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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
I loved it! The dad was a terrible person; her mom, I didn't like right at first, but I liked her at the end. There was definite character development. The story didn't just sit there, so that was good. And now I want to go to China :))
Wow! I love this book! Such an amazing story on love, adventure, and finding true beauty. Terra not only found love with an amazing guy, but also with herself, which I find truly inspiring and beautiful!
This book challenges an individuals' thinking of what is beautiful - mixed with the insecurities of a teenage girl dealing with other people's beliefs on beauty, verbal abuse from a parent (then standing up to said parent), and dreams of escaping to an uncharted land, this book was a good read. It also had a sprinkling of a history/cartography lesson in it, with map making terms as chapter titles and a quick history lesson on China.
emotional
lighthearted
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
I wanted to punch every single character in the face. This was nothing like I wanted it to be.
4 to 4.5 stars
Mesmerizing, breathtaking, lovable, wonderful, and wow, it was just great.
GEOCACHING! Thank you for introducing me to that Justina Chen Headley!!!!!!!
Mesmerizing, breathtaking, lovable, wonderful, and wow, it was just great.
GEOCACHING! Thank you for introducing me to that Justina Chen Headley!!!!!!!
Oneuponareadersblog.blogspot.com
I absolutely love this book! It's one of my favorites, and I feel that everyone should have a copy of North of Beautiful on their shelf somewhere. Although it is a little slow in some parts, North of Beautiful always kept me wanting to know more. I have read this book many, many times and with each read I learn more about myself including some things that have been forgotten. This book has also taught me many things about maps, history and geocaching. I really like Headly's writing style and I feel that it compliments this book extremely well. I know that some people have put this book down because they feel that it is boring. Please, please, don't put this book down. It gets better. The family dynamics in North of Beautiful are something to really look at, because we can all relate to someone telling us that we can't do something, be something, achieve something etc. If you haven't read this book yet, I urge you to pick it up. It's one that will stay in your memory for a long time.
I absolutely love this book! It's one of my favorites, and I feel that everyone should have a copy of North of Beautiful on their shelf somewhere. Although it is a little slow in some parts, North of Beautiful always kept me wanting to know more. I have read this book many, many times and with each read I learn more about myself including some things that have been forgotten. This book has also taught me many things about maps, history and geocaching. I really like Headly's writing style and I feel that it compliments this book extremely well. I know that some people have put this book down because they feel that it is boring. Please, please, don't put this book down. It gets better. The family dynamics in North of Beautiful are something to really look at, because we can all relate to someone telling us that we can't do something, be something, achieve something etc. If you haven't read this book yet, I urge you to pick it up. It's one that will stay in your memory for a long time.
Terra plans to leave her controlling father and weak mother behind when she heads to college a year early across the country. But it will not be so easy to leave her history behind her, she carries it with her every day. Just like the large port wine stain on half of her face, her ego and every thought are marked by her family life. And just like that birthmark, she tries to cover over and mask the truth. When she literally bumps into Jacob, an intriguing Goth boy who immediately understands her like no one else has, her life begins to change. She starts to face the truth of what her family is and what her own role is in the dysfunction. But will she ever be able to face the world without her mask?
Beautifully written, this book is like gazing into someone's soul put to paper. At times it is filled with such raw honesty that it is painful to read. Each reader will bring their own stain to the book, see themselves reflected within, and take heart away from it. Headley writes with a confidence and gentle natural rhythm that carries one through the novel. It is as impossible to put down as any book I have read recently.
Headley's touch with the love story in the novel is deft and brilliant. From the tiny touches that mean so much, to the electricity in eye contact, it brings all of those feelings vividly to life. She also weaves cartography into the text with a beautiful touch that allows it to have symbolic meaning to the reader but not over take the book by being heavy handed.
This book will speak to any reader who picks it up. It is for those who fit in and those who don't, those who are in love and those who think they never will be. Simply brilliant. Appropriate for ages 14-17.
Beautifully written, this book is like gazing into someone's soul put to paper. At times it is filled with such raw honesty that it is painful to read. Each reader will bring their own stain to the book, see themselves reflected within, and take heart away from it. Headley writes with a confidence and gentle natural rhythm that carries one through the novel. It is as impossible to put down as any book I have read recently.
Headley's touch with the love story in the novel is deft and brilliant. From the tiny touches that mean so much, to the electricity in eye contact, it brings all of those feelings vividly to life. She also weaves cartography into the text with a beautiful touch that allows it to have symbolic meaning to the reader but not over take the book by being heavy handed.
This book will speak to any reader who picks it up. It is for those who fit in and those who don't, those who are in love and those who think they never will be. Simply brilliant. Appropriate for ages 14-17.
At first I thought 4 stars. And then I thought 5. Then I thought 4 1/2 stars. Now I'm thinking I must have become a little bit jaded if I find it so hard to give an involving, beautiful book 5 stars.
So, I give it 5 stars to prove I have indeed not become jaded. Yet.
I can't really fault this book. I know a lot of people have but I can't. I can't criticise the writing or her metaphors. I liked how she talked about things like maps and geocaching. It was so unique. There were so many things in this book I'd never heard of, really. I loved how I actually learned about new things from reading this book.
I can't fault the characters. I've read reviews where people grumble about Jacob. Especially about him being goth. I think the whole point of this book was to show that appearances aren't whats important, it's what's inside. So the fact that so many reviews harp about Jacob being goth and how "they would never find a goth boy attractive" is absolutely ridiculous. I liked his character so I didn't care what the author described him as, physically. I found him to be one of the sweetest, most likeable guys I've ever read about.
I loved the depth of all the characters. They all have big issues that they need to face. Terra has self esteem issues as well as family problems to deal with. Her mom seriously broke my heart. She reminds me of my mom in the way that she is so incredibly selfless and her main concern is always for other people. But my mom is also an incredibly strong woman and wouldn't have been in the situation that Terra's mother is in. Although in the end, Terra's mother became strong enough to face things she hadn't been able to face.
Terra's mother and father have such an unloving, horrible relationship. It's heartbreaking reading about the way Terra's father treats his family. The way he talks to Terra and her mother. The way he ruins things and makes everything so difficult.
So I could not fault the characters. They were all so well written. You have so many strong characters who discover so much about themselves. Such brilliant character developement.
The story surprised me because I didn't expect it. I thought maybe she'd find a cure/treatment for her birthmark. In the beginning, I thought that. And I really wouldn't have liked that. I love the way it went. We find it so hard to see ourselves the way others see us.
I loved when they went to China. I did NOT know that this book would contain travelling. I LOVED IT. I loved reading about their time in China and especially loved that Jacob and his mother went with them.
I thought this book had everything a good book should have. Interesting, strong characters. Great character developement. Lovely writing with so many interesting subjects thrown in. Stimulating plot. Travel! Love. And just a general uniqueness.
I loved it. I don't really understand why someone wouldn't but I simply loved it.
So, I give it 5 stars to prove I have indeed not become jaded. Yet.
I can't really fault this book. I know a lot of people have but I can't. I can't criticise the writing or her metaphors. I liked how she talked about things like maps and geocaching. It was so unique. There were so many things in this book I'd never heard of, really. I loved how I actually learned about new things from reading this book.
I can't fault the characters. I've read reviews where people grumble about Jacob. Especially about him being goth. I think the whole point of this book was to show that appearances aren't whats important, it's what's inside. So the fact that so many reviews harp about Jacob being goth and how "they would never find a goth boy attractive" is absolutely ridiculous. I liked his character so I didn't care what the author described him as, physically. I found him to be one of the sweetest, most likeable guys I've ever read about.
I loved the depth of all the characters. They all have big issues that they need to face. Terra has self esteem issues as well as family problems to deal with. Her mom seriously broke my heart. She reminds me of my mom in the way that she is so incredibly selfless and her main concern is always for other people. But my mom is also an incredibly strong woman and wouldn't have been in the situation that Terra's mother is in. Although in the end, Terra's mother became strong enough to face things she hadn't been able to face.
Terra's mother and father have such an unloving, horrible relationship. It's heartbreaking reading about the way Terra's father treats his family. The way he talks to Terra and her mother. The way he ruins things and makes everything so difficult.
So I could not fault the characters. They were all so well written. You have so many strong characters who discover so much about themselves. Such brilliant character developement.
The story surprised me because I didn't expect it. I thought maybe she'd find a cure/treatment for her birthmark. In the beginning, I thought that. And I really wouldn't have liked that. I love the way it went. We find it so hard to see ourselves the way others see us.
I loved when they went to China. I did NOT know that this book would contain travelling. I LOVED IT. I loved reading about their time in China and especially loved that Jacob and his mother went with them.
I thought this book had everything a good book should have. Interesting, strong characters. Great character developement. Lovely writing with so many interesting subjects thrown in. Stimulating plot. Travel! Love. And just a general uniqueness.
I loved it. I don't really understand why someone wouldn't but I simply loved it.