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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
Meh. Tried listening to this. Found the love story super unbelievable. Didn't like the main character. Didn't care if she ever saw her dead boyfriend again. Especially compared to what the other kids are facing. Paralyzed and a missing/dead brother? Those are not comparable to a dead boyfriend that you knew for 41 days.
Couldn't finish. Didn't want to waste the time.
Couldn't finish. Didn't want to waste the time.
Enjoyed this book and the magical world of Belzhar the kids go to to confront their demons. However, I only gave it 4 stars because the reveal of the main character's story was so underwhelming. Her story was painful to read more so than the others even though it wasn't as dramatic because much of it was due to her own naivety.
Jam is attending a fancy boarding school in Vermont. However, it isn't your typical fancy boarding school, it is place that helps teens with psychological issues. According to Jam, it is like the place between regular school and the psych ward.
Recently Jam's boyfriend died and she has been inconsolable ever since. Her parents are at a loss for what to do, so they pack her up and send her off. Jam isn't too sure about this decision, but maybe she will be able to heal and cope with the tragic events in her life.
Jam has been selected to be part of a Special Topics English class. The students of this class do not know how they were selected, but maybe this class is more than it seems.
This book reads like The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks and We Were Liars, only like ten times better. I typically hate books that have possibly unreliable narrators, because it tends to distract me from the plot. However, the reliability of this narrator did not distract from the different aspects of the plot. In fact, it added to it. Also, the ending of this novel was not what was compelling me along. It was the journey. I really liked this book. The fantasy elements of this novel were a surprising addition.
Oh, you don't know what Belzhar is? Well, I'm not gonna tell you.
Recently Jam's boyfriend died and she has been inconsolable ever since. Her parents are at a loss for what to do, so they pack her up and send her off. Jam isn't too sure about this decision, but maybe she will be able to heal and cope with the tragic events in her life.
Jam has been selected to be part of a Special Topics English class. The students of this class do not know how they were selected, but maybe this class is more than it seems.
This book reads like The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks and We Were Liars, only like ten times better. I typically hate books that have possibly unreliable narrators, because it tends to distract me from the plot. However, the reliability of this narrator did not distract from the different aspects of the plot. In fact, it added to it. Also, the ending of this novel was not what was compelling me along. It was the journey. I really liked this book. The fantasy elements of this novel were a surprising addition.
Oh, you don't know what Belzhar is? Well, I'm not gonna tell you.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This review was originally posted on my blog, Daring Damsels.
After being hesitant to read Belzhar due to the mixed reviews, I can now say that I’m glad I read this book. It was a pleasing, short read, but it’s not the type of story to stay with you.
Belzhar follows the story of Jam Gallahue, a girl who has been sent to a school that specialises in educating teenagers suffering from a mental illness. Jam has been depressed since her boyfriend died nearly a year ago. I found Jam to be a very likeable and relatable character. However, seeing as she only knew her boyfriend for View Spoiler », I found it a bit far-fetched that she had such a strong reaction to his death. Although the instant connection the two had was believable, Jam’s reaction wasn’t, for me. Maybe that’s because I’ve never met anyone whom I’ve been that deeply connected to before.
Not a lot of the story is focused on the supporting characters, but this doesn’t prevent them from feeling like realistic and believable characters. The secondary characters aren’t introduced exactly, they’re just there. Which is something I really enjoyed, as that’s how things often happen in the real world. The same can be said for the budding relationship between View Spoiler ».
I think the pacing of the novel worked really well and the writing was somewhat beautiful. Wolitzer talks about mental illness in an easy-to-understand way and the story isn’t over-complicated. The magical realism aspect of the novel was very simple, but still an enjoyable aspect of the novel.
I must admit that upon Jam’s last visit to Belzhar, I was surprised at what I found out. It made me see the entire story a little differently. Overall, Belzhar is an enjoyable novel, but it’s not a story that will stay with you.
This review was originally posted on my blog, Daring Damsels.
After being hesitant to read Belzhar due to the mixed reviews, I can now say that I’m glad I read this book. It was a pleasing, short read, but it’s not the type of story to stay with you.
Belzhar follows the story of Jam Gallahue, a girl who has been sent to a school that specialises in educating teenagers suffering from a mental illness. Jam has been depressed since her boyfriend died nearly a year ago. I found Jam to be a very likeable and relatable character. However, seeing as she only knew her boyfriend for View Spoiler », I found it a bit far-fetched that she had such a strong reaction to his death. Although the instant connection the two had was believable, Jam’s reaction wasn’t, for me. Maybe that’s because I’ve never met anyone whom I’ve been that deeply connected to before.
Not a lot of the story is focused on the supporting characters, but this doesn’t prevent them from feeling like realistic and believable characters. The secondary characters aren’t introduced exactly, they’re just there. Which is something I really enjoyed, as that’s how things often happen in the real world. The same can be said for the budding relationship between View Spoiler ».
I think the pacing of the novel worked really well and the writing was somewhat beautiful. Wolitzer talks about mental illness in an easy-to-understand way and the story isn’t over-complicated. The magical realism aspect of the novel was very simple, but still an enjoyable aspect of the novel.
I must admit that upon Jam’s last visit to Belzhar, I was surprised at what I found out. It made me see the entire story a little differently. Overall, Belzhar is an enjoyable novel, but it’s not a story that will stay with you.
Through the entire book I was sort of skeptical but couldn't find myself to put it down. I liked the book and felt like I could kind of relate to it. However, when I realized that she had made up hers and Reeves love it was kind of devastating, because I felt that while reading I was looking for her to get over his death and be with Griffin. Then turns out she had been lying to herself the entire time. Overall I genuinely enjoyed the book.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Overall I really enjoyed this book. The concept was interesting and I liked the main character. I have mixed feelings about the twist ending, but generally I think it was executed well enough. My main critique is that the ending was a bit rushed and none of the characters got as much exploration as they deserved, especially considering their individual experiences.
We didn't learn enough about the English teacher, Mrs. Quenell, or the roommate, DJ. I'm inclined to think this is due to constraints on length rather than the author's skill, though. I also didn't care for the dialogue very much- it definitely reads like an adult trying to write teens.
I thought Wolitzer did a great job of writing emotionally compelling, traumatized characters without leaning too heavily on the details of their trauma to guarantee an emotional response from the audience. It would have been easy for her to include horrible details, but I really appreciate that she didn't.
We didn't learn enough about the English teacher, Mrs. Quenell, or the roommate, DJ. I'm inclined to think this is due to constraints on length rather than the author's skill, though. I also didn't care for the dialogue very much- it definitely reads like an adult trying to write teens.
I thought Wolitzer did a great job of writing emotionally compelling, traumatized characters without leaning too heavily on the details of their trauma to guarantee an emotional response from the audience. It would have been easy for her to include horrible details, but I really appreciate that she didn't.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
good writing not so sure about the storyline
Un libro que trata de como el dolor, la pérdida, un momento puede cambiar tu vida, como esos sentimientos te pueden transformar en alguien distinto y la manera de salir de ese estado de penumbra en que te sumerges.
Lo que no me llego a agradar fue cuando se reveló el motivo de Jam para estar en el granero, aunque puedo llegar a entender que ciertamente la mente suele tener su manera de evadir la realidad para sobrellevar un trauma, aunque para otros no parezca importante.
Lo que no me llego a agradar fue cuando se reveló el motivo de Jam para estar en el granero, aunque puedo llegar a entender que ciertamente la mente suele tener su manera de evadir la realidad para sobrellevar un trauma, aunque para otros no parezca importante.