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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
Probably my favourite novel by Judy Blume! I loved the setting and the fact that Judy wrote this book based on her own experience with losing her dad made it even more compelling.
I specifically remember that this book describes a fantasy of "making love on a rock"-- Judy, Judy, Judy...
I loved how realistic this book is and this will always be my favorite Judy Blume book. I loved reading about Davey's life and reading about her grief and how she is dealing with the loss of her father.
This one was a little more depressing than the other Judy Blume books. I remember I liked it but it was sad.
A story to read when procrastinating about something. Though there were bits that were quite sad I found the book nothing special. I was most disappointed with the character Wolf. In my mind he should be kind of like a wolf, quite, insightful, wise... but maybe that's just me.
No wonder this book is often hailed as Blume's masterpiece--and no wonder I wasn't much engaged by it as a teen reader myself. First, the prose is so spare in this book. It works on a craft level because the simple, repetitive syntax at key points in the book underscores the grief and disconnectedness that Davey after her father is murdered. It also gives the text a lyrical, straightforward cadence. Second, like her other work, Blume's adults are as carefully crafted as her kids--and as complex. However, here the interactions between adults and kids forms the heart of the story. While Davey does make friends, and her friendship with Wolf is part of what helps her begin processing her grief, he is tangential to her daily life. Instead, it's her interactions with her mother, her uncle, her aunt, and her therapist that form the majority of the scenes on the page. Instead, it's her interactions with her mother, her uncle, her aunt, and her therapist that form the majority of the scenes on the page. Third, the book doesn't resolve with Davey making heart eyes at Wolf and getting over her loss.
Reading this book (especially after reading MARGARET so recently) helped me realize that Blume works her style to her advantage--no better way to tackle controversial subjects than by underscoring them with straightforward, unadorned language and family relationships. If that makes Blume sound like Mr. Rogers for the YA crowd, well, there's something to that.
PS) Shout out to @ElanaKArnold, whose ringing endorsement of this book during her lecture at VCFA encouraged me to pick it up again after abandoning it when I was a teen myself. On a personal note, this book was so resonant with my own life that I found it hard going at times--a father recently dead, a mother who sleeps through a year, a trip to visit her Aunt and Uncle in New Mexico
Spoiler
Instead, it ends with Davey and her family facing the ocean recognizing "some changes happen deep down inside of you."Reading this book (especially after reading MARGARET so recently) helped me realize that Blume works her style to her advantage--no better way to tackle controversial subjects than by underscoring them with straightforward, unadorned language and family relationships. If that makes Blume sound like Mr. Rogers for the YA crowd, well, there's something to that.
PS) Shout out to @ElanaKArnold, whose ringing endorsement of this book during her lecture at VCFA encouraged me to pick it up again after abandoning it when I was a teen myself. On a personal note, this book was so resonant with my own life that I found it hard going at times--a father recently dead, a mother who sleeps through a year, a trip to visit her Aunt and Uncle in New Mexico
Reviewed 11/20/2008
I spent a few lunch hours over the last week taking a journey back to my youth with Judy Blume's Tiger Eyes. I was surprised to find a new-ish copy of it in the library. I've read a few other of Judy Blume's books from the late 70's/early 80's, and I've been kind of meh about how well they've aged. I think that Tiger Eyes, for me, is relevant as a great nostalgia piece. But I'm not sure if Todays Teenagers (tm) will be able to relate to it.
Fifteen-year-old Davey Wexler's family is almost torn apart when her father is killed in a robbery. Needing to get away for a while, her mother takes them to stay with relatives in Los Alamos, New Mexico. What began as a short vacation turns into a longer stay, and Davey has to start going to school in their new town. As with every single Judy Blume book ever written, the main character has to deal with a lot: the loss of her father, the depression of her mother, inner turmoil about not being able to help her father, blossoming romance, friends with problems, and overcoming her shyness to turn into the star that she is.
Blume's books are, in my humble opinion, just about perfection when it comes to YA lit. She's never condescending, writes skillfully both about issues that YA folks deal with AND in a perfect YA voice. The books are full and vibrant but not overwhelming.
Now, lets talk for a minute about Wolf. Davey goes hiking one day to get away from her family, and runs into a guy named Wolf in the canyon. He's a few years older than her, and he is the first person that she tells about her father's death. They strike up a friendship and meet to go hiking once a week or so, and she's got QUITE a crush on him. Oh, how I wanted them to run away together. Things were tough for Davey, and he was her port in the storm. I wanted him to sweep her up in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay and they hike off into the sunset.
But this isn't a fantasy, it's a "very real" YA book, so he's no knight in shining armor (or dusty jeans). But he does play a big role in Davey's life, and I've still got a crush on him after all these years.
I spent a few lunch hours over the last week taking a journey back to my youth with Judy Blume's Tiger Eyes. I was surprised to find a new-ish copy of it in the library. I've read a few other of Judy Blume's books from the late 70's/early 80's, and I've been kind of meh about how well they've aged. I think that Tiger Eyes, for me, is relevant as a great nostalgia piece. But I'm not sure if Todays Teenagers (tm) will be able to relate to it.
Fifteen-year-old Davey Wexler's family is almost torn apart when her father is killed in a robbery. Needing to get away for a while, her mother takes them to stay with relatives in Los Alamos, New Mexico. What began as a short vacation turns into a longer stay, and Davey has to start going to school in their new town. As with every single Judy Blume book ever written, the main character has to deal with a lot: the loss of her father, the depression of her mother, inner turmoil about not being able to help her father, blossoming romance, friends with problems, and overcoming her shyness to turn into the star that she is.
Blume's books are, in my humble opinion, just about perfection when it comes to YA lit. She's never condescending, writes skillfully both about issues that YA folks deal with AND in a perfect YA voice. The books are full and vibrant but not overwhelming.
Now, lets talk for a minute about Wolf. Davey goes hiking one day to get away from her family, and runs into a guy named Wolf in the canyon. He's a few years older than her, and he is the first person that she tells about her father's death. They strike up a friendship and meet to go hiking once a week or so, and she's got QUITE a crush on him. Oh, how I wanted them to run away together. Things were tough for Davey, and he was her port in the storm. I wanted him to sweep her up in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay and they hike off into the sunset.
But this isn't a fantasy, it's a "very real" YA book, so he's no knight in shining armor (or dusty jeans). But he does play a big role in Davey's life, and I've still got a crush on him after all these years.
If memory serves me right, this was the first ever Judy Blume that I read. I checked it out from the library and loved it so much that I bought a copy so I never had to return it.