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yodamom's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
A heart wrenching, wonderfully written book that was so unexpected I'm slightly in shock. It was revoltingly beautiful. It was about a sweet girl who had the worst mother, or was she ? She was angry, she was violent, she was majorly screwed up by her history. I saw bits of some of my own childhood, some of the ugly bits and was blasted into some acceptance of where I came from, where my mother and grandparents came from and the events that made me, me. Life is never black and white, sometimes it’s red and angry. This is not a happy book, it is a book that will make you sick and open you up to the horrible pain of several people who collide and burn. Still I thought it was beautiful, a horrible ugly beauty.
What worked in tis story very well was Ambrose. He was a complex character, smart and he had decent lines. He carried the book, he was tough, troubled and new.
This book, Arguh !!! It was so beautiful with the fish and the descriptions of their peaceful world. The resemblance to human beings and our complicated issues. The story starts with the simple life of a girl who loves the aquarium, the undersea life. She absorbs every detail, from the shades of the water to the texture of the fins. Being a huge aquarium junkie I can relate to her need to be there. It was a safe place for her, because she had few places that she felt safe.
Then is was the ugliest thing. Her mother, a young uneducated, angry, hateful, vengeful, single and screwed up by her history lashes out at her daughter at the world and anyone who gets in her vision. She is a difficult person to read about, she was truly viscous, and disgusting. I couldn’t imagine her getting worse at the half way point, she did, much worse. It was so horrifying I was in tears. I hated her, wished for her to die, life would be better without this person. Yes, a truly awful character. The author never tried to make her better, to see the light, but he did make her understood. I did understand her, I still hated her, I never forgave her. This character went farther, darker then any I’ve read before.
The desperate feeling of the lives written on the pages filled me with sorrow, hope and so much hope for them. The moments with the fish and an old man, tied the lines between the worlds and left time to breath and recover from that ugly thing happening.
story_admin's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
emja's review against another edition
3.0
Lu dans sa traduction française. J’ai trouvé le pitch de départ intrigant. On aime tout de suite Caitlin et le vieux monsieur qu’elle rencontre à l’aquarium.
J’ai été beaucoup moins convaincue par le personnage de Sheri, qui manquait, selon moi, de nuances. J’ai trouvé également que la fin aurait pu faire quelques pages de plus (on ne voit pas très bien l’évolution de la relation entre Sheri et Bob).
J’ai été beaucoup moins convaincue par le personnage de Sheri, qui manquait, selon moi, de nuances. J’ai trouvé également que la fin aurait pu faire quelques pages de plus (on ne voit pas très bien l’évolution de la relation entre Sheri et Bob).
pagesofkim's review against another edition
4.0
Initially, I didn't care much for this book. As I continued to read, though, I developed mixed feelings for it and ended up liking it. I didn't really like the fish references... I felt it cast a dark shadow on the book in some way. It was like I just wanted to get through those parts really quickly so I could get back to the story. I also wasn't a fan of the author not using quotation marks.
I give this book 4 stars, because the last half of the book kept me entwined in Caitlyn's story. At times, I wanted to reach into the book and choke her mother! What a wreck! This book takes the reader through a roller coaster of emotions and I still can't stop thinking about it.
I give this book 4 stars, because the last half of the book kept me entwined in Caitlyn's story. At times, I wanted to reach into the book and choke her mother! What a wreck! This book takes the reader through a roller coaster of emotions and I still can't stop thinking about it.
carolyn0613's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great book for the YA reader. The characters are interesting and well written and the story is gritty and real.
wkmiller's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
apol27's review against another edition
5.0
wow. this book just became more powerful with each page. the story seems so easy and innocent to start, then turns so raw and brutal, the characters so real you can feel them.
thestoryowl's review against another edition
4.0
I was very impressed with the depth of the characters and I felt the familial relationships were well treated. A heavy subject matter treated well for teens looking for drama.