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sienna727's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
jacki_f's review against another edition
4.0
This is Annabel Pitcher's second novel and like her first, My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, it's a young adult novel with much broader age appeal. It takes the form of a series of letters written by 15 year old "Zoe" (she uses a false name) who lives in Northern England, writing to Stuart, a murderer on Death Row in Texas. She feels a connection with him because she also feels responsible for the death of another, a boy that she was involved with. That's about all that we know and the story of exactly who has died, how they died and why Zoe holds herself responsible unfolds gradually over the course of the book, as she takes Stuart - and us - through the events of the year leading up to the death. Along the way she talks about the issues in her family, her relationships with her sisters, her problems at school and the dilemmas of being a teenager.
This is a book with enormous charm that completely pulls you into the psyche of a teenager. It's not perfect: around the three quarter mark I did feel slightly frustrated that the revelations were being dragged out too long (and not going to come as the complete surprise that they are presumably meant to be), and the ending is also a slight let down. Nevertheless it's a very engaging read with some excellent characters. Zoe herself makes some stupid decisions along the way but the narrative device allows you to understand her and if not approve of her decisions, at least to get them.
I really like Annabel Pitcher's writing. While I didn't think this was quite as good as her first book, I still felt it was one of the better books I've read lately.
This is a book with enormous charm that completely pulls you into the psyche of a teenager. It's not perfect: around the three quarter mark I did feel slightly frustrated that the revelations were being dragged out too long (and not going to come as the complete surprise that they are presumably meant to be), and the ending is also a slight let down. Nevertheless it's a very engaging read with some excellent characters. Zoe herself makes some stupid decisions along the way but the narrative device allows you to understand her and if not approve of her decisions, at least to get them.
I really like Annabel Pitcher's writing. While I didn't think this was quite as good as her first book, I still felt it was one of the better books I've read lately.
loser127's review against another edition
3.0
Told through the writings of a teenage girl, this story most definitely has its pros and cons. Cons: it is super clunky, as the story is written in letters from a girl who has no idea what grammar is. She also acts more like a young child than a teenager, and a lot of the characters do not act their age at all. It is also very hard to follow, as it switches from past to present in the middle of a sentence.
Pros: I kept wanting to know what happened to one of the characters that died before the events of the novel. That was mainly what kept me reading. It was also fairly fast paced. I liked how it started, and how it ended, but it definitely could have been much better. I liked it, but it wasn't amazing.
Pros: I kept wanting to know what happened to one of the characters that died before the events of the novel. That was mainly what kept me reading. It was also fairly fast paced. I liked how it started, and how it ended, but it definitely could have been much better. I liked it, but it wasn't amazing.
koisan's review against another edition
4.0
Me gusto mucho, ya había leído Mi hermana vive en la repisa de la chimenea así que tenía muchas expectativas de Nubes de Ketchup, las cuales fueron ampliamente cubiertas. Cuantas veces hemos tomado decisiones que pueden lastimar a alguien, ya sea por amor, egoísmo, cada acto puede cambiar el rumbo de una historia. No me quedo a deber nada. Soy fan de Dot.
chui0807's review against another edition
fast-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
1.0
missy_evanko's review against another edition
4.0
Cute, funny, poignant telling of a story through a young British girl's letters to an American death row inmate about a terrible accident with one of her friends, and the struggle of family life as a teenager.
fishgirl182's review against another edition
3.0
One thing I can say for Ketchup Clouds is that it's definitely a unique read and I can't think of another book quite like it. Ketchup Clouds is told from the point of view of Zoe (an alias), a teenager suffering from debilitating guilt. From what, we're not exactly sure. Zoe decides to share her story with a death row prison inmate in order to assuage her guilt and share her secret with someone. Zoe relates to the inmate because, in her mind, she's killed someone as well. Through Zoe's letters, the reader learns about the events leading up to the fateful day that would change Zoe's life forever and leave one young man dead.
I don't read many epistolary novels (novels written through documents, like letters and diary entries). I think it's really hard to do well. Zoe's letters read more like diary entries and I think the book would have worked better for me if that's what they were. Instead, the letters feel awkward and gimmick-y. It also bothered me that Zoe took such a long time to tell her story. She confesses a burning desire to share her tale, and then takes months to do it, even as the inmate's execution draws near.
Zoe starts writing to this inmate because she says can relate to his crimes. However, after hearing her whole story, I found it hard to believe that she would identify so much with a man who murdered his wife and her lover after he caught them cheating. Zoe feels like she murdered someone but the situations were so different it was hard for me to believe she'd relate so much, though I guess it just shows how guilty Zoe feels.
Zoe is an interesting character though not one that I can say I really like. She really likes one brother but starts going out with another because he happens to be available. While I don't expect every character to be a paradigm of good human behavior, I found Zoe's actions to be very selfish and immature. She's acting like a normal teenager but there was just something about it that rubbed me the wrong way. She did win a few points with me though with her relationship to her sister. She was very protective of her and their relationship was very sweet.
As for the romance in the story, I definitely fell on the Team Aaron side. It was clear to me that Zoe and Aaron had so much more in common and more chemistry than Zoe and Max. I think that's why I was so annoyed that she kept things going with Max because she and Aaron seemed to have a much deeper connection.
This book was really a mixed bag for me. The overall premise is original but the execution was not quite there and it fell short of my expectations. It's still a worthwhile read just because it is very unique point of view and the identity of which brother died left me guessing until the very end. No doubt this book will find fans, but it just wasn't for me.
I don't read many epistolary novels (novels written through documents, like letters and diary entries). I think it's really hard to do well. Zoe's letters read more like diary entries and I think the book would have worked better for me if that's what they were. Instead, the letters feel awkward and gimmick-y. It also bothered me that Zoe took such a long time to tell her story. She confesses a burning desire to share her tale, and then takes months to do it, even as the inmate's execution draws near.
Zoe starts writing to this inmate because she says can relate to his crimes. However, after hearing her whole story, I found it hard to believe that she would identify so much with a man who murdered his wife and her lover after he caught them cheating. Zoe feels like she murdered someone but the situations were so different it was hard for me to believe she'd relate so much, though I guess it just shows how guilty Zoe feels.
Zoe is an interesting character though not one that I can say I really like. She really likes one brother but starts going out with another because he happens to be available. While I don't expect every character to be a paradigm of good human behavior, I found Zoe's actions to be very selfish and immature. She's acting like a normal teenager but there was just something about it that rubbed me the wrong way. She did win a few points with me though with her relationship to her sister. She was very protective of her and their relationship was very sweet.
As for the romance in the story, I definitely fell on the Team Aaron side. It was clear to me that Zoe and Aaron had so much more in common and more chemistry than Zoe and Max. I think that's why I was so annoyed that she kept things going with Max because she and Aaron seemed to have a much deeper connection.
This book was really a mixed bag for me. The overall premise is original but the execution was not quite there and it fell short of my expectations. It's still a worthwhile read just because it is very unique point of view and the identity of which brother died left me guessing until the very end. No doubt this book will find fans, but it just wasn't for me.