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adillon12480's review against another edition
5.0
I received an ARC if this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The latest book from Jeff Zentner is a masterpiece of poetry and life. Throughout the book the main character, Cash, writes poetry explaining his feelings about people in his life and his beloved home in Tennessee. The beautiful descriptions of the river, family members, friends, and the love of Cash for each of them, about us how the mind of a teenager processes loss and hardship. Zentner bestows upon the reader an inside look at the unblemished mind of a young person who is affected, but not broken by his mother's overdose and subsequent death.
The latest book from Jeff Zentner is a masterpiece of poetry and life. Throughout the book the main character, Cash, writes poetry explaining his feelings about people in his life and his beloved home in Tennessee. The beautiful descriptions of the river, family members, friends, and the love of Cash for each of them, about us how the mind of a teenager processes loss and hardship. Zentner bestows upon the reader an inside look at the unblemished mind of a young person who is affected, but not broken by his mother's overdose and subsequent death.
jenlovesbooks's review
5.0
Thanks to Partners NetGalley and Crown Books for Young Readers for the digital ARC of Jeff Zentner’s In the Wild Light in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on August 10, 2021.
Like his earlier, brilliant The Serpent King (like this book, a five-star read for me!), Jeff Zentner’s In the Wild Light begins with a strong sense of place, set firmly in the Appalachian town of Sawyer, Tennessee. Cash Pruitt is sixteen and, above all else, loves his Mamaw and Papaw, who raised him after his mother’s death, and his best friend Delaney Doyle, a genius. Cash and Delaney were first drawn together as the children of addicts, and now each offers a safe place for the other.
Delaney has gained some moderate fame in the scientific community after discovering a mold that kills bacteria and that shows great promise for the healthcare industry. When she’s offered a full ride to a private boarding school, she’s desperate to escape her circumstances, but she doesn’t want to do so alone. So, she convinces the school to also provide a full scholarship for Cash.
Cash is torn between his friendship and his loyalty to his grandparents, particularly Papaw, who is dying slowly of emphysema. Ultimately, though, they convince him to grab this opportunity, and so he and Delaney move to Connecticut and become students at Middleford Academy.
Those are the bare outlines of the plot, but they don’t reveal what makes this book special.
First, Zentner is an absolutely beautiful writer, and the book is filled with gorgeous prose as Cash works through who he is and who he wants to be and how to stay true both to himself and to those whom he loves.
Beyond the writing are the characters. The tenderness between Cash and Papaw is one of my favorite things—they love each other so much, and that love is beautiful and heartbreaking and present on every page of the novel. Delaney is brilliant and strong and also fragile, someone who has survived abuse and neglect and is now ready to step into her full potential, but not alone. Watching the way the all support and challenge each other is a lovely, moving reading experience.
Cash is so smart and so sensitive, but he’s also a teenager, one who has left his family and his hometown to step into another world filled with rich people who’ve lived lives he can hardly imagine. He’s not naive, just inexperienced, and so he’s fully aware of the risks that he’s taking while also hoping to make those he loves proud.
I can’t recommend In the Wild Light enough. Just be sure to have a box of tissues by your side. This book earns every tear.
Like his earlier, brilliant The Serpent King (like this book, a five-star read for me!), Jeff Zentner’s In the Wild Light begins with a strong sense of place, set firmly in the Appalachian town of Sawyer, Tennessee. Cash Pruitt is sixteen and, above all else, loves his Mamaw and Papaw, who raised him after his mother’s death, and his best friend Delaney Doyle, a genius. Cash and Delaney were first drawn together as the children of addicts, and now each offers a safe place for the other.
Delaney has gained some moderate fame in the scientific community after discovering a mold that kills bacteria and that shows great promise for the healthcare industry. When she’s offered a full ride to a private boarding school, she’s desperate to escape her circumstances, but she doesn’t want to do so alone. So, she convinces the school to also provide a full scholarship for Cash.
Cash is torn between his friendship and his loyalty to his grandparents, particularly Papaw, who is dying slowly of emphysema. Ultimately, though, they convince him to grab this opportunity, and so he and Delaney move to Connecticut and become students at Middleford Academy.
Those are the bare outlines of the plot, but they don’t reveal what makes this book special.
First, Zentner is an absolutely beautiful writer, and the book is filled with gorgeous prose as Cash works through who he is and who he wants to be and how to stay true both to himself and to those whom he loves.
Beyond the writing are the characters. The tenderness between Cash and Papaw is one of my favorite things—they love each other so much, and that love is beautiful and heartbreaking and present on every page of the novel. Delaney is brilliant and strong and also fragile, someone who has survived abuse and neglect and is now ready to step into her full potential, but not alone. Watching the way the all support and challenge each other is a lovely, moving reading experience.
Cash is so smart and so sensitive, but he’s also a teenager, one who has left his family and his hometown to step into another world filled with rich people who’ve lived lives he can hardly imagine. He’s not naive, just inexperienced, and so he’s fully aware of the risks that he’s taking while also hoping to make those he loves proud.
I can’t recommend In the Wild Light enough. Just be sure to have a box of tissues by your side. This book earns every tear.
thereadingspoonie's review against another edition
5.0
"I've always loved when the light finds the broken spots in the world and makes them beautiful..."
This book was honestly beautiful. It deserves all the stars and I urge anyone to read this one. I cannot wait to read more by Zentner as his writing is stunning. I cannot do this book justice in this small space, but I just want you to know that this book will stay with me forever.
Cash's life in his small Tennessee town is hard. He lost his mom to an opioid addiction and his grandfather's illness is getting worse. His smart but troubled best friend, Delaney, is his only salvation. But Delaney is meant for greater things, and she finds a way for Cash to leave with her. Will abandoning his old life be the thing that finally breaks Cash, or will it be the making of him?
The relationships are so well written, between Cash and his grandfather, between Cash and Delaney and also between Delaney and Cash's grandfather. Their story crushes your heart and then makes it soar and I went on rollarcoaster of emotions reading this book. The scene setting, the characters, the experiences...everything was just perfection. My cheeks hurt from smiling and my eyes were puffy from crying! Trust me on this one..READ IT!
I now want to read and own everything @jeffzentner has ever written!
This book was honestly beautiful. It deserves all the stars and I urge anyone to read this one. I cannot wait to read more by Zentner as his writing is stunning. I cannot do this book justice in this small space, but I just want you to know that this book will stay with me forever.
Cash's life in his small Tennessee town is hard. He lost his mom to an opioid addiction and his grandfather's illness is getting worse. His smart but troubled best friend, Delaney, is his only salvation. But Delaney is meant for greater things, and she finds a way for Cash to leave with her. Will abandoning his old life be the thing that finally breaks Cash, or will it be the making of him?
The relationships are so well written, between Cash and his grandfather, between Cash and Delaney and also between Delaney and Cash's grandfather. Their story crushes your heart and then makes it soar and I went on rollarcoaster of emotions reading this book. The scene setting, the characters, the experiences...everything was just perfection. My cheeks hurt from smiling and my eyes were puffy from crying! Trust me on this one..READ IT!
I now want to read and own everything @jeffzentner has ever written!
erainbow8's review against another edition
5.0
Jeff Zenter’s books always make me get choked up (or straight up bawl like a baby - looking at you, The Serpent King). This book was no exception, but it is such a hopeful story. I wish Cash and Delaney and Alex and Vi were real! These are the kind, genuine, intelligent people I want leading our world in the near future!
Zenter’s work reads like a love story to rural Tennessee, while also acknowledging flaws he sees in some of the “traditional” small southern town ways. I hope I can get some of my students to read this book in the fall. It also made me want to read more poetry!
My only major critique was that sometimes it seemed like Zenter was trying a bit too hard to be deep and poetic. Was it really necessary to describe the way everyone smelled in such detail?! Cash has a serious gift with his olfactory system.
Zenter’s work reads like a love story to rural Tennessee, while also acknowledging flaws he sees in some of the “traditional” small southern town ways. I hope I can get some of my students to read this book in the fall. It also made me want to read more poetry!
My only major critique was that sometimes it seemed like Zenter was trying a bit too hard to be deep and poetic. Was it really necessary to describe the way everyone smelled in such detail?! Cash has a serious gift with his olfactory system.
robyndawn82's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful character development, I have a feeling the more I sit remembering this book the more small parts I will remember. So many different themes were introduced in this book but it didn’t feel choppy at all, when one part happened near the end I was caught off guard but then quickly remembered something mentioned way earlier in the book and it lead to a pretty great “Ohhhhh” moment. The beauty in grief, friendship and hardship was apparent. Great book!
kkdemarco's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. A beautiful and emotional book!! Haven’t read much YA lately, but I’m tutoring a 9th grader and this is his summer read.
jessgreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
“I’ll tell you the truest thing I know: You are not a creature of grief. You are not a congregation of wounds. You are not the sum of your losses. Your skin is not your scars. Your life is yours, and it can be new and wondrous. Remember that.”
hisparks23's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a work of art. I’ll admit—when I first started I was a little hesitant because it’s different than what I’ve been reading, but that lasted for about 2 seconds before I was immediately sucked in and fell in love with every character.
It’s completely underrated and I stumbled into it seemingly out of nowhere, but WOW, it was beautiful. And absolutely heart breaking. And heart mending.
It’s completely underrated and I stumbled into it seemingly out of nowhere, but WOW, it was beautiful. And absolutely heart breaking. And heart mending.