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jilljaracz's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.75
As an Olympics geek, I was looking forward to a fictional story about an Olympic sport. This had very thinly veiled references to the Karolyis and Larry Nassar, which apparently was done so in the name of "authenticity," but if the author goes to the trouble of using real gymnasts' names, using fake names for some characters seems ridiculous (there are 49 other states and all kinds of words to describe a compound, but the big national camp is set at the "ranch" in Texas? And this is apparently ficticious?).
The fine line between depicting Midwesterners accurately and making them stereotypes got crossed a lot--a scene over a family dinner in Wisconsin? Of course they're eating bratwurst!
On the whole, this was fairly one note, with many unresolved details. It's a quick read though, which is why I finished it.
The fine line between depicting Midwesterners accurately and making them stereotypes got crossed a lot--a scene over a family dinner in Wisconsin? Of course they're eating bratwurst!
On the whole, this was fairly one note, with many unresolved details. It's a quick read though, which is why I finished it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse
kaylamae0415's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
jesstob's review against another edition
3.0
The first and second half of this book feel completely different. I loved the first part, and then it seemed to somewhat fall apart. All in all, an eye-opening look at what a professional athlete has to endure.
leahwa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
lizzycaitlin's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
daralexandria's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
kaileymgrdichian's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
l3m0nad3's review against another edition
4.0
Perfect read during the olympics. For anyone who has a sibling that “stole the spotlight “ you will understand the dynamics here. Great book overall
liralen's review against another edition
3.0
The Happiest Girl in the World takes place in an ever-so-slightly shifted version of real-world US gymnastics. Sera is an elite gymnast: she's trained her whole life, alongside her best friend, for a shot at Olympic glory.
But remember how the US gymnastics sort of imploded a few years ago? Molestation and abusive coaches and turning a blind eye and so on and so forth? Well, Sera's caught up in that—with one crucial difference: the names are changed.
I struggled with this aspect of the book, and I continue to struggle with it. It's so odd to me to read a book that could have the tagline 'ripped from the headlines' but in which only the 'bad guys' have their names changed—where Nassar becomes Levett and the Karolyis become the Baloghs, but their actions and characters are otherwise, you know, exactly as has been depicted in the real-world news.
Zum Beispiel: Rudi Balogh was most famous for the moment at the 1996 Olympics when he scooped up the injured Kerri Strug and carried her to the podium to receive her gold medal, Team USA’s first. It was a tender display. But insiders knew that when Kerri’s foot snapped after her first vault, it was Rudi who urged her to go on and complete the second round (117). What do we do with this? Kerri Strug is a real person, a former gymnast; her vault injury (and Karolyi carrying her) is famous. The same thing repeats throughout the book: the Karolyis' ranch is reproduced here, but as the Baloghs' ranch; Nassar's trial is renamed and reproduced; and on and on it goes. (There are other replaced names, but I've forgotten them, so...) Real-life gymnasts with their real-world names (Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, etc.) sometimes show up for tiny cameos (presumably they keep their real-world names because they're not libel-suit risks?), but rarely for actual lines—it feels notable that one of the only times Sera has a conversation with one of these real-life-real-name characters, it's so that Simone Biles can make a tampon joke. Nothing against tampon jokes, but it feels so odd to me that those are some of the only lines given to a real-life character here (it also makes me wonder if that's something that's on record, but I'm not about to Google it, thanks).
I don't know. I suppose this case exists in something of a grey area: there are so many victims of Nassar—and of USA Gymnastics more generally—whose names are not known and whose stories have not been told, and it's not unreasonable to want to fictionalise some of those stories. Was this the way to do it, though? Why not set Sera and Lucy as gymnasts in the near future, when all this has happened and changes have been made but it's still not enough? Why not locate them in another country, seeing all this play out on the international stage while they wrestle with related but entirely fictional problems in their own programmes? I still can't articulate why the thinness of the fictionalisation here makes me so uncomfortable, but it does. Not my cuppa.
But remember how the US gymnastics sort of imploded a few years ago? Molestation and abusive coaches and turning a blind eye and so on and so forth? Well, Sera's caught up in that—with one crucial difference: the names are changed.
I struggled with this aspect of the book, and I continue to struggle with it. It's so odd to me to read a book that could have the tagline 'ripped from the headlines' but in which only the 'bad guys' have their names changed—where Nassar becomes Levett and the Karolyis become the Baloghs, but their actions and characters are otherwise, you know, exactly as has been depicted in the real-world news.
Zum Beispiel: Rudi Balogh was most famous for the moment at the 1996 Olympics when he scooped up the injured Kerri Strug and carried her to the podium to receive her gold medal, Team USA’s first. It was a tender display. But insiders knew that when Kerri’s foot snapped after her first vault, it was Rudi who urged her to go on and complete the second round (117). What do we do with this? Kerri Strug is a real person, a former gymnast; her vault injury (and Karolyi carrying her) is famous. The same thing repeats throughout the book: the Karolyis' ranch is reproduced here, but as the Baloghs' ranch; Nassar's trial is renamed and reproduced; and on and on it goes. (There are other replaced names, but I've forgotten them, so...) Real-life gymnasts with their real-world names (Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, etc.) sometimes show up for tiny cameos (presumably they keep their real-world names because they're not libel-suit risks?), but rarely for actual lines—it feels notable that one of the only times Sera has a conversation with one of these real-life-real-name characters, it's so that Simone Biles can make a tampon joke. Nothing against tampon jokes, but it feels so odd to me that those are some of the only lines given to a real-life character here (it also makes me wonder if that's something that's on record, but I'm not about to Google it, thanks).
I don't know. I suppose this case exists in something of a grey area: there are so many victims of Nassar—and of USA Gymnastics more generally—whose names are not known and whose stories have not been told, and it's not unreasonable to want to fictionalise some of those stories. Was this the way to do it, though? Why not set Sera and Lucy as gymnasts in the near future, when all this has happened and changes have been made but it's still not enough? Why not locate them in another country, seeing all this play out on the international stage while they wrestle with related but entirely fictional problems in their own programmes? I still can't articulate why the thinness of the fictionalisation here makes me so uncomfortable, but it does. Not my cuppa.
This is the part where we explain that this novel is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, organizations, or locations are not harbringers of fact, but only a tool to provide a sense of authenticity. Everything else—characters, places, establishments—is the product of the author’s imagination.
And yes, yes. That is correct. This story is my creation. It came from my brain. But it also came from what we’ve seen in the news—all that was admitted, and all that was denied. It was informed by the actual suffering of actual people, at the hands of actual people. (ix)Hmmm.
megs_s's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0