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moodyjulia's review against another edition
4.0
I've had my own "Marlena". I think just about anybody who's had a best friend has, but there was something about this novel that chilled me. Maybe because of the depictions of coming of age, of emotionally wrapping yourself around a person, of being so connected but really, not at all. Maybe the fact that so much more could have gone terribly wrong in my own story. Oh to go back. Thankful that I never have to. The book was haunting and hard to read at times, so good.
yikesbmg's review against another edition
5.0
HOLY COW WHAT A BOOK
pros:
-incredibly strong plot line
-very, very difficult main characters that evoke dismay, pity, and disappointment and nostalgia, awe, and curiosity all at the same time. girls i've never read about before, given depth i didn't know existed tbh
-DETAILS so many details. the book is so vivid because of the attention buntin paid to details of the snow, a hand gesture, the way someone said something. literally everything is drowning in details that makes michigan really come front and center to your brain.
cons:
-there was one sentence where buntin used the word colonized in a sort of callous, childish way. that's it that's the only con i can find
if you're looking for a novel you can't put down, a plot and characters that make you feel uncomfortable, insight to an fraught and complex interpersonal relationship between two adolescent girls
(and later one truly broken woman) read this. if you want to dive into addiction and alcoholism and see what that might look like, from one author's intensely detailed perspective, read this
pros:
-incredibly strong plot line
-very, very difficult main characters that evoke dismay, pity, and disappointment and nostalgia, awe, and curiosity all at the same time. girls i've never read about before, given depth i didn't know existed tbh
-DETAILS so many details. the book is so vivid because of the attention buntin paid to details of the snow, a hand gesture, the way someone said something. literally everything is drowning in details that makes michigan really come front and center to your brain.
cons:
-there was one sentence where buntin used the word colonized in a sort of callous, childish way. that's it that's the only con i can find
if you're looking for a novel you can't put down, a plot and characters that make you feel uncomfortable, insight to an fraught and complex interpersonal relationship between two adolescent girls
(and later one truly broken woman) read this. if you want to dive into addiction and alcoholism and see what that might look like, from one author's intensely detailed perspective, read this
ikassa's review against another edition
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
bookishjenny's review against another edition
3.0
I went back and forth between a 3 and 4 star rating for this book, but chose 3 because of how long it took me to actually become interested in the story. I was bored the first half of the book. I had no interest in continuing to read it, but I made myself, hoping it would get better. I didn't want to leave it unfinished. This is not a fast-paced book, and it seemed to drag out a lot of the time. But, although the way the author transitioned from memory to memory could be confusing, she has a beautiful way of writing that had me stopping and rereading phrases or whole paragraphs that resonated with me. The plot finally picked up the second half of the book, and once I got to the last 100 pages or so, I stayed up all night reading because I needed to know how it ended. Despite all of its flaws, I know this will be a book that will stick with me, because less than a year ago my best friend, who in a lot of ways Marlena reminded me of, passed away unexpectedly. And reading this book from the perspective of an adult woman looking back on memories about a best friend who is no longer alive brought up a lot of memories for myself. It made me miss high school and the friendships I made and the way my friend, just like Marlena did for Cat (although not always in a positive way) changed me. This book is not perfect, and it was a very slow read to start out, but I'm glad that I finished it.
novelvisits's review against another edition
5.0
Marlena by Julie Buntin (debut)
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Release Date: April 4, 2017
Length: 288 pages
Originally on Novel Visits: http://www.novelvisits.com/marlena-julie-buntin-review/
Single Sentence Summary: Resonating with truth, Marlena is a powerful story of the lasting imprint one teenage girl can have on another.
Primary Characters: Cat – An insecure 15-year old girl whose world has been turned upside-down leaving her vulnerable and ripe for change. Marlena – The beautiful, experienced 17-year old neighbor who quickly becomes Cat’s closest friend.
From the Publisher: Everything about fifteen-year-old Cat’s new town in rural Michigan is lonely and off-kilter, until she meets her neighbor, the manic, beautiful, pill-popping Marlena. Cat, inexperienced and desperate for connection, is quickly lured into Marlena’s orbit by little more than an arched eyebrow and a shake of white-blond hair. As the two girls turn the untamed landscape of their desolate small town into a kind of playground, Cat catalogues a litany of firsts―first drink, first cigarette, first kiss―while Marlena’s habits harden and calcify. Within the year, Marlena is dead, drowned in six inches of icy water in the woods nearby.
Review: Though this book is aptly titled Marlena, it’s really Cat’s story. Cat, 15-years old and at her most vulnerable, falls victim to her parent’s failed marriage. Plucked from the comfort of her middle-class, private school life she’s thrust into a manufactured home, on a rundown street, in a rundown town in the far reaches of the upper Michigan peninsula. Feeling lost and alone, Cat does what many 15-year olds do. She rebels, becoming the sidekick to her 17-year old neighbor, Marlena.
Julie Buntin did a wonderful job in building her debut novel, starting with it’s setting. From the onset of the story she paints a landscape of despair. Silver Lake is a small town with little going for it and certainly few options for troubled teens. The home Cat has been moved to, a doublewide, offers no comfort and leaves Cat angry with her father and his new girlfriend. Cat’s mother, trying to find a new life, comforts herself with Franzia rose, stockpiled in boxes. Cat’s life is as desolate as Silver Lake, until she meets Marlena.
In Marlena, Buntin delivered a young woman who was an even more serious victim of her parent’s choices. With no mother around and a father cooking meth in a trailer out back, plus a little brother to care for, Marlena had few choices. It’s easy to see how she became a pill-popping, hard-drinking, risk-taking girl. Cat’s fascination with Marlena was complete. Like so many vulnerable young girls, Cat changed to match her new friend.
“Day by day I made sacrifices, though they didn’t feel like sacrifices at the time, redefining myself according to who she was, until we became the perfect team – her impulsive and brave; me calculating and watchful; her dangerous, me trustworthy; her pretty, me sweet; her high, me drunk; and so on, et cetera.”
Buntin’s writing was gorgeous. She was able to capture the bleakness of Silver Lake and the desperation in her characters with hauntingly authentic prose. What I liked most about Marlena, was that that the story was told from the perspective of Cat, twenty years later. Buntin’s portrayal of Cat at both 15 and 35, felt very true to life. Cat, the narrator, delivers the year she spent with Marlena with no excuses, but with compassion both for Marlena and her younger self. She’s harder on the woman she is today, weary of repeating the same mistakes, but afraid to move on. Marlena, ultimately, is the story of a woman still struggling to gain the perspective she needs to forgive her 15-year old self. This is a terrific coming-of-age debut! Grade: A-
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Release Date: April 4, 2017
Length: 288 pages
Originally on Novel Visits: http://www.novelvisits.com/marlena-julie-buntin-review/
Single Sentence Summary: Resonating with truth, Marlena is a powerful story of the lasting imprint one teenage girl can have on another.
Primary Characters: Cat – An insecure 15-year old girl whose world has been turned upside-down leaving her vulnerable and ripe for change. Marlena – The beautiful, experienced 17-year old neighbor who quickly becomes Cat’s closest friend.
From the Publisher: Everything about fifteen-year-old Cat’s new town in rural Michigan is lonely and off-kilter, until she meets her neighbor, the manic, beautiful, pill-popping Marlena. Cat, inexperienced and desperate for connection, is quickly lured into Marlena’s orbit by little more than an arched eyebrow and a shake of white-blond hair. As the two girls turn the untamed landscape of their desolate small town into a kind of playground, Cat catalogues a litany of firsts―first drink, first cigarette, first kiss―while Marlena’s habits harden and calcify. Within the year, Marlena is dead, drowned in six inches of icy water in the woods nearby.
Review: Though this book is aptly titled Marlena, it’s really Cat’s story. Cat, 15-years old and at her most vulnerable, falls victim to her parent’s failed marriage. Plucked from the comfort of her middle-class, private school life she’s thrust into a manufactured home, on a rundown street, in a rundown town in the far reaches of the upper Michigan peninsula. Feeling lost and alone, Cat does what many 15-year olds do. She rebels, becoming the sidekick to her 17-year old neighbor, Marlena.
Julie Buntin did a wonderful job in building her debut novel, starting with it’s setting. From the onset of the story she paints a landscape of despair. Silver Lake is a small town with little going for it and certainly few options for troubled teens. The home Cat has been moved to, a doublewide, offers no comfort and leaves Cat angry with her father and his new girlfriend. Cat’s mother, trying to find a new life, comforts herself with Franzia rose, stockpiled in boxes. Cat’s life is as desolate as Silver Lake, until she meets Marlena.
In Marlena, Buntin delivered a young woman who was an even more serious victim of her parent’s choices. With no mother around and a father cooking meth in a trailer out back, plus a little brother to care for, Marlena had few choices. It’s easy to see how she became a pill-popping, hard-drinking, risk-taking girl. Cat’s fascination with Marlena was complete. Like so many vulnerable young girls, Cat changed to match her new friend.
“Day by day I made sacrifices, though they didn’t feel like sacrifices at the time, redefining myself according to who she was, until we became the perfect team – her impulsive and brave; me calculating and watchful; her dangerous, me trustworthy; her pretty, me sweet; her high, me drunk; and so on, et cetera.”
Buntin’s writing was gorgeous. She was able to capture the bleakness of Silver Lake and the desperation in her characters with hauntingly authentic prose. What I liked most about Marlena, was that that the story was told from the perspective of Cat, twenty years later. Buntin’s portrayal of Cat at both 15 and 35, felt very true to life. Cat, the narrator, delivers the year she spent with Marlena with no excuses, but with compassion both for Marlena and her younger self. She’s harder on the woman she is today, weary of repeating the same mistakes, but afraid to move on. Marlena, ultimately, is the story of a woman still struggling to gain the perspective she needs to forgive her 15-year old self. This is a terrific coming-of-age debut! Grade: A-
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.
lalaleo's review against another edition
3.0
I am wavering between 3 and 4 for this book. I was really into the story and then it seemed to end a little bit abruptly. Maybe I just like everything to be neater than life really is? I would have liked to see more resolution for adult Cat.
shirleytupperfreeman's review against another edition
Julie Buntin is from Michigan and she did a fabulous job interviewing George Saunders so we wanted to check out her book. She's a good writer and she does a great job getting into the mind of a teenager who's life is coming apart. After her dad exits the family, Cat, her brother Jimmy and their mom leave everything and everyone behind and move to a small northern Michigan town. Their economic circumstances, while never terribly robust, have declined precipitously. Cat and Jimmy develop intense friendships with Marlena, the girl next door, a troubled soul with a troubled and complicated life. The novel alternates between the 10 months of friendship before Marlena died and decades later in New York as the past and present connect. The novel explores many forms of addiction so it can be pretty depressing but it does have a touch of hope.
sophiedeo's review against another edition
4.0
Took me a while to get into it, but it was a great story. It was lovely that it was older Cat who was narrating because she could look back on what had happened. It was completely character driven, and the characters were absolutely amazing. They felt so real and the friendship between Marlena and Cat was just so interesting to read about.
alisonjfields's review against another edition
3.0
This is actually a pretty fantastic, bad-dreamy, grit under the skin, non-YA novel about teenagers that is almost completely ruined by weird moralizing, a clunky modern day frame and a real rogue's gallery of addiction memoir cliches. Better novels than this one have been ruined by an unnecessary framing device and an author unwilling to let go without telling you every single thing that will ever happen to every single character in the future. All that said, the good parts are just good enough that I might recommend it to people. But t could have been a great one, and that's a real bummer.