Catholicism] would never be entertained. A woman's worth is contained within her uterus."
Obviously, this is the case with Pattyn and Jackie's mother's beliefs, but the implication here is that this is not only a commonly accepted view of members of the LDS faith, but that it is the official doctrine of said religion.
Truly, I understand that Hopkins is painting a picture of one family and the views of two young girls whose experiences are limited, but too frequently, I felt like Hopkins was on a personal soapbox spewing misconceptions and misrepresentations of what anti-LDS critics foster as truth. Such is the case when Jackie goes off about birth control being "frowned upon by LDS doctrine." Seriously, for the forty years that I have been affiliated with the LDS church, this topic has never been anything but a private matter between spouses.
Admittedly, the characters in this book were not likely to have balanced perspectives. In fact, as an adult, I know to question the validity of the things they say and believe, such is not the case with Hopkins' targeted audience of young adults who tend to believe what they read. I truly think that in some instances Hopkins could have accomplished her objective without "targeting" the a religion so specifically.
I did read and loved the story of Pattyn in Burned, but I felt similarly about it. In the end, I see these novels as stories that need to be discussed in mixed groups of adults and teens where questions about objectivity, perspective, character, voice and societal issues can be addressed.
As usual, it is the character development that secured my interest, and my admiration of the book which is why I give it four stars, but I have some serious issues with many aspects of the book.
First, smack in the middle of the story, Jackie is suddenly dealing with symptoms of depression and addictive behaviors, a totally plausible situation considering what she has been through. However, Hopkins never really addresses these problems again. In fact, the story implies that Gavin's love and the fact that Jackie finally discovers and deals with the truth were the solutions to these complicated and difficult issues.
Next, she implies that Diedre is psychotic, but the resolution in the end is that she confesses to her crimes. Really?
Finally, I do appreciate the fact that Hopkins is trying to address and reveal the fact that religious people can be hypocrites that hide behind religion, but I have serious issue with her portrayal of the LDS church as cult like, suppressing women into the role of baby spouting, subservient second class citizens. One bothersome passage states, "The idea that a woman --even a chosen by God vessel --might have such power [like that of the Virgin Mary in Catholicism] would never be entertained. A woman's worth is contained within her uterus."
Obviously, this is the case with Pattyn and Jackie's mother's beliefs, but the implication here is that this is not only a commonly accepted view of members of the LDS faith, but that it is the official doctrine of said religion.
Truly, I understand that Hopkins is painting a picture of one family and the views of two young girls whose experiences are limited, but too frequently, I felt like Hopkins was on a personal soapbox spewing misconceptions and misrepresentations of what anti-LDS critics foster as truth. Such is the case when Jackie goes off about birth control being "frowned upon by LDS doctrine." Seriously, for the forty years that I have been affiliated with the LDS church, this topic has never been anything but a private matter between spouses.
Admittedly, the characters in this book were not likely to have balanced perspectives. In fact, as an adult, I know to question the validity of the things they say and believe, such is not the case with Hopkins' targeted audience of young adults who tend to believe what they read. I truly think that in some instances Hopkins could have accomplished her objective without "targeting" the a religion so specifically.
I did read and loved the story of Pattyn in Burned, but I felt similarly about it. In the end, I see these novels as stories that need to be discussed in mixed groups of adults and teens where questions about objectivity, perspective, character, voice and societal issues can be addressed.
Blackmoore
Kate decided long ago that she would never marry. Her mother has other ideas. After ruining several proposals, Kate convinces her mother to let her go to India, but only after Kate secures and then rejects three proposals. Kate agrees and travels to Blackmoore in northern England, where she ends up confused about who she is and what she really wants.
A classic regency romance plot from the author of Edenbrooke, Julianne Donaldson, Blackmoore succeeded in meeting all of my expectations of a romance and then went a little beyond and secured for Kate a future that is uniquely her own. A must read for any romantic.
A classic regency romance plot from the author of Edenbrooke, Julianne Donaldson, Blackmoore succeeded in meeting all of my expectations of a romance and then went a little beyond and secured for Kate a future that is uniquely her own. A must read for any romantic.
Lone Survivor
Marcus Luttrell tells the true and amazing story of his lone survival after an ambush in Afghanistan in Lone Survivor: The Eyewitnees Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10. The story begins with Luttrell's detailed account of SEAL training. For me, it got a little tedious at times, but the story required that this part of his life, his training, be presented; so the reader could believe all that would happen in Afghanistan.
I absolutely loved this book. Written so you feel and see what is happening, the pace of Lone Survivor is breathtaking, and Luttrell is the voice of so many soldiers struggling not only to survive physically, but to also survive the bureaucracy of government and trial by the media. His story had to be told.
I absolutely loved this book. Written so you feel and see what is happening, the pace of Lone Survivor is breathtaking, and Luttrell is the voice of so many soldiers struggling not only to survive physically, but to also survive the bureaucracy of government and trial by the media. His story had to be told.
A Breath of Eyre
Eve Marie Mont's A Breath of Eyre is an interesting look at a young girl's coming of age. Reading it while longing for the greatness of the Gothic romance that Jane Eyre is would be like reading James Patterson expecting Agatha Christie. I did not really like the "reading" that Emma placed on Jane Eyre, but as a method of propelling a young woman to become her own person, it worked.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Jane by April Lindner
Following her parents' death, Jane must drop out of the respected East coast college she been attending because she is broke. Nearly homeless, Jane makes a desperate attempt at becoming a nanny through a rather reputable agency. Surprisingly, Jane is just what the agency has been looking for. Rock-star phenomenon Nico Rathburn needs a nanny for his six-year-old daughter while he launches his huge come back album and tour. Practical and calm, Jane fits into her employer's life smoothly. Drawn to the ominous force of Rathburn's character, she reluctantly discovers a depth of love she never dreamed possible wrapped in a forbidden romance. Secrets are woven into the fabric of life at Thornfield Park, dark secrets that may destroy any happiness Jane has found.
Openly based on the Gothic romance, Jane Eyre, Linder's Jane sets the main character from Bronte's masterpiece smack in the middle of modern day America, cell phones, Internet, American Idol and all. The premise is interesting, and Linder executes the transition beautifully. Fully engaged, I moved through the story (even though I was familiar with the plot) rapidly . Jane was endearing and Rathburn magnetic. One of the problems was the lack of suspense or thrill that Bronte created in the original, perhaps because I was so well versed in the story or maybe because Linder explained things a little too thoroughly.
Some may love Heathcliffe, I love Rochester because of his faults and Rathburn is equally intriguing. The romance of the forbidden, the love for someone so imperfect is captured fully in Jane. An excellent entry novel for the more complex original, this novel is recommended for anyone interested in the classic tales of love, loss, and redemption.
Openly based on the Gothic romance, Jane Eyre, Linder's Jane sets the main character from Bronte's masterpiece smack in the middle of modern day America, cell phones, Internet, American Idol and all. The premise is interesting, and Linder executes the transition beautifully. Fully engaged, I moved through the story (even though I was familiar with the plot) rapidly . Jane was endearing and Rathburn magnetic. One of the problems was the lack of suspense or thrill that Bronte created in the original, perhaps because I was so well versed in the story or maybe because Linder explained things a little too thoroughly.
Some may love Heathcliffe, I love Rochester because of his faults and Rathburn is equally intriguing. The romance of the forbidden, the love for someone so imperfect is captured fully in Jane. An excellent entry novel for the more complex original, this novel is recommended for anyone interested in the classic tales of love, loss, and redemption.
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