Categotry Archives: Realistic
Insurgent
Diverent, Book 2
Juvenile Fiction
Katherine Tegen Books
2012-05-01
544
"As war surges in the dystopian society around her, sixteen-year-old Divergent Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love"--
Review:
I keep trying to write a serious review of “Insurgent”, but I’m finding it nearly impossible, because I can’t even take myself seriously as a book blogger for loving the entire “Divergent” series so much.
The story is a good one, as long as one sets aside their questioning Erudite nature, but my goodness, it is all so ridiculous. Why can’t people feel more than one way? How is it even possible NOT to be Divergent? These are questions that are not answered in “Insurgent”, and probably will not be answered in “Allegiant”, and I suppose we just accept it all. And eat more Amity toast.
The entire plot can be summed up by saying that Tris and Four argue and then Caleb does some stuff. Oh, and we meet Four’s mother. None of it really makes sense, but again, have some more toast. I can’t even mark this as a spoiler because it reveals nothing, just as the actual plot reveals nothing.
I want to edit the book. Then I want to edit “Divergent”. Then I want to read them again because they are still my guilty pleasures. Life doesn’t always need to make sense. Sometimes I need a total fluff read. I would say the author’s age shows in the writing, but who am I to judge? Nobody has paid me to write a book. I doubt they ever will, so good for her!
I do wish they would hire a better editor, though. It would make me feel just a bit better about my life’s choices right about now.
Content Warning:
Language, Violence, Sexual Situations, Bad Grammar
Eleanor and Park
Juvenile Fiction
Macmillan
2013-02-26
328
"Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits--smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try"--
Review:
After reading “Eleanor and Park”, I felt an overwhelming urge to write a love letter to Rainbow Rowell. It was everything my old, nerdy, hipster heart needed and more.
Make no mistake about it, this book is hipster and nerd to the core. Everything about the 80s that was amazing in terms of pop-culture is here, and everything that needed some good-natured mocking is mocked. It’s a book filled with nostalgia that can still be appreciated by the young. In fact, it should be required reading for the new generation of hipsters.
The writing is sparse, but in a good way. The facts, and only the important ones, are laid out like an outline to a research paper, softened only by the accompanying thoughts and emotions that can only be found in hormonal teenagers finding love for the first time. It makes it realistic, and also keeps things from becoming overly romantic. The heaviness of Eleanor’s situation is never overshadowed by the good, and the good is never completely overshadowed by the bad. Given the subject matter, that balance being so perfectly accomplished is a testament to the author’s talent.
The only reason I am giving “Eleanor and Park” four stars instead of five is the ending. It seemed rushed, and while somewhat understandable, almost out of character. Given the easy flow of the rest of the book, it was a jarring awakening from a literary dream.
The ending was not, however, nearly enough to keep me from recommending it to anyone who is old enough to read it. It is definitely aimed at older readers, with subject matter that is dark and difficult to read. If given to a younger reader, I would recommend an adult read it and discuss it with them.
Content Warning:
Language, Violence, Sexual Situations, Abuse
Paper Towns
Juvenile Fiction
Puffin
2009
305
One month before graduating from his Central Florida high school, Quentin "Q" Jacobsen basks in the predictable boringness of his life until the beautiful and exciting Margo Roth Spiegelman, Q's neighbor and classmate, takes him on a midnight adventure and then mysteriously disappears. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Reprint.
Review:
I love John Green. No other author can turn a phrase quite like him, and I greatly respect his refusal to create novels that assume teenagers are not capable of reading about real issues they face in a frank manner, even if that includes sex and questionable language. I expect excellent work from him, and he did not disappoint me with “Paper Towns”.
Part of the brilliance of this novel is that a teenager can read it and get an entirely different story from it than an adult who reads it. Neither are inferior to the other, it’s simply that some of it is viewed differently when time removes you further from the days of high school. I literally cried from the overwhelming sense of nostalgia it created.
Quentin Jacobsen is the “every man” of high school. He is not popular, nor is he quite on the bottom rung of the social ladder. In short, he is smart, but average. Then there is Margo Roth Spiegelmen, the girl who was larger than life in Quentin’s mind. The girl on the pedestal. Haven’t we all had that person in our lives at one point or another? Of course, eventually we learn that they are just as human and average as the rest of us, and that is the point of the story.
The lessons to be learned in “Paper Towns” are good for teens and adults. People are not always who they present to the world. Some are better than they let on and some are worse. The best memories aren’t what you think they will be. Everything has a beginning and an end. All of this is woven into a thoroughly entertaining story that is filled with humor and tenderness. I highly recommend it for those who like Green’s style of writing.
Content Warning:
Language, Brief Sexual Content
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