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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
I felt like Lucy's story was a little vague in the end, but I did appreciate this book.
I won this book a while ago, although I didn't think that it sounded that great. Nevertheless, I picked it up, and was surprised at how much I found myself enjoying it. I really loved the story, and like almost every book that I read, I wish that there could have been more in the ending, but I still liked the ending as it was. I didn't really have any big problems with this book, besides from the back description. From reading that, it sounds like the main idea of the book, is going to be a struggle and fighting between Evan and Lucy until Evan found 'Old Lucy.' And in all honesty, that is absolutely not what the book is about. It does talk about that. But that is the main topic on the back description, meaning that it should take up most of the book's plot.
So not true. Which really frustrated me. I just think that the back description should be rewritten.
So not true. Which really frustrated me. I just think that the back description should be rewritten.
2.5 stars
This was told in such a unique way and I thought the art was cute, but the tone of the book was very somber. It reminded me of Eleanor and Park (with the somewhat unlikely couple from very different backgrounds) or Perks of Being a Wallflower (with the coming of age aspect and Lucy’s background). I didn’t like Lucy all that much as a character, but I did like that she helped Evan to realize that he needed to follow his own dreams - not the dreams his family chose for him. I loved Grams.
This was told in such a unique way and I thought the art was cute, but the tone of the book was very somber. It reminded me of Eleanor and Park (with the somewhat unlikely couple from very different backgrounds) or Perks of Being a Wallflower (with the coming of age aspect and Lucy’s background). I didn’t like Lucy all that much as a character, but I did like that she helped Evan to realize that he needed to follow his own dreams - not the dreams his family chose for him. I loved Grams.
The less histrionic flipside to Rainbow Rowell's excellent Young Adult novel Eleanor & Park, Winter Town quietly and sensitively explores a teenage relationship not from the standpoint of the meet-cute and the hormonal rush of first love, but from the more complicated angle of what happens when two lifelong friends realize A) they might be meant for each other, and B) that could ruin everything. That's the situation for Evan and Lucy, friends since they were six but who, for the last several years and thanks to Lucy's parents' divorce, see each other only for two weeks at Christmas when Lucy returns to New England from Georgia to visit her dad. They always pick up right where they left off – as best friends do – but this year Lucy is sullen and withdrawn, her hair hacked off, her nose pierced, and with a cigarette always at the ready. Evan sets out to save her from herself.
This is no paternalistic story of reclamation, though, and that's what I think I admired most about Winter Town. While Evan makes it his business to try and rescue Lucy, Lucy has some rescuing of her own to do. She realizes that she's attracted to Evan due to his constant stability – he's even-tempered, diligent, and Ivy-League bound – but his father's domineering, take-no-prisoners attitude about college has robbed Evan of his own personality, most specifically the drive to turn his talent for cartooning (which Lucy shares) into something real. Lucy knows Evan needs to wriggle free of his father's influence, even if – and maybe especially because – it means stumbling and falling. Growth often comes from our reaction to adversity, and Lucy knows that Evan's stable home life has stunted him in this respect. So it's a two-way street as they try to navigate what this all means for their future together.
It all sounds kinda trite when I try to lay it out this way, but author Stephen Edmond has drawn Evan and Lucy thoughtfully, and it felt natural to get caught up in their developing romance. The real triumph, though, is the way Edmond has capitalized on their love for comic books and cartooning and sprinkled illustrations and Evan-created comic strips throughout the book, giving it an extra visual dimension. It doesn't all work – the dialogue (as is often the case with YA Lit) clangs falsely from time to time – but Winter Town is one of the more convincing stories of young love I've encountered.
This is no paternalistic story of reclamation, though, and that's what I think I admired most about Winter Town. While Evan makes it his business to try and rescue Lucy, Lucy has some rescuing of her own to do. She realizes that she's attracted to Evan due to his constant stability – he's even-tempered, diligent, and Ivy-League bound – but his father's domineering, take-no-prisoners attitude about college has robbed Evan of his own personality, most specifically the drive to turn his talent for cartooning (which Lucy shares) into something real. Lucy knows Evan needs to wriggle free of his father's influence, even if – and maybe especially because – it means stumbling and falling. Growth often comes from our reaction to adversity, and Lucy knows that Evan's stable home life has stunted him in this respect. So it's a two-way street as they try to navigate what this all means for their future together.
It all sounds kinda trite when I try to lay it out this way, but author Stephen Edmond has drawn Evan and Lucy thoughtfully, and it felt natural to get caught up in their developing romance. The real triumph, though, is the way Edmond has capitalized on their love for comic books and cartooning and sprinkled illustrations and Evan-created comic strips throughout the book, giving it an extra visual dimension. It doesn't all work – the dialogue (as is often the case with YA Lit) clangs falsely from time to time – but Winter Town is one of the more convincing stories of young love I've encountered.
A nice contemporary that was so winter-y that it made me cold and I had to read it while wrapped up in blankets.
The artwork was such a cool touch, and the ending was pretty great.
I was getting some "Let It Snow" vibes, though I did like that book a whole lot more because it was more adorable and way less angsty. Because wow, the angst was real in the book. All in all, a solid read. And I really like the cover!
Afterthought: I appreciated the mention of the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson in this. The Beach Boys is my favorite band of all time, so I love when they're mentioned in Young Adult books!
The artwork was such a cool touch, and the ending was pretty great.
I was getting some "Let It Snow" vibes, though I did like that book a whole lot more because it was more adorable and way less angsty. Because wow, the angst was real in the book. All in all, a solid read. And I really like the cover!
Afterthought: I appreciated the mention of the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson in this. The Beach Boys is my favorite band of all time, so I love when they're mentioned in Young Adult books!
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked this book. I thought it might be more lighthearted than what it was, it was quite melancholy but it fit the story more. Wintertown is a coming of age novel focused on two childhood best friends. I liked Lucy and Evan and I really did like the highlighting of how odd growing up is and the sometimes inevitable shift in childhood friendships when you both reach adulthood.
It was a quick winter novel that I enjoyed! I think the main reasons I didn’t give it a higher rating was because I felt the big plot points were a little cliche. Cliches are not bad and sometimes they work in favor of the story but with the stereotype of Evan being an A+ student who wants to be an artist with a dad who would love for Jim to play sports and go to an Ivy league school and Lucy being the bad girl with a broken past, it just made the book fall a little flat at times. I was disappointed about that, honestly, but I still did enjoy the dynamic that Evan and Lucy had. Also the shift from Evans POV to some chapters being in Lucy’s POV felt very sudden to me but it’s a minor thing because I really enjoyed her POV.
Still, I enjoyed reading it and it’s a quick fun read with illustrations and comics interspersed throughout the book. I really enjoyed that and I wish more YA and adult books had illustrations!
It was a quick winter novel that I enjoyed! I think the main reasons I didn’t give it a higher rating was because I felt the big plot points were a little cliche. Cliches are not bad and sometimes they work in favor of the story but with the stereotype of Evan being an A+ student who wants to be an artist with a dad who would love for Jim to play sports and go to an Ivy league school and Lucy being the bad girl with a broken past, it just made the book fall a little flat at times. I was disappointed about that, honestly, but I still did enjoy the dynamic that Evan and Lucy had. Also the shift from Evans POV to some chapters being in Lucy’s POV felt very sudden to me but it’s a minor thing because I really enjoyed her POV.
Still, I enjoyed reading it and it’s a quick fun read with illustrations and comics interspersed throughout the book. I really enjoyed that and I wish more YA and adult books had illustrations!
I really wanted to like this book. And I did -- parts of it. The comics in the middle were interesting, and I liked how they summarized the feelings from the chapter. The story itself reminded me a lot of John Green, which is wonderful if you like him. If you don't (and I am not a fan), then I wouldn't recommend this book. At its base it is a book about a smart boy and a quirky "bad" girl that doesn't really fit in. They dance around each other, stuff happens, and a revelation happens and they get together...or they don't. It's not a bad book, and if you like that kind of plot, you'll probably really like this book. But I don't, so it just wasn't my cup of tea.
These three stars include a bonus for the art interspersed throughout. The writing was fine, but I found the story lacking.
This was okay. I liked all the illustrations. The story seemed interesting, but I just didn't connect to the characters or feel anything
