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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
June 2020 (4.5 stars)
I listened to this as an audiobook the second time around and it was really good! I forgot how beautiful the author’s writing was, and I loved the alternating timelines and the way everything came together. I am not a fan of bullying depicted in books, it always comes off as cringey and unrealistic to me (I know it happens, and I don’t mean to downplay the effects that bullying can have on someone, this is just my opinion when it comes to books I read) so I didn’t like that that was a major plot point surrounding Isaac. I wish we’d gotten more on the other characters on the journey, the setup was spot-on for us to care about their development but I found that it could’ve gotten a bit more time and moments. Also, this was set in Ontario! Having grown up there, I really enjoyed the setting. I think that this was very balanced and did exactly what it set out to do. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and I’ve been thinking of it since I read it 2 years ago. I can’t wait to read Danielle Younge-Ullman’s next book, especially now that I’ve rediscovered how much I enjoy her writing.
August 2018 (5 stars)
Not gonna lie, I cried at the end. And I would’ve cried more if I didn’t have to be somewhere an hour after I finished the book
I listened to this as an audiobook the second time around and it was really good! I forgot how beautiful the author’s writing was, and I loved the alternating timelines and the way everything came together. I am not a fan of bullying depicted in books, it always comes off as cringey and unrealistic to me (I know it happens, and I don’t mean to downplay the effects that bullying can have on someone, this is just my opinion when it comes to books I read) so I didn’t like that that was a major plot point surrounding Isaac. I wish we’d gotten more on the other characters on the journey, the setup was spot-on for us to care about their development but I found that it could’ve gotten a bit more time and moments. Also, this was set in Ontario! Having grown up there, I really enjoyed the setting. I think that this was very balanced and did exactly what it set out to do. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and I’ve been thinking of it since I read it 2 years ago. I can’t wait to read Danielle Younge-Ullman’s next book, especially now that I’ve rediscovered how much I enjoy her writing.
August 2018 (5 stars)
Not gonna lie, I cried at the end. And I would’ve cried more if I didn’t have to be somewhere an hour after I finished the book
My heart is broken right now, and I want to cry, but omg, this book is beautiful!
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
This book blindsided me. It was beautiful and so, so sad. It took me a while to get invested, but once it hits its groove, it was hard to put down.
When Ingrid gets to Peak Wilderness, you can tell something is a little off with her story. It's hard to understand what's wrong, and the ax references are definitely concerning. Trust me, her actions and reactions do make perfect sense. The moment the title is uttered in the story, you realize that something is really wrong.
It's hard understand why people do what they do when they have so much to live for. Margot-Sophia Lalonde lost the thing that saved her, but by then she had Ingrid. And then she found Andreas. She cared for them and did absolutely everything she could for them. Isn't that enough?
Peak Wilderness sounded horrendous at first. I'm trying to imagine how I'd handle that kind of situation, and it's NOT pretty. But by the time Ingrid made it through and began reflecting on the experience, I almost felt reminiscent of it as well. Reach your peak. Getting through a physical, mental, and emotional struggle will make you stronger. I'm sure those manufactured moments around the campfire and true tranquility found while canoeing along the rapids are memories of a lifetime. I still don't see myself ever going on this sort of pilgrimage though.
When Ingrid gets to Peak Wilderness, you can tell something is a little off with her story. It's hard to understand what's wrong, and the ax references are definitely concerning. Trust me, her actions and reactions do make perfect sense. The moment the title is uttered in the story, you realize that something is really wrong.
It's hard understand why people do what they do when they have so much to live for. Margot-Sophia Lalonde lost the thing that saved her, but by then she had Ingrid. And then she found Andreas. She cared for them and did absolutely everything she could for them. Isn't that enough?
Peak Wilderness sounded horrendous at first. I'm trying to imagine how I'd handle that kind of situation, and it's NOT pretty. But by the time Ingrid made it through and began reflecting on the experience, I almost felt reminiscent of it as well. Reach your peak. Getting through a physical, mental, and emotional struggle will make you stronger. I'm sure those manufactured moments around the campfire and true tranquility found while canoeing along the rapids are memories of a lifetime. I still don't see myself ever going on this sort of pilgrimage though.
I really liked Ingrid, but the whole wilderness thing bothered me: the way the counselors were so dismissive of the campers, the fact that they didn't think about the appropriateness of co-ed tents when dealing with troubled teens, and the idea that with no training whatsoever the teens would figure out how to survive. And maybe it's me, but the Big Reveal felt like it was trying to be part of a trend (like Belzhar).
ARC provided by publisher.
ARC provided by publisher.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Setting: Canada. Margot-Sophia (mom, opera singer) and Ingrid (daughter)
I knew this book would be emotional and it was that and so much more!
I knew this book would be emotional and it was that and so much more!
I loved this right up until the very end, at which point I realised a couple of things:
1) There's a Big Reveal at the end. Not that Big Reveals can't be done, or done well for that matter, but I tend to take a fairly lukewarm view of them—it makes the story more about that Reveal than about, well, everything else.
2) Most of the characters Ingrid spends time with on her wilderness trek aren't really fleshed out, partly because so much time is given to Ingrid's pre-trek life and partly because there's romantic drama on the wilderness trek.
It's the latter that bothers me more—there are some characters with potentially fascinating backstories, and I'd have loved to see them given time to develop (as characters, not just to develop the backstories) throughout the book. At the same time, though, the rest of the story does feel relevant, so...it probably would have been hard to flesh everyone out without making this a 500-page behemoth. I do love Ingrid's development (right up until the Big Reveal); she changes, but not an unrealistic amount, and not in ways that make her into a completely different person. The ending didn't work for me, but the rest of the book worked so well, so...
I'm not usually one to chomp at the bit for sequels to standalone books, but I'd be very happy to see Ingrid managing her future school endeavours.
1) There's a Big Reveal at the end. Not that Big Reveals can't be done, or done well for that matter, but I tend to take a fairly lukewarm view of them—it makes the story more about that Reveal than about, well, everything else.
2) Most of the characters Ingrid spends time with on her wilderness trek aren't really fleshed out, partly because so much time is given to Ingrid's pre-trek life and partly because there's romantic drama on the wilderness trek.
It's the latter that bothers me more—there are some characters with potentially fascinating backstories, and I'd have loved to see them given time to develop (as characters, not just to develop the backstories) throughout the book. At the same time, though, the rest of the story does feel relevant, so...it probably would have been hard to flesh everyone out without making this a 500-page behemoth. I do love Ingrid's development (right up until the Big Reveal); she changes, but not an unrealistic amount, and not in ways that make her into a completely different person. The ending didn't work for me, but the rest of the book worked so well, so...
I'm not usually one to chomp at the bit for sequels to standalone books, but I'd be very happy to see Ingrid managing her future school endeavours.
I loved Ingrid. I thought she was funny and smart and thoughtful. The end was a huge plot twist that I am not sure was necessary. SPOILER--Throughout camp she is always claiming that nothing that tragic has happened to her to down play her reason for being there. We find out that her mom attempted suicide, but survived, and that is one of the reasons she had a mental breakdown and needed to go to this camp. However, maybe the real reason she is having a hard time (although I guarantee finding your mom almost dead in her bedroom would be plenty to make you feel just completely overwhelmed, terrified, sad, depressed, etc.), is that her mom was actually successful in killing herself. She doesn't tell anyone at camp the true story about her mom, which is the whole point of the camp so everybody's demons come out in the open and get processed in this place that is mind-bending and extreme, harsh and beautiful, but gets close telling one person about the garage she tore down with an ax, however it seems to me her over explaining of why she has no business being at this camp because nothing as tragic has happened to her is a huge red herring, just put in place so you as a reader think that nothing extreme happened so they can give the big reveal at the end bothered me, and seemed like to much of a construct to have the reveal in the plot instead of a true discussion of what you would feel like. That being said, I think that some of the emotions displayed in this book are true and raw, not neat and expected, which makes me like that this last plot twist happened even less, because it is not that the author couldn't express multiple different complex emotions for multiple different intense life scenarios, whether it is losing your family because they expel you for being gay, or losing your child to the foster care system, or being addicted to drugs and becoming a sex worker, but just wanted the big reveal at the end of the story more, kind of cutting her character development off at the knee point. Maybe I am making a mountain out of a mole hill.
Also, one other big beef is the cover. Who did that and did they even read the book? I understand the curtains are for the theater and the fire is for the wilderness camp, but they definitely didn't have chairs that you take to a concert in the park that they were carrying with them through their 21 hike and paddle through the wilderness. If Ingrid couldn't keep War and Peace, the campers in PEAK wilderness are not carrying around chairs with cup holders to sit in. So why are the people in the PEAK wilderness program on the front cover sitting in lawn chairs that my parents use. Also, with all the potential of beautiful scenes that could have been used it seems like a missed opportunity.
Also, one other big beef is the cover. Who did that and did they even read the book? I understand the curtains are for the theater and the fire is for the wilderness camp, but they definitely didn't have chairs that you take to a concert in the park that they were carrying with them through their 21 hike and paddle through the wilderness. If Ingrid couldn't keep War and Peace, the campers in PEAK wilderness are not carrying around chairs with cup holders to sit in. So why are the people in the PEAK wilderness program on the front cover sitting in lawn chairs that my parents use. Also, with all the potential of beautiful scenes that could have been used it seems like a missed opportunity.
This was a pretty good book. It touched on serious topics like loss, addiction, and heartbreak, but also had a nice romance plotline.