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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Wow! This is not at all my usual genre for reading. I challenged myself to read all of the Printz winners and honor books and had a friend lend it to me on my Nook. I couldn't put it down until I finished it! It's very unique in that it's written in the 2nd person point of view ("You did this."). In the post-Jaycee Dugard world this is especially interesting. Lucy Christopher left me feeling just as torn about the situation as she did Gemma. That's something I didn't think would be possible! Fantastic book; this one's going to stick with me.
I’ve been staring at the screen for some time now, trying to figure out where to begin with this psychological labyrinth of a book. The skill and the complexity of the emotions in this story are stunning — I feel like I’ve experienced Stockholm syndrome firsthand for having read this. Gemma’s despair and isolation upon being taken to the Australian outback was so tangible that I felt claustrophobic; I loathed Ty during the first half of the book, particularly as more came to light about why and how long he targeted Gemma. And I’m honestly not sure when that changed — when I started seeing him as a full, complex human being, or when Gemma’s growing emotional reliance on him began seeming natural. It feels deluded to even type that out, but that’s the brilliance of this book: the reader experiences Stockholm syndrome as Gemma does. The shift is so skillfully subtle, woven into the rich symbolism and imagery that at times stole my breath with its exquisite beauty and at other times plunged through me with its deep, painful emotion. I loved how some of that symbolism helped the book walk the fine line of never condoning Ty’s actions but also never condemning him. There’s hope and life laying dormant in him, just as it lays dormant in the desert.
The writing style is strikingly unique — a second-person letter written by Gemma to Ty — and plays a huge role in how intensely real the emotions are. However, I felt that it wasn’t consistently strong all the way throughout; for every brillant, beautiful turn of phrase, there was also a cliched or generic one. Several plot points felt a tad predictable, and I would have appreciated a clearer physical description of Gemma earlier on. None of that was overly distracting, though, and certainly didn’t detract from from the overall power of this gripping, beautifully complicated story.
The writing style is strikingly unique — a second-person letter written by Gemma to Ty — and plays a huge role in how intensely real the emotions are. However, I felt that it wasn’t consistently strong all the way throughout; for every brillant, beautiful turn of phrase, there was also a cliched or generic one. Several plot points felt a tad predictable, and I would have appreciated a clearer physical description of Gemma earlier on. None of that was overly distracting, though, and certainly didn’t detract from from the overall power of this gripping, beautifully complicated story.
I loved and hate Gemma, I loved and hate Ty... After this book I didn't know what to think. I wanted to cry but I m at work(in my break time) haha... This is a wonderful book. Beautiful. Just beautiful...
I m having a big book hangover...
(90%wish when he come out. They will be together)
I m having a big book hangover...
(90%wish when he come out. They will be together)
Christopher, Lucy. Stolen: A Letter to My Captor. Chicken House, 2009.
Gemma is in an airport in Bangkok when it happens. She is drugged and kidnapped by a man who takes her to the Australian Outback where he has prepared a house for them to live in. Forever. She tries to escape several times, but they are so far away from civilization that there's no way she could get anywhere. When Gemma allows herself to be bitten by a snake, her captor has to take her to get some help, and it is then that she is able to escape and be reunited with her family.
This book is very popular among the girls at my library, and some of them have told me that their parents are surprised at how much time they spend reading when they pick up this book. I'm sure they are drawn to the fact that Gemma should hate her kidnapper but finds herself drawn to him and even misses him once she is freed.
Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: kidnapping, obviously; there is no sex - he doesn't rape her, molest her, etc. Some alcohol use.
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars
Gemma is in an airport in Bangkok when it happens. She is drugged and kidnapped by a man who takes her to the Australian Outback where he has prepared a house for them to live in. Forever. She tries to escape several times, but they are so far away from civilization that there's no way she could get anywhere. When Gemma allows herself to be bitten by a snake, her captor has to take her to get some help, and it is then that she is able to escape and be reunited with her family.
This book is very popular among the girls at my library, and some of them have told me that their parents are surprised at how much time they spend reading when they pick up this book. I'm sure they are drawn to the fact that Gemma should hate her kidnapper but finds herself drawn to him and even misses him once she is freed.
Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: kidnapping, obviously; there is no sex - he doesn't rape her, molest her, etc. Some alcohol use.
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars
I thought that this was an interesting concept. To be captive in a place so desolate that chains and locks aren't even necessary; however, I kept waiting for the shinning moment where Gem would understand something and would come up with an ingenious plan for her own rescue- but that moment never happened. I guess I just wanted a strong heroin, which wasn't Gem.
I wish I could give this zero stars, I sometimes reread this when I'm feeling sad because it inflicts a rage into me that I have never seen, it makes me want to punch a cop or steal a stop sign or something crazy. So much pain and for what, for what?????
I thought this book was great. I loved the style of writing and how it was a letter from a kidnapped girl to her kidnapper. Well written and engaging story.
No sé que libro me he leído
No, si lo sé pero, TODAS las reseñas que he leído de Stolen ponían que, el argumento no era creíble, bla, bla, bla... porque Gemma se enamoraba de su captor. Dicho esto voy a empezar por el principio.
Gemma está en el aeropuerto, a punto de irse con sus padres. Se pelea con ellos y por ello, se va a la cafetería a tomarse un descanso. Allí, un joven le invita a un café y ella, acepta. Ty, el chico, es extranjero, moreno, guapo pero un poco mayor. Gemma se lo pasa bien pero en un momento dado empieza a dormirse: Ty la ha drogado y en lo que parecen unos minutos Gemma pasa de estar en el aeropuerto del Reino Unido a un lugar desierto, apartado de la ciudad con Ty. Gemma a sido secuestrada y ahora nos contará su historia.
Pues en fin, todo el mundo decía que Gemma se enamoraba de Ty y que eso no era creíble yo, al empezar a leer el libro no tenía muchas esperanzas: una chica tontita, se enamoraba de un malo, malísimo pero buenorro. Tópico, tópico, tópico... Que sorpresa al cerrar el libro y ver que había perdido la cuenta de las veces que Gemma piensa en como MATAR a Ty, las veces que ha intentado escaparse.
Dicho esto, dejando esto claro, prosigo. Stolen es un libro de ritmo ágil que nos narra la historia de Gemma, una chica normal secuestrada y llevada a la nada. El subtitulo del libro es A letter to my captor porque se supone que Gemma está escribiendo una carta con todas sus "aventuras" a Ty, el chico que la robo.
He de decir que el personaje de Gemma me ha encantado ya que es entrañable. Siempre con la mente fría, pensando sin dejarse llevar por sus sentimientos. Siempre con el mismo objetivo. Piensa antes de actuar. No es tonta, pava, estúpida, etc. Es toda una luchadora, nunca se rinde. Ty, nuestro chico... no me ha ni agradado ni desagradado. Es guapo, apuesto pero ha secuestrado a Gemma
En definitiva, recomiendo la lectura de este libro. Creo que todo el mundo debería leer Stolen, un libro breve y conmovedor.
El final es el ideal, el perfecto. Considero que es uno de los mejores finales que he leído en mi vida.
No, si lo sé pero, TODAS las reseñas que he leído de Stolen ponían que, el argumento no era creíble, bla, bla, bla... porque Gemma se enamoraba de su captor. Dicho esto voy a empezar por el principio.
Gemma está en el aeropuerto, a punto de irse con sus padres. Se pelea con ellos y por ello, se va a la cafetería a tomarse un descanso. Allí, un joven le invita a un café y ella, acepta. Ty, el chico, es extranjero, moreno, guapo pero un poco mayor. Gemma se lo pasa bien pero en un momento dado empieza a dormirse: Ty la ha drogado y en lo que parecen unos minutos Gemma pasa de estar en el aeropuerto del Reino Unido a un lugar desierto, apartado de la ciudad con Ty. Gemma a sido secuestrada y ahora nos contará su historia.
Pues en fin, todo el mundo decía que Gemma se enamoraba de Ty y que eso no era creíble yo, al empezar a leer el libro no tenía muchas esperanzas: una chica tontita, se enamoraba de un malo, malísimo pero buenorro. Tópico, tópico, tópico... Que sorpresa al cerrar el libro y ver que había perdido la cuenta de las veces que Gemma piensa en como MATAR a Ty, las veces que ha intentado escaparse.
Dicho esto, dejando esto claro, prosigo. Stolen es un libro de ritmo ágil que nos narra la historia de Gemma, una chica normal secuestrada y llevada a la nada. El subtitulo del libro es A letter to my captor porque se supone que Gemma está escribiendo una carta con todas sus "aventuras" a Ty, el chico que la robo.
He de decir que el personaje de Gemma me ha encantado ya que es entrañable. Siempre con la mente fría, pensando sin dejarse llevar por sus sentimientos. Siempre con el mismo objetivo. Piensa antes de actuar. No es tonta, pava, estúpida, etc. Es toda una luchadora, nunca se rinde. Ty, nuestro chico... no me ha ni agradado ni desagradado. Es guapo, apuesto pero ha secuestrado a Gemma
Spoiler
y me da igual que no le haya hecho nada a Gemma, que no la haya obligado ha hacer nada. Por muy caballeroso que haya sido, ha robado a Gemma, la ha cambiado y da igual que sus motivos fueran de amor y salvación.En definitiva, recomiendo la lectura de este libro. Creo que todo el mundo debería leer Stolen, un libro breve y conmovedor.
El final es el ideal, el perfecto. Considero que es uno de los mejores finales que he leído en mi vida.