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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
It's very interesting to read this novel while simultaneously reading "Half the Sky," a novel about gender discrimination and abuse suffered by women across the world. This dichotomy may have led me to have a different experience of "Stolen" as someone picking it up and reading it, and it alone. It won an honor for excellence in Young Adult novels recently, too, so go Lucy Christopher.
This was one of my first experiences with audiobooks (well, completing an audiobook would be more apt), and I would highly recommend the format for this book. The story is told from the main character's (Gemma) perspective, and I imagine it would get tiring in print format.
Gemma is a 16 year-old Londoner on her way to a family holiday in Vietnam. While on a layover in Bangkok, she meets the beautiful Ty in a coffee shop. He seems vaguely familiar, but he's hot and old enough to make her feel like she's doing something naughty by talking to him, so she agrees to share a table with him. Flash forward a couple hours and Gemma wakes up in the middle of a barren Australian desert, with no one and nothing for miles around...except Ty.
The novel is fascinating, as it gives a first person perspective of someone succumbing to Stockholm Syndrome. Gemma is forced to rely on Ty for every basic necessity, all the while worrying about if he was going to kill her at any moment. One of the draws about this novel is that it's supposed to take you into S.S. with Gemma, so that you are equally as drawn to Ty as she is.
I didn't go there with her. The whole time I was thinking, "What an effing psycho..." My sister, who was also reading it, would ask me where I was and then ask, "Aren't you so pissed that Gemma hasn't yet realized that Ty isn't going to hurt her?" And I would always reply no. I was terrified for Gemma. Part of this may be because of past experiences of near-brushes with obsessive guys. It's honestly scary to me to think about how any one of those encounters could have turned into a situation like this. So what if Ty is ripped and handsome? It's still horrific.
Another part of me was wondering if I wasn't more outraged by the plot because this is a pretty common plot device in romance novels. Young, beautiful girl espied by a handsome man who uses his power (physical or monetary) to steal her away. At first she is recalcitrant, but then the sex is great and she's won over.
The writing is wonderful, though. Gemma is the epitome of an unreliable narrator and her voice is compelling. Lucy Christopher does well to make me actually finish a book whose premise made me sick to my stomach. I would recommend this book, just think of it like a contemporary (and not Nabokov) "Lolita."
This was one of my first experiences with audiobooks (well, completing an audiobook would be more apt), and I would highly recommend the format for this book. The story is told from the main character's (Gemma) perspective, and I imagine it would get tiring in print format.
Gemma is a 16 year-old Londoner on her way to a family holiday in Vietnam. While on a layover in Bangkok, she meets the beautiful Ty in a coffee shop. He seems vaguely familiar, but he's hot and old enough to make her feel like she's doing something naughty by talking to him, so she agrees to share a table with him. Flash forward a couple hours and Gemma wakes up in the middle of a barren Australian desert, with no one and nothing for miles around...except Ty.
The novel is fascinating, as it gives a first person perspective of someone succumbing to Stockholm Syndrome. Gemma is forced to rely on Ty for every basic necessity, all the while worrying about if he was going to kill her at any moment. One of the draws about this novel is that it's supposed to take you into S.S. with Gemma, so that you are equally as drawn to Ty as she is.
I didn't go there with her. The whole time I was thinking, "What an effing psycho..." My sister, who was also reading it, would ask me where I was and then ask, "Aren't you so pissed that Gemma hasn't yet realized that Ty isn't going to hurt her?" And I would always reply no. I was terrified for Gemma. Part of this may be because of past experiences of near-brushes with obsessive guys. It's honestly scary to me to think about how any one of those encounters could have turned into a situation like this. So what if Ty is ripped and handsome? It's still horrific.
Another part of me was wondering if I wasn't more outraged by the plot because this is a pretty common plot device in romance novels. Young, beautiful girl espied by a handsome man who uses his power (physical or monetary) to steal her away. At first she is recalcitrant, but then the sex is great and she's won over.
The writing is wonderful, though. Gemma is the epitome of an unreliable narrator and her voice is compelling. Lucy Christopher does well to make me actually finish a book whose premise made me sick to my stomach. I would recommend this book, just think of it like a contemporary (and not Nabokov) "Lolita."
I have mixed feelings about this book. Let me explain why ...
*spoilers*
Unlike a lot of other people, I had a hard time understanding Ty. After watching so many documentaries about kidnapped girls, hearing stories like '3096 Tage', ... I couldn't bring up any respect for him.
After a while, that changed, because he never really did something to her that she didn't want - besides not letting her go ofcourse.
That didn't mean that I was rooting for them to be a couple, hell no, that would've been so unrealistic and weird. But I admit, the ending was very touching and sad, and maybe I was hoping that it was different. But never ever have I hoped that she would fall in love with him: imagine them telling their kids the story of how they met each other!
*lots of spoilers*
At the beginning you might think that this is just a story about a girl getting kidnapped and having the Stockholm syndrome, but that's really not it.
What makes this story different is that he - Ty - was obsessed with her, but even though he was, he still treated her right. He was nice to her and besides kidnapping her, he did no harm to her. The fact that he brings her to the hospital - knowing that he will go to jail - proves that.
That's why I'm having these sort of mixed feelings. Is this realistic? Ty is obviously mentally ill - otherwise he wouldn't kidnap her! He is incredibly selfish, because he WANTS her for his own, like she's an object! But he would give up the life he wants, to make sure she lives. And that's not selfish at all.
Anyway, I enjoyed reading this book. But I think there are a lot of people that are a bigger fan than me. Maybe it's - like I said before - because of all the documentaries I watched about girls that were kept prisoned for many years. Maybe it's just because I'm used to books with more characters.
[sorry for my English]
*spoilers*
Unlike a lot of other people, I had a hard time understanding Ty. After watching so many documentaries about kidnapped girls, hearing stories like '3096 Tage', ... I couldn't bring up any respect for him.
After a while, that changed, because he never really did something to her that she didn't want - besides not letting her go ofcourse.
That didn't mean that I was rooting for them to be a couple, hell no, that would've been so unrealistic and weird. But I admit, the ending was very touching and sad, and maybe I was hoping that it was different. But never ever have I hoped that she would fall in love with him: imagine them telling their kids the story of how they met each other!
*lots of spoilers*
At the beginning you might think that this is just a story about a girl getting kidnapped and having the Stockholm syndrome, but that's really not it.
What makes this story different is that he - Ty - was obsessed with her, but even though he was, he still treated her right. He was nice to her and besides kidnapping her, he did no harm to her. The fact that he brings her to the hospital - knowing that he will go to jail - proves that.
That's why I'm having these sort of mixed feelings. Is this realistic? Ty is obviously mentally ill - otherwise he wouldn't kidnap her! He is incredibly selfish, because he WANTS her for his own, like she's an object! But he would give up the life he wants, to make sure she lives. And that's not selfish at all.
Anyway, I enjoyed reading this book. But I think there are a lot of people that are a bigger fan than me. Maybe it's - like I said before - because of all the documentaries I watched about girls that were kept prisoned for many years. Maybe it's just because I'm used to books with more characters.
[sorry for my English]
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The premise of the book: Gemma is a sixteen year old girl from London who is kidnapped from the Bangkok airport while she is on holiday with her parents. She is taken to one of the remotest places on Earth - the Australian Outback - the part where no one lives, no one goes to, barely anyone even knows about the expansiveness of some regions of Australia. Ty, the kidnapper, is young, fit, good-looking, and resourceful...and he's a kidnapper, so he's also disturbed and delusional. The characters are very well-written...so well-written that at times I felt like I was reading a work of non-fiction.
Gemma is sixteen, and like any sixteen year old, her emotions run wild. Plus, she's a sixteen year old in a frightening situation, so her emotions are even more unbalanced. She ranges from terrified to courageous, conflicted to determined, confused to idiotic, gullible to irrational, simplistic to complex, numb to over-emotional.
Ty is a little more unrealistic...but again, he's a kidnapper so he's not exactly "normal". He is convinced that if he takes care of Gemma, she will fall in love with him and want to stay with him. So, the book deals with the Stockholm Syndrome, where a victim begins to warm to their perpetrator.
I don't want to say anymore because I don't want to give away any spoilers, and I think it's a book best read in a way where a reader is allowed to draw their own conclusions and opinions. It's a thought-provoking book, a quick read (I read it in 2 or 3 days), and I highly recommend it.
Gemma is sixteen, and like any sixteen year old, her emotions run wild. Plus, she's a sixteen year old in a frightening situation, so her emotions are even more unbalanced. She ranges from terrified to courageous, conflicted to determined, confused to idiotic, gullible to irrational, simplistic to complex, numb to over-emotional.
Ty is a little more unrealistic...but again, he's a kidnapper so he's not exactly "normal". He is convinced that if he takes care of Gemma, she will fall in love with him and want to stay with him. So, the book deals with the Stockholm Syndrome, where a victim begins to warm to their perpetrator.
I don't want to say anymore because I don't want to give away any spoilers, and I think it's a book best read in a way where a reader is allowed to draw their own conclusions and opinions. It's a thought-provoking book, a quick read (I read it in 2 or 3 days), and I highly recommend it.
The ending of this book made it. The rest was pretty good, too.
This story is about a young girl that gets kidnaped from a surprisingly gentle man, one who has lingered outside her life, watching her, since she was a little girl. While it is scary at times, it is also beautiful at times. Written like it is a letter from the victim to the kidnapper, you can't put it down until you know how it will all turn out. Read it to find out...
گفتی:"جدایی ها...من این جوری صداشون میکنم.یه جوری...انگاری...از همه چیز جدا هستن،حداقل اینجا این طور به نظر می آد.تنهان؛اما حداقل توی این تنهایی ، همدیگه رو دارن"
طبق نظر کسایی که این کتاب رو خوندن یا عاشق این کتاب میشین یا ازش متنفر ... و من جزو گزینه ی اولم خیلی دوستش داشتم ...
طبق نظر کسایی که این کتاب رو خوندن یا عاشق این کتاب میشین یا ازش متنفر ... و من جزو گزینه ی اولم خیلی دوستش داشتم ...