The Beautiful Between

Title: The Beautiful Between
Author: Alyssa Sheinmel
Pub: Knopf for Young Readers; 2010
Pages: 192
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult, Fairy-tale-ish


"If high school were a fairy-tale kingdom, Connelly Sternin would be Rapunzel"

That is exactly why I picked up this book because I am a self confessed fairy-tale retelling addict.  I also find that it's difficult to find contemporary retellings.  Or even adult retellings.  Are there any other there that I'm missing?  Help please. 

I also rated this a three-star as soon as I finished reading it, which means that I had to have dug it right?  Well, I'm (trying) to write this review a couple of months later and I can't remember ANYTHING about this book.

So I cheated and read some other reviews.  There's a vague memory in my brain somewhere.  Connelly's father died but she doesn't know why nor does it ever occur to her to ask her mom.  There's this popular boy (Jeremy) at their private richy high school who befriends her and he's going through issues because his sister is sick.  They form a friendship, not a romance, which is a plus because there's just not that many books out there filled with boy/girl friendships when the boy/girl are actually interested in opposite gendered luuurve.  (IE - in real life, folks, you don't have to be gay to have friends with the opposite sex).

Still.  I can't remember much about this one.  

Maybe I should change my rating from a three to a one because of that.

The Brides of Rollrock Island

Title: The Brides of Rollrock Island
Author: Margo Lanagan
Pub: David Fickling Books; 2012
Pages: 320
Genre: Fantasy, Legend, Fairy-talish,
Etc: props up to the publisher and NetGalley!

There are very few books where I fell NO URGE whatsoever to explain what they're about and instead just skip along and singsong "Read this! Read this!".  Because here's the thing, I could tell you that it's about this secluded island where the men marry seals, but that wouldn't make sense would it?  Because everything in my head, if I heard that statement, would say "Whoah, that's a little too far-fetched for me right now..." So if that IS what you've heard, ignore it.  Seriously.  Get one of those sponges and wipe that spot away from your memory.

This book is magical.  Lanagan cleverly shares tidbits of the legend through various narrators, each one gliding you closer to the big picture.  There's moments of depression, of vengeance, and utter despair.

The beauty of the story is in the unravel.

Chime (Audio)

Title: Chime
Author: Franny Billingsley
Narrator: Susan Duerden
Pub: 2011; Dial
Length: 10 hours 13 minutes
Pages: 361
Genre: Young Adult; Fairy Tale; Fantasy




This book.  THIS BOOK.  I spent the first half (maybe more) wondering what in the world was going on.  I seriously had a moment where I thought about looking for some homemade sparks notes version.  And then the book just came together in this big WHOOSH and my mouth was hanging wide open and I was sitting in my car in my driveway waiting for a perfect spot to stop the audio.  BUT THERE WASN'T ONE because it was SO FREAKIN' good and instead I just sat there, listening longer.

Franny Billingsley really stepped up her game.  It is hard  for me to admit this, but man did this book manipulate me, you know...in that I'm feeling frustrated but I'm still going to come back for me.  (I've read other reviews and this seems to be a trend).

So what is this book about?  Geez.  I can't even go there.  It's about a young girl named Briony who is a TOTAL unreliable narrative in this brilliant way.  I mean she just loathes herself and the whole time you're gonna be sitting there scratching your forehead because it just doesn't make sense why she would.  Oh and then there's Rose, her slow sister, who just rocks my world.  Rose will always be a favorite character because her personality was full and complete and Real.  It's impossible to tell what Rose's ailment is, and it's presented that she fell from a swing and hit her head, not making her right.  But she's amazing and brilliant and I'm gushing, I know.

Then there's Eldric who comes from the city and quickly becomes a good friend of the sisters AND OF COURSE there's FEELINGS on Briony's part

And there's Old Ones and Magic and this villainous bog spirit who is causing strife.  There's legend and a Moon Child, even if she's not really a child.  There's a father who's a priest who can't see what's in front of him and a dead stepmother who still controls Briony's thoughts.

WOW.

Have you not read this yet?  Get to it.

Thoughts on the Audio Version

I cannot exclaim enough how the narrator, Susan Duerden, really made this book.  Because this is a fantasy novel, albeit contemporary fantasy (is that what you would call it when it mixes current world with fantastical?) and Duerden creates the atmosphere perfectly.  She will transfix who ears, tickling them with individual character voices, all with their own charming accent.

Between the Lines

Title: Between the Lines
Author: Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer
Pub: 2012; Simon Pulse
Pages: 358
Genre: Young Adult; Fairy Tale; Fantasy

Oh what to even make of this book.  I’m really going to be brutal here, I think, because I enjoyed this book about as much as I enjoy getting a splinter.  It wasn’t painful to read, but man was I annoyed most of the time.  I perserved because I just knew it would be better to eventually be done with it.  I couldn’t just set it aside because I still had some small ounce of hope that it would redeem itself.

Truthfully, the PRIMARY reason why I gave this book a go was because it had Picoult’s name attached to it.  I’m a sucker for her books.  Can’t help it.  We’ll move on.  BUT that wasn’t the ONLY reason.  The concept was unique and TOTALLY up my highway. 

Check it out: Delilah is this nerdy shy girl who spends most of her time reading. (Already a winner of a protagonist for me!)  She stumbles upon this fairy tale book (#winning) and adores it, reading it over and over again.  Alternatively, we (as in, me, the audience) get to read the fairy tale as well….but the kicker is when the book (the book in the story) closes, the characters continue to live.  Um, hello, a la Six Characters in Search of an Author by Pirandello which is MY ALL TIME FREAKIN’ FAVORITE PIECE OF LITERATURE/PLAY EVAH. 

Prince Oliver, the protagonist in the fairy tale is bummed.  He is so sick and tired of living the same story over and over again.  Plus, the stupid princess actually thinks that they’re in love.  Yup, she’s so dumb she just can’t figure out that it’s a story.  Oliver is dying to get out of the story and into a new setting but he can’t seem to get anyone to notice him from the outside.  But he’s relentless and…

One day, Delilah hears Oliver.

And the story moves back and forth from Oliver in the fairy tale trying to get out and Delilah in the Real World trying not to look crazy.

The writing though, oh the writing.  I don’t want to harsh anyone’s dream of being a writer, and had this been turned in for a school assignment, it definitely would have gotten an “A” but to publish it a book and call it a bestseller?  Well, perhaps that’s why Jodi Picoult’s name is the larger name on the book…because I don’t know if it would sell quite as well without it.

On the plus side.  It’s a quick read.  Like a day.  And there were purty pictures.  That helped.