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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book, it makes you think about what makes somebody human.
I give this four stars because it kept me frustrated -- but that was the point. Jenna Fox has come out of a coma without any recollection of what is going on in her life and without any idea what her present state was. Because I knew little about the book, I enjoyed the unraveling story so much. The science/medical/ethical issues raised in this were well done and interesting. I don't think I've read a book quite like. The story is interesting and the writing was pretty solid, but I wonder who would enjoy a story like this. Perhaps it's an evergreen, worth trying out on people interested in something totally different. These sorts of books are really refreshing. This book is best enjoyed without knowing a thing about it, I think, so you can live what Jenna's living while she's living it.
That said, I disliked how this book was paced. It needed about another one hundred pages to flesh out the characters better. I found myself only kind of caring about Jenna, and I certainly felt nothing for any of the characters around her. I think that the perspective of the story is much too distant; it's not done well enough to allow the reader they're reading this from Jenna's perspective. Instead, it's distant and emotionless, and I think the story lends itself to a number of strong emotions -- medical ethics is a huge, hot issue, and I really wanted something to anchor that in this story. I wish Pearson would have spent a little more time exploring the topic and developing the characters. Stories like this can become either theme driven or character driven, but I don't feel either one was covered enough.
That said, I disliked how this book was paced. It needed about another one hundred pages to flesh out the characters better. I found myself only kind of caring about Jenna, and I certainly felt nothing for any of the characters around her. I think that the perspective of the story is much too distant; it's not done well enough to allow the reader they're reading this from Jenna's perspective. Instead, it's distant and emotionless, and I think the story lends itself to a number of strong emotions -- medical ethics is a huge, hot issue, and I really wanted something to anchor that in this story. I wish Pearson would have spent a little more time exploring the topic and developing the characters. Stories like this can become either theme driven or character driven, but I don't feel either one was covered enough.
This had a really interesting premise, but didn't quite pull it off to the maximum effect. I guess I wanted it to go deeper than an average YA novel. I didn't know it was the first book in a series and I'm not sure if I'll continue because I'm not sure what else there is to tell after that epilogue.
A speculative fiction story about how far science could go, covering questions of what's ethical and what's not, what life is and what life isn't. I was most drawn to Lily's character, and the different facets that made her up.
I've been meaning to read The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson for a long time--a REALLY long time. Apparently I first added this 2009 release to my GoodReads shelf in 2011, so maybe it hasn't been quite a decade that I've owned it, but it's certainly been awhile. Most of the young adult novels that have been sitting on my shelf for way too long don't seem to have held up very well, but I was still intrigued by this story, which focuses on a 17 year old girl, Jenna Fox, who wakes up from a year long coma and can't remember her old life. Her parents, along with her grandmother, have moved their family to California, and nobody is talking about the accident that put her in the coma. As bits and pieces of memories start to return, Jenna is determined to find out what really happened to her and who she is now.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox has an intriguing premise, which is what manages to sustain it for most of the book, but it does run out of steam eventually. The problem with having a main character who can't remember anything, including her personality, is that it's impossible to have any kind of emotional connection to her. So while I was intrigued by what might be going on, I wasn't really invested in it. I thought some of the questions Pearson raised regarding medical ethics were interesting, and not something I usually find in young adult books, but I wish it delved a little more into them. The characters themselves were nothing that special, this is definitely a plot-based book, and while I probably would have enjoyed it more a decade ago it was nice to finally read The Adoration of Jenna Fox.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox has an intriguing premise, which is what manages to sustain it for most of the book, but it does run out of steam eventually. The problem with having a main character who can't remember anything, including her personality, is that it's impossible to have any kind of emotional connection to her. So while I was intrigued by what might be going on, I wasn't really invested in it. I thought some of the questions Pearson raised regarding medical ethics were interesting, and not something I usually find in young adult books, but I wish it delved a little more into them. The characters themselves were nothing that special, this is definitely a plot-based book, and while I probably would have enjoyed it more a decade ago it was nice to finally read The Adoration of Jenna Fox.
I reread this book because I'd chosen it for my teen book club. I remember having read it just a few years ago and I loved it and thought it would be good for discussion. Then I reread it and realized it wasn't as fantastic as I remembered. It was honestly kind of boring. Though maybe that was because I already knew all the twists?
I bought this because the book trailer was emailed to me (it's making the rounds) and it looked like exactly the kind of futuristic fiction I love...with the theme of self-identity pitted against a completely re-imagined world with its own host of challenges. But the book itself, while undeniably well-written, is slow. Jenna's relentless questioning of her self-indentity makes turning the pages almost laborious by the end of the book. That's not to say you shouldn't read it--just don't expect the book that the trailer teases. It's just a much more internal, and in some ways intense, plot. There's an extremely cool image toward the end of the book (which I won't spoil) that has stuck with me for days. Jenna is certainly facing challenges that, like those in Feed by M.T. Anderson, hit very close to home even though no teen today faces them...yet.
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3.5 Stars
17 year old Jenna Fox has been in a coma for the past year. When she awakens, she has no memories of her past or the accident she was in. She now must try to piece together her past as her memories begin to come back to her.
I enjoyed Jenna as a character and loved watching her grow as the story progressed. I loved how she would rebel against her parents to discover who she really was. Many of the side characters seemed a bit off to me and not necessary to the story. I loved Lily, Jenna's grandmother though. I really liked her character development as well. I did enjoy how the romance took a major backseat to the rest of the narrative, although I did like Ethan! There were a lot of underlying issues the author tried to bring up that I really enjoyed - especially medical ethics. I thought the point system was very intriguing and I loved that element of the story. This book definitely makes you think... it brings up questions like "what does it mean to be human?" and "how far will a parent go for their child?"
3.5 Stars
17 year old Jenna Fox has been in a coma for the past year. When she awakens, she has no memories of her past or the accident she was in. She now must try to piece together her past as her memories begin to come back to her.
I enjoyed Jenna as a character and loved watching her grow as the story progressed. I loved how she would rebel against her parents to discover who she really was. Many of the side characters seemed a bit off to me and not necessary to the story. I loved Lily, Jenna's grandmother though. I really liked her character development as well. I did enjoy how the romance took a major backseat to the rest of the narrative, although I did like Ethan! There were a lot of underlying issues the author tried to bring up that I really enjoyed - especially medical ethics. I thought the point system was very intriguing and I loved that element of the story. This book definitely makes you think... it brings up questions like "what does it mean to be human?" and "how far will a parent go for their child?"