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ginnikin's review against another edition
I tried. I read the reviews that said, ooooh, twisty. But I just couldn't make it. *shrug* Not for me.
kblincoln's review against another edition
5.0
Unreliable narrators get me every time. And when you've got an angry, tennis-star with a fiercely protective older brother and a little sister he loves in a private school making anti-social choices because of some event he fears/craves tied to the full moon...well I'm hooked.
This probably isn't a book for everyone, though, Winston isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. He's violent, and hurts the people around him in various ways seemingly without an ounce of remorse.
But he's broken. And that's why he wormed his way into my heart. This is not an easy story. I could make parallel comparisons to Justine Larbalestier's Liar, wherein her unreliable narrator Micah Wilkins also seems to be crazy, but where Liar went one direction, Charm & Strange is definitely going down a darker, harder to swallow route.
There's lots of time jumping. Most of the time Winston and his friends spend hanging around talking at school or at parties or in the woods. You have to be tolerant of ambiguity, because Kuehn keeps some mysteries, that you suspect in that pins-and-needles don't really want to know what's going on way, but truth is held off until the end on many levels. And then when it ends, it's over. And you're left with a broken heart for Winston and his siblings.
Heart-rending portrait of an angry boy verging on the psychotic whose friends don't entirely give up on him. Nothing's explicit, but many mature themes are hinted at. While YA in sensibility, this is definitely for the older YA crowd.
This probably isn't a book for everyone, though, Winston isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. He's violent, and hurts the people around him in various ways seemingly without an ounce of remorse.
But he's broken. And that's why he wormed his way into my heart. This is not an easy story. I could make parallel comparisons to Justine Larbalestier's Liar, wherein her unreliable narrator Micah Wilkins also seems to be crazy, but where Liar went one direction, Charm & Strange is definitely going down a darker, harder to swallow route.
There's lots of time jumping. Most of the time Winston and his friends spend hanging around talking at school or at parties or in the woods. You have to be tolerant of ambiguity, because Kuehn keeps some mysteries, that you suspect in that pins-and-needles don't really want to know what's going on way, but truth is held off until the end on many levels. And then when it ends, it's over. And you're left with a broken heart for Winston and his siblings.
Heart-rending portrait of an angry boy verging on the psychotic whose friends don't entirely give up on him. Nothing's explicit, but many mature themes are hinted at. While YA in sensibility, this is definitely for the older YA crowd.
litwrite's review against another edition
4.0
Such a sad, well-written, heartbreaker of a novel. Not long, but I would say the perfect length. Werewolf as metaphor for puberty and growing up is not really new - it was handled exceedingly well in the excellent Canadian film Gingersnaps, but I also like the way it was handled here with the sinister undertones and the big reveal at the end. Kuehn works with the imagery very effectively and creates a dreamlike atmosphere that really succeeded for me.
I think this would be a great low budget indie flick, someone could handle this really well as to me it really had the air of let's say, Jeffrey Eugenides' [b:The Virgin Suicides|10956|The Virgin Suicides|Jeffrey Eugenides|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1319032910s/10956.jpg|812415], though obviously from a completely different POV.
I think this would be a great low budget indie flick, someone could handle this really well as to me it really had the air of let's say, Jeffrey Eugenides' [b:The Virgin Suicides|10956|The Virgin Suicides|Jeffrey Eugenides|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1319032910s/10956.jpg|812415], though obviously from a completely different POV.
petitesser's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
thegabecole's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5
Intense, unsettling and unexpected. Read it in basically one sitting because I needed answers to so many questions. Definitely a powerful read.
Intense, unsettling and unexpected. Read it in basically one sitting because I needed answers to so many questions. Definitely a powerful read.
ericadeb's review against another edition
Why would you give this to a kid to read?? It is so messed up! I going to have insane dreams.
dandelionjelly's review against another edition
4.0
(WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS)
I won this book in a giveaway, and although it interested me, I was worried it would be another cheesy teen novel. After I got the book in the mail, it took me a couple of days to actually want to read it. But, I eventually did.
I started and finished the book in one night. In the first half of the book, I was already groaning a little because Kuehn does a very good job at disguising the full point of the story. The book almost has you believe it is some sort of werewolf book. I like some books involving that, but, I admit, there's a lot of those kinds of books coming out and I hoped it wasn't like it. As the story moves forward, it pulls you in because you get a little confused, which makes you want to push further to understand what is going on. The main character, Andrew/Winston, is a strange character that has you wondering who he really is.
Once I started the second half of the book, I was completely glued to the pages. Slowly but surely his real background starts coming into view. When I started realizing what was really going on, I had a lot of "oh, wow" moments for this character. Kuehn did an excellent job in keeping me wondering.
This book would be an especially good choice for anyone into psychology; the twisted and strange events that cause the character's mental breakdowns are stomach-turning and heartbreaking. The book's mystery and psychology make an incredible combination for a book that you won't want to put down, and a book that will be hard to forget.
I won this book in a giveaway, and although it interested me, I was worried it would be another cheesy teen novel. After I got the book in the mail, it took me a couple of days to actually want to read it. But, I eventually did.
I started and finished the book in one night. In the first half of the book, I was already groaning a little because Kuehn does a very good job at disguising the full point of the story. The book almost has you believe it is some sort of werewolf book. I like some books involving that, but, I admit, there's a lot of those kinds of books coming out and I hoped it wasn't like it. As the story moves forward, it pulls you in because you get a little confused, which makes you want to push further to understand what is going on. The main character, Andrew/Winston, is a strange character that has you wondering who he really is.
Once I started the second half of the book, I was completely glued to the pages. Slowly but surely his real background starts coming into view. When I started realizing what was really going on, I had a lot of "oh, wow" moments for this character. Kuehn did an excellent job in keeping me wondering.
This book would be an especially good choice for anyone into psychology; the twisted and strange events that cause the character's mental breakdowns are stomach-turning and heartbreaking. The book's mystery and psychology make an incredible combination for a book that you won't want to put down, and a book that will be hard to forget.
momo1129's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, and Suicide attempt