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missbookiverse's review against another edition
4.0
This is not your average YA novel. This book really offered me a bunch of new ways to look at things such as bullying, cliques and PE uniforms. The main character Poe (yes, named after Edgar Allen) questions nearly everything and even though this sometimes annoyed me a little, she did this in such a refreshing way that she had me listening intensly.
I warmed up with the characters quickly. Velveeda is such a lovable guy and the dork of all dorks. The violence scenes made me sick to my stomach.
Theo has the greatest theories about life and makes the most amusing comments throughout the book. David also comes along as a loving and caring father. Well and Poe is just Poe, I guess ;)
Very worth reading!
I warmed up with the characters quickly. Velveeda is such a lovable guy and the dork of all dorks. The violence scenes made me sick to my stomach.
Theo has the greatest theories about life and makes the most amusing comments throughout the book. David also comes along as a loving and caring father. Well and Poe is just Poe, I guess ;)
Very worth reading!
saidtheraina's review against another edition
1.0
Only got 13 pages into this. Stopped shortly after the appearance of the overly clownish hick (complete with detailed announcements of his defecation plans). I found the protagonist overly-aware of her otherness (she describes herself as a "counterculture being") and thus, not believable. The snark was too contrived. I was thinking it might be a fun remix of [b:Beige|313159|Beige|Cecil Castellucci|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173671614s/313159.jpg|304058] by [a:Cecil Castelucci|146783|Cecil Castellucci|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1227992857p2/146783.jpg], but just read that instead.
sandraagee's review against another edition
3.0
Very interesting book. I loved the writing, except for several bits of dialogue by Poe's father which seemed forced. But the rest was honest and intense and poignant. Poe is a character who's too forceful and too blunt for her own good. She's very flawed and while she does come to terms with this flaw and work to tame it, it's not preachy. And I was cheering for her brutal honesty about the system and the way it can trap or favor/disfavor certain teens - even when I knew she was being overly harsh and even mean about it, I always felt like I agreed with her, which I think shows some strong characterization.
I did sometimes wish that some of the secondary characters had been beefed up a bit more to keep up with Poe's strong characterization. Oh well. Although I will say: Two of the secondary characters are named Velveeta and Colby, and these two are at odds through the entire book. Hmmm.
I did sometimes wish that some of the secondary characters had been beefed up a bit more to keep up with Poe's strong characterization. Oh well. Although I will say: Two of the secondary characters are named Velveeta and Colby, and these two are at odds through the entire book. Hmmm.
daniellesalwaysreading's review against another edition
3.0
The main character is what I hoped Bella from Twilight would be. Poe (named after Edgar Allen), abandoned by her mother, has just moved from big town LA to a small town to live with a father she has never known. So there are obviously lots of parallels between Poe and Bella. But Poe is a rebel and an outsider in a conformist school. She confronts her father for never being in her life. She stands up to her mother who has abandoned her. She fights for her rights and the rights of others in a school that just wants her to shut up and behave. Unlike Bella, Poe is a fully realized character; she has a personality, she has definite faults, makes mistakes, and grows as a character through the course of the story. Compared with Twilight I give it 5 stars. Standing on its own, I liked it very much, but it fell just short of 4 stars because Poe was what we wish we could have been in high school, not what anyone actually is. Additionally, Poe didn't have any female friends, which struck me as inauthentic as well.
dctigue's review against another edition
3.0
The beginning was brutal to get through, but I enjoyed the ending.
laurelinwonder's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first solid, non-paranormal/sci-fi, non romance, non kids in a weird game trying not to die YA book I have read in a while. There were some moments, especially early on where I thought the book had too few or too many balls in the air, or I worries some characters were not given a fair shake. In the end, some of the sidelines characters could have been given a bit more due, and I do wish the bully had been a bit less flat. I just don't think people are bullies for no reason, even if they feel like they can get away with it, though in the end, this wasn't the bully's story. I also wouldn't have minded a bit more about Velveeta, but again, this isn't his story either. This is Poe Holly's story, and she while perhaps a bit over the top in terms of style, and how she interacts with the sometimes flat school/administration characters - Poe knows and trusts herself, and is unafraid to speak up, THIS is refreshing! Even though she does end up dating, and there are a few smooches, she doesn't need some boy to tell her who she is, or make her feel worthy of anything. A truly strong female protagonist without magical abilities, or a need to be drooled over by zombies, werewolves, vampires, what have you, is a real treat in today's YA market. Also, let me say this is more than an anti bully book, it also manages to look at divorced parents, how and what adults and schools deal the social aspects of HS students, and the usual concerns. A lot happens in very few pages, and though I wanted a tad more in some respects (see above), that may just be my old lady self wanting a more complex adult novel. Don't get me wrong, there are many complex issues for the average to above average YA reader. Enough of that, this is a great YA novel, and Poe, well, she surpasses Katniss, Triss, and certainly Bella in terms of knowing what she wants, trusting herself, and being. (Again, Katniss and Triss have bad-assery, but sometimes whine too much, smooch too much, or do not trust that they know themselves, at times).
treehuggeranonymous's review against another edition
4.0
Poe has so many Mary-Sue-ish traits that I should hate her and I shouldn't stay up all night reading a book about her. I mean she's a punk with the voice of an angel, someone who could be in the popular crowd if she wants to but choses not to, is practically a mouthpiece for counter culture, and she has a non-traditional first name. I'm pretty sure if you ran her through a Mary-Sue litmus test she'd score fairly high.
That said i really liked this book and I liked Poe. And her actions have consequences and things work against her in a way that kinda takes away from those Mary-Sue qualities. The book is engaging and it drew me in really quickly. I think it raises some important issues around bullying and violence and the role of institutions and it's a book that will make people think about their own role.
That said i really liked this book and I liked Poe. And her actions have consequences and things work against her in a way that kinda takes away from those Mary-Sue qualities. The book is engaging and it drew me in really quickly. I think it raises some important issues around bullying and violence and the role of institutions and it's a book that will make people think about their own role.
thatweirdlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
I think this is a must read for teachers. It shows that we sometimes create a negative place for our students by ignoring what is going on around us.
ktrusty416's review against another edition
2.0
Brutal is an "issue" novel and the issue at hand is bullying. It's an important and timely issue and one that schools in particular and society in general has a sorry track record at dealing with, so whilst I applaud Harmon for writing about it, there was much that I found problematic: characters that felt like caricatures; a lack of nuance and subtlety in the writing that left me feeling patronised; a pace that had me thinking "Slow down!" too many times... As a teenager who was really into counter culture and as an adult who is still into counter culture but a teacher, I really wanted to like this novel. But.