Scan barcode
mandypandyrox's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
themadmadmadeline's review against another edition
2.0
The nostalgic look at the 1970's was very entertaining and pleasant to read. However, the book definitely didn't keep me reading because of the quality of the writing- it proved to be a very easy read with a "bathtub novel" kind of feel.
I despised the parents of both Alison and Kate- I mean, I don't think you're supposed to like them (the author personified them with the easy parenting style of the 70's for a reason), but I had trouble trucking through some of the more frustrating parts of the novel.
Overall, the book didn't really inspire me. I loved the 1970's references and the perfect set-up and descriptions of a small town in Connecticut, but I would recommend the novel only to the most specific niche of reader.
I despised the parents of both Alison and Kate- I mean, I don't think you're supposed to like them (the author personified them with the easy parenting style of the 70's for a reason), but I had trouble trucking through some of the more frustrating parts of the novel.
Overall, the book didn't really inspire me. I loved the 1970's references and the perfect set-up and descriptions of a small town in Connecticut, but I would recommend the novel only to the most specific niche of reader.
gaderianne's review against another edition
3.0
I like how these two friends escape from their world by writing a "history" story where everything is of their own invention and works out in the end. Unfortunately the real ended isn't as imagined. This was a very sad story - reading about how the parents treated their children (shooting their horses in front of them at point blank range, doing drugs around them, etc).
marthagal's review against another edition
4.0
Things I liked about this book:
1) I liked the realistic (and searing) way adolescent meanness was depicted; I think this is the first book in a LONG time that has made me remember what it was like to be in middle school and how mean people could be. (Including, of course *cringe* me.)
2) I liked how it was set in the 70s, and how it made me think about how different (or not) it would have been to grow up then instead of the early 90s.
3) I liked the crazy parents. Mine are so boring and normal, there was no drama like this.
4) I liked the scolosis story. I think most teenagers feel like there's something "wrong" with them, physically or not, and I thought this book used the scolosis to explore this more obviously.
1) I liked the realistic (and searing) way adolescent meanness was depicted; I think this is the first book in a LONG time that has made me remember what it was like to be in middle school and how mean people could be. (Including, of course *cringe* me.)
2) I liked how it was set in the 70s, and how it made me think about how different (or not) it would have been to grow up then instead of the early 90s.
3) I liked the crazy parents. Mine are so boring and normal, there was no drama like this.
4) I liked the scolosis story. I think most teenagers feel like there's something "wrong" with them, physically or not, and I thought this book used the scolosis to explore this more obviously.
randybo5's review against another edition
2.0
A decent portrayal of the insecurities of being new and 13.
chellemerrill's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Suicide
Moderate: Animal death
zkaraim's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
suncoyote's review against another edition
2.0
Sometimes I think I should work as an editor. I see so often how authors don't leave enough bread crumbs for us to follow to their huge denouement. They think they're building this wonderful rise into a crashing crescendo, but fail to understand how to build it successfully. History Lesson for Girls is just one of those books.
A perfect example of this is the horses--the two main characters (I even forget their names now) are young girls who supposedly want to run away together some day to open a place for horses, yet all the talk of horses, their relationships with horses, is practically a P.S. in the story. The horses get less time than the narrator's ongoing battle with scoliosis, yet we're meant to believe that when the other girl's father shoots her horse that it's the pinnacle of his asshole behavior. Her horse was mentioned maybe 2 times--while I found it morally outrageous as an animal person, from a plot perspective he may as well have tossed out her childhood teddy bear. The author failed to establish the intense affection between the girls and the horses, and the psychological benefit they gained from the freedom of such a big animal: one to take off her brace and feel normal and powerful, while the other to escape from a horrible household. Because that premise, which would have worked quite well, was never established I couldn't believe in the tragedy of the horses ending.
Maybe Sheehan will get a better editor who will tell her to flesh out her stories better .... but right now, I would not recommend this book.
A perfect example of this is the horses--the two main characters (I even forget their names now) are young girls who supposedly want to run away together some day to open a place for horses, yet all the talk of horses, their relationships with horses, is practically a P.S. in the story. The horses get less time than the narrator's ongoing battle with scoliosis, yet we're meant to believe that when the other girl's father shoots her horse that it's the pinnacle of his asshole behavior. Her horse was mentioned maybe 2 times--while I found it morally outrageous as an animal person, from a plot perspective he may as well have tossed out her childhood teddy bear. The author failed to establish the intense affection between the girls and the horses, and the psychological benefit they gained from the freedom of such a big animal: one to take off her brace and feel normal and powerful, while the other to escape from a horrible household. Because that premise, which would have worked quite well, was never established I couldn't believe in the tragedy of the horses ending.
Maybe Sheehan will get a better editor who will tell her to flesh out her stories better .... but right now, I would not recommend this book.
hyzenthlay76's review against another edition
4.0
The author knows horses, and best friends, and growing up.