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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I absolutely loved this book. It's one of my favorite books ever. I borrowed it from the library but I think if I saw it in a bookshop I'd buy it just to have on my shelf.
Was hooked! I knew that Stockholm Syndrome was a thing in this book, but I didn't realize just how deep the character was in until the end. Honestly, me too. I was kinda sympathizing with Ty throughout the book, because the author made him such a vulnerable character, but also such a creep!! I liked how it was set up like a letter, but I really didn't realize it was a letter until the end. Maybe that was just me. Overall, really enjoyed and was different from what I have been reading lately.
Wow! This is not at all my usual genre for reading. I challenged myself to read all of the Printz winners and honor books and had a friend lend it to me on my Nook. I couldn't put it down until I finished it! It's very unique in that it's written in the 2nd person point of view ("You did this."). In the post-Jaycee Dugard world this is especially interesting. Lucy Christopher left me feeling just as torn about the situation as she did Gemma. That's something I didn't think would be possible! Fantastic book; this one's going to stick with me.
I’ve been staring at the screen for some time now, trying to figure out where to begin with this psychological labyrinth of a book. The skill and the complexity of the emotions in this story are stunning — I feel like I’ve experienced Stockholm syndrome firsthand for having read this. Gemma’s despair and isolation upon being taken to the Australian outback was so tangible that I felt claustrophobic; I loathed Ty during the first half of the book, particularly as more came to light about why and how long he targeted Gemma. And I’m honestly not sure when that changed — when I started seeing him as a full, complex human being, or when Gemma’s growing emotional reliance on him began seeming natural. It feels deluded to even type that out, but that’s the brilliance of this book: the reader experiences Stockholm syndrome as Gemma does. The shift is so skillfully subtle, woven into the rich symbolism and imagery that at times stole my breath with its exquisite beauty and at other times plunged through me with its deep, painful emotion. I loved how some of that symbolism helped the book walk the fine line of never condoning Ty’s actions but also never condemning him. There’s hope and life laying dormant in him, just as it lays dormant in the desert.
The writing style is strikingly unique — a second-person letter written by Gemma to Ty — and plays a huge role in how intensely real the emotions are. However, I felt that it wasn’t consistently strong all the way throughout; for every brillant, beautiful turn of phrase, there was also a cliched or generic one. Several plot points felt a tad predictable, and I would have appreciated a clearer physical description of Gemma earlier on. None of that was overly distracting, though, and certainly didn’t detract from from the overall power of this gripping, beautifully complicated story.
The writing style is strikingly unique — a second-person letter written by Gemma to Ty — and plays a huge role in how intensely real the emotions are. However, I felt that it wasn’t consistently strong all the way throughout; for every brillant, beautiful turn of phrase, there was also a cliched or generic one. Several plot points felt a tad predictable, and I would have appreciated a clearer physical description of Gemma earlier on. None of that was overly distracting, though, and certainly didn’t detract from from the overall power of this gripping, beautifully complicated story.
I loved and hate Gemma, I loved and hate Ty... After this book I didn't know what to think. I wanted to cry but I m at work(in my break time) haha... This is a wonderful book. Beautiful. Just beautiful...
I m having a big book hangover...
(90%wish when he come out. They will be together)
I m having a big book hangover...
(90%wish when he come out. They will be together)
Christopher, Lucy. Stolen: A Letter to My Captor. Chicken House, 2009.
Gemma is in an airport in Bangkok when it happens. She is drugged and kidnapped by a man who takes her to the Australian Outback where he has prepared a house for them to live in. Forever. She tries to escape several times, but they are so far away from civilization that there's no way she could get anywhere. When Gemma allows herself to be bitten by a snake, her captor has to take her to get some help, and it is then that she is able to escape and be reunited with her family.
This book is very popular among the girls at my library, and some of them have told me that their parents are surprised at how much time they spend reading when they pick up this book. I'm sure they are drawn to the fact that Gemma should hate her kidnapper but finds herself drawn to him and even misses him once she is freed.
Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: kidnapping, obviously; there is no sex - he doesn't rape her, molest her, etc. Some alcohol use.
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars
Gemma is in an airport in Bangkok when it happens. She is drugged and kidnapped by a man who takes her to the Australian Outback where he has prepared a house for them to live in. Forever. She tries to escape several times, but they are so far away from civilization that there's no way she could get anywhere. When Gemma allows herself to be bitten by a snake, her captor has to take her to get some help, and it is then that she is able to escape and be reunited with her family.
This book is very popular among the girls at my library, and some of them have told me that their parents are surprised at how much time they spend reading when they pick up this book. I'm sure they are drawn to the fact that Gemma should hate her kidnapper but finds herself drawn to him and even misses him once she is freed.
Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: kidnapping, obviously; there is no sex - he doesn't rape her, molest her, etc. Some alcohol use.
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars
I thought that this was an interesting concept. To be captive in a place so desolate that chains and locks aren't even necessary; however, I kept waiting for the shinning moment where Gem would understand something and would come up with an ingenious plan for her own rescue- but that moment never happened. I guess I just wanted a strong heroin, which wasn't Gem.
I wish I could give this zero stars, I sometimes reread this when I'm feeling sad because it inflicts a rage into me that I have never seen, it makes me want to punch a cop or steal a stop sign or something crazy. So much pain and for what, for what?????
I thought this book was great. I loved the style of writing and how it was a letter from a kidnapped girl to her kidnapper. Well written and engaging story.