STACKED

books

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

|


Anna Oliphant is on the cusp of her senior year, psyched for new experiences with her best friend Bridget and Topher, her cute-as-anything coworker at the local movie theater who she’s almost-kinda-sorta-sure likes her. However, when her father, a wildly popular novelist (a la Nicholas Sparks) decides that she would benefit from a year abroad in France, Anna is not happy to be enrolled at SOAP, the School of America in Paris. However, her anxiety and homesickness soon disappear when she meets a group of friends, including the wonderful Etienne St. Clair. There’s just one problem–he’s taken, in a long-term relationship with Ellie, who graduated from SOAP the year before. However, as Anna slowly gets to know Etienne and the two help each other through respective crises, their friendship slowly flirts with romance and the two circle ever nearer to each other.

Anna and the French Kiss came loaded with hype, with gushing reviews and adoring words. When I picked it up, I was doubtful, unsure of whether any book could truly merit the love floating around in the blogosphere. But, reader, I was wrong. There are no signs whatsover that this is Stephanie Perkins’ debut novel. The woman can write relationships, can choose the perfect phrase to depict that first spark of a crush and the quippiest dialogue to show flirtation. The attraction between Anna and Etienne is sizzling, yet not in a corny way.
Another thing I very much appreciated about Anna and the French Kiss is that the characters were human. There are no Mary Sues, no idealization of either of the main characters. Perkins fleshes out her characters, making both Anna and Etienne flawed…human. Teenagers. Their pride, jealousy, misunderstandings constantly get in the way of them being with each other and cause hurt and harm to others. But all of this is written realistically, in a way that echoes what happens in real life. As predictable as the storyline is in some ways, it also rings utterly true. Even their physical appearances break slightly from the norm–Anna has a white streak in her hair, while Etienne is short, with crooked teeth, not tall and dashing.

And the characters grow and change throughout the novel, a key element for me when reading YA fiction. There is a deliberate progression with Anna and Etienne from casual friends to best friends to “will they or won’t they.” The reader witnesses Anna growing more confident in herself and in the fact that she does belong in this new, foreign environment. We see Etienne faltering, then growing stronger with the support of his friends. Along with the relationship between Anna and Etienne, Stephanie Perkins provides a nice, three-dimensional cast of supporting characters. There’s Meredith, Anna’s best new female friend and next door neighbor, a tomboy who also has a crush on St. Clair. There’s Rashmi and Josh, a boyfriend and girlfriend in a slightly tumultuous and fiery relationship. And there’s Bridget, Anna’s best friend from home who she feels herself growing slowly apart from.

And you can NEVER go wrong with Paris as a setting. Speaking as an adult, I initially was flabbergasted as to why Anna would ever balk at a year abroad. But when I subsequently thought back to how I felt going off to college–scared, nervous, and apprehensive—and then added in the ‘only new girl in a foreign country’ factor, it completely makes sense. But Anna, like the reader, quickly falls in love with her new home. Perkins’ descriptions, of both the scenery and the little touches of Parisian life (rich coffee, croissants, cafes, the Pantheon), are vivid and enticing.
And, on top of everything, there is Nicholas Sparks hate! Anna’s father is described as a writer of books, who writes “these novels set in Small Town Georgia about folks with Good American Values who Fall in Love and then contract Life-Threatening Diseases and Die” (ARC, p.4-5). Stephanie Perkins will win the love and respect of haters of sappy cheeseball romances the world over for her parody.

Anna and the French Kiss was one of my absolute favorite reads of 2010, a sparkling, effervescent romance that made me yearn for a year abroad in Paris. Pull up a chair, grab a croissant and a cup of (real French) coffee, and fall in love.

Book reviews, Twitter Style

|

Here’s another round of book reviews, Twitter style. You won’t get much plot, but it should be enough to pique your interest. All of these are books I’ve read for Cybils and are my thoughts only and in no way represent the opinions of any other panelists.


The River by Mary Jane Beaufrand

The river holds many secrets, including the death of the girl Ronnie babysits. This fast-paced mystery is lyrical, albeit a bit predictable.


Six by Karen Tayleur

Austrailian contemporary told through multiple POV about incidents leading to a car wreck. Engaging, fast-paced but twisted end didn’t work.


After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick

This companion novel, set when Jeffrey is in 8th grade, is more a story of J’s best friend than himself. Well written not a strong as first.


Folly by Marthe Jocelyn

Historical fiction set in London told through multiple POV and multiple time periods. Very Dickensian tale but too confusing for me.


Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber

Historical set in 1926 rural midwest. Lush setting and characterization. Steadily paced without being about flappers or excess. High appeal.

The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride

When a girl who disappeared two years ago returns, how much can she change? Another story about Stockholm syndrome; falls apart a bit at end.

Train Wreck and Too Late by Malin Lindroth

This book is actually 2 books clocking in @ 50 pages each. Intense, plot-driven, edgy, & real narratives are perfect for reluctant readers.

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

|


Seventeen year old Emma Paxton has bounced in and out of foster homes since she was four years old, when her mother left her at a friend’s house for a play date, never to return again. After being framed by her leering, skeevy foster brother for petty theft and facing an uncertain future, Emma is shocked to discover a video uploaded online that shows a blindfolded girl being strangled and falling unconscious–a girl who looks exactly like Emma. After making connection with this doppleganger, Sutton Mercer, on Facebook and being invited to meet her in Arizona, Emma immediately sets out, thrilled at the thought of finding a family once again. However, what she soon finds is not a pair of welcoming arms, but a missing Sutton. Their resemblance is so remarkable that Sutton’s friends and family, and even the police, not only mistake Emma for Sutton, but don’t believe Emma when she tries to explain the mistake. And while Sutton’s luxurious life may be a far cry from the foster child lifestyle that Emma has lived, Emma soon finds that all is not as it seems in this tony Arizona town. Mysterious notes show up, claiming that Sutton is dead and that Emma must play along—or else. Sutton’s friends are all involved in something called ‘The Lying Game,’ a mean-spirited prank war that is escalating fast. And Emma can’t quite figure out who is responsible for her sister’s death. No one, friend or family, can be eliminated.

I admit, I have read all of the Pretty Little Liars books, and I started reading them even before the show started. They’re not the best written books in the world; they’re cheesy, name drop brands like crazy, and feature pretty damn irredeemable characters. Yet for some reason, I just couldn’t stop reading. The Lying Game is the same way, although just a bit worse, as I pondered just putting the book down about 75 pages in. But I soldiered on, strangely compelled by the characters and by Shepard’s far-fetched plot.
One of my main problems with this book was the point of view, a mixture of first-person AND third-person. While The Lying Game basically follows the story of Emma, told in omniscient third-person, it is also framed through the first-person narration of Sutton, who, in death, is strangely connected to her sister, forced to follow her around as a ghost, observing Emma while unable to participate in anything that is happening. In fact, Sutton has a type of amnesia, is unaware of how she died, and begins regaining her memory in flashes throughout the book. While this ignorance of her past may slightly humanize Sutton, who is revealed to be a pretty horrible person, the presence of the two shifting points of view is just plain distracting.
Perhaps this is just a feature of Sara Shepard’s quick paced, interaction-filled, get-to-the-next-twist writing style, but I honestly didn’t feel like there was much character development in this novel. We know that Emma’s an orphan and that she’s the stereotypical ‘good twin.’ But other than that, I really didn’t feel much depth.
However, Shepard does excel at writing a page-turning plot filled with multiple twists, as evidenced in her Pretty Little Liars series. This was a quite a fast read, and those in the mood for a quick novel that will keep you guessing will most likely not be disappointed with this one. I’d hand this off to Shepard’s existing fans, along with fans of Gossip Girl and Kate Brian.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

|

Beth Revis’ debut, Across the Universe, is a book after my own heart – a science fiction involving cryogenically frozen people aboard a ship bound for a new planet, combined with a spine-tingling mystery?  Yes please.  I really hate reading books on a screen, so when I tell you that I read the entire first chapter online (available here), you know that the premise has to be pretty darn awesome.
And it is.  The first chapter opens with seventeen-year-old Amy being frozen alongside her parents in preparation for a 300-year trip across space to a new planet.  Her mother works with DNA and her father is a military strategist, so they’re both vital to the mission.  Amy is going along simply because she’s their daughter, but they’re not forcing her to – it’s her choice.  She’s leaving behind her entire life to take this tremendous risk, and it’s tearing at her.
I was so impressed with the first chapter that I knew I had to read the whole thing.  Particularly impressive is Revis’ description of the freezing process.  Amy watches her parents being frozen, first her mother and then her father, and it is neither comfortable nor pretty.  When Amy herself steps into the coffin-like container to undergo the same process, the reader is right there with her, feeling her physical and emotional pain and dreading what will happen next – will she really lapse into dreamless sleep, as she’s been told, or will she be stuck in a 300 year long nightmare?
Unfortunately, Amy’s sleep ends too soon – she’s woken up fifty years before the spaceship is due to land on the new planet, by someone unknown who supposedly wants to kill her.  Amy survives, but other people who are prematurely defrosted aren’t so lucky.  Alongside a few friends she makes on the ship, Amy tries to figure out who the killer is before he or she goes after her parents next.
This is made difficult by the fact that the society on the ship (those people who are descended from the original people who signed up to staff it and prepare for colonization of the new planet) is not a friendly one.  They’ve all interbred over generations so they all look alike with dark hair, eyes, and skin.  Amy has pale skin and bright red hair, so she sticks out.  What’s more, a terrible plague hit the ship many years ago, and since then the society has been restructured.  Most people don’t know about the frozen cargo at all, and they all resemble mindless drones, going about their work with no real questions or defiance of the authority, a man called Eldest. 
Across the Universe has a tremendous amount of potential, but it’s unfortunately pretty uneven.  The first chapter – used in promotions and marketing – is polished and well-written.  We get a great view into Amy’s mind while still being entertained and wanting to turn the pages as quickly as possible.  After that first chapter, however, the perspective shifts for a time to the leader-in-training on the ship, named Elder.  We get a little insight into his character throughout the story, but not nearly enough to really know him, and not enough to believe the romance that blossoms between him and Amy.  To me, the romance was completely unnecessary and the book would have been stronger without it.
Revis relies a lot on short, choppy sentences and paragraphs for extra emphasis.  While this works in moderation, it’s overused here.  When a character we care about dies, it’s hard to really feel its impact since it happens in a single sentence.  Similarly, the rapid back-and-forth shift in perspectives from Amy and Elder don’t allow the reader to ever really become fully immersed in either person’s experience.  While the book is 400 pages long, that’s sort of misleading – the text is large and there’s a lot of white space.  There’s plenty of room for a bit more development, particularly character-wise.
My other main complaint has to do with unanswered questions.  There’s one particular question broached in Chapter 1 that is never resolved – it’s never even alluded to in the rest of the book.  I don’t expect books like these to answer all of my questions, but to me, this seems like an unintentional loose end – the ball dropped by the author.  I know now that Across the Universe is meant to be the first in a trilogy, but you’d never know it from just reading it.  Perhaps some sort of reflection on Amy’s part near the end – What’s next for me? What about that thing in Chapter 1 that I was so worried about but didn’t give a second thought to in the rest of the book? – would have satisfied me. 
Across the Universe, which publishes January 11, is a good choice for people who prefer their science fiction without a lot of science (like me).  If the author tells me that Amy can’t be refrozen due to cellular degeneration, that’s a good enough explanation for me.  It’s also a good choice for people who value a fast-paced plot above all – over character, setting, theme, and so on.  I do believe the plot is a good one, I just wish I could have had the rest, too.
Galley received from the publisher.

The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt

|

While most people would be thrilled when their brother comes back from war, Levi isn’t. He’s still lost in his place as at home and at school, unsure, too, of where he and Boaz even stand as brothers. When Boaz makes it home, things grow only worse for each of them — Boaz retreats to his room for weeks, unable to interact with even his own family members, and Levi devises several ways to find out what’s going on with his brother.

When he returns, Levi’s role changes from living for himself (and figuring himself out) to uncovering what happened to his now-silent brother. Did he enlist because of a bad relationship? Fear of not succeeding in college? Levi’s few chances at the inner workings of his brother reveal little other than a bunch of maps and addresses and the knowledge that Boaz hates riding in vehicles. Oh, and he plans on walking from their home in Massachusetts to Washington D.C. for some march.

You better believe Levi plans on following.

The Things a Brother Knows is the kind of book you can’t know too much about going into. From the cover and flap copy alone, it’s pretty apparent this is a story about war and relationships. But what Reinhardt achieves in this is a moving story about the costs and effects of war on the individual — both that on the good side and the enemy.

Levi is a well-written male in this story: he’s realistic, authentic, and true to himself even amid the changing family dynamic. He’d become somewhat accustomed to being the only child, primarily because of Boaz’s radical decision to enlist. Boaz had before him a bright future of ivy league colleges and a girl who would love him deeply. Why would he give it all up to go fight in a country no one could locate on a map? I find believable male main characters difficult to achieve, but Reinhardt does Levi extremely well.

The book is a slower paced book, but by no means is it necessarily a quiet book. As a reader you are immediately sucked in, but like Levi, you have to work through the muddled mess of relationships and feelings and the foreignness of what it’s like to come back from war. This makes reading slow essential; the clues Levi picks up about his brother are the same ones the reader can discover and put together, sometimes quicker than Levi himself does.

What was most powerful for me in this book was its lack of stance on the issue of war. While Things a Brother Knows is a war story, it’s not a moral story about war. Reinhardt doesn’t tell me whether I should be for or against it nor does she inform me who was right or wrong in the war (which remains unnamed and unplaced). Instead, she tells of one person’s internal struggle with decision making during the war, and the internal struggles those who don’t choose to serve make. For me, this book was intensely personal: one of my best friends — post college, post job, post marriage — chose to pursue enlistment and he deploys early next year. Many of us have wondered why, and this book may have answered it for me.

This is a layered book, one that begs for rereads. As soon as I finished, I wanted to return immediately to the beginning and read it again with another perspective. The first read was about Boaz. On a second read, I think I’d want to learn more about Levi.

Be prepared to be rattled at the end of this one. The last few chapters are emotionally wrenching and are precisely why this is anything but a quiet book.

This is my second Reinhardt book, and even though I wasn’t a huge fan of a prior title of hers I read, I’m glad to have picked this one up and purchased it at the Anderson’s YA Conference. This is a book I plan on talking to my kids because this is what their lives are and this is precisely what so many of them will experience in one way or another, either from the position of Boaz or that of Levi. It’s an essential read and one worthy of discussing. There is no question on intended audience here.