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bibliophile80's review against another edition
5.0
I read Jen Longo's subsequent book "Up to This Pointe" before this, and I adored it so much that I expected her first book to be less than, more juvenile or less polished somehow. I am delighted to report that I was wrong. The voices in these two books are similar: a disgruntled teenage girl whose life plan has been upset by the actions or opinions of the adult authorities seemingly in control of their lives. This story actually elicited more sympathy in me because Leigh seemed to have a much deeper depression, or at least a much more serious cause for it. The at first cryptic loss of her best (only) friend weighs heavy, as do the behaviors of her desperately clueless and blatantly selfish family. Even her beloved sister, Kai, is partly to blame for manipulating Leigh and their parents after she is no longer fighting cancer. Poor Leigh is a victim in many ways, which would normally set my teeth on edge, except that she handles it with such a measure of sarcasm, wit, unhealthy but relatable coping mechanisms, and resignation that I have to admire her. The climax was wonderfully unexpected, incredibly fast-paced, and refreshingly non-romantic. Or rather, it was romantic in the best possible way, in that the characters acted nobly, self-sacrificially, for love of freedom and friendship in place of the usual "she has a boy to love and all her problems are resolved now." You better believe that I'll be looking forward to Longo's future efforts, for she's earned my readership.
janewhitehurst's review against another edition
3.0
Six Feet Over is narrated by Leigh, whose dad decided to buy a cemetery and move his family from their home. Leigh's sister, Kai is in remission from a 3-year battle with Leukemia and Leigh has "lost" her best friend, Emily, but no spoilers as to how. She is miserable and still trying to unwind emotionally from her sister's sickness and the toll it took on her when her dad hires Dario, a young illegal immigrant from Mexico, to help tend to the cemetery grounds. Dario helps Leigh to deal with her grief and emotional baggage and encourage her to make new friends and live her life. I just found elements of the story to be unbelievable and improbable. There were also many unresolved issues when the book ended. I wish Leigh were older as the story would work much better for me if she were in her late teens. At any rate, the writing was decent even with these flaws.
alliehwilliams's review against another edition
5.0
I cried all the way through this damn book. Excellent--should be a Printz contender next year. More to come...
REVIEW
I adored this book, despite the fact I wept all the way through it. I cannot believe this is a debut novel!
Six Feet Over It was so not what I expected. I thought it would be a snarky teen surface-depth kind of book. I did not see this one coming.
What I loved about this book: 1) Leigh. Her voice was immediately sympathetic and authentic. My heart just ached for her every time she was on the verge of breaking and then her sister would turn it around to be comforted herself, or her father would leave the office sticking her with a grieving wife, etc. And her magical thinking is sooooo realistic for kids who grow up in dysfunctional homes or experienced trauma. I 'got' Leigh on every level, and I loved her.
2) Elanor. BEST. FRIEND. EVER. but not a goody-goody or simpering or too good to be true. The speech. THE SPEECH. Never have the phrases 'yeast infection' and 'government cheese' been used to such effect. Bravo.
3) Dario. I loved it that he was so sweet but never inappropriate and his sweetness felt real, not over the top.
3) Tu madre. That is all.
4) That we got glimpses of all the unsympathetic adults that rounded them out. I did not like Wade and Meredith any better, but by the end of the book I understood them better.
5) The information about the Day of the Dead that was woven in so beautifully with the story without feeling like I was hearing a lecture. Dario was responsible for a lot of my tears, damn him.
6) Leigh's growth felt gradual, real, and earned.
7) That when Leigh finally broke down, there were so many hands lifting her up...but in ways that felt believable for the personalities that had already been developed--and true to their limitations as humans.
I could go on and on!
I am going to buy this for my library and tell the Media Specialist at the high school about it so she can get it too. If this is not chosen for the Printz next year, I will explode from the injustice. (Yes, I say this in February which is seriously early days and there is a lot of reading still ahead of me. I mean it).
Review egalley provided by Edelweiss.
REVIEW
I adored this book, despite the fact I wept all the way through it. I cannot believe this is a debut novel!
Six Feet Over It was so not what I expected. I thought it would be a snarky teen surface-depth kind of book. I did not see this one coming.
What I loved about this book: 1) Leigh. Her voice was immediately sympathetic and authentic. My heart just ached for her every time she was on the verge of breaking and then her sister would turn it around to be comforted herself, or her father would leave the office sticking her with a grieving wife, etc. And her magical thinking is sooooo realistic for kids who grow up in dysfunctional homes or experienced trauma. I 'got' Leigh on every level, and I loved her.
2) Elanor. BEST. FRIEND. EVER. but not a goody-goody or simpering or too good to be true. The speech. THE SPEECH. Never have the phrases 'yeast infection' and 'government cheese' been used to such effect. Bravo.
3) Dario. I loved it that he was so sweet but never inappropriate and his sweetness felt real, not over the top.
3) Tu madre. That is all.
4) That we got glimpses of all the unsympathetic adults that rounded them out. I did not like Wade and Meredith any better, but by the end of the book I understood them better.
5) The information about the Day of the Dead that was woven in so beautifully with the story without feeling like I was hearing a lecture. Dario was responsible for a lot of my tears, damn him.
6) Leigh's growth felt gradual, real, and earned.
7) That when Leigh finally broke down, there were so many hands lifting her up...but in ways that felt believable for the personalities that had already been developed--and true to their limitations as humans.
I could go on and on!
I am going to buy this for my library and tell the Media Specialist at the high school about it so she can get it too. If this is not chosen for the Printz next year, I will explode from the injustice. (Yes, I say this in February which is seriously early days and there is a lot of reading still ahead of me. I mean it).
Review egalley provided by Edelweiss.
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
I am thoroughly impressed by this novel. Not only does Longo discuss depression, death, and illegal immigration in a poignant way, she does it with humor. I would recommend this book for classrooms, as it discusses important themes.
lisawreading's review against another edition
4.0
Sad, sweet, and a little off-the-wall, this story of a girl working in her family's graveyard business is moving and disturbing, but with an undercurrent humor as well. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.
lavendersaturn's review against another edition
1.0
This is my first dnf'ed book since I got back into reading. I dnfed 22% only because all of my suspicions about this book were true. I usually would have continued, but this is my third book in a row that was boring, so I needed to let it go. I hope it finds a home that someone else would appreciate.
seifknits's review against another edition
4.0
Slow beginning, but it turned out to be a much better book than it seemed at first.
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
3.0
"Suppressed grief suffocates, Ovid whispers, it rages within the breast, and is forced to multiply its strength"
a very cute story about grief and loss and that there is no right or wrong way to do it - just which ever way you need to find to get through it.
I think my only grumble about this book is so much is left...unexplained.
Emily and why...is that really her?
and the clothes and grandma, and Dario......
and Kai and...just so many questions left unanswered. but I know that's closer to real life that you don't get all the answers
a very cute story about grief and loss and that there is no right or wrong way to do it - just which ever way you need to find to get through it.
I think my only grumble about this book is so much is left...unexplained.
Emily and why...is that really her?
and the clothes and grandma, and Dario......
and Kai and...just so many questions left unanswered. but I know that's closer to real life that you don't get all the answers
sandraagee's review against another edition
5.0
Best book I've read so far this year. (Granted, I haven't had a chance to read much this year, but still...) It has some dark themes, but it also made me laugh out loud. I loved how the overall tone of Leigh's narration corresponded with her own mental state. Good stuff.