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lyrareadsbooks's review
5.0
This is a gem of a young adult book and one I will not hesitate to share with my daughter and her friends. Jolia is a relatable heroine with self-esteem issues. Her faults are obvious to her, but through her interactions with others, it becomes clear that others don't see her the same way she sees herself. This message resonated with me and I'm sure that many other readers, male or female, can relate.
In order to keep her grades up, Jolia must join the speech team, something unthinkable to the young woman who is terrified to speak up in class. Her journey includes not just personal discovery, but the author also reveals keen insight into friendships, rivalries, bullying and the thrill of becoming who you are meant to be.
In order to keep her grades up, Jolia must join the speech team, something unthinkable to the young woman who is terrified to speak up in class. Her journey includes not just personal discovery, but the author also reveals keen insight into friendships, rivalries, bullying and the thrill of becoming who you are meant to be.
lilfrowggie's review
5.0
A delightful encounter with a teenager finding her voice. I was drawn in by the strong internal world of Jolia, her struggles with her place and herself. I grew to love and identify with characters.. Tory and Jolia were particular favorites. However, I struggled with the action as Jolia begins to find her voice, we lose so much of her view on the world and are instead brought, painfully at times, into the daily he-said-she-said world of high school dramatics. All-in-all, it was a pleasant read and great for YA or a beach read.
geleeregina's review
4.0
"Speech Team Reality TV"
The story was well paced, thoughtful and made me laugh in several spots. It reminded me of high school and all the drama involved. It was a unique perspective of someone who has a phobia about public speaking being on the high school speech team. After reading, I need to revisit several novels mentioned in the story, just to re-experience them. :) The story had some minor movement issues in the flow, as perhaps it needed to be fleshed out a bit more, especially at the end, but overall it was a sweet, funny read. I'm looking forward to other titles by the author.
This was a listen for me rather than a read. I'm delighted by Ms. Klanac's performance. Both her male & female voices were distinct from each other and well done. :) She will be a performer to keep an eye on!
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.
The story was well paced, thoughtful and made me laugh in several spots. It reminded me of high school and all the drama involved. It was a unique perspective of someone who has a phobia about public speaking being on the high school speech team. After reading, I need to revisit several novels mentioned in the story, just to re-experience them. :) The story had some minor movement issues in the flow, as perhaps it needed to be fleshed out a bit more, especially at the end, but overall it was a sweet, funny read. I'm looking forward to other titles by the author.
This was a listen for me rather than a read. I'm delighted by Ms. Klanac's performance. Both her male & female voices were distinct from each other and well done. :) She will be a performer to keep an eye on!
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.
see_sadie_read's review
3.0
This had many of the elements of contemporary YA literature that I dislike: the pretty girl who doesn't know she's pretty, the boy who solves her problems and gives her her confidence back, all the girls outside the main character's circle were horrible, etc. (Well, so was her best friend. That girl should have taken long walk off a very short pier. She was horrible, but forgiven without even apologizing and I was angered by it more than the other mean girls.)
Despite having plenty of elements I disliked, it was also smart and witty, had a clean narrative voice and relatable high school experience. All of which I enjoyed. Additionally, Ashley Klanac did a good job with the audiobook narration. So, end the end I enjoyed listening to The Fie Art of Keeping Quiet, even if I sneered at certain bits of it.
Despite having plenty of elements I disliked, it was also smart and witty, had a clean narrative voice and relatable high school experience. All of which I enjoyed. Additionally, Ashley Klanac did a good job with the audiobook narration. So, end the end I enjoyed listening to The Fie Art of Keeping Quiet, even if I sneered at certain bits of it.
susan_loves_stories's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nixwolfwood's review
5.0
I was given an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
To be honest, I wasn't sure what I'd think of this book. I recently subscribed to an audiobook list that sends out audible review requests once a week. There was nothing else on the list I was really interested in, so I applied on a whim. The next day I found out I had been given an audible code in exchange for the review.
A week or so goes by, and I decide it's time to actually give it a listen. I really have no expectations for it. I've never heard of the author and there aren't many reviews on either amazon or goodreads.
To say this story surprised me would be an understatement.
The entire time I'm listening to it, I'm either yelling at it for someone's insolence, laughing because of some hilarity, or face palming because of how often something huge was not dealt with properly as the characters thought they could handle it on their own.
I finished this one in a day. Instead of sleeping. I had to go find headphones so I could listen to it after everyone was asleep. ... I hate headphones. That's how much I NEEDED to finish this one.
Also, and this is a very important thing. The author is totally a Whovian. She mentions it several times! The first time, Jolia is wearing a Doctor Who shirt with pajama pants. Which happens to be EXACTLY what I was wearing at the time.
I plan on checking out more stories from Charity Tahmaseb after this one.I really enjoyed how real this story was. Also, it made me miss speech class. Which I only took for one summer semester back when I was 13 or so... but I loved it! (I spent the entire summer talking in an accent and managed to convince the entire class that I was from England...)
Ah, and Ashley Klanac, the narrator, I was pleased with her as well. Quite interested in checking out more of her narrations. She's done a few other books that I'm interested in.
Highly recommend The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet. Read it immediately!
5/5 Platypires
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/the-fine-art-of-keeping-quiet-by-charity-tahmaseb
To be honest, I wasn't sure what I'd think of this book. I recently subscribed to an audiobook list that sends out audible review requests once a week. There was nothing else on the list I was really interested in, so I applied on a whim. The next day I found out I had been given an audible code in exchange for the review.
A week or so goes by, and I decide it's time to actually give it a listen. I really have no expectations for it. I've never heard of the author and there aren't many reviews on either amazon or goodreads.
To say this story surprised me would be an understatement.
The entire time I'm listening to it, I'm either yelling at it for someone's insolence, laughing because of some hilarity, or face palming because of how often something huge was not dealt with properly as the characters thought they could handle it on their own.
I finished this one in a day. Instead of sleeping. I had to go find headphones so I could listen to it after everyone was asleep. ... I hate headphones. That's how much I NEEDED to finish this one.
Also, and this is a very important thing. The author is totally a Whovian. She mentions it several times! The first time, Jolia is wearing a Doctor Who shirt with pajama pants. Which happens to be EXACTLY what I was wearing at the time.
I plan on checking out more stories from Charity Tahmaseb after this one.I really enjoyed how real this story was. Also, it made me miss speech class. Which I only took for one summer semester back when I was 13 or so... but I loved it! (I spent the entire summer talking in an accent and managed to convince the entire class that I was from England...)
Ah, and Ashley Klanac, the narrator, I was pleased with her as well. Quite interested in checking out more of her narrations. She's done a few other books that I'm interested in.
Highly recommend The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet. Read it immediately!
5/5 Platypires
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/the-fine-art-of-keeping-quiet-by-charity-tahmaseb
renee_conoulty's review against another edition
4.0
A beautiful young adult novel about friendship and developing self confidence.
Jolia's self confidence plummeted when she got braces and was bullied at school. Now that her braces are off, she is still doesn't believe in herself and has a phobia of public speaking. This is causing her to fail the oral presentation section of her classes. The best way for her to pick up her grades is to join the Speech Club.
I found Jolia very relatable, as I also had braces at her age, was bullied and was quite shy. The narrator was well spoken and easy to listen to.
I recieved this book free in exchange for an honest review.
Jolia's self confidence plummeted when she got braces and was bullied at school. Now that her braces are off, she is still doesn't believe in herself and has a phobia of public speaking. This is causing her to fail the oral presentation section of her classes. The best way for her to pick up her grades is to join the Speech Club.
I found Jolia very relatable, as I also had braces at her age, was bullied and was quite shy. The narrator was well spoken and easy to listen to.
I recieved this book free in exchange for an honest review.
ccopeland28's review against another edition
4.0
Finally a YA book where life as a teenager is relatable to how I remember it being! It seems today's more popular YA books depict teenagers living extravagant lifestyles where no one has a job and yet they all have an endless supply of money, alcohol, nice cars, and no rules to live by. I'm always screaming in my head "Where are the parents?!?!" This book is refreshing in that it is the story of high school students who have involved parents, they have to ride the bus or be picked up by a parent, they get grounded, and so many other things that I suffered through as a teenager.
The plot of the story revolves around the main character, Jolia, unwillingly joining the speech team and the struggles she faces due to deep-seated (and unmerited) self-image issues. Luckily, her friend Sam is there to help her develop her public speaking skills, but he attends a different high school and so he is actually the competition. Thus, Jolia and Sam must meet in secret to practice, sneak around at competitions, and covertly text each other. Another spoke in this wheel is Jolia's best friend, Caro, who has an overprotective mother which results in Caro having to lie to her in order to attend even the tamest of social functions - and heaven forbid that her mom find out about her new boyfriend, Jeremy. Quite a few times Jolia finds herself in situations where she has to decide between Sam or Caro. Been there - done that.
All in all, this was an enjoyable story with a sugar-coated ending. My rating: 3.5 Stars
________________
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The plot of the story revolves around the main character, Jolia, unwillingly joining the speech team and the struggles she faces due to deep-seated (and unmerited) self-image issues. Luckily, her friend Sam is there to help her develop her public speaking skills, but he attends a different high school and so he is actually the competition. Thus, Jolia and Sam must meet in secret to practice, sneak around at competitions, and covertly text each other. Another spoke in this wheel is Jolia's best friend, Caro, who has an overprotective mother which results in Caro having to lie to her in order to attend even the tamest of social functions - and heaven forbid that her mom find out about her new boyfriend, Jeremy. Quite a few times Jolia finds herself in situations where she has to decide between Sam or Caro. Been there - done that.
All in all, this was an enjoyable story with a sugar-coated ending. My rating: 3.5 Stars
________________
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
see_sadie_read's review against another edition
3.0
This had many of the elements of contemporary YA literature that I dislike: the pretty girl who doesn't know she's pretty, the boy who solves her problems and gives her her confidence back, all the girls outside the main character's circle were horrible, etc. (Well, so was her best friend. That girl should have taken long walk off a very short pier. She was horrible, but forgiven without even apologizing and I was angered by it more than the other mean girls.)
Despite having plenty of elements I disliked, it was also smart and witty, had a clean narrative voice and relatable high school experience. All of which I enjoyed. Additionally, Ashley Klanac did a good job with the audiobook narration. So, end the end I enjoyed listening to The Fie Art of Keeping Quiet, even if I sneered at certain bits of it.
Despite having plenty of elements I disliked, it was also smart and witty, had a clean narrative voice and relatable high school experience. All of which I enjoyed. Additionally, Ashley Klanac did a good job with the audiobook narration. So, end the end I enjoyed listening to The Fie Art of Keeping Quiet, even if I sneered at certain bits of it.
petra_reads's review against another edition
4.0
A charming young adult novel about friendship, bullying, developing self-confidence and finding your voice. Jolia who is fearful of public speaking is forced to join the speech team in order to get the grade she requires.
The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet is a well written, heart warming story with some sweet, first love romance that many teenagers will be able to relate to. Well paced, with some great humor and thoughtful, realistic observations on growing up.
The narration by Ashley Klanac was very well done. Voices used for the different characters were easily distinguishable and her pace and intonation excellent.
A solid 4 star listen!
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.
The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet is a well written, heart warming story with some sweet, first love romance that many teenagers will be able to relate to. Well paced, with some great humor and thoughtful, realistic observations on growing up.
The narration by Ashley Klanac was very well done. Voices used for the different characters were easily distinguishable and her pace and intonation excellent.
A solid 4 star listen!
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.