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kelsey3's review
5.0
Honestly, this book was so much more than I had ever expected. It was beautifully written, riveting, powerful, and immensely emotional.
I never thought Detweiler's writing would be preachy, and I was right, it wasn't. I know that a few readers thought it would be a pushy book about one religion when they first picked it up, but Detweiler does a wonderful job on expanding past Christianity to view other religious possibilities for the immaculate conception as well.
On another note, throughout my life, I had always wondered what would happen if a virgin stepped forward claiming to be pregnant in our modern day society. Evidentially, Detweiler wondered this too, and thus "Immaculate" was born (pun not intended but happily written, anyway).
The way that Detweiler wrote this book was fantastically well done. She made sure each character was destined for a certain path and didn't stray from said path without some sort of warning. She helps the reader to understand exactly what's going through Mina's head throughout the book and makes it abundantly clear that the divine intervention may not be the God that Mina grew up believing in (which is a nice touch). She separates the characters perspectives in such realistic ways, I could have sworn I was reading a biography about Mina instead of a fictional book. I honestly wanted Mina to be a real person just so we could be friends. A part of me wanted her to be real so I could give her a big hug and tell her everything was going to be ok.
I was amazed at how well "Immaculate" was written and how much I enjoyed Detweiler's writing; I certainty can't wait to read her next book!
Definitely a book you don't want to miss out on!
I never thought Detweiler's writing would be preachy, and I was right, it wasn't. I know that a few readers thought it would be a pushy book about one religion when they first picked it up, but Detweiler does a wonderful job on expanding past Christianity to view other religious possibilities for the immaculate conception as well.
On another note, throughout my life, I had always wondered what would happen if a virgin stepped forward claiming to be pregnant in our modern day society. Evidentially, Detweiler wondered this too, and thus "Immaculate" was born (pun not intended but happily written, anyway).
The way that Detweiler wrote this book was fantastically well done. She made sure each character was destined for a certain path and didn't stray from said path without some sort of warning. She helps the reader to understand exactly what's going through Mina's head throughout the book and makes it abundantly clear that the divine intervention may not be the God that Mina grew up believing in (which is a nice touch). She separates the characters perspectives in such realistic ways, I could have sworn I was reading a biography about Mina instead of a fictional book. I honestly wanted Mina to be a real person just so we could be friends. A part of me wanted her to be real so I could give her a big hug and tell her everything was going to be ok.
I was amazed at how well "Immaculate" was written and how much I enjoyed Detweiler's writing; I certainty can't wait to read her next book!
Definitely a book you don't want to miss out on!
girlinthepages's review against another edition
4.0
* Thanks so much to Penguin Young Readers for this review copy!
The synopsis for Immaculate is evocative, instantly grabbing readers' attention with its contradictory premise- a pregnant virgin- and its undeniable mystery. From the instant I came across the synopsis I knew I had to read it, despite a hesitation about how the topic of immaculate conception would be handled. Would it be preachy? Would it be a religious book, or rather a mystery to uncover a scientific explanation by the end? Would it be an "issue" book about the hardships and stigmas of teen pregnancy? Immaculate draws bits and pieces from all of these potential labels, but ultimately is in a class of its own as far as books about teen pregnancy go. It's a well-written, thoughtful tale of a girl who is both gifted and burdened with an extraordinary happening, and her journey to not only understand it, but to overcome the extreme societal reactions that are triggered when the impossible seems to happen.
When I read a contemporary novel that handles tougher topics, whether it be politics or pregnancy, one of the most important thing I look for is if the narrative is well-balanced. Immaculate is well-balanced in almost every way. Mina is an upstanding, intelligent young protagonist who's not above being impacted by the cruel and slanderous nature of her peers and neighbors. Detweiler manages to write a protagonist who is both strong and vulnerable in quiet ways, and explores a large range of emotions and reactions from the supporting cast: an outraged father, a disgusted boyfriend, an unwaveringly faithful mother, a bitter student body, and a small handful of loyal friends. Detweiler explores the knife's edge of celebrity that comes with being a public figure, the thin line between acceptance and hate, and the precarious balance between being the bringer of a miracle or the face of a heretic. I found that I couldn't stop reading because I had to know what people's reactions would be as the news of Mina's pregnancy spread, and the consequences it would have for her and her baby. I was fascinated and appalled at the very brutal depiction of how people, especially behind the anonymity of the internet, reacted to Mina's situation, even though she was seeking no purposeful attention for her pregnancy.
There are no doubt parallels in the narrative to the story of Mary, Jospeh, and Jesus, but it's far from a religious book. Mina mentions that she's brought up Lutheran, but this experience really makes her evaluate her own relationship with religion, as she reflects upon what this could mean and scours many religious and historical texts for references of immaculate conception (which she finds is prevalent in the mythology of most cultures). I really appreciated that Detweiler didn't choose to make this book a heavy retelling with a blatant Christian message, but rather explored different peoples' capacity to accept miracles and cast judgement. A running theme throughout the book is people's reactions to anything extraordinary, specifically when it's something that they see is "threatening" their religious values or history. It's heartbreaking yet sadly pretty realistic to see the horrible, terrible things people do and say to Mina (that she's going to burn in hell for her lies, that she's a heretic, that she's blemishing the foundations of Christianity, etc.) when she's made no claim to be a religious figure; rather, the idea (in the Western world, at least) of immaculate conception is so tied to Christian doctrine that people cannot separate Mina's situation from a religious claim. The narrative also explores the issue that in this day in age with such advanced science and technology, despite many still holding religious beliefs, that most of society is so unable to accept the existence of a miracle, of something that cannot be explained.
Broken up into three trimesters, the novel faces questions of faith, acceptance, cruelty and miracles with increasing anxiety as readers wait for an inevitable confrontation. Despite these deeper topics and tougher issues about human behavior, the novel also depicted a lot of great relationships through those who do support Mia and the vast array of decisions she has to make, from what to do with the pregnancy to how it will change her future plans for college and work. In particular I appreciated seeing the relationship between Mina and her OBGYN, who treats her like an adult rather than a teenager who was acting irresponsibly, providing her with quality care and advice throughout the duration of her pregnancy. While Mina's case is a peculiar one, most teenagers (if not all) face extreme stigma and slut-shaming in society, and Detweiler does such a good job of portraying this while showing how important an understanding support system is for girls who find themselves in this predicament is.
Overall: Immaculate is a thought-provoking debut that is so much more than an issue book about teenage pregnancy. It explores society's capacity for both kindness and cruelty, and questions the inability of a strongly religious society to accept modern miracles. The narrative did slow a little at times, featuring some repetitive inner dialogue from Mina as she ruminates about her situation, but the writing is strong and compelling. I also wished that Mina stood up for herself more as the level of harassment at her school and online increased. Yet Immaculate was impossible for me to put down, as I had to find out how Mina fared against an increasingly aggressive community. If you're going to read a contemporary novel that will keep you on your toes this summer, Immaculate is the one to choose.
The synopsis for Immaculate is evocative, instantly grabbing readers' attention with its contradictory premise- a pregnant virgin- and its undeniable mystery. From the instant I came across the synopsis I knew I had to read it, despite a hesitation about how the topic of immaculate conception would be handled. Would it be preachy? Would it be a religious book, or rather a mystery to uncover a scientific explanation by the end? Would it be an "issue" book about the hardships and stigmas of teen pregnancy? Immaculate draws bits and pieces from all of these potential labels, but ultimately is in a class of its own as far as books about teen pregnancy go. It's a well-written, thoughtful tale of a girl who is both gifted and burdened with an extraordinary happening, and her journey to not only understand it, but to overcome the extreme societal reactions that are triggered when the impossible seems to happen.
When I read a contemporary novel that handles tougher topics, whether it be politics or pregnancy, one of the most important thing I look for is if the narrative is well-balanced. Immaculate is well-balanced in almost every way. Mina is an upstanding, intelligent young protagonist who's not above being impacted by the cruel and slanderous nature of her peers and neighbors. Detweiler manages to write a protagonist who is both strong and vulnerable in quiet ways, and explores a large range of emotions and reactions from the supporting cast: an outraged father, a disgusted boyfriend, an unwaveringly faithful mother, a bitter student body, and a small handful of loyal friends. Detweiler explores the knife's edge of celebrity that comes with being a public figure, the thin line between acceptance and hate, and the precarious balance between being the bringer of a miracle or the face of a heretic. I found that I couldn't stop reading because I had to know what people's reactions would be as the news of Mina's pregnancy spread, and the consequences it would have for her and her baby. I was fascinated and appalled at the very brutal depiction of how people, especially behind the anonymity of the internet, reacted to Mina's situation, even though she was seeking no purposeful attention for her pregnancy.
There are no doubt parallels in the narrative to the story of Mary, Jospeh, and Jesus, but it's far from a religious book. Mina mentions that she's brought up Lutheran, but this experience really makes her evaluate her own relationship with religion, as she reflects upon what this could mean and scours many religious and historical texts for references of immaculate conception (which she finds is prevalent in the mythology of most cultures). I really appreciated that Detweiler didn't choose to make this book a heavy retelling with a blatant Christian message, but rather explored different peoples' capacity to accept miracles and cast judgement. A running theme throughout the book is people's reactions to anything extraordinary, specifically when it's something that they see is "threatening" their religious values or history. It's heartbreaking yet sadly pretty realistic to see the horrible, terrible things people do and say to Mina (that she's going to burn in hell for her lies, that she's a heretic, that she's blemishing the foundations of Christianity, etc.) when she's made no claim to be a religious figure; rather, the idea (in the Western world, at least) of immaculate conception is so tied to Christian doctrine that people cannot separate Mina's situation from a religious claim. The narrative also explores the issue that in this day in age with such advanced science and technology, despite many still holding religious beliefs, that most of society is so unable to accept the existence of a miracle, of something that cannot be explained.
But I will say that in our times we've reached a sorry, sad state of cynicism. That we've stopped believing that miracles-any miracle, no matter how small or large- are inherently possible. We've become so obstinately certain that we can explain every last detail about the world around us...we've lost that humble, grounding belief that there are things and acts outside of our power to comprehend. -pg 381
Broken up into three trimesters, the novel faces questions of faith, acceptance, cruelty and miracles with increasing anxiety as readers wait for an inevitable confrontation. Despite these deeper topics and tougher issues about human behavior, the novel also depicted a lot of great relationships through those who do support Mia and the vast array of decisions she has to make, from what to do with the pregnancy to how it will change her future plans for college and work. In particular I appreciated seeing the relationship between Mina and her OBGYN, who treats her like an adult rather than a teenager who was acting irresponsibly, providing her with quality care and advice throughout the duration of her pregnancy. While Mina's case is a peculiar one, most teenagers (if not all) face extreme stigma and slut-shaming in society, and Detweiler does such a good job of portraying this while showing how important an understanding support system is for girls who find themselves in this predicament is.
Overall: Immaculate is a thought-provoking debut that is so much more than an issue book about teenage pregnancy. It explores society's capacity for both kindness and cruelty, and questions the inability of a strongly religious society to accept modern miracles. The narrative did slow a little at times, featuring some repetitive inner dialogue from Mina as she ruminates about her situation, but the writing is strong and compelling. I also wished that Mina stood up for herself more as the level of harassment at her school and online increased. Yet Immaculate was impossible for me to put down, as I had to find out how Mina fared against an increasingly aggressive community. If you're going to read a contemporary novel that will keep you on your toes this summer, Immaculate is the one to choose.
diaspora_reader's review
2.0
2.5 actually. The .5 is to say the characters left an impression, and I like that.
I shelved this under contemporary and fantasy because it's neither, yet also both.
Plot: 2.5/5
This was an original venture and a good dose of 'what if'. What if, in the 21st century, a pregnant virgin arose in suburban USA? How would the world react? How would her world react? This plot would have been a 5 if it wasn't so tedious and boring at times. It would have been a 4, but for how her discussions on Christianity really miffed me. Mina's confusion was expected and she was fairly realistically portrayed. Her pastor, however ... let's not go there. It would have been 3 had each character's reactions to Mina's situation not been so predictable.
Characters: 5/5
Lovely Mina, growing stronger as the story goes. Those around her added to the story relatively well, giving different perspectives on such a shocking turn of events. Nate, however was a bit one-dimensional and almost unnecessary.
Story telling/narration: 2.5/5
fairly slow for my liking. I started to skim in parts because I just wanted to get to the next point.
Ending/plot twist: 2.5/5
No plot twist, but that's okay. Rushed ending. Cute as it was, it all happened in such an swift manner with a bow wrapped a little too neatly around the plot.
I shelved this under contemporary and fantasy because it's neither, yet also both.
Plot: 2.5/5
This was an original venture and a good dose of 'what if'. What if, in the 21st century, a pregnant virgin arose in suburban USA? How would the world react? How would her world react? This plot would have been a 5 if it wasn't so tedious and boring at times. It would have been a 4, but for how her discussions on Christianity really miffed me. Mina's confusion was expected and she was fairly realistically portrayed. Her pastor, however ... let's not go there. It would have been 3 had each character's reactions to Mina's situation not been so predictable.
Characters: 5/5
Lovely Mina, growing stronger as the story goes. Those around her added to the story relatively well, giving different perspectives on such a shocking turn of events. Nate, however was a bit one-dimensional and almost unnecessary.
Story telling/narration: 2.5/5
fairly slow for my liking. I started to skim in parts because I just wanted to get to the next point.
Ending/plot twist: 2.5/5
No plot twist, but that's okay. Rushed ending. Cute as it was, it all happened in such an swift manner with a bow wrapped a little too neatly around the plot.
rachelwrites007's review against another edition
3.0
A fast read that explores faith, belief and how we can be cruel to each other just by the unknown. This was well written and surprisingly fast paced, despite being so long (close to 500 pages for a YA contemporary!), but I really enjoyed it.
tammy216's review against another edition
3.0
When I read the premise of Immaculate I just had to get my hands on the book. An immaculate conception in present day? I was curious to see how this would go. Seventeen year old Mina is a virgin and she’s pregnant. Of course, everyone thinks she’s lying. Her friends and family turn on her, her boyfriend breaks up with her, and her perfect life starts to fall to pieces. I really loved the topic of this book because it made me think. If someone you knew told you this story would you believe them?
Mina is a good girl, she follows the rules, gets good grades, and never does anything reckless. One day an old woman comes into the restaurant where Mina works as a waitress and starts to tell her about her future and the baby she will have. Mina writes the old lady off as crazy and goes on with her life. A few weeks later Mina finds out she’s pregnant and maybe that old lady wasn’t so crazy after all.
Going into this book I thought it would be religious or preachy but it wasn’t at all. Mina is not religious and the book focuses more on having faith in things and believing in miracles. Mina goes through many ups and downs , she has to have faith that all this is happening for a reason and that it all means something.
I felt awful for Mina while I was reading. She goes through so much and so many people she trusts turn on her, even members of her family. The people at school make fun of her, her ex thinks she betrayed him, and even some of her best friends turn their backs on her. It’s hard to read sometimes because people are so awful to Mina. People she doesn’t even know feel the need to have input on her and the baby’s life. On the other hand, I can understand why people are so doubtful and unbelieving. If someone told me the same story I’m not sure I’d believe them. That disbelief and curiosity go to some extremes in this book. People are determined to find out if Mina’s lying and it’s really crazy how perfect strangers get so invested and involved in what’s going on with Mina and the baby.
My biggest problem with this book is the ending. I just wanted more. I felt like there was a lot more we needed to know and so many answers we never got. It was a really emotional book and the ending just felt very flat and vague. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book and the characters. Mina was a great protagonist and I was rooting for her the whole time. I really liked this book and the message it sends. It wasn’t too preachy or religious, it focuses more on family, bullying, friendships, and how to stand up for your beliefs.
Mina is a good girl, she follows the rules, gets good grades, and never does anything reckless. One day an old woman comes into the restaurant where Mina works as a waitress and starts to tell her about her future and the baby she will have. Mina writes the old lady off as crazy and goes on with her life. A few weeks later Mina finds out she’s pregnant and maybe that old lady wasn’t so crazy after all.
Going into this book I thought it would be religious or preachy but it wasn’t at all. Mina is not religious and the book focuses more on having faith in things and believing in miracles. Mina goes through many ups and downs , she has to have faith that all this is happening for a reason and that it all means something.
I felt awful for Mina while I was reading. She goes through so much and so many people she trusts turn on her, even members of her family. The people at school make fun of her, her ex thinks she betrayed him, and even some of her best friends turn their backs on her. It’s hard to read sometimes because people are so awful to Mina. People she doesn’t even know feel the need to have input on her and the baby’s life. On the other hand, I can understand why people are so doubtful and unbelieving. If someone told me the same story I’m not sure I’d believe them. That disbelief and curiosity go to some extremes in this book. People are determined to find out if Mina’s lying and it’s really crazy how perfect strangers get so invested and involved in what’s going on with Mina and the baby.
My biggest problem with this book is the ending. I just wanted more. I felt like there was a lot more we needed to know and so many answers we never got. It was a really emotional book and the ending just felt very flat and vague. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book and the characters. Mina was a great protagonist and I was rooting for her the whole time. I really liked this book and the message it sends. It wasn’t too preachy or religious, it focuses more on family, bullying, friendships, and how to stand up for your beliefs.
oneanjana's review
4.0
“Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)
Immaculate tells the story of Mina, seventeen and virgin. Her life seems ordinary but for her friends she’s near-perfect, with good grades at school, has fun friends, has a pretty popular and handsome boyfriend too. But her life changed after she met an old woman. In one day she finds herself pregnant, without any sexual intercourse. Yes, at first glance this story looks like the modern story of Mary, who suddenly became pregnant without any sexual intercourse. However, I actually think it's more than that. And, no. This is not a story about Mary and Jesus, or about the birth of the Messiah or religious things just because the premise is based on the story of Saint Mary. And I tell you, it’s not preachy at all.
This is more about how Mina's journey to accept her new self, to love her baby-to-be, and to fight for her baby despite many strong protests demanding Mina to stop claiming that she is a virgin. I’m a mother too but I can't imagine being in Mina's shoes. Thankfully, she’s got a supportive family and couple of good friends too. She’s so strong, even though the protests against her can be mentioned as harassment. I'm so angry at the haters, but then if you think about it, things like that happens a lot around us nowadays. We judge people so easily, mostly just because they have different opinions, different beliefs, or different principles from us. Reading this book gave me a lot of emotions, and made me reflect a lot. Because who knows that maybe I've been on the side of Mina's haters, who judge at other people's decisions/stories as wrong/lie/fabricated regardless of whether it's the truth.
As a mother, I was also empowered by Mina's struggles and from people who root for her. I love these quotes from Dr. Keller in particular:
“Every new mother is scared, Mina. Every single one. She wouldn’t be a good mother if she wasn’t. Being a mom means a whole lot of being scared for the rest of your life. But one thing you need to realize now to save yourself a lot of time and stressing for the rest of your life—there’s no perfect mom. Not possible.”
“Every mom makes mistakes, a hundred little ones every day, probably. Trust me. My kids could tell you. But that’s okay. A mom learns, she moves on, she makes another mistake. That’s life, Mina. You can’t put so much energy into worrying about all the little details. A baby isn’t like a final exam. There’s no perfect answer for every decision. You make the best out of what you’re working with. You cut yourself some slack, and you forgive yourself. Got it?”
Overall, I think it was definitely a good read. The thing that bothered me several times was that in some parts it was a bit dragging and slow. But for the premise, the characters, emotions, and the messages in it are well-written.
trisha_thomas's review
2.0
I see what this book was going for - and from a "social experiment" idea, it's interesting
but this just isn't a book for me.
but this just isn't a book for me.
weaslove's review
1.0
I don't know where to begin. This book is... I hated it from the beginning to the end. It's the worse read of my year, of my life I think.
Mina is unbearable, every so-called actions she made are WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT ?! And when I thought this was getting better, it get worse. I still don't understand how it was possible. The demonstration was pretty acceptable but SERIOUSLY ?! going out in front of those people ? Mina, are you thinking ?! And the end... Speechless. Saying that the baby is dead because of the demonstration, this is horrible. I can't imagine how the family could go with that.
This book deserve 0 star, it was a complete lost of time.
Mina is unbearable, every so-called actions she made are WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT ?! And when I thought this was getting better, it get worse. I still don't understand how it was possible. The demonstration was pretty acceptable but SERIOUSLY ?! going out in front of those people ? Mina, are you thinking ?! And the end... Speechless. Saying that the baby is dead because of the demonstration, this is horrible. I can't imagine how the family could go with that.
This book deserve 0 star, it was a complete lost of time.
lexyg's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to love this book. I wanted to love it so bad and at first I was loving it, but then it felt.... flat, so long for no reason and the characters became bland and just.... I didn’t like it. It was an awesome idea, and I think If read it a few years back, I might actually love it the way I wanted.