Scan barcode
A review by niamhbereading
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
i read this book in sixth grade, seven years ago. i saw it in the library recently & was amazed. i immediately picked it up & took it to the check out w/ me, excited to revisit one of my favorite books in middle school. here's what reading it was like, seven years later.
i'll start w/ what i liked. the narrator, ponyboy, has a good narrative voice. it's very distinct to him, which makes the narration enjoyable to read. he describes things only the way a fourteen year old would: w/ stress for the story & love for the other characters. i really believed that ponyboy was telling me this story himself w/o a filter, & very simply, w/o regard to sounding like literature.
another thing i liked: the dynamics between all the characters were really fleshed out & unique. ponyboy's relationship w/ each of his brothers is unique, as w/ his relationship to his friend johnny, as is his relationship to cherry from his rival gang, etc. the author definitely paid good attention to the backstories of each relationship to give each one their uniqueness.
i believed in the setting. the author doesn't state where the story is taking place exactly, only w/ vague references to street names & local geography. however, the community felt real. the rivalry between the greasers & the socs felt real & understandable, even if it was irrational in the universe of the book. everything made sense.
the ending was very satisfying. turns out that the whole book was ponyboy writing his story for an english assignment. i liked that it came full circle <3
ok now for my qualm: there is zero figurative language in this book At All. the narration is just ponyboy explaining the story very matter of factly. i understand this was a choice of the author, but damn they couldn't slip in one metaphor? a simile or two? it made the story feel flat for me.
a fun read! good solid adventure. stakes were high but so was the quality of relationships. i'm taking off some points bc of my one qualm: the narration got boring at times. thanks <3
i'll start w/ what i liked. the narrator, ponyboy, has a good narrative voice. it's very distinct to him, which makes the narration enjoyable to read. he describes things only the way a fourteen year old would: w/ stress for the story & love for the other characters. i really believed that ponyboy was telling me this story himself w/o a filter, & very simply, w/o regard to sounding like literature.
another thing i liked: the dynamics between all the characters were really fleshed out & unique. ponyboy's relationship w/ each of his brothers is unique, as w/ his relationship to his friend johnny, as is his relationship to cherry from his rival gang, etc. the author definitely paid good attention to the backstories of each relationship to give each one their uniqueness.
i believed in the setting. the author doesn't state where the story is taking place exactly, only w/ vague references to street names & local geography. however, the community felt real. the rivalry between the greasers & the socs felt real & understandable, even if it was irrational in the universe of the book. everything made sense.
the ending was very satisfying. turns out that the whole book was ponyboy writing his story for an english assignment. i liked that it came full circle <3
ok now for my qualm: there is zero figurative language in this book At All. the narration is just ponyboy explaining the story very matter of factly. i understand this was a choice of the author, but damn they couldn't slip in one metaphor? a simile or two? it made the story feel flat for me.
a fun read! good solid adventure. stakes were high but so was the quality of relationships. i'm taking off some points bc of my one qualm: the narration got boring at times. thanks <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death