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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
It's a nice little story with a great, strong-willed protagonist. What's more, she's a strong-willed disabled protagonist and we need more of that. The plot unfolds with quite some naturality, but it didn't strike me as great.
The mystery surrounding her father's disappearance promises to deliver a bit more than what it was delivered in the end.
What I see here is a good start for a series of a teens adventure book series.
The mystery surrounding her father's disappearance promises to deliver a bit more than what it was delivered in the end.
What I see here is a good start for a series of a teens adventure book series.
Most sixteen year olds would probably be terrified at the very idea of travelling to New York with no-one but a much younger brother (and his stuffed toy raven) for company, with no idea of where they will be staying or what they'll find when they reach their destination. Laureth Peak is looking for her father, who is prone to disappearing for several days at a time, but this time she has reason to think something bad has happened. So, accompanied by her little brother, she steals her mum's credit card, buys two plane tickets to New York, and flies across the Atlantic. You might say that perhaps taking her brother with her would only make the search more difficult, but here's the thing - Laureth is blind.
Obviously I can't say this book was an accurate depiction of what it is to be blind. I have no right to say that, nor do I have any idea what it would be like. But I do feel that Marcus Sedgwick's writing both revealed and hid things from the view of the reader, as if something was just out of your sight or a little blurry - and at times, completely unseen. With his descriptions, which were of course Laureth's, I was never able to get a clear cut picture of the scene around the characters. Just like Laureth, I relied on Benjamin (her little brother) for images of the surroundings, and this worked really well.
Disabilities and impairments are not often represented in Young Adult fiction, or fiction in general, that frequently. Often, they seem to enhance another ability or sense in a superhero-esque way, or make the character seem weak and helpless. But Laureth is not weak, or helpless. She doesn't know any other way of life, being born blind, and she doesn't resent the fact that she was. She lives a normal life, and it gives out such a positive message. Her blindness barely hinders her, and her main fear is not being unable to do something, but people being aware that she is blind and judging her. I don't really want to say she is brave, for fear of sounding patronising, but that's what she is. I'd be pretty scared of flying to New York by myself, and I'm twenty-three - and Laureth doesn't even know what she'll find at the other end. She is intelligent and mature, and her narrative voice is lovely, as well as wonderfully quirky at times - mostly thanks to her dad's journal entries.
I thought that She Is Not Invisible was a truly delightful book, highly original and a breath of fresh air. The way that Laureth and Benjamin worked together was adorable, not to mention the 'conversations' between Benjamin and his toy raven, Stan. It's not particularly fast-paced, and some may find the portions of Laureth's father's journal dull - but no book is going to please everyone. A very thought-provoking read.
Originally posted on my former blog, Rinn Reads.
Obviously I can't say this book was an accurate depiction of what it is to be blind. I have no right to say that, nor do I have any idea what it would be like. But I do feel that Marcus Sedgwick's writing both revealed and hid things from the view of the reader, as if something was just out of your sight or a little blurry - and at times, completely unseen. With his descriptions, which were of course Laureth's, I was never able to get a clear cut picture of the scene around the characters. Just like Laureth, I relied on Benjamin (her little brother) for images of the surroundings, and this worked really well.
Disabilities and impairments are not often represented in Young Adult fiction, or fiction in general, that frequently. Often, they seem to enhance another ability or sense in a superhero-esque way, or make the character seem weak and helpless. But Laureth is not weak, or helpless. She doesn't know any other way of life, being born blind, and she doesn't resent the fact that she was. She lives a normal life, and it gives out such a positive message. Her blindness barely hinders her, and her main fear is not being unable to do something, but people being aware that she is blind and judging her. I don't really want to say she is brave, for fear of sounding patronising, but that's what she is. I'd be pretty scared of flying to New York by myself, and I'm twenty-three - and Laureth doesn't even know what she'll find at the other end. She is intelligent and mature, and her narrative voice is lovely, as well as wonderfully quirky at times - mostly thanks to her dad's journal entries.
I thought that She Is Not Invisible was a truly delightful book, highly original and a breath of fresh air. The way that Laureth and Benjamin worked together was adorable, not to mention the 'conversations' between Benjamin and his toy raven, Stan. It's not particularly fast-paced, and some may find the portions of Laureth's father's journal dull - but no book is going to please everyone. A very thought-provoking read.
Originally posted on my former blog, Rinn Reads.
I really enjoyed this book. I thought the parallels between a blind protagonist and the main idea of the story being about patterns (that appear in our everyday life) was so captivating. An idea you would more expect a sighted main lead to carry a story such as this, but I very much appreciated that this twist gave an unexpected and also surprisingly trustworthy lead in Laureth and the fact that she's blind.
Interesting story and characters, but a little confusing at times. Couldn't follow all the theory on coincidences as much as I would have liked.
3.5/5 stars
3.5/5 stars
An interesting and unusual premise and good characters - a blind character is rare in YA. The execution of the mystery didn't quite work for me and the ending was a little underwhelming. A quiet mystery, kind of like Picture Me Gone, but I found that execution a bit more successful than this one. Very different from Midwinterblood.
I have to be completely honest and state that I did not finish this book. After reading over 100 pages into She Is No Invisible, I had to put the book down and walk away. A 16 year old girl and her little brother fly across an ocean in search of their "missing" father. I do not remember exactly where Laureth and her brother are from but I do remember it is somewhere in Europe. I am an American from the Midwest, so I am not too familiar with many European countries, but I am sure that they have some sort of Emergency Number that Laureth should have called when she started to think that her father was missing. Perhaps something similar to our 9-1-1 Emergency System? I am not sure how they do things over in Europe, but in America, children are taught from a very early age that if you or someone around you is hurt or in harms way, you should pick up the nearest phone and alert the proper authorities as to what is going on.
As I read along in She Is Not Invisible, I kept thinking about the TV Show Dora the Explorer. Every time I see that TV Show, it makes me wonder where in the world are her parents and why is no one watching out for her. Young children should not be traipsing around the country side looking for things (or people for that matter!)
As I read along in She Is Not Invisible, I kept thinking about the TV Show Dora the Explorer. Every time I see that TV Show, it makes me wonder where in the world are her parents and why is no one watching out for her. Young children should not be traipsing around the country side looking for things (or people for that matter!)
I am a fan of Marcus Sedgwick ever since I read Blood Red, Snow White and I have been slowly making my way through his books. She Is Not Invisible is written fairly simple that makes for an easy read, and allows you to easily get to know the characters. I think this is a great book, especially as it adds light on how society reacts to disabled people, and those who are visually impaired and the protagonist Laureth Peak is blind. Therefore She Is Not Invisible adds some diversity and originality to the YA contemporary genre, which is really great. Some great characters, with some good development and relationships with a nice mystery thrown in.
Overall, an enjoyable and refreshing read.
Overall, an enjoyable and refreshing read.
I honestly think that Marcus Sedgwick is one of the most underrated writers that I've ever read. His books often leave me feeling mesmerised long after I've left the final page behind. He doesn't care about trends or pleasing people. He delivers unique stories and interesting narratives - each of which is nothing like the last. He writes in different genres and isn't afraid to cross the lines of them and make you wonder exactly what you've let yourself in for. I have a lot of admiration for him. From the beautifully written historical fiction of [b:Revolver|6491917|Revolver|Marcus Sedgwick|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1319727900s/6491917.jpg|6683327], to the strange but compelling fantasy of [b:Midwinterblood|10836471|Midwinterblood|Marcus Sedgwick|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1319727124s/10836471.jpg|15750616], he has always seemed to deliver. Which, I think, makes [b:She Is Not Invisible|17839197|She Is Not Invisible|Marcus Sedgwick|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1378830555s/17839197.jpg|24963141] doubly disappointing.
This book tries. You can see it trying from page one. Maybe, you might say, it tries too hard. I was initially delighted by the introduction of a blind teen protagonist - not something I am too familiar with - and the engaging opening that presents us with a bizarre mystery. In this story, Laureth Peak's father is a famous writer who appears to have gone missing. He is supposed to be doing research in Europe but all is apparently not what it seems when someone contacts Laureth informing her that her father's notebook has been found in New York. Afraid for her father's safety and perhaps even his sanity, Laureth runs away with her brother on a mission to locate their missing parent after the other one seems unconcerned. Even inexperienced readers will find themselves mentally working through the possibilities of what could have happened - good news is, you're all probably wrong.
But there's bad news too. Or there was for me. Firstly, there's a lack of believability in everything that happens in this novel. I can suspend disbelief quite a lot, I really can. But not only does Laureth manage to fool numerous airport staff into letting a blind sixteen-year-old girl leave the country with her kid brother, she also manages to sufficiently distract the security at the New York airport enough that they simply wave her through. That's right. The security staff at an airport were like "oh well, we're a bit distracted with this other thing over here so go on through". The book was already losing me by this point.
The problems I had with the believability were a real shame. More so in this than other books because I really appreciated the author trying to realistically portray the way a blind person perceives the world. Through Laureth, I had the opportunity to think about things I don't normally consider and understand a bit more about the difficulties facing people with little to no eyesight. It made for some sad and terrifying scenes in the book. But it still failed in the end, if you ask me. The book became a joke with every ridiculous turn it took and this detracted from what had started as something really special.
Though perhaps the thing I disliked most were the attempts to make this book deeply philosophical. This is what I mean when I said it tried too hard. Unlike the other novels I've read by this author, the book set out to convey a message, not to tell a story. And it didn't work. The slow build-up was manageable only because it seemed to promise a wow factor somewhere down the line... it was anticlimactic, to say the least. The main story is split up with pages of Laureth's father's notebook which talks about coincidence, patterns of the universe, Einstein (amongst other scientists) and the general meaning of it all. It asked big questions but seemed to end with a shrug of its metaphorical shoulders that left me feeling like I'd just wasted the last couple of hours. Very disappointing.
A thriller unlike any other I've encountered. Not the most action packed, but definitely intense, and full of character.