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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
I loved the voice of the main character but the story itself annoyed me. It was a big leadup to a even bigger problem that was barely dealt with in the context of the story.
Rachel DeWoskin though really can channel her inner-teenager as I thought the perspective and comments about high school were spot on.
Rachel DeWoskin though really can channel her inner-teenager as I thought the perspective and comments about high school were spot on.
Wonderful novel about a little person teenage girl. A modern twist on a coming of digital age tale of Judy, a talented girl just entering as a junior at an exclusive performing arts high school. As all teens she longs to fit in but unlike others her unique stature is apparent to all. However she is smart, witty and strong and while her size is not the focal point, it does impact the story.
It’s difficult to fit a square peg in a round hole. Told in first person, author Rachel DeWoskin absolutely nails the character of 16-year old Judy Lohden, a high school student with a singing voice as big, beautiful, and crystal clear as a cloud-free, Montana sky, but whose physical stature — three feet nine inches — makes life unbearably hard. Sarcastic and self-deprecating, Judy makes it into the limelight. In fact, the national media is searching for her. Astute beyond her years, the journey with this young woman is well worth the price of admission!
It was great to read this right after finishing Helen Schulman's "This Beautiful Life." Similar theme but this novel appealed to me so much more. Partly because I just loved Jane, who narrates this story in such a real voice that you can't help but like her and relate to her, but also cringe and want her to shut up at times. I felt like I was reliving my teenage years without glossing over all of the hideous parts that I've tried so hard to forget. Just imagine how it would be if your most humiliating, frightening moment of high school was broadcast for all to see.
This was a poignant portrayal of just how tough life can be when you are a teenager. Goth Sarah tells Judy, "when you're a teenager, your brain isn't fully developed yet...your brain is all exuberant when you're young, but then it gets you know, adulted out with rules or whatever." Later, when her parents are bickering about Christmas plans, Judy listens to them, annoyed, and thinks, "Can I please keep my exuberant brain forever?" The answer, of course, is no. Because, life happens, and the exuberance never seems to survive intact.
Judy reminds me of how most of us were at that age. Alternately, on top of the world and completely insecure. Struggling with her own insecurities, Judy sees herself when she reads Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye," commenting, "the part of the book that kills me is how she loves the blonde doll. How she wants to be what she can never be. That's life-ruining enough, I think." And when her teacher expresses compassion after reading Judy's paper, Judy thinks, "I had a little chill of fear--that she knew more about me than I knew about myself, the way your parents think they do but don't, and the way some grown ups actually do."
Although it makes Judy's character very interesting, this is not a book about being a little person. Well, it is, but it is also a book about being a person--how everyone has to come to terms with who they are, how they are different, and the mistakes they invariably make.
An exuberant book that makes you remember your own youthful exuberance--the good with fondness, and the mistakes with something like forgiveness and understanding finally replacing the shame--we were only kids afterall.
This was a poignant portrayal of just how tough life can be when you are a teenager. Goth Sarah tells Judy, "when you're a teenager, your brain isn't fully developed yet...your brain is all exuberant when you're young, but then it gets you know, adulted out with rules or whatever." Later, when her parents are bickering about Christmas plans, Judy listens to them, annoyed, and thinks, "Can I please keep my exuberant brain forever?" The answer, of course, is no. Because, life happens, and the exuberance never seems to survive intact.
Judy reminds me of how most of us were at that age. Alternately, on top of the world and completely insecure. Struggling with her own insecurities, Judy sees herself when she reads Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye," commenting, "the part of the book that kills me is how she loves the blonde doll. How she wants to be what she can never be. That's life-ruining enough, I think." And when her teacher expresses compassion after reading Judy's paper, Judy thinks, "I had a little chill of fear--that she knew more about me than I knew about myself, the way your parents think they do but don't, and the way some grown ups actually do."
Although it makes Judy's character very interesting, this is not a book about being a little person. Well, it is, but it is also a book about being a person--how everyone has to come to terms with who they are, how they are different, and the mistakes they invariably make.
An exuberant book that makes you remember your own youthful exuberance--the good with fondness, and the mistakes with something like forgiveness and understanding finally replacing the shame--we were only kids afterall.
This book tells the story of a girl named Judy who is a Little Person attending a performing arts high school. She does pretty well fitting in with everyone until a humiliating scandal leads her to run away to a hotel from where she is telling her story. I had high hopes for this book after hearing a good review on NPR, but a lot of things fell flat for me. First, the scandal was very predictable. I think I guessed on page one what was going to happen to Judy, so it didn't even feel shocking when it finally did. Also, Judy seemed to have no emotions at all. She kept saying that this humiliating thing had happened to her, but I didn't feel like she really felt humiliated, so it was hard to feel sympathy for her. I don't know, there was something in-authentic about her voice. I felt like the book was trying too hard to be Catcher in the Rye-ish - a teenage narrator who is much wiser than the adults around her, making insightful commentaries on the human condition. But it just didn't work. Some of the author's descriptions were painfully long - like what I swear was an entire paragraph detailing every single step in the process of Judy making tuna sandwiches. And there were times when a character would enter a room to make a dramatic statement or something and the author would break the action to tell us everything she was wearing. It was kind of frustrating. After all that I've said, I guess I should add that the book did hold my attention. I read it quickly and the story wasn't bad. I guess it just felt like a missed opportunity - a lot of potential that didn't really go anywhere fabulous.
The premise of this novel is what most intrigued me: a sixteen year old dwarf involved in a high school scandal. But it was the voice of the narrator that captivated me. I really loved Judy; her self-awareness was both refreshing and heart-breaking. The plot was handled deftly, and the suspense of both what happened and what would happen as a result kept me turning the pages. My only complaint, and I'm not even sure it's a complaint at all, is that it felt geared toward a YA audience. I think I'm grappling lately with what makes something YA...is it simply the age of the main characters? It seems more nebulous than that. Regardless...a quick, suspenseful read with a truly unique and well-wrought narrator.
Easy summer read. Enjoyed the sarcastic teenage narrator. Author nailed what it's like to be a teen.
I really liked the beginning of this book. The characters were believable. I think I got thrown off after the big reveal of the horrible thing that happens to Judy. I was hoping for it to go a different way. It had a lot of potential but I think it was lacking at the end.
I just wrote a long review and lost it so I will only say that I really enjoyed this book but I think it will be a love it or hate it book for many. It reads something like Cather in the Rye with the self absorbed 16 year old girl perspective, but I really enjoyed the character and her views on her world.
"True love is not a one time event" I would have hated hearing that as a teenager, but I think Judy learns that the feelings you have and the actions you take for "love" don't have to be diminished by what happens to the relationship. Obviously her case is extreme, but I think her perspective of teen love was good.
"True love is not a one time event" I would have hated hearing that as a teenager, but I think Judy learns that the feelings you have and the actions you take for "love" don't have to be diminished by what happens to the relationship. Obviously her case is extreme, but I think her perspective of teen love was good.
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes