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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
I thought The Truth About Alice was just okay. I was intrigued by it, since I've seen it floating around, and decided to give it a read. I do like that it's a different take on slut-shaming and bullying, and that you see how other people see Alice. And I really like how Mathieu plays with the stereotypes- the popular girl hosting the party (Elaine), the former best friend (Kelsie), the best friend of the guy who died in a car accident because of Alice (Brandon), and the nerd who has a crush on Alice and is the only person willing to talk to her (Kurt). These are the people who tell Alice's story before we finally hear from Alice herself at the end of the book. I found myself hating pretty much all of the characters (except for Kurt who is pretty awesome, and Elaine, the popular girl because at least she owned it). I feel like we don't really get to know who Alice really is, because we pretty much see her through the eyes of other people. It makes me wish we got more than one chapter at the end of the book from her perspective.
I kind of don't blame her for not speaking up (at least that we see) because I'd probably do the same thing in her position. It is sort of frustrating, but her classmates also seem like the sort of people who wouldn't care what really happened, if they're anything like Elaine, Kelsie and Brandon. While the idea of multiple narrators was interesting, especially given that we don't really see Alice's side, something about it didn't completely work for me.
Rating: 2 stars. It was just okay, and it was an interesting way to tell a story that also didn't work as well as it could have.
Merged review:
I thought The Truth About Alice was just okay. I was intrigued by it, since I've seen it floating around, and decided to give it a read. I do like that it's a different take on slut-shaming and bullying, and that you see how other people see Alice. And I really like how Mathieu plays with the stereotypes- the popular girl hosting the party (Elaine), the former best friend (Kelsie), the best friend of the guy who died in a car accident because of Alice (Brandon), and the nerd who has a crush on Alice and is the only person willing to talk to her (Kurt). These are the people who tell Alice's story before we finally hear from Alice herself at the end of the book. I found myself hating pretty much all of the characters (except for Kurt who is pretty awesome, and Elaine, the popular girl because at least she owned it). I feel like we don't really get to know who Alice really is, because we pretty much see her through the eyes of other people. It makes me wish we got more than one chapter at the end of the book from her perspective.
I kind of don't blame her for not speaking up (at least that we see) because I'd probably do the same thing in her position. It is sort of frustrating, but her classmates also seem like the sort of people who wouldn't care what really happened, if they're anything like Elaine, Kelsie and Brandon. While the idea of multiple narrators was interesting, especially given that we don't really see Alice's side, something about it didn't completely work for me.
Rating: 2 stars. It was just okay, and it was an interesting way to tell a story that also didn't work as well as it could have.
I kind of don't blame her for not speaking up (at least that we see) because I'd probably do the same thing in her position. It is sort of frustrating, but her classmates also seem like the sort of people who wouldn't care what really happened, if they're anything like Elaine, Kelsie and Brandon. While the idea of multiple narrators was interesting, especially given that we don't really see Alice's side, something about it didn't completely work for me.
Rating: 2 stars. It was just okay, and it was an interesting way to tell a story that also didn't work as well as it could have.
Merged review:
I thought The Truth About Alice was just okay. I was intrigued by it, since I've seen it floating around, and decided to give it a read. I do like that it's a different take on slut-shaming and bullying, and that you see how other people see Alice. And I really like how Mathieu plays with the stereotypes- the popular girl hosting the party (Elaine), the former best friend (Kelsie), the best friend of the guy who died in a car accident because of Alice (Brandon), and the nerd who has a crush on Alice and is the only person willing to talk to her (Kurt). These are the people who tell Alice's story before we finally hear from Alice herself at the end of the book. I found myself hating pretty much all of the characters (except for Kurt who is pretty awesome, and Elaine, the popular girl because at least she owned it). I feel like we don't really get to know who Alice really is, because we pretty much see her through the eyes of other people. It makes me wish we got more than one chapter at the end of the book from her perspective.
I kind of don't blame her for not speaking up (at least that we see) because I'd probably do the same thing in her position. It is sort of frustrating, but her classmates also seem like the sort of people who wouldn't care what really happened, if they're anything like Elaine, Kelsie and Brandon. While the idea of multiple narrators was interesting, especially given that we don't really see Alice's side, something about it didn't completely work for me.
Rating: 2 stars. It was just okay, and it was an interesting way to tell a story that also didn't work as well as it could have.
The Truth About Alice was a tough look into a small Texas high school. Coming from a town(and most likely a high school) similar to the one in the book, The Truth About Alice definitely made me think about things that happened in high school and the way teenagers in my school interacted and related to each other(in both very positive and very negative ways).
The most intriguing aspect of The Truth About Alice is the way it’s narrated. There are four main narrators, each who have a first person point-of-view, and none of them are Alice. Even though she’s the titular character and the person the book is ultimately about, as readers we really only get to see Alice through other people’s eyes until the end of the novel.
Split Point of View is difficult to get right, but I was impressed by the four characters in The Truth About Alice. For the most part, their voices were easily distinguished. I did have a little bit of trouble telling Elaine and Kelsie apart, but as they’re friends in the same social circle and have some similarities, it made sense that their narrative voices would sound fairly similar. I really loved this choice to make each of these four characters reflect and interact with Alice, without ever letting the reader see inside Alice’s head. It made The Truth About Alice actually sort of feel like the small-town gossip train, but in a way that still let you peak at the truth. Because why it’s fairly clear from the outset that Alice didn’t do half the things that are rumored about her, we really get to see why people would create these rumors and how it affects Alice from an outsider’s perspective.
I was so nervous about The Truth About Alice considering the subject matter. I knew this was either going to be a really great, important book, or that it could fall horribly flat. It did NOT fall flat, by the way. The entire book I felt so sympathetic towards Alice and even though it was tough to read at times, I think it was important. Vicious rumors like this happen and it really can ruin someone’s year or complete high school experience.
The way Mathieu wrote the four teenagers who gossiped about Alice(or in the case of Kurt, just interacted with her), was so well-done. I hated Elaine, Kelsie, and Josh at times, but then at other times I wanted to give them a hug too. They were all so well-written and had so much depth. Each of them had their own struggles and even though the things they did or that they said were often horrible, I can’t say that any of them were particularly malicious to the core. Which made the premise of The Truth About Alice all the more heartbreaking. There are these teenagers doing these awful things to Alice, but then you get inside their heads and while you still want to yell at them for their actions, you realize they’re not completely evil or terrible. They’re trying to protect themselves or are lashing out from hurt and anger and unfortunately, Alice takes the fall for it.
Even though it hurt my heart multiple times, I thought The Truth About Alice was an excellent read. It really showed some of the horrible things that these types of rumors and gossip about girls can cause, and also gave insight into multiple characters. I thought all the characters were beautifully written, even if I wanted to smack some of them at times. My only issue is that this book brings up a lot of rumors and eventually the truths about Alice–and all other characters as well. That’s all great, but some of the stories for the other characters weren’t really wrapped up. It just seemed a little much to cram into a short book. That aside, this book was stunning, and I’d gladly hand it to any high school student.
This review originally appeared on Book.Blog.Bake.
The most intriguing aspect of The Truth About Alice is the way it’s narrated. There are four main narrators, each who have a first person point-of-view, and none of them are Alice. Even though she’s the titular character and the person the book is ultimately about, as readers we really only get to see Alice through other people’s eyes until the end of the novel.
Split Point of View is difficult to get right, but I was impressed by the four characters in The Truth About Alice. For the most part, their voices were easily distinguished. I did have a little bit of trouble telling Elaine and Kelsie apart, but as they’re friends in the same social circle and have some similarities, it made sense that their narrative voices would sound fairly similar. I really loved this choice to make each of these four characters reflect and interact with Alice, without ever letting the reader see inside Alice’s head. It made The Truth About Alice actually sort of feel like the small-town gossip train, but in a way that still let you peak at the truth. Because why it’s fairly clear from the outset that Alice didn’t do half the things that are rumored about her, we really get to see why people would create these rumors and how it affects Alice from an outsider’s perspective.
I was so nervous about The Truth About Alice considering the subject matter. I knew this was either going to be a really great, important book, or that it could fall horribly flat. It did NOT fall flat, by the way. The entire book I felt so sympathetic towards Alice and even though it was tough to read at times, I think it was important. Vicious rumors like this happen and it really can ruin someone’s year or complete high school experience.
The way Mathieu wrote the four teenagers who gossiped about Alice(or in the case of Kurt, just interacted with her), was so well-done. I hated Elaine, Kelsie, and Josh at times, but then at other times I wanted to give them a hug too. They were all so well-written and had so much depth. Each of them had their own struggles and even though the things they did or that they said were often horrible, I can’t say that any of them were particularly malicious to the core. Which made the premise of The Truth About Alice all the more heartbreaking. There are these teenagers doing these awful things to Alice, but then you get inside their heads and while you still want to yell at them for their actions, you realize they’re not completely evil or terrible. They’re trying to protect themselves or are lashing out from hurt and anger and unfortunately, Alice takes the fall for it.
Even though it hurt my heart multiple times, I thought The Truth About Alice was an excellent read. It really showed some of the horrible things that these types of rumors and gossip about girls can cause, and also gave insight into multiple characters. I thought all the characters were beautifully written, even if I wanted to smack some of them at times. My only issue is that this book brings up a lot of rumors and eventually the truths about Alice–and all other characters as well. That’s all great, but some of the stories for the other characters weren’t really wrapped up. It just seemed a little much to cram into a short book. That aside, this book was stunning, and I’d gladly hand it to any high school student.
This review originally appeared on Book.Blog.Bake.
Everybody knows the truth about Alice.
Everyone knows she slept with two guys in one night at Elaine’s party.Everyone knows she’s responsible for the star quarterback’s death.
Everybody knows she’s a slut.
Yes, everybody is sure they know the truth about Alice. But those who have told the “Truth” have their own secrets.
A powerful and timely book. I highly recommend it.
Full review at: http://writingboutreading.wordpress.com/2014/04/16/truth-and-consequences/
Everyone knows she slept with two guys in one night at Elaine’s party.Everyone knows she’s responsible for the star quarterback’s death.
Everybody knows she’s a slut.
Yes, everybody is sure they know the truth about Alice. But those who have told the “Truth” have their own secrets.
A powerful and timely book. I highly recommend it.
Full review at: http://writingboutreading.wordpress.com/2014/04/16/truth-and-consequences/
Hoy voy a reseñar el libro de Jennifer Mathieu "Te conté lo de Alice?
Alice Franklin es una adolescente de un pueblo de Texas, que vive su vida normalmente como cualquier chica de Estados Unidos, va a la escuela, tiene amigas, trabaja para juntar plata para sus cosas, tiene cierta personalidad que la distingue del resto. Un día después de una fiesta en la casa de la popular de la escuela, el capitán del equipo de fútbol americano cuenta a todos que él y un muchacho universitario tuvieron sexo con ella durante esa reunión...de allí en más comenzará un calvario de hostigamiento para Alice, que se verá agravado tras el accidente que le costará la vida al capitan del equipo que, según dicen los rumores, leía mensajes de contenido sexual que Alice le enviaba mientras conducía su camioneta.
Repasá tu primaria/secundaria, no había una chica o chico a la cual se dejaba de lado por alguna cuestión en particular? Bueno, te cuento que eso era bullying. A veces tenemos la sensación de que antes no había bullying en las escuelas, que es algo nuevo...pero si te pones a reflexionar siempre existió, tal vez hoy con la existencia de las redes sociales se haga más masivo... Lo que sí sé, es el dolor que causa. Lo he visto. Y podría decirse, que mientras leía este libro, recordé que lo he vivido. Un día mis compañeras de profesorado decidieron no hablarme más, darme vuelta la cara, no saludarme y demas bellezas de ese estilo... hice como que no me afectaba...pero no fue así...ayer mientras terminaba de leer este libro, me quedé pensando y recordando el dolor que sentí a mis 19 años cuando viví eso...y no fue agradable la sensación...tengo 44 años y recuerdo esa tristeza...yo que jamás había tenido problemas así, que siempre me llevaba bien con todo el mundo. Consecuencias? Tarde un año más en recibirme, no quería ir a rendir finales pq no quería verlas. Mantengo las mismas amigas desde los 13 años, y me cuesta mucho abrir esa puerta a personas nuevas...
Pero bueno, basta de terapia. Que me pareció el libro? Que se los haría leer a los pibes y pibas con los que laburo que si tenés hijes se los compre, y lo leas con elles. Porque nadie está exento de vivir algo así. O, lo que es peor, de hacerle vivir a otres esa experiencia dolorosa. Mi puntaje: 5 Marinas
Alice Franklin es una adolescente de un pueblo de Texas, que vive su vida normalmente como cualquier chica de Estados Unidos, va a la escuela, tiene amigas, trabaja para juntar plata para sus cosas, tiene cierta personalidad que la distingue del resto. Un día después de una fiesta en la casa de la popular de la escuela, el capitán del equipo de fútbol americano cuenta a todos que él y un muchacho universitario tuvieron sexo con ella durante esa reunión...de allí en más comenzará un calvario de hostigamiento para Alice, que se verá agravado tras el accidente que le costará la vida al capitan del equipo que, según dicen los rumores, leía mensajes de contenido sexual que Alice le enviaba mientras conducía su camioneta.
Repasá tu primaria/secundaria, no había una chica o chico a la cual se dejaba de lado por alguna cuestión en particular? Bueno, te cuento que eso era bullying. A veces tenemos la sensación de que antes no había bullying en las escuelas, que es algo nuevo...pero si te pones a reflexionar siempre existió, tal vez hoy con la existencia de las redes sociales se haga más masivo... Lo que sí sé, es el dolor que causa. Lo he visto. Y podría decirse, que mientras leía este libro, recordé que lo he vivido. Un día mis compañeras de profesorado decidieron no hablarme más, darme vuelta la cara, no saludarme y demas bellezas de ese estilo... hice como que no me afectaba...pero no fue así...ayer mientras terminaba de leer este libro, me quedé pensando y recordando el dolor que sentí a mis 19 años cuando viví eso...y no fue agradable la sensación...tengo 44 años y recuerdo esa tristeza...yo que jamás había tenido problemas así, que siempre me llevaba bien con todo el mundo. Consecuencias? Tarde un año más en recibirme, no quería ir a rendir finales pq no quería verlas. Mantengo las mismas amigas desde los 13 años, y me cuesta mucho abrir esa puerta a personas nuevas...
Pero bueno, basta de terapia. Que me pareció el libro? Que se los haría leer a los pibes y pibas con los que laburo que si tenés hijes se los compre, y lo leas con elles. Porque nadie está exento de vivir algo así. O, lo que es peor, de hacerle vivir a otres esa experiencia dolorosa. Mi puntaje: 5 Marinas
Disappointed
This book started off bad and got worse with each page. it was very hard to follow and had no clear story line other than rumors about Alice. No one ever admitted to the public that they had lied on her so to me the storyline could use a lot of work. I would not recommend this book to a seasoned reader however for the age bracket of 14_15 I'd say it fits that age.
This book started off bad and got worse with each page. it was very hard to follow and had no clear story line other than rumors about Alice. No one ever admitted to the public that they had lied on her so to me the storyline could use a lot of work. I would not recommend this book to a seasoned reader however for the age bracket of 14_15 I'd say it fits that age.
It didn’t really have any resolution or any point. Felt like it had just gotten started with character development. I’m not sure why it wasn’t longer. Super disappointed.
Great book on rumors and bullying in high school. The characters are fully realized and are engaging.
Everyone seems to drink way, way more than what seems realistic, though.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. Thank you. I finally read it!
Everyone seems to drink way, way more than what seems realistic, though.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. Thank you. I finally read it!
This was of course more along the YA genre but it was a good read. It's been a long time since I was in high school, but it seems the dynamics are about the same. This book was very well written and showed great strength along with great weakness. Based on the synopsis we know that rumors get spread about Alice. Throughout the book we learn the truth from many different POV's and I don't want to give anything away. We see great strength from Alice herself by holding her head up and from Kurt. We see great weakness from everyone who helped to spread the rumors and believe them without even bothering to ask Alice what happened. It was a great book for teens and adults.