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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
This is a short and sweet and good novel. It didn’t change the way I (see) the world, but I loved the puzzle aspect, the empathy it developed and the family.
So there are a few puzzles worked into She Is Not Invisible. One is The way the number 354 is incorporated into the book. This is a book that is about writing in some ways, and the parallels between Jack Peaks book and She is Not Invisible is interesting. I also liked how with the interludes/extracts all this interesting stuff happened and all these important ideas were discussed. There’s also a puzzle hinted at in the last paragraph which is cool. And then there’s the puzzle of how Laureth and Benjamin find their dad. It all works really well together which I liked.
The way that Marcus Sedgwick writes to help readers step into Laureths’ shoes is fantastic. Not only does She Is Not Invisible really address some of the practicalities of living as a blind person, it also shows how Laureth experiences the world, which I really liked. I do wish that it had talked more about her school- explain it or don’t, oblique references are annoying- but that’s okay. The way that Laureth refused to be discounted and had a lot of determination and also went through older-sister struggles--well, I really understood her. I liked the other characters too, especially the Mum and Mister Walker.
I loved the story of family in She is Not Invisible. Laureth struggles sometimes to pick up on what is exactly going on, and she constructs this story in her head of what’s happening, reading between the lines. Her emotions for her family felt so real and I loved that. Her relationship with Benjamin is particularly interesting-- she cares for him but he annoys her, and it felt just like how I feel about some of my own family members. I loved how it was a mystery structured around finding her dad, and what she discovered along the way. And the ending was perfect.
She Is Not Invisible is firmly grounded in reality, but has enough mystery , emotions and straight up good writing not to care about. The fun is in the details in this one, and it’ll definitely leave you with some thoughts about the power of co-inkdinks (coincidences), family and faith.
So there are a few puzzles worked into She Is Not Invisible. One is The way the number 354 is incorporated into the book. This is a book that is about writing in some ways, and the parallels between Jack Peaks book and She is Not Invisible is interesting. I also liked how with the interludes/extracts all this interesting stuff happened and all these important ideas were discussed. There’s also a puzzle hinted at in the last paragraph which is cool. And then there’s the puzzle of how Laureth and Benjamin find their dad. It all works really well together which I liked.
The way that Marcus Sedgwick writes to help readers step into Laureths’ shoes is fantastic. Not only does She Is Not Invisible really address some of the practicalities of living as a blind person, it also shows how Laureth experiences the world, which I really liked. I do wish that it had talked more about her school- explain it or don’t, oblique references are annoying- but that’s okay. The way that Laureth refused to be discounted and had a lot of determination and also went through older-sister struggles--well, I really understood her. I liked the other characters too, especially the Mum and Mister Walker.
I loved the story of family in She is Not Invisible. Laureth struggles sometimes to pick up on what is exactly going on, and she constructs this story in her head of what’s happening, reading between the lines. Her emotions for her family felt so real and I loved that. Her relationship with Benjamin is particularly interesting-- she cares for him but he annoys her, and it felt just like how I feel about some of my own family members. I loved how it was a mystery structured around finding her dad, and what she discovered along the way. And the ending was perfect.
She Is Not Invisible is firmly grounded in reality, but has enough mystery , emotions and straight up good writing not to care about. The fun is in the details in this one, and it’ll definitely leave you with some thoughts about the power of co-inkdinks (coincidences), family and faith.
I could have liked this book, maybe even loved this book, if only I hadn't felt so cheated in the end.
A book called "She is not invisible" with a blind protagonist and her little brother, trying to find her father in the buzzing city of New York, I did like that. The protagonists where great, all the characters were well rounded and thought out. But there was not enough of this.
Only a few paragraphs of the book are really about "She is not invisible", the rest was a (well meant, but repetetive and too much telling, not showing anything) rant about coincidences. Had this book been called "Coincidences" or something like that, I'd be less disappointed now, but still feel cheated, because everything we learn about coincidences doesn't really pay off, not during the book and even less in the end...
I'm sure I could have enjoyed this book, had I not expected to read something completely different because the blurb and the cover and the title suggested so.
A book called "She is not invisible" with a blind protagonist and her little brother, trying to find her father in the buzzing city of New York, I did like that. The protagonists where great, all the characters were well rounded and thought out. But there was not enough of this.
Only a few paragraphs of the book are really about "She is not invisible", the rest was a (well meant, but repetetive and too much telling, not showing anything) rant about coincidences. Had this book been called "Coincidences" or something like that, I'd be less disappointed now, but still feel cheated, because everything we learn about coincidences doesn't really pay off, not during the book and even less in the end...
I'm sure I could have enjoyed this book, had I not expected to read something completely different because the blurb and the cover and the title suggested so.
She Is Not Invisible was a fun mystery, full of interesting philosophy on coincidence and chance that had me stopping every so often to contemplate what I'd just read. The characters were likable, especially Laureth's (the main character) 7 year old brother, Benjamin and his sidekick/best friend/stuffed animal/raven-not-a-blackbird Stan.
My only two issues with the book were: 1) the pacing and 2) the ending, which suffered from #1.
The first 30% or so of the book is just filling in on the backstory of how Laureth and Benjamin came to be traveling to the US and by about 50%, they were working on their first clue as to where their dad might be. The entire story was wrapped up in the last 5% or so, leaving no real sense of fulfillment.
As far as realism and suspending belief, I was able to look past some of the more outrageous parts and accept them as adding to the question of coincidence and chance, but not everyone will be able to do this.
My only two issues with the book were: 1) the pacing and 2) the ending, which suffered from #1.
The first 30% or so of the book is just filling in on the backstory of how Laureth and Benjamin came to be traveling to the US and by about 50%, they were working on their first clue as to where their dad might be. The entire story was wrapped up in the last 5% or so, leaving no real sense of fulfillment.
As far as realism and suspending belief, I was able to look past some of the more outrageous parts and accept them as adding to the question of coincidence and chance, but not everyone will be able to do this.
So I read 2/3rds of the book and then skimmed the rest of it. I found the book a little disappointing. It was suppose to be a mystery but it felt like the mystery took a back seat for most of the book and it was more about a blind girl’s struggle. If the book had been written differently with that the intended focus I probably would have liked it better.
Rating: 3.5
I really enjoyed this story. Laureth, Benjamin and Stan were an excellent group to follow as they navigated New York in search of their father. She is Not Invisible is probably one of my favorite sibling dynamics.
I really enjoyed this story. Laureth, Benjamin and Stan were an excellent group to follow as they navigated New York in search of their father. She is Not Invisible is probably one of my favorite sibling dynamics.
With initial admiration for Marcus Sedgwick's books and his ability to make a reader think profoundly even after finishing one of his books, I dove right into She Is Not Invisible. Though my admiration still stands, I must admit that I barely managed to journey through this book without clawing my eyes out, and thus was disappointed with the entire book when I reached the destination (a.k.a. the ending which I was desperately trying to get to in order to free myself from such boredom). That's the truth, I was just so bored. Much more thought was given while reading to what I was going to eat later on than the actual book.
Laureth Peak is blind. Despite having no sight, she embarks to New York City with her seven year old brother to solve the mystery and rescue their missing father. Sounds pretty badass and worthy of anyone's time, right? It isn't (well, at least is wasn't for me, but maybe it will be for you). The book's summery promises a shocking mystery, but in truth, the case of their missing father is barely a mystery. We're waiting, and waiting, and waiting to hear what happened to their father. We're guessing, and guessing, and guessing what might have happened to him (my guesses were extreme), AND THEN WE DISCOVER THE REASON BEHIND HER FATHER'S DISAPPEARANCE! But rather than it being shocking, it was just... okay... and incredibly disappointing.
What compelled me to almost give up on this book was the lack of believability in some situations. A blind girl manages to leave the country with a small child and also manages to enter the United States of Amurihca without a signed letter from her legal guardians. Not only that, but Laureth's seven year old brother apparently holds a supernatural power that allows him to damage technology by touch. It isn't the supernatural power that dissatisfied me, because I enjoy books that incorporate supernatural aspects, but it simply did not fit in with this book. Sedgwick attempted for She Is Not Invisible to be overly philosophical and thought-provoking. However, it was an attempt, and not a very good one at that. By adding the supernatural power to his overwhelming philosophical and statistical rants, Sedgwick confused me as to whether his goal was for this book to be focused on reality (hence the statistics) or an alternate world (where a little kid has an inexplainable ability and a blind girl can fool airport security).
I can't say I didn't enjoy reading about their father, who was deeply passionate about writing and coincidences, or their mother, who was unhappy with her husbands choices. But aside from the small bits of joy I felt reading about Mom and Dad, I was bored. So bored.
I won't refrain from recommending She Is Not Invisible to everyone. Its contents were simply not for me or enjoyed by me, but there are and will be others who deeply disagree. Therefore, pick up this book and give it a try. You never know what it holds for you.
Laureth Peak is blind. Despite having no sight, she embarks to New York City with her seven year old brother to solve the mystery and rescue their missing father. Sounds pretty badass and worthy of anyone's time, right? It isn't (well, at least is wasn't for me, but maybe it will be for you). The book's summery promises a shocking mystery, but in truth, the case of their missing father is barely a mystery. We're waiting, and waiting, and waiting to hear what happened to their father. We're guessing, and guessing, and guessing what might have happened to him (my guesses were extreme), AND THEN WE DISCOVER THE REASON BEHIND HER FATHER'S DISAPPEARANCE! But rather than it being shocking, it was just... okay... and incredibly disappointing.
What compelled me to almost give up on this book was the lack of believability in some situations. A blind girl manages to leave the country with a small child and also manages to enter the United States of Amurihca without a signed letter from her legal guardians. Not only that, but Laureth's seven year old brother apparently holds a supernatural power that allows him to damage technology by touch. It isn't the supernatural power that dissatisfied me, because I enjoy books that incorporate supernatural aspects, but it simply did not fit in with this book. Sedgwick attempted for She Is Not Invisible to be overly philosophical and thought-provoking. However, it was an attempt, and not a very good one at that. By adding the supernatural power to his overwhelming philosophical and statistical rants, Sedgwick confused me as to whether his goal was for this book to be focused on reality (hence the statistics) or an alternate world (where a little kid has an inexplainable ability and a blind girl can fool airport security).
I can't say I didn't enjoy reading about their father, who was deeply passionate about writing and coincidences, or their mother, who was unhappy with her husbands choices. But aside from the small bits of joy I felt reading about Mom and Dad, I was bored. So bored.
I won't refrain from recommending She Is Not Invisible to everyone. Its contents were simply not for me or enjoyed by me, but there are and will be others who deeply disagree. Therefore, pick up this book and give it a try. You never know what it holds for you.
Quotes I like....
" you don't have to understand everything about something to love it, do you? In fact sometimes that can make you love something more"
" you don't have to understand everything about something to love it, do you? In fact sometimes that can make you love something more"
Read for Concorde Book Awards 2016.
Front Cover Thoughts: I really can't wait until I get to this book, it looks so good!
Last Page Thoughts: Really does make you think.
So I'm not going to write a full review about this one, because I don't want to give it all away. It's basically a book about coincidences, to make a long story short. It's very informative with a very interesting POV. I have a few problems with it, hence the 4 stars rather than 5. (1). The POV is from a 16yr old - I felt that one of the major plot lines was proving she's not stupid. Nevertheless, the way she said things, it made her sound like a 12yr old. to me, it felt as if Mercus Sedgwick was like, "right I'm going to write a book from a child's point of view," and actually 16yrs old is not a child anymore. You're halfway between growing up at that stage, and I think Laureth should have been credited with a voice that shows that. (2). It was written too 'punchily'. Sometimes I felt like there was a lot more time passing than was written down, especially towards the end of the story when things got a bit more exciting.
Overall, this book was really interesting. It shows what we value in life, in a way, and how unimportant it really is. I think I would recommend this book to most people, to people who like YA, to people who like adventures, to people who like factual fiction, to people who like mystery, and to people who like to read about things they haven't experienced or don't know too much about. so it covers a wide spectrum :)
Front Cover Thoughts: I really can't wait until I get to this book, it looks so good!
Last Page Thoughts: Really does make you think.
So I'm not going to write a full review about this one, because I don't want to give it all away. It's basically a book about coincidences, to make a long story short. It's very informative with a very interesting POV. I have a few problems with it, hence the 4 stars rather than 5. (1). The POV is from a 16yr old - I felt that one of the major plot lines was proving she's not stupid. Nevertheless, the way she said things, it made her sound like a 12yr old. to me, it felt as if Mercus Sedgwick was like, "right I'm going to write a book from a child's point of view," and actually 16yrs old is not a child anymore. You're halfway between growing up at that stage, and I think Laureth should have been credited with a voice that shows that. (2). It was written too 'punchily'. Sometimes I felt like there was a lot more time passing than was written down, especially towards the end of the story when things got a bit more exciting.
Overall, this book was really interesting. It shows what we value in life, in a way, and how unimportant it really is. I think I would recommend this book to most people, to people who like YA, to people who like adventures, to people who like factual fiction, to people who like mystery, and to people who like to read about things they haven't experienced or don't know too much about. so it covers a wide spectrum :)
I loved this book! If you get the chance, it's one well worth reading!
Laureth is a lovable and well developed character, and this book provides insight into the perspective of someone who is blind. The theme of coincidence is really well crafted, which is all nicely wrapped up in the final page (which was amazing!)
Well worth reading - DO IT!
Laureth is a lovable and well developed character, and this book provides insight into the perspective of someone who is blind. The theme of coincidence is really well crafted, which is all nicely wrapped up in the final page (which was amazing!)
Well worth reading - DO IT!