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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
I really liked this book and the story as I was reading it. It wasn’t too heavy but you could relate to it and get into it. The last 50 or so pages killed the entire book and story. I liked that it had such a twist but it made everything before the twist seem stupid and ruined the book for me.
I have been hearing so much about this novel these past couple of weeks. All sorts of reviews, mostly negative. So -as a rule- I was immediately intrigued but now, I am left feeling confused and cheated.
Jam has been sent to The Wooden Barn for troubled and intelligent teens after her boyfriend Reeve dies. Everything changes when she receives her assignment in Special Topics in English class, and there she meets a group of misfits who are just as troubled as she is.
First thing, the setting. I loved the setting and the plot it revolved around. It was the whole boarding school setting with the eerie background and the creepy stuff. I loved it. And the descriptions were vivid and lovely.Kudoos to Meg Wolitzer for her descriptive writing style. It was amazing and wholesome.
The characters were not my favorite. I never got her motives and I never understood why she did what she did. And sometimes, I didn't trust anything she said. That's very hard to overcome in a novel and I guess I never did. But probably my favorite character was Griffin, the guy was such a mysterious but insanely sweet guy. I just loved him. I wanted to see more of him but unfortunately, that was not the case. He was kind of overlooked.
The romance is mainly what the story revolves around as Jam has some flashbacks. I loved the idea of Belzhar and what it signified and I guess this book was very fast-paced because I read it in only a couple of hours. This book was going all good until the ending chapter and then BAM! It just decreased my rating by two stars. I knew I should expect something dramatic at the ending but THAT was just, NO!
Even though I feel betrayed and cheated by the book, the ending was just WRONG! Otherwise, this is quite a good book, even though I didn't like Jam, at all. You might feel different about this book though.
Jam has been sent to The Wooden Barn for troubled and intelligent teens after her boyfriend Reeve dies. Everything changes when she receives her assignment in Special Topics in English class, and there she meets a group of misfits who are just as troubled as she is.
First thing, the setting. I loved the setting and the plot it revolved around. It was the whole boarding school setting with the eerie background and the creepy stuff. I loved it. And the descriptions were vivid and lovely.Kudoos to Meg Wolitzer for her descriptive writing style. It was amazing and wholesome.
The characters were not my favorite. I never got her motives and I never understood why she did what she did. And sometimes, I didn't trust anything she said. That's very hard to overcome in a novel and I guess I never did. But probably my favorite character was Griffin, the guy was such a mysterious but insanely sweet guy. I just loved him. I wanted to see more of him but unfortunately, that was not the case. He was kind of overlooked.
The romance is mainly what the story revolves around as Jam has some flashbacks. I loved the idea of Belzhar and what it signified and I guess this book was very fast-paced because I read it in only a couple of hours. This book was going all good until the ending chapter and then BAM! It just decreased my rating by two stars. I knew I should expect something dramatic at the ending but THAT was just, NO!
Even though I feel betrayed and cheated by the book, the ending was just WRONG! Otherwise, this is quite a good book, even though I didn't like Jam, at all. You might feel different about this book though.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was very surprised to see what negative reviews this novel received because I actually thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the idea of literature and journal writing helping ease the emotional difficulty individuals may be going through. I particularly enjoyed Griffin's story and learning about his family and country life and why he is the way he is. I felt that Wolitzer did an incredible job of creating characters that I wanted to comfort and console. The only character I had any difficulty with was Reeve. Because he seemed so ambiguous and selfish throughout the novel, I could not understand Jam's obsession with him. But the ending so beautifully explains that. I genuinely enjoyed getting lost in this book, and I hope other book and writing lovers do too.
I'm waffling between four and five stars--I think it's a solid 4.5, so I'm rounding up. I love a YA novel that features quality writing. Meg Wolitzer did not disappoint. I knew she'd done great teenage characters in The Interestings and really shines with relationships in general so I figured this would be good, but there's always a fear of an author dumbing it down too much for a YA audience. She did not. I also appreciated that the story wasn't too predictable.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you’re already skeptical about a person someone being in deep, dark mourning lasting a year over someone they knew for only a few weeks then this is definitely not going to be a book for you. Although normally that would put me off I really, really wanted this book to work. Considering Wolitzer is well established in adult literary fiction, I suppose I figured she was likely to have a shot at creating a truly wrenching story of lost love even if that love was so brief. There were a couple of clear ways this scenario could work and I was curious to see if Wolitzer would pull it off. She didn’t. Everything about this story is surface level only. There is no depth of emotion, no character development, limited growth, stunted pacing, and one hell of an obnoxious ending that had me going, “Seriously?!”
Full review at The Midnight Garden.
Full review at The Midnight Garden.
An enjoyable read, but frankly I felt like the author might have under-estimated her teen readers. A bit formulaic.
Mi-a plăcut cartea.
Salvarea câtorva tineri prin cuvinte. Cinci traume împărtășite, o carte după care te uiți în gol la coada de la supermarket.
Toți aveau jurnale, au citit fiecare din ele și au împărtășit declarații despre sine, până ce s-au reunit în ,,Tărâmul celor pierduți”.
Este ca o întâlnire a Alcoolicilor Anonimi adaptată la nivelul unor adolescenți, fiecare personalizați de backgroundul lor. Este despre o misiune de a-i face să vadă mai mult în viață, să împiedice o altă Silvia Path să ia naștere (oximoronul este în suicidul comis de către poetă).
Salvarea câtorva tineri prin cuvinte. Cinci traume împărtășite, o carte după care te uiți în gol la coada de la supermarket.
Toți aveau jurnale, au citit fiecare din ele și au împărtășit declarații despre sine, până ce s-au reunit în ,,Tărâmul celor pierduți”.
-Eu nu înțeleg, spune ea. Detești petrecerile la fel de mult ca mine. Ce-ți pasă că nu poți să mergi? Bineînțeles, DJ habar n-are de Belzhar, așa că n-are cum să înțeleagă de ce simt nevoia să mă întâlnesc acum cu toți ceilalți din clasa mea. Și de asemenea, de ce trebuie să mă întânesc cu Griffin.
Este ca o întâlnire a Alcoolicilor Anonimi adaptată la nivelul unor adolescenți, fiecare personalizați de backgroundul lor. Este despre o misiune de a-i face să vadă mai mult în viață, să împiedice o altă Silvia Path să ia naștere (oximoronul este în suicidul comis de către poetă).