Christina Reviews *The Chocolate War* by Robert Cormier

         “Know what, Archie?”
         “What?”
         “Life is sad, sometimes.”
         That was one of the great things about Archie, you could say things like that.
         “Life is shit,” Archie said  (Cormier, 17).”


           In a school where The Vigils rule with silent authority, it is a punishable offense to have a mind of one’s own.

          In Robert Cormier’s memorable young adult novel, an all-boy’s school is thrown into instant turmoil when Jerry Renault is given a secret assignment by The Vigils to refuse to sell chocolates for the yearly chocolate drive.  At first, Jerry follows orders.  But as time goes by, he decides that maybe he doesn’t want to play by the rules after all.  The only problem is, nobody defies the great Archie Costello with impunity.

          The thing I loved most about this book was, of course, the character of Archie.  Out of all of the young adult fiction I read as a kid---and I never read anything normal like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter---Archie Costello stands out as one of the most memorable villains in the genre.  But in addition to the character of Archie, the thing I loved most about this book was the fact that the story was so  uncompromising.  Which is why I was disappointed in the way that the movie adaptation changed the ending so as to make it more palatable.

Christina Reviews *The Cement Garden* by Ian McEwan

         Four siblings are left to fend for themselves after the death of their mother.  Their father died of a heart attack shortly before.  They don’t want to be separated, so they keep their mother’s death a secret by hiding her body in the basement.  Before their parents’ deaths, the kids were a little naughty, if you will, but now, with no one around to make sure they behave themselves, things get altogether out of control. 

       In the hands of a bad writer, this story would have been Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead sprinkled with a dash of Flowers in the Attic.  In the hands of Ian McEwan, the ingredients of this novel come together to create a concoction more in line with what you would get if you mixed orange juice with milk, and then sprinkled in some fleas for extra flavor.

        I didn’t particularly enjoy the book.  It was too macabre, and not just due to the subject matter, though the subject matter was pretty macabre as well.  It was the whole dreary atmosphere that made this feel like The Lord of the Flies on downers. 

      By the way, here’s an interesting piece of trivia you probably could have lived your entire life without knowing.  The spoken words at the beginning of the song “What It Feels Like For a Girl” by Madonna were actually Charlotte Gainsbourg’s lines in the movie adaptation of The Cement Garden.

Christina Reviews *Bridge To Terabithia* by Katherine Paterson

          Jess Aarons is the fastest runner in his grade until Leslie Burke moves into town.  At first he is jealous, but then they become friends.  Leslie is a dreamer, and together, they become rulers of an imaginary land called Terabithia.  But even in Terabithia, the harsh realities of the outside world are always lurking.

          This young adult book was written by Katherine Paterson for her son David.  It was inspired by a tragedy in her son's life when he was only a kid.  It’s a story about friendship, but it’s also a story about growing up and learning hard lessons.  I want to note that the most recent adaptation, which was co-written by David Paterson, does justice to the book, despite the crappy advertising.  This book is not for those expecting a light, happy-go-lucky fantasy story.  It is a heart-wrenching story about innocence lost and innocence regained.

Christina Reviews *The Bluest Eye* by Toni Morrison

"There is really nothing more to say---except why.  But since why is difficult to handle, one must take refuge in how."

I wouldn’t call The Bluest Eye a novel.  I would call it a 200 page poem.  The story is about a young black girl who longs for blue eyes because this is her perception of what it means to be beautiful.  Toni Morrison goes deep into the characters' lives, making us feel for even the evil ones, and like any great novel, or any great poem, the story is rich with meaning.  And the prose is beautiful.  I cannot read it without getting goosebumps.  There is no way any words of mine can do this book justice, so I will just let Toni Morrison’s words speak for themselves.

Christina Reviews *Black and Blue* by Anna Quindlen

          In Black and Blue, a woman and her 10 year old son flee her abusive husband.  With the help of a protection program, they get new identities and move to Florida.  However, the protagonist, Fran, is not convinced that all is well.  She still thinks about her husband Bobby.  She sees him in the flashes of anger her son exhibits from time to time.  Her son Robert misses his father and is not altogether happy with the move.  But soon he is making friends, and Fran is making the transition into Beth.  Beth has friends of her own, as well as a new love interest.  But how long will their newfound happiness last before it is shattered by the inevitable?
          Black and Blue is certainly a captivating story.  I enjoyed it while I read it, but then I read it when I was sixteen.  Anna Quindlen is a great writer; there’s no denying that.  I will say, though, that One True Thing was in a league of its own, and Black and Blue doesn’t even come close to being as good.  The real issue with this book is that it is, in essence, a problem novel, and I don’t think it ever rises above what it is at its heart.  
          I took a writing class once where the teacher forbid us from writing about domestic abuse.  This wasn’t the only thing we weren’t allowed to write about, but her point was that when authors structure a story or novel around an issue, their writing often suffers as a result.  And I could definitely see her point.  We could include domestic abuse in a story---we just couldn’t write about it.
        I think that a flaw in this novel is that the characters never really rise above the stereotypes.   Fran/Beth is the tough girl who finds herself in an abusive relationship, but it’s never really clear what she ever saw in Bobby who is little more than a caricature.  He’s even a cop, as if an abusive husband could ever have a bland job.  I liked the fact that Robert wasn’t a perfect little angel boy and that he does have conflicted emotions, and I have to admit that it’s been a long time since I read this book, so my memory may be flawed, but it seems to me that the characters were, for the most part, two-dimensional.  For example, there’s evil Bobby and saintly Michael (Beth’s new boyfriend).  Clearly Anna Quindlen was trying to make a point with this novel more than tell a truly compelling story, though it‘s a good book if you want something to read while on a plane or at the beach.  Just be warned, though, the ending is a real downer.

Christina Reviews *Before I Fall* by Lauren Oliver

           "Maybe you can afford to wait.  Maybe for you there's a tomorrow.  Maybe for you there's one thousand tomorrows, or three thousand, or ten, so much time you can bathe in it, roll around in it, let it slide like coins through your fingers.  So much time you can waste it.
           But for some of us there's only today.  And the truth is, you never really know."


           Before I Fall has an interesting premise.  The 17 year old protagonist, Samantha Kingston, dies in a fatal car accident, but instead of moving on to the other side, she finds herself walking up in her bedroom and reliving her last day all over again, a la Groundhog Day.  For one whole week, she lives this last day over and over, and each time, she makes changes to the routine, hoping that those changes will be enough to safe her life.  It's a story of life and death and love and redemption, but it's told in a way that is fairly unique.

         I am 28 years old, and yet I will read young adult fiction from time to time, especially if the plot grabs my attention, and this plotline definitely did.  And for the most part, I wasn't disappointed.  The only thing is that the storyline of a girl who dumps her good-looking boyfriend for the dorky, loner guy is not at all unique, even if the girl accomplishes this master feat of human compassion and non-superficiality while caught in a post-death mind loop.  I suppose it's true that there are only 7 plots in the world, and usually the difference between each of those 7 plots is what kind of guy/girl the protagonist ends up with.

         Overall, though, this was a very compelling novel, and I would recommend it.  It does include mature language and mature themes, so it seems more geared for older teens who are the same age as the characters.

         I would give this book three and a half out of five stars.  This was an impressive debut novel and I think that all fans of the book should be keeping an eye out for Lauren Oliver's future work.

Christina Reviews *Before and After* by Rosellen Brown

                       "What is impossible in this world?
                         Is there anything that cannot happen?"  (Brown, 139)


          Before and After is about what happens to a family when one of its member is accused of murder, and it's about the lengths to which a father will go to protect his son.  I read it years ago, when I was perhaps too young to fully understand it.  And yet, it remains one of my favorite books.  It is told from the points of view of the mother, father and sister of Jacob Reiser, a 17 year old boy who is suspected of killing his high school girlfriend.  His parents didn't even know he was dating Martha Taverner, and then, the next thing they know, she's dead, and their son is the prime suspect. 

         This is obviously a disturbing book due to its subject matter.  Who wants to think about how they would feel if they were in this position?  At the same time, it's disturbing because the character of Jacob is just so shadowy and, at times, incredibly unsympathetic.  He's the kind of person that old ladies love, but only because they don't know his darkest secrets, but then nobody but his younger sister truly does, and her chapters are particularly disturbing. 
        
          I watched the movie before I read the book, and I recommend that everyone do this---not just with Before and After but with every book turned into a movie.  That way, you will never be disappointed.  You will always be pleasantly surprised.  But I do want to say that, if you have seen the movie Before and After, but you have not read the book, you might be disappointed in the stark contrast between the book Jacob and the movie Jacob.  Rosellen Brown is not one to pull any punches.

          It's beautifully written.  The characters are complex.  The only thing that works against the story is that it is perhaps a little too dark.

          I would give it four out of five stars.

Christina Reviews *Bastard Out of Carolina*

“Anger was like a steady drip of poison into my soul, teaching me to hate the ones that hated me (Allison,  262).” 


          I was a late bloomer.  I didn’t read this book until I was 24 years old.  I know that there are high schools that have taught it because it was on a list of banned books when I was a teenager.  I suppose that right there is enough motivation for some people to read it.

         This is a disturbing, yet emotionally affecting, story about a young girl whose identity is wrapped up in the labels others have created for her.  It’s not the kind of book that everyone will want to read, but it’s honest and raw and there’s a beauty to that.

Christina's Review of *Amy & Isabelle* by Elizabeth Strout

         This is not by far the worst book I have ever read in my life, but, with all due respect to Elizabeth Strout, it has to be up there as one of the most disgusting.  There is a scene in there where Amy goes to a restaurant with a boy and the boy licks the condiment bottle, and that is just a small sampling of what you’re in for the minute you open this book.  That scene was just nasty!

        I’m not going to really go that much in depth into what the story is about, other than to say that it’s about a mother and daughter and the summer that changed their relationship forever.  This is a good book for those who are very interested in reading about complicated, love/hate mother and daughter relationships involving petty, narcissistic characters (and who doesn’t want to read about those kind of people?  Really?)

        I have to say it was well-written. The author certainly made good use of the five senses what with her vivid descriptions of unsanitary things.  Thumbs up there.  I really liked the use of setting;  I could picture the small, mill town perfectly.  And there was the interesting subplot involving a missing girl.  I didn't completely get what the point of that subplot was other than to suggest (on page 157) that even murdered girls can’t compare to what Amy and Isabelle were dealing with at home.  And truly, is there anything more horrifying than what goes on between a mother and a daughter during a hot, stifling summer in the privacy of their own little world?  Maybe not.

Maybe not. 



***Two and a Half Stars***

Christina's Review of *The Almost Moon* by Alice Sebold

        I read this book because I enjoyed The Lovely Bones so much. I was curious. I'd heard bad reviews and yet I thought I should give it a try anyway.

         I was definitely disappointed. I would probably give the book a 2 or a 2 1/2.

         Why didn't I like it? It's not the subject matter that I find most repellent. I just don't think the book is as well written as it could have been. Oh sure, the language is, at times, beautiful, but the story is essentially 290 pages of the protagonist moving her mother's body and trying to cover her tracks. Oh, yeah, and sleeping with her friend's grown son. But most of the book takes place in the past as Helen reflects on all the little things that have happened over the course of her 49 years. That was one of my main problems with this novel. It's hard to write a novel where the protagonist is remembering this time and remembering that time and have the reader want to follow along, unless you are able to do it in a compelling way. It would help to have a compelling protagonist whom the reader would follow to the brinks of hell, if necessary, and that's what Sebold is really asking the reader to do in this case. I don't think the flashbacks were necessarily confusing, just frustrating. Mainly, they were uninteresting and only served to distract me. 
          Furthermore, there's no real character I could get invested in. I understand the mother has mental issues, and so I feel for her and her family.  And I understand that Helen had a very complicated relationship with her mother, but the daughter is just so...I don't know. I don't feel like she cares much about anything---at least she doesn't seem to care about anything.

         The grown son whom Helen sleeps with is little more than a cliche. He's got minimal personality. Helen's ex-husband is somewhat interesting, as is the glimpse we are given of Helen's dead father, but neither character is intriguing enough to save this novel.

         I assume that Alice Sebold wanted to write about what life is like for those dealing with a mentally ill parent, and I respect her for that. The thing is, a book still needs to be interesting, even when dealing with a storyline about suffocation and madness. The book shouldn't be maddening to the reader just because the characters are that way to each other. Seeing as how Helen responded to her frustration by killing her mother, what will the reader want to do with this book that is the source of his/her frustation? Helen probably loves her mother deep down. As a mere reader, I have no such loyalty to this book.  Besides, in real life, no matter how bad things get, there is at least a reprieve here and there from the gloom.  There was no reprieve in this book.

          I can only speak for myself. For me, the problem with this book is the fact that the story is all over the place, so it was hard for me to get engaged. And then there’s the fact that the protagonist just seems to trudge through life, not even trying to get the reader to like her. The protagonist doesn't seem to care if you like her or not. She's just like, "This is the way it is, and if you care, fine. If you don't, well, that's unfortunate for me, but fine." By the end, she seems to be feeling more, but by then, it`s too late for me to care. And then the very ending was just weird.

          Oddball quirkiness only goes so far. You need characters who are full of life and full of passion. Well, if not full of passion, at least full of something other than memories. I think you have to be careful, when writing a character like Helen, to not just completely distance the reader from the story.

         Sebold was able to get away with writing about a morbid subject matter in The Lovely Bones because the character's voice was just so vibrant and alive---and the girl was dead! It was pure magic, and, so far, she has not been able to touch upon that magic again. But she is, no doubt, very talented and I wish her the best of luck with anything she writes in the future. I haven't given up on her or anything.

         To sum up, I'm not telling anyone not to read this book. That would be a bit arrogant to assume that I know how someone else will feel about it. I rented the book from the library. It really can't hurt to give the book a try. I usually adopt the fifty page rule. In this case, I read the whole book so that I could feel better about reviewing it. But really, I think that fifty pages or so is a fair sampling of what you're in for. So if you really want to, give it a try. Rent it from the library first before you decide whether or not to buy it.