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A review by reba_reads_books
This Star Won't Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl by Lori Earl, Wayne Earl, Esther Earl
1.0
Non-spoiler summary in one sentence: Ever wanted to read the diary of a teenager fighting cancer?
Initial thoughts: I was hesitant to pick up this book because I feared the writing would be subpar, but I absolutely love John Green, and he wrote the introduction for it and was a big part of Esther's life, so I figured I'd give it a go.
Genre(s) IMHO: memoir, young adult, nonfiction
Plot: There isn't one; this book reads as an unedited, chronological list of diary entries. Some talk about her mood, the weather, the past, what she ate for dinner, what time she had to wake up for chemo... basically, the kind of things a regular pre-teen would write in a diary about. Except - there's no non-awkward way to put this - with some cancer stuff in there.
Writing style: This is what I feared going into the book and what ultimately disappointed me about it. I have a rule that if I don't enjoy reading a book half way into it, I'll stop reading. She really does sound like a charming, funny, and sweet person, but I'm sad to say I stopped reading this one because her writing style was too juvenile for me to handle. I still have my own pre-teen journals for sentimental reasons, but I would MURDER my family if they published my 7th grade musings on why my crush didn't like me back. It was only through the repetition of writing a lot and the maturity that comes with growing older that my diaries into high school and college became more thought-provoking than vomit-inducing. Yes, I feel terrible that Esther didn't get to live long enough for her writing style to mature. I'm sure if she'd had the time to continue developing, I would've eventually really liked her writing style. But as it stands, the first half of this book just did not hold my interest.
Conclusion: I can only give 1
to [b:This Star Won't Go Out The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl|17675031|This Star Won't Go Out The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl|Esther Earl|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1392015126s/17675031.jpg|24678766].
*** Rebecca N. McKinnon's Rating System Key ***
- 'Did not like it' means I probably didn't finish it and I definitely would not recommend, own, or re-read
- 'It was ok' means I probably finished it but would not recommend, own, or re-read
- 'Liked it' means I finished it and might recommend it to some but not all people. I would not own it or re-read it.
- 'Really liked it' means I finished it and would recommend it but only after my 5 star favorites. I would not own it or re-read it.
- 'It was amazing' means I finished it, would recommend it, own it, and re-read it.
Author Bio: Esther Earl
Born in Beverly, Massachusetts
Young activist & cancer/nerdfighter - all of her writing published posthumously
Initial thoughts: I was hesitant to pick up this book because I feared the writing would be subpar, but I absolutely love John Green, and he wrote the introduction for it and was a big part of Esther's life, so I figured I'd give it a go.
Genre(s) IMHO: memoir, young adult, nonfiction
Plot: There isn't one; this book reads as an unedited, chronological list of diary entries. Some talk about her mood, the weather, the past, what she ate for dinner, what time she had to wake up for chemo... basically, the kind of things a regular pre-teen would write in a diary about. Except - there's no non-awkward way to put this - with some cancer stuff in there.
Writing style: This is what I feared going into the book and what ultimately disappointed me about it. I have a rule that if I don't enjoy reading a book half way into it, I'll stop reading. She really does sound like a charming, funny, and sweet person, but I'm sad to say I stopped reading this one because her writing style was too juvenile for me to handle. I still have my own pre-teen journals for sentimental reasons, but I would MURDER my family if they published my 7th grade musings on why my crush didn't like me back. It was only through the repetition of writing a lot and the maturity that comes with growing older that my diaries into high school and college became more thought-provoking than vomit-inducing. Yes, I feel terrible that Esther didn't get to live long enough for her writing style to mature. I'm sure if she'd had the time to continue developing, I would've eventually really liked her writing style. But as it stands, the first half of this book just did not hold my interest.
Conclusion: I can only give 1
to [b:This Star Won't Go Out The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl|17675031|This Star Won't Go Out The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl|Esther Earl|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1392015126s/17675031.jpg|24678766].*** Rebecca N. McKinnon's Rating System Key ***
- 'Did not like it' means I probably didn't finish it and I definitely would not recommend, own, or re-read - 'It was ok' means I probably finished it but would not recommend, own, or re-read - 'Liked it' means I finished it and might recommend it to some but not all people. I would not own it or re-read it. - 'Really liked it' means I finished it and would recommend it but only after my 5 star favorites. I would not own it or re-read it. - 'It was amazing' means I finished it, would recommend it, own it, and re-read it.Author Bio: Esther Earl
Born in Beverly, Massachusetts
Young activist & cancer/nerdfighter - all of her writing published posthumously