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jesslolsen's review against another edition
5.0
Nothing gets to me quite like an unrequited love story! As I am writing this, I am just wiping the last tear away. I wasn't expecting to have this reaction at all when I first started reading it - yes, it seemed like an interesting YA story that involved travel with a few mishaps and twists...and of course someone had to fall passionately, eloquently, head-over-heels in love, in a Paulina Simons story! (just thinking about The Bronze Horseman still gives me goosebumps!!) but I definitely wasn't expecting to feel my heart break along with the lead female characters, and so strongly!
I've tried, but I can't write about this book without including spoilers…
About halfway through the book I had my suspicious as to how it would generally turn out (although there were still bits I didn't see coming), so I had a feeling that Johnny still had his 'demons' and that he might probably end up dying before he made it back to Chloe - but how Chloe's grief was written was what made my reaction so strong. It was almost like I was in the car with her, witnessing her pain and confusion. Simons really does have a gift for making you feel something.
At the beginning, it look me a little while to get over how annoying the main characters were - especially their moaning about how their FREE trip to Europe was inconvenienced but a few other destinations. But I guess just because I wouldn't never think that way, doesn't mean other teenagers would I guess? I also think how the story changed voices to read like their individual journals also helped to better understand them and where they were each coming from. And as shallow and one-dimensional as some of the characters were, the others were so intelligent with their deep observations and prophetic quotes, that it balanced it out. There were too many quotes sprinkled throughout the story for me to pick a favourite.
Apart from making me weep with love and loss, I also felt like I received a bit of a History and Geography lesson as well. If Johnny was a real life tour guide, I would join his group in a heartbeat.
I've tried, but I can't write about this book without including spoilers…
About halfway through the book I had my suspicious as to how it would generally turn out (although there were still bits I didn't see coming), so I had a feeling that Johnny still had his 'demons' and that he might probably end up dying before he made it back to Chloe - but how Chloe's grief was written was what made my reaction so strong. It was almost like I was in the car with her, witnessing her pain and confusion. Simons really does have a gift for making you feel something.
At the beginning, it look me a little while to get over how annoying the main characters were - especially their moaning about how their FREE trip to Europe was inconvenienced but a few other destinations. But I guess just because I wouldn't never think that way, doesn't mean other teenagers would I guess? I also think how the story changed voices to read like their individual journals also helped to better understand them and where they were each coming from. And as shallow and one-dimensional as some of the characters were, the others were so intelligent with their deep observations and prophetic quotes, that it balanced it out. There were too many quotes sprinkled throughout the story for me to pick a favourite.
Apart from making me weep with love and loss, I also felt like I received a bit of a History and Geography lesson as well. If Johnny was a real life tour guide, I would join his group in a heartbeat.
lozzyd's review against another edition
4.0
I dragged my feet a bit on this one and it took me a while to get into it. I felt that it was really going to be a struggle to get through it, but the last two thirds of the book more than made up for the slow beginning! Paullina Simons had done it again!
kiwikazz's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable read. Definitely got better half way thru. Probably between a 3.5 and a 4star
canadianbookaddict's review against another edition
2.0
I had to force myself to read this book . The characters were annoying and the book was so slow.
This will not be one I will be reading again. In the future .
This will not be one I will be reading again. In the future .
sammy234's review against another edition
5.0
Obviously, The Bronze Horseman is still my favorite book by this author and also my favorite book ever, but Lonestar was still a six hundred page masterpiece. Paullina Simons writes feelings I couldn't put into words if I tried and her stories are so honest and beautiful I always feel like weeping when I get to the last page. Also, Blake was a smashing supporting character/Love interest. No, he's not Alexander Barrington (who is?) but he was perfect and hilarious and authentic and swoony. I don't think I've ever rooted for a friend's to lovers romance so intensely before, and it wasn't even the main focus! In addition, I love how her books always in some form honor the memory of those who died in the Holocaust. Basically, this book is one of the best coming of age stories I have ever read, all wrapped up in heavenly prose and existential angst. I highly recommend this book, but I suggest reading The Bronze Horseman first, because while this love story is fantastic, Tatiana and Alexander's love story is... something else. It's THE LOVE STORY in all caps. Plus, if you read that book, the cameo in this one will make a lot more sense.
amyolive's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘You should always protect the things you can’t do without.’
Chloe, a teenager from a small town in Maine, wants to travel to Barcelona with her best friend Hannah and their boyfriends Blake and Mason before leaving home to attend college. Her very protective parents are reluctant to permit the trip, but eventually an agreement is reached. Chloe’s grandmother wants the four of them to travel first through Eastern Europe, to Latvia and to Poland where she has family, and memories of the past. Chloe is reluctant, but agrees. Her grandmother agrees to fund the trip for the four of them. Barcelona beckons. Each of the four has a different motivation for travelling. While Chloe wants a taste of independence, Blake is looking for material to write a short story which he hopes to enter into a competition. Hannah has her own reasons for wanting a change, while Mason is happy to join in.
The four friends arrive in Europe, and while travelling on a crowded train in Latvia, they meet a young man with a guitar who calls himself Johnny Rainbow. Johnny works as a tour guide and busks in Riga. Blake (Hannah’s boyfriend) takes an instant dislike to Johnny, and it isn’t long before Johnny’s presence impacts on the group.
I found it impossible to put this novel down. Following the group through the challenges of their travel, the turmoils of teenaged relationships, and (for some, at least) the recognition of the impact of war on Eastern Europe was like undertaking the journey with them. We see a number of situations from the differing perspectives of the friends, how something which enthrals one irritates another. And all the time, Johnny’s presence (or absence) has its own impact on the friends.
And after the trip? What happens when the friends return to the USA? How will the journey shape the lives of Chloe, Blake, Hannah and Mason? And what about Johnny? You’ll need to read the novel to find out.
‘IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN.’
I’m a long time reader of Ms Simons’s novels, and I’ve yet to read one that I didn’t enjoy. In this novel, Ms Simons makes the friends (especially Chloe and Blake) emerge as individuals. There are other characters, too, who’ve stayed with me (especially Lupe, and Chloe’s mother Lang).
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for an opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Chloe, a teenager from a small town in Maine, wants to travel to Barcelona with her best friend Hannah and their boyfriends Blake and Mason before leaving home to attend college. Her very protective parents are reluctant to permit the trip, but eventually an agreement is reached. Chloe’s grandmother wants the four of them to travel first through Eastern Europe, to Latvia and to Poland where she has family, and memories of the past. Chloe is reluctant, but agrees. Her grandmother agrees to fund the trip for the four of them. Barcelona beckons. Each of the four has a different motivation for travelling. While Chloe wants a taste of independence, Blake is looking for material to write a short story which he hopes to enter into a competition. Hannah has her own reasons for wanting a change, while Mason is happy to join in.
The four friends arrive in Europe, and while travelling on a crowded train in Latvia, they meet a young man with a guitar who calls himself Johnny Rainbow. Johnny works as a tour guide and busks in Riga. Blake (Hannah’s boyfriend) takes an instant dislike to Johnny, and it isn’t long before Johnny’s presence impacts on the group.
I found it impossible to put this novel down. Following the group through the challenges of their travel, the turmoils of teenaged relationships, and (for some, at least) the recognition of the impact of war on Eastern Europe was like undertaking the journey with them. We see a number of situations from the differing perspectives of the friends, how something which enthrals one irritates another. And all the time, Johnny’s presence (or absence) has its own impact on the friends.
And after the trip? What happens when the friends return to the USA? How will the journey shape the lives of Chloe, Blake, Hannah and Mason? And what about Johnny? You’ll need to read the novel to find out.
‘IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN.’
I’m a long time reader of Ms Simons’s novels, and I’ve yet to read one that I didn’t enjoy. In this novel, Ms Simons makes the friends (especially Chloe and Blake) emerge as individuals. There are other characters, too, who’ve stayed with me (especially Lupe, and Chloe’s mother Lang).
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for an opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
kimberlycarrington's review against another edition
1.0
Vaya por delante que soy muy muy fan de la trilogía El jinete de bronce y que hasta casi casi el final iba a dar a Lone Star entre dos y tres estrellas pero no se merece más de una y estoy siendo generosa.
[Como no voy a reseñar este libro en el blog me permito hacer una reseña más extensa aquí. Menos mal que hace un par de días que lo terminé y no lo reseño en caliente porque es tan grande el cabreo que pillé cuando que no sé qué tipo de reseña habría hecho 😂].
Empecé a leer este libro con muchísimas ganas porque en mi altarcito particular y en mi estantería 5 Gandys Superplus están los tres libros de El jinete de bronce en un puesto destacado. La escritura de Paullina Simons se mete dentro de mis venas y me emociona como muy pocas lo han logrado. Por eso no entiendo qué se le pasó por la cabeza a la hora de escribir este libro, que parece directamente escrito por otra persona. Esa prosa extraña y emocionante que conocemos de ella aquí se convierte en algo sin sentido que parece más fruto de un porro supremo que de una escritora que transmite como nadie los sentimientos y las sensaciones a través de las palabras.
Lone Star es una especie de road movie literaria, una viaje destinado a cambiar la vida de sus protagonistas y hacerles pasar de la adolescencia a la vida adulta a golpe de tren y de experiencias. Suena bonito, verdad? Pues no lo es, al menos no para mí. Para mí ha sido un libro al que no he logrado engancharme por más que lo he intentado, sobre todo por la extrañísima narración porrera (diferentes puntos de vista pero unos en tercera persona y otros en primera, y luego un narrador omnisciente cuando Paullina cambiaba de porro, debe ser), las actitudes incoherentes e incomprensibles de algunos personajes y el casi nulo atractivo de los personajes (donde hay que incluir a la protagonista -y si no conectas con el personaje principal vamos mal-). Únicamente me han gustado Blake (al que me parece que trata injustamente) y Johnny Rainbow (y antes que hablar de él me callo porque estoy mucho más guapa 😂).
Como os he dicho ni la historia me llegaba a enganchar ni sentía especial simpatía por la mayoría de los personajes pero bueno, al final no puedes evitar acabar picándote y leyendo con más interés para ver con qué nos va a sorprender Paullina Simons. Y en este aspecto Paullina nunca decepciona, tiene el bate de béisbol preparado para arrearte con él cuando menos te lo esperas, cosa que siempre es una putada pero que si eres como yo, de las que disfrutas con el sufrimiento lector, agradeces. Aquí, no, aquí te cae como un jarro de agua fría y te hace pensar que qué necesidad había de meterte un libro como este para al final hacer eso. Pero no es este hecho lo que me ha hecho bajarle la puntuación (ya que, al fin y al cabo, es decisión de la escritora llevar la historia por el lugar que más le apetezca). Es otra cosa la que me hace pensar que o bien este libro se lo ha escrito alguien o lo ha escrito sin ganas o no es una escritora capaz de respetar a sus lectores ni a su propia obra. No voy a spoilear por lo que no voy a poner nada en concreto pero lo mínimo que pido cuando leo es que, si se va a relacionar una obra con otra previamente escrita y publicada, la conexión resulte coherente y lógica, no que se hable de alguien y ya se nos cuente su destino para escribir en un libro posterior sobre ese mismo personaje y pasarte por el forro de los ovarios lo previamente escrito y publicado para darle un destino totalmente distinto, además, por supuesto, de que haya fallos en las fechas y blablabla, consecuencia de no se capaz de mirar tu propia obra para que todo case. Si Paullina ha considerado que era algo maravilloso destinado a que nos salieran estrellitas por los ojos que sepa que conmigo ha pinchado en hueso pues me parece algo totalmente innecesario y destinado a hablar muy mal de ella como escritora. Es algo intolerable y ciertamente muy muy muy cabreante. Por eso le doy a este libro una estrella y porque Goodreads no me deja ponerle menos, porque ha sido una lectura que me ha hecho cabrearme supremamente. No sé si volveré a leer un libro de ficción de Paullina Simons aunque, por supuestísimo, seguiré adorando El jinete de bronce como la suprema maravilla que es.
Y esta, queridas mías, es mi reseña reposada y no cabreada 😂😂😂.
[Como no voy a reseñar este libro en el blog me permito hacer una reseña más extensa aquí. Menos mal que hace un par de días que lo terminé y no lo reseño en caliente porque es tan grande el cabreo que pillé cuando que no sé qué tipo de reseña habría hecho 😂].
Empecé a leer este libro con muchísimas ganas porque en mi altarcito particular y en mi estantería 5 Gandys Superplus están los tres libros de El jinete de bronce en un puesto destacado. La escritura de Paullina Simons se mete dentro de mis venas y me emociona como muy pocas lo han logrado. Por eso no entiendo qué se le pasó por la cabeza a la hora de escribir este libro, que parece directamente escrito por otra persona. Esa prosa extraña y emocionante que conocemos de ella aquí se convierte en algo sin sentido que parece más fruto de un porro supremo que de una escritora que transmite como nadie los sentimientos y las sensaciones a través de las palabras.
Lone Star es una especie de road movie literaria, una viaje destinado a cambiar la vida de sus protagonistas y hacerles pasar de la adolescencia a la vida adulta a golpe de tren y de experiencias. Suena bonito, verdad? Pues no lo es, al menos no para mí. Para mí ha sido un libro al que no he logrado engancharme por más que lo he intentado, sobre todo por la extrañísima narración porrera (diferentes puntos de vista pero unos en tercera persona y otros en primera, y luego un narrador omnisciente cuando Paullina cambiaba de porro, debe ser), las actitudes incoherentes e incomprensibles de algunos personajes y el casi nulo atractivo de los personajes (donde hay que incluir a la protagonista -y si no conectas con el personaje principal vamos mal-). Únicamente me han gustado Blake (al que me parece que trata injustamente) y Johnny Rainbow (y antes que hablar de él me callo porque estoy mucho más guapa 😂).
Como os he dicho ni la historia me llegaba a enganchar ni sentía especial simpatía por la mayoría de los personajes pero bueno, al final no puedes evitar acabar picándote y leyendo con más interés para ver con qué nos va a sorprender Paullina Simons. Y en este aspecto Paullina nunca decepciona, tiene el bate de béisbol preparado para arrearte con él cuando menos te lo esperas, cosa que siempre es una putada pero que si eres como yo, de las que disfrutas con el sufrimiento lector, agradeces. Aquí, no, aquí te cae como un jarro de agua fría y te hace pensar que qué necesidad había de meterte un libro como este para al final hacer eso. Pero no es este hecho lo que me ha hecho bajarle la puntuación (ya que, al fin y al cabo, es decisión de la escritora llevar la historia por el lugar que más le apetezca). Es otra cosa la que me hace pensar que o bien este libro se lo ha escrito alguien o lo ha escrito sin ganas o no es una escritora capaz de respetar a sus lectores ni a su propia obra. No voy a spoilear por lo que no voy a poner nada en concreto pero lo mínimo que pido cuando leo es que, si se va a relacionar una obra con otra previamente escrita y publicada, la conexión resulte coherente y lógica, no que se hable de alguien y ya se nos cuente su destino para escribir en un libro posterior sobre ese mismo personaje y pasarte por el forro de los ovarios lo previamente escrito y publicado para darle un destino totalmente distinto, además, por supuesto, de que haya fallos en las fechas y blablabla, consecuencia de no se capaz de mirar tu propia obra para que todo case. Si Paullina ha considerado que era algo maravilloso destinado a que nos salieran estrellitas por los ojos que sepa que conmigo ha pinchado en hueso pues me parece algo totalmente innecesario y destinado a hablar muy mal de ella como escritora. Es algo intolerable y ciertamente muy muy muy cabreante. Por eso le doy a este libro una estrella y porque Goodreads no me deja ponerle menos, porque ha sido una lectura que me ha hecho cabrearme supremamente. No sé si volveré a leer un libro de ficción de Paullina Simons aunque, por supuestísimo, seguiré adorando El jinete de bronce como la suprema maravilla que es.
Y esta, queridas mías, es mi reseña reposada y no cabreada 😂😂😂.