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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
This ended up being cuter and sillier than I expected it to be. It sounded serious and like the plot would be pretty good - blind and traveling with her brother looking for her missing father....but it was kind of a light fluffy read.
The best way to describe Marcus Sedgwick’s literary novel ‘She is not invisible’, is that it was short and sweet, or perhaps deep would be a better word?
I am so glad Ellie an acquaintance of mine, brought this to my attention.
In the story we follow the adventures of Laureth; a sixteen-year-old girl and her 7-year-old brother, Benjamin as they travel from the UK to New York.
Laureth, is blind and alongside her brother as a guide she decides to follow the clues to find her missing father.
As the journey begins and as they bypass the various gateways, in Laureths words, Guard Dogs, a number of things seem to unfold, notes from her father’s notebook talk extensively about signs and coincidences. A stream of consciousness that Laureth and Benjamin try to untangle.
A number that inexplicably turns up at any opportunity in their father’s notes.
Let’s start with the pace, through out the whole story I had this feeling, the feeling when your heart is in your mouth. I almost expected something bad to happen. I mean you have two children in an unfamiliar city over the other side of the world and one of them is blind.
And the author kept that pace pretty much throughout the whole novel. Even the moments of rest the two characters were able to snatch felt somehow hurried. I felt their tiredness, Laureth’s almost constant alertness.
I couldn’t help but put myself in the character’s situation, following clues and putting my faith into coincidences to lead my way.
Let’s talk about characters, shall we?
I really liked Laureth as a character. Sometimes I will have to say that she ever so slightly irritated me, especially at the moments when she was trying to hide her blindness. I understood why she did it and in a way, made her real, tangible, someone I could easily chat to, someone like... my little sister perhaps?
As the heroine’s journey exposes the world to the hero, similarly the hero/heroine exposes more of themselves to the world and consequently to us readers.
Laureth was a vulnerable 16-year-old with a will strong enough to carry her through a transatlantic journey as well as a quest within a foreign city; pushing passed her insecurities to achieve goals. It was quite an interesting combination.
“People think I have so much faith in myself, but I have none. I have no faith in myself, or in what I can do, and yet people think I can do anything I want.
That's how I seem, but it's an illusion. It's an act, nothing more.”
― Marcus Sedgwick, She Is Not Invisible
Her visual impairment didn’t exactly stand out as a separate thing, it was just part of her, part of the story, like her brother’s Benjamin effect. Don’t ask me what that is; find out for yourselves.
‘It’s clever isn’t it? And I like the fact that it wasn’t about blindness. It was as if the visual impairment was an extension of Laureth, but not her defining quality’. Ellie.
This quote summed it up for me.
Anna Canning’s narration was on point, pulling off sounding like a teenager and a 7-year-old boy pretty well. Each of the other characters were distinct as well, Laureth’s mother, her father and the others.
I never felt confused at any point.
This was a 4 stars for me.
P.S. One thing I forgot to mention, probably quite vital, was the author was able to use all the other senses to describe the environment without visual cues. It was so subtle I didn’t feel that anything was missing.
I am so glad Ellie an acquaintance of mine, brought this to my attention.
In the story we follow the adventures of Laureth; a sixteen-year-old girl and her 7-year-old brother, Benjamin as they travel from the UK to New York.
Laureth, is blind and alongside her brother as a guide she decides to follow the clues to find her missing father.
As the journey begins and as they bypass the various gateways, in Laureths words, Guard Dogs, a number of things seem to unfold, notes from her father’s notebook talk extensively about signs and coincidences. A stream of consciousness that Laureth and Benjamin try to untangle.
A number that inexplicably turns up at any opportunity in their father’s notes.
Let’s start with the pace, through out the whole story I had this feeling, the feeling when your heart is in your mouth. I almost expected something bad to happen. I mean you have two children in an unfamiliar city over the other side of the world and one of them is blind.
And the author kept that pace pretty much throughout the whole novel. Even the moments of rest the two characters were able to snatch felt somehow hurried. I felt their tiredness, Laureth’s almost constant alertness.
I couldn’t help but put myself in the character’s situation, following clues and putting my faith into coincidences to lead my way.
Let’s talk about characters, shall we?
I really liked Laureth as a character. Sometimes I will have to say that she ever so slightly irritated me, especially at the moments when she was trying to hide her blindness. I understood why she did it and in a way, made her real, tangible, someone I could easily chat to, someone like... my little sister perhaps?
As the heroine’s journey exposes the world to the hero, similarly the hero/heroine exposes more of themselves to the world and consequently to us readers.
Laureth was a vulnerable 16-year-old with a will strong enough to carry her through a transatlantic journey as well as a quest within a foreign city; pushing passed her insecurities to achieve goals. It was quite an interesting combination.
“People think I have so much faith in myself, but I have none. I have no faith in myself, or in what I can do, and yet people think I can do anything I want.
That's how I seem, but it's an illusion. It's an act, nothing more.”
― Marcus Sedgwick, She Is Not Invisible
Her visual impairment didn’t exactly stand out as a separate thing, it was just part of her, part of the story, like her brother’s Benjamin effect. Don’t ask me what that is; find out for yourselves.
‘It’s clever isn’t it? And I like the fact that it wasn’t about blindness. It was as if the visual impairment was an extension of Laureth, but not her defining quality’. Ellie.
This quote summed it up for me.
Anna Canning’s narration was on point, pulling off sounding like a teenager and a 7-year-old boy pretty well. Each of the other characters were distinct as well, Laureth’s mother, her father and the others.
I never felt confused at any point.
This was a 4 stars for me.
P.S. One thing I forgot to mention, probably quite vital, was the author was able to use all the other senses to describe the environment without visual cues. It was so subtle I didn’t feel that anything was missing.
Received advanced reader copy from publisher at PLA 2014
I was awed by this story with a character who taught us so much by simply living her life. Having worked with people with disabilities, I was THRILLED to have a main character with a disability and even more thrilled that the disability didn’t drive the book. It was a subtle characteristic that obviously would affect how the story moves forward but didn’t drive the story. Laureth was an awesome big sister and daughter – and I just loved the twists of Benjamin’s Effect! Story builds to lots of action toward the end. Not my favorite Marcus Sedgwick but up near the top of the pile.
Page 216 – last lines: The words/message:
An additional note: As I was reading an ARC, my copy had no cover design, just a plain grey. The final cover for the US edition is simply breathtaking. Love the NYC skyline but especially love the bright light & title coming out of where the eyes should be.
I was awed by this story with a character who taught us so much by simply living her life. Having worked with people with disabilities, I was THRILLED to have a main character with a disability and even more thrilled that the disability didn’t drive the book. It was a subtle characteristic that obviously would affect how the story moves forward but didn’t drive the story. Laureth was an awesome big sister and daughter – and I just loved the twists of Benjamin’s Effect! Story builds to lots of action toward the end. Not my favorite Marcus Sedgwick but up near the top of the pile.
Page 216 – last lines:
Spoiler
“Maybe something will happen to you. Something so weird it makes you stop and think. As weird as if you picked up a book, maybe even the book you’re holding now, looked at the first word of every chapter, and you put them all together, and found a hidden message. Something to make you think, yes. Yes, that’s what we all need.”Spoiler
One thing when you learn what she deals with you might love the blind girl who knows that it’s never been her sight that she needs that it’s trust, love and faith also.An additional note: As I was reading an ARC, my copy had no cover design, just a plain grey. The final cover for the US edition is simply breathtaking. Love the NYC skyline but especially love the bright light & title coming out of where the eyes should be.
Love it. Like a lot. Don't have much to say. Just really good and interesting. A bit....random and coincidental (?) sometimes i guess But really enjoyable and fun. Made me smile
I won this book through goodreads first reads. I found this story to be intriguing. It gives you a view of life through a blind persons eyes which is rather different than other books out there. The main character knows that her father is in trouble so she boards a plane with her seven year old brother to find him. Laureth and her brother get into many scrapes along the way which keeps the book fresh and entertaining. I would recommend this book to friends who were looking to read something different and new.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I didn’t realize this was YA when I picked it up. Actually while reading it I thought it was middle grade because of the style & simplicity & terrible dialogue, but seeing it labeled as YA has made me decide it’s an insult to the intelligence of teenagers everywhere. There’s no payoff either. It was just cool to have a blind protagonist, nothing else about this book was good.
3,5*
Zajímavý námět, krásný příběh, trocha filosofování. Takové knihy bych mohla číst pořád.
Zajímavý námět, krásný příběh, trocha filosofování. Takové knihy bych mohla číst pořád.
liked the blind protagonist, but the idea of why her father was missing was really dumb.
This was a good read, just found myself bored at times. But it's a good book to read I just unwind after, especially with that little cute Benjamin! Nice book!