Reviews

Junie by Chelene Knight

courtiny's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

okbartel's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ldpac's review against another edition

4.0

This is a beautiful story that encapsulates truth and conflict on so many levels. Chelene Knight's talent as a poet shines through in this novel.

Those who are familiar with the Hogan's Alley community in Vancouver will appreciate this read.

unphilosophize's review

emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I wish this was on the Canada reads short list. 
Really enjoyed this book

hobbs1's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

sophiestasyna's review

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

hannahdiane's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

whimsicallymeghan's review against another edition

5.0

It’s the 1930s and Junie is just 13 when she and her mother move into Vancouver’s East End. Her mother Maddie is a jazz singer, who slowly turns to alcohol to drown out the problems of the world. Meanwhile, Junie is full of life and exploring new things, mostly art. But with a mother who looks down on her passions she must find her opportunities elsewhere. And as she starts to find adulthood, she realizes her potential is a lot bigger than she imagined. This was a beautiful coming of age story of a young girl who was just trying to find her place in the world; a world that felt like it had no place for her. It was so moving to watch the main character navigate the world that was presented to her. The plot was really well done. Each chapter was only a few pages long, but it was just long enough to give the reader a sense of who these characters were, without giving too much away. It took some time to get into, but once the reader was in, they were locked in. This was super-fast-paced and the plot moved with ease as we wound our way through Junie’s life. The way everything weaved into each other was well crafted because the reader could truly see how each of the threads were connected. Even if it didn’t seem like it was connected, Knight did an amazing job of leading her reader down the path to show us what she saw and it was heartfelt. Not only was the plot well written, so were the characters. They were dynamic and they had soul. The mother/daughter relationships in this were so touching, yet they were also a little on the poignant side, too. Knight painted such a picture of who the mothers were, through their own lens, but also through the lens of their children and it felt so relatable and true to real life. The themes of being a black, gay, and artistic young girl in the 1930s were portrayed well; this reader can’t speak to the authenticity of the representation, but it was handled well and they couldn’t help but fall in love with Junie because of how she was able to move past everything awful thrown at her and still find the beauty in the world. Overall, this was a really well-written novel with so much heart and soul in its pages.

katia23's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

njw13's review

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75