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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's a slow-burn, and the payoff just isn't enough. It really hits it's stride toward the middle- when it actually evolves it's initial concept- but there are many flat moments that are disengaging or uninteresting. It is well-written, however I don't think I'll be picking up the sequels any time soon!
i'm kinda excited to reread this series just bc it's just such a ridiculous plot that it's delightful. i think i read this first one twice and the others once and that was all before the very last book came out so i'm rereading everything in preparation for reading that finally......seven years later
anyway it's a quick easy read, my only beef is with reeve. i probably liked the relationship reading these books when i was like fourteen or whenever it was but now as an adult i'm like "dude you've kissed like twice why are you so insistent on bringing up sex (i mean you should never be pushy no matter the circumstances it's gross) and this girl is only fifteen and seriously Going Through Something it is absolutely not the time" AND he acts like such a dick about it bc she won't stop talking about the family in new jersey etc and i understand it's frustrating when someone just will not stop talking about something (and also isn't paying attention to your own issues bc they're so wrapped up in themselves) but like this is a majorly traumatic thing her entire life isn't what she believed like??? let her talk about it and just be supportive oh my god
anyway i don't really remember how the whole series plays out so i'm excited to re-find out
anyway it's a quick easy read, my only beef is with reeve. i probably liked the relationship reading these books when i was like fourteen or whenever it was but now as an adult i'm like "dude you've kissed like twice why are you so insistent on bringing up sex (i mean you should never be pushy no matter the circumstances it's gross) and this girl is only fifteen and seriously Going Through Something it is absolutely not the time" AND he acts like such a dick about it bc she won't stop talking about the family in new jersey etc and i understand it's frustrating when someone just will not stop talking about something (and also isn't paying attention to your own issues bc they're so wrapped up in themselves) but like this is a majorly traumatic thing her entire life isn't what she believed like??? let her talk about it and just be supportive oh my god
anyway i don't really remember how the whole series plays out so i'm excited to re-find out
I'm probably giving it an extra star for that like, classic teen book back when I was a teen thing. It doesn't hold up well to age, unfortunately, the boyfriend is a total jerk, they use a law student as their legal adviser, but...hey, way back when I was a teen I might have been enthralled.
I enjoyed the storyline and the things that went through the mind of this teen as she realized that she had been taken from her parents as a young child. She is torn as to what to do since she loves her “kidnappers”. Read the story you won’t be sorry. Aimed at teen and YA audience.
I read this when I worked in the children’s department at my local library. Since I would like to read the rest in the series I reread it. There are things I had forgotten so good to refresh my memory.
I read this when I worked in the children’s department at my local library. Since I would like to read the rest in the series I reread it. There are things I had forgotten so good to refresh my memory.
After rereading “I Know What You Did Last Summer” in June, it was pretty easy to settle on “The Face on the Milk Carton” as my August reread. If Lois Duncan got me into horror, Caroline B. Cooney made me fall in love with mysteries. I can remember getting the first book in this series from a Scholastic Book Order (loved those) and devouring the next two books of the series. (Supposedly there’s a fourth which I never knew existed until now.) I loved this. I loved revisiting this. I loved that the publisher didn’t force Cooney into updating the book for a new generation. There were typewriters and cassettes. The setting was the same...which makes me incredibly happy. Otherwise, how would one explain why Janie didn’t just hop online and Google herself? The only way this concept works is within the time frame it was written. This book is dear to my heart and I’m glad that I checked in with Janie all these years later...and may just have to reread the rest of the series now.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Well...as many of you here, I read this book when I was much younger. Fifth grade, I think. And it must have left a lasting impression on me because I remembered a couple of details which is why, when I found it in the library, I promptly checked it out and reread it.
I am obviously not the intended audience of the book, so it makes sense that I didn't particularly enjoy it this go around. I wasn't expecting a literary classic, so no surprises there. But I can't help the sense of...utter disappointment and maybe a bit of mild disgust at the way this very intriguing storyline was delivered. It makes me sad for all of the twelve and thirteen-year-olds who may want to read this book. I feel like the author failed them in so many ways.
I won't go into all of the details, because there's just so much to critique. But I'll mention a few things I particularly found cringe-worthy. First is the lack of focus. I understand that the main character Janie (or Jayyne Jonstone as she writes on her essay) is 15 years old. But the emotional maturity that she displays is that of someone just finishing primary school. There is too much preamble and focus on things that don't really matter such as the school, appearances of her friends, and awkward flirtations and not nearly enough on the emotional parts...such as when she confronts her parents for the first time about her suspicions. That part is literally condensed into half a page.
The interactions she has with her "parents" is strange- intimate and distant at the same time. Her mom is obsessed with food and diets. Her dad pulls her hair into ponytails all the time. The details the author gives us are very specific, but they go nowhere. They do nothing for the story.
Yet despite all of that, what was really the most tough pill to swallow was the fact that you have this intriguing concept of a plot, but what is delivered on paper is this soulless and surface story. The reactions of the character are not believable at all, even though they should be because it's told from her perspective. It just rings hollow and that really sucks because all of the kids that are reading it miss out on so much. Obviously things like literary style are not something tweens focus on or care about. But this could have been the perfect introduction. The plot is intriguing, but there's no depth, nothing to latch onto. So yeah, I wasn't thrilled at the end. And I'm probably not going to read the sequels.
Summary: Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews but less creepy and for kids...though just as badly written.
I am obviously not the intended audience of the book, so it makes sense that I didn't particularly enjoy it this go around. I wasn't expecting a literary classic, so no surprises there. But I can't help the sense of...utter disappointment and maybe a bit of mild disgust at the way this very intriguing storyline was delivered. It makes me sad for all of the twelve and thirteen-year-olds who may want to read this book. I feel like the author failed them in so many ways.
I won't go into all of the details, because there's just so much to critique. But I'll mention a few things I particularly found cringe-worthy. First is the lack of focus. I understand that the main character Janie (or Jayyne Jonstone as she writes on her essay) is 15 years old. But the emotional maturity that she displays is that of someone just finishing primary school. There is too much preamble and focus on things that don't really matter such as the school, appearances of her friends, and awkward flirtations and not nearly enough on the emotional parts...such as when she confronts her parents for the first time about her suspicions. That part is literally condensed into half a page.
The interactions she has with her "parents" is strange- intimate and distant at the same time. Her mom is obsessed with food and diets. Her dad pulls her hair into ponytails all the time. The details the author gives us are very specific, but they go nowhere. They do nothing for the story.
Yet despite all of that, what was really the most tough pill to swallow was the fact that you have this intriguing concept of a plot, but what is delivered on paper is this soulless and surface story. The reactions of the character are not believable at all, even though they should be because it's told from her perspective. It just rings hollow and that really sucks because all of the kids that are reading it miss out on so much. Obviously things like literary style are not something tweens focus on or care about. But this could have been the perfect introduction. The plot is intriguing, but there's no depth, nothing to latch onto. So yeah, I wasn't thrilled at the end. And I'm probably not going to read the sequels.
Summary: Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews but less creepy and for kids...though just as badly written.
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes