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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a story narrated by a young girl named Rory. She lives in a neighborhood called the Calle, a boulevard of broken dreams in the desert scrub outside of Reno. The ragtag trailer park is populated mostly by single mothers like her own and her grandmother, women who got pregnant young, married the wrong men, and tried their best to do right by their kids despite their addictions and poverty. Rory is often bewildered by her own life, and tries to make sense of the life she leads, and dreams of something better. Her guide to something better is her Girl Scout Handbook, checked out from her school library so often that the librarian finally sold it to her for a dime. Here she becomes a troop of one, trying to earn her badges and follow the tenets of honor and duty, even when her world is falling apart. It's a tough world to inhabit, and the odds of Rory getting out aren't good, but a great character she is.
Gorgeously written, and heartbreaking. Part of me wanted a more neatly wrapped up ending, but partly I liked the ambiguous nature of the resolution. Rory Dawn is a fantastic character though, from any angle
This wasn't what I expected. Definitely not a feel-good, which I guess is what I wanted.
This hit very close to home for me. It was a powerful story. I loved the point of view and wish I could know what happens next.
SPOILERS. Heartbreaking. The writing style is very fresh. The only thing I had trouble with was the part with Viv. Did Rory imagine someone she didn't know existed and created her in her own mind even though Viv was a real person? I was extremely confused.
This was one of the best books I read this year, the writing was almost poetic and I tried to savor the experience as long as I could.