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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
Such a disturbing and absolutely petrifying ending...this book has shaken me to my core (as expected with the brilliant Ms. Hopkin's unparalleled command of poetic language).
I love Ellen Hopkins. I read her books as a teenager. Someone in a Facebook group posted about her yesterday and I remembered I owned this book. I’ve been reading “Pride and Prejudice,” as well as “Pillars Of The Earth,” and this book was a nice way to “take a break” and read something easy. I may have to purchase the rest of her books. I love the writing style and the messages behind all of her books.
I really want to give this book a better rating for many reasons. Ellen Hopkins writes in verse, which definitely adds an interesting element to the novel. I was drawn into the characters, the self-discovery, the discovery of romance. But the ending killed it for me. It was abrupt and felt way too extreme. It was as if everything that was built up to for the entirety of the book was put into a trash can and lit on fire. Perhaps if the ending had been more balanced, I would have liked the book better. However, I'm definitely willing to give other books by Ellen Hopkins a try. I hope to try a book from her Crank series soon.
Ellen Hopkins' writing is really something else. Her ability to write about something so sensitive in such a simple but moving way is what makes her stories so unique. It may be her books in which I find myself rooting for the main character the most.
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Wow, this book was stunning. Heartbreaking, unforgiving, eye-opening, and utterly utterly stunning.
What a great read. I loved the poetry format and the tone of the book. Unfortunately, I wish that it had ended on a more positive note.
"Happiness, you see, is just an illusion of Fate, a heavenly sleight of hand designed to make you believe in fairy tales. But there's no happily ever after. You'll only find happy endings in books. Some books."
This is an emotional read. Burned is about a girl, Pattyn, (!beautiful name!) who is from a strict Mormon family with an abusive, alcoholic father who hides his real face underneath his religious face. I know nothing about Mormons, but I do know psychotics when I read about them. Due to her father's abuse, Pattyn's mother has been delegated to breeder and frequent punching bag. She slovenly lies around all day watching reality tv and letting her daughters run the household and care for the younger girls. She is no help at all but 100% neglectful. This is the life that is expected of Pattyn and her sisters. They will do this until they marry a nice Mormon boy and have children of their own.
Like all intelligent teenagers, Pattyn begins to ask the big questions. What is her self-worth? Is there a God? What is a woman’s role? Why is the balance of power within her community (I use this word very loosely and if you read the book you will understand) one where men have it and women lack it? What is sex? What is love? Is she capable of loving and being loved? Again, like all teenagers, she tries to discover who she is. She definitely doesn't want her parent's life.
This journey of self discovery is one we all travel and I loved going on that journey with her, but it was a heartbreaking road. While reading, one part of me knew this is just a book but another part couldn't help but think why some people's lives are so difficult and others just really have no idea. Deep thoughts. Deep feels. HUGE topics.
This book has a lot of generic storytelling occurances but it is Ellen Hopkins free verse poetry that elevates the narrative. Each page is pretty cool to look at. Her books flow beautifully and the pacing is fast. I didn’t want the book to end. (It ends abruptly.) I’m looking forward to the next book to find out what happens next for Pattyn and her sisters.
This is an emotional read. Burned is about a girl, Pattyn, (!beautiful name!) who is from a strict Mormon family with an abusive, alcoholic father who hides his real face underneath his religious face. I know nothing about Mormons, but I do know psychotics when I read about them. Due to her father's abuse, Pattyn's mother has been delegated to breeder and frequent punching bag. She slovenly lies around all day watching reality tv and letting her daughters run the household and care for the younger girls. She is no help at all but 100% neglectful. This is the life that is expected of Pattyn and her sisters. They will do this until they marry a nice Mormon boy and have children of their own.
Like all intelligent teenagers, Pattyn begins to ask the big questions. What is her self-worth? Is there a God? What is a woman’s role? Why is the balance of power within her community (I use this word very loosely and if you read the book you will understand) one where men have it and women lack it? What is sex? What is love? Is she capable of loving and being loved? Again, like all teenagers, she tries to discover who she is. She definitely doesn't want her parent's life.
This journey of self discovery is one we all travel and I loved going on that journey with her, but it was a heartbreaking road. While reading, one part of me knew this is just a book but another part couldn't help but think why some people's lives are so difficult and others just really have no idea. Deep thoughts. Deep feels. HUGE topics.
This book has a lot of generic storytelling occurances but it is Ellen Hopkins free verse poetry that elevates the narrative. Each page is pretty cool to look at. Her books flow beautifully and the pacing is fast. I didn’t want the book to end. (It ends abruptly.) I’m looking forward to the next book to find out what happens next for Pattyn and her sisters.
Wow. I had been wanting to read some of Hopkins books since I have had girls coming in EVERY DAY before school to see if the ones they hadn't already read were back in yet. Every time I put one in my bag to take it home, someone came in looking for it. But, I brought this one home for the summer and wow! Gripping, written in the most amazing free verse with form, if that makes any sense - many of the poems that make up the long book are in specific shapes that really add to the feeling/mood of the story. In any case, I now know what the pull is, although I believe her other titles deal with drug use/abuse, this one is about a mormon teenage girl finding her true self and what that means. My heartrate really rose while I was reading it towards the end of the book. It is both empowering and hearwrenching at the same time and does not end on a pretty note. I think readers who like this would do well to move on to Jodi Picoult, Chris Bohjalian (or ALex Flinn, Sarah Dessen, Laurie Halse Anderson) if they're not yet into reading adult books. I can't wait to read her other titles - just like my students!