Dark Companion by Marta Acosta

Published: July 3, 2012
Publisher: Tor/Macmillan
Pages: 368

Orphaned at the age of six, Jane Williams has grown up in a series of foster homes, learning to survive in the shadows of life. Through hard work and determination, she manages to win a scholarship to the exclusive Birch Grove Academy. There, for the first time, Jane finds herself accepted by a group of friends. She even starts tutoring the headmistress’s gorgeous son, Lucien. Things seem too good to be true.

They are.

The more she learns about Birch Grove’s recent past, the more Jane comes to suspect that there is something sinister going on. Why did the wife of a popular teacher kill herself? What happened to the former scholarship student, whose place Jane took? Why does Lucien’s brother, Jack, seem to dislike her so much?

As Jane begins to piece together the answers to the puzzle, she must find out why she was brought to Birch Grove and what she would risk to stay there..because even the brightest people make terrible decisions when they are offered the things they desire most.

My Thoughts:
Alright, seriously, if you're going to do a retelling of sorts of Jane Eyre, DO IT RIGHT!!! Every time I have read some sort of retelling they've destroyed the whole point of Jane Eyre!

Jane-Here we have a girl-our main character-who is so street-smart and so fiercely intelligent who falls apart when she meets a boy named Lucian. WHAAAT? She ends up lying to her friends, lets a boy treat and use her like garbage, she allows this boy to do things to her that are painful and makes her uncomfortable, she allowed him to put her in danger all because she was hung up on his good looks. I couldn't stand her once she had this insta-love for the boy Lucian. UGH! I was annoyed with her constant defensiveness in regards to herself and her relationship with Lucian and became wishy-washy which I felt betrayed what the author originally created for her character. She was a disappointment. However, my biggest complaint against Jane? SHE GAVE IN! The WHOLE point of Jane Eyre was that SHE. DID. NOT. GIVE. IN. so when I read retellings where a Jane "gives-in" it ticks me off because it ends up completely destroying the original point of the original Jane Eyre.

Jack, was actually great, I loved that he was arrogant, silly, a bit on the crazy and wild side, he was funny a bit absurd at times, but in a way that was a breath of fresh air which was much needed thing throughout this book. His character actually made me want to hang out with him.

Lucian was just....creepy. I appreciated the angle this book took on the "forbidden/mystical" aspect, however the character of Lucian was beyond wrong. He was messed up and I can't believe his parents or whatever allowed him to get away with so much. I did NOT like him, one bit.

Another character I quite enjoyed was Mary Violet. She was hysterical and I appreciated her made up words, french, personality, and overall comic relief to the overall story. Just had to throw that out there. Another character I would love to be friends with in real life.

Ok the overall story was blatantly obvious at times, and some how ended all neatly with a beautiful bow that was a bit disturbing and wrong. However there were many aspects of the story with the twists and turns which I could appreciate and keeping many aspects of the original Jane Eyre in the story yet making it the author's own unique story. However if you are a fan of Jane Eyre this story might be a little too crude for you and I would steer clear of this one.

Sexual Content: moderate (PG-talk of pimps, whores)
Language: mild
Violence: mild
Drugs/Alcohol: mild

The Chosen by Chaim Potok

It is the now-classic story of two fathers and two sons and the pressures on all of them to pursue the religion they share in the way that is best suited to each. And as the boys grow into young men, they discover in the other a lost spiritual brother, and a link to an unexplored world that neither had ever considered before. In effect, they exchange places, and find the peace that neither will ever retreat from again.

My Thoughts:
I kind of loved this. I don't exactly know what it is that I loved so much so I'll try to figure it out as I type. Bless you for reading this.

First of all, Judaism fascinates me. I don't know much about it and if all of the information in this novel is accurate then I learned a lot. I mean, there was history and theology and culture and it was all so interesting. Never (well, maybe once) did I feel like I was being lectured. Everything was just woven so beautifully into the story. Actually, one thing that bothered me a little about this book was that some things just weren't explained; I was expected to know simple terminology about Judaism or facts about their culture or something, which I didn't. I loved the way Potok wrote, he didn't over-explain, he expected his audience to be intelligent, his hints were subtle, his descriptions vivid without being over-the-top. It was lovely. But now I need to go read up on Judaism because I didn't get a lot of it.

Reuven, our main character, was a pretty normal guy, all things considered. I liked him but I felt that his character only existed to talk about Danny and World War II. Honestly, Reuven could have been anyone. He was so normal. The things he thought, the ways he reacted. I mean, I liked him, really, but he wasn't a stand-out character to me. Danny was. Everything about him was fascinating. I wanted to see him in all kinds of different situations, just to watch him react. So interesting. But, then, maybe that was the point of this book and Reuven. An observer seeing Danny and his family would notice things differently than Danny would; It's probably best that Danny wasn't the main character (even though it felt like he was since Danny was way more memorable for me).

I loved watching these boys grow into men. Their progression was beautiful to watch. And Danny's thought process as he begins to rebel and think for himself is so fascinating, so ordinary and yet so unique. It's just so well done.

The fathers provided a really interesting foil to each other. They were both just trying to do their best raising their sons but in such different ways. I mean, it was just so interesting.

So, wow, I would recommend this book to anyone. It's intelligent and interesting and funny in parts and heartbreaking in others. I just loved it. And it was a completely unexpected love, which is sometimes the best kind.

Sexual Content: None
Language: Mild
Violence: Mild
Drugs/Alcohol: None

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's recitation, and only the "good parts" reached his ears.

Now Goldman does Dad one better. He's reconstructed the "Good Parts Version" to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.

What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.

In short, it's about everything.

My Thoughts:
I loved this writing style. So much. It was just so funny, everything about it. I will admit that I was incredibly confused for a while about the whole "abridgment" thing. I had to visit Wikipedia to see if there even was an S. Morgenstern, which seems ridiculous in hindsight because I was pretty darn certain there were no countries ever called Florin or Guilder. And honestly, I was kind of sad that Goldman made up all that stuff about "his father" reading the original to him as a sick child. I don't know why. I guess I just thought it was sweet. It was a very effective gimmick. And the fact that I bought a lot of it must be the mark of a gifted writer, no? Or a really gullible reader.

Ahem. 

I think everyone knows this story. Everyone has seen this movie and it's beloved. I mean, I love it. It's why I wanted to read the book. If you've seen the movie then you've got the book pretty much figured out; The screenplay was written by the author so they're basically the same. 

The characters are so wonderfully written. I love that each character feels like a different person. I hate when you read a book and every character's voice feels the same; You can't tell who's speaking. Not here. Goldman is masterful at that. Most of the time I didn't even need him to tell me who was saying what because I could recognize the tone of the speaker from what they were saying.

I will say I was kind of annoyed that Buttercup was dumb. I don't know why but I never picked up on that in the movie. Why can't a woman be beautiful and smart? Why do some men have such a hard time reconciling an intelligent woman who also happens to be nice to look at? Don't get it. It was funny to read, yes, but condescending. Especially since she was basically the only woman in the whole book.

I may have been a little bit in love with Westley. I think that's kind of the point of him. Except when he said chauvinistic/rude/condescending things to Buttercup. Then I wanted to kick him in the stomach. But overall he was highly entertaining; The things he said were just funny. In fact, most of what most of them said was just funny. Dialogue was incredibly humorous. Inigo and Fezzik were my favorite, probably because they provided most of the comic relief. 

And now back the overarching story gimmick: I think the reason I was so sucked in by the idea of Goldman having adapted a classic was that there were two very distinct writing styles going on here. There was the main story part (which, according to the novel, had been written by Morgenstern) and the Introduction and little parts where Goldman claims to have cut something out. They just felt so different! I had a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that an author would use that as a story gimmick. He did it so well. And I'd never seen it done before. Has anyone does it since? I don't even know. It was such an original, clever idea. And it just added to the humor and fun with Goldman explaining, in detail, passages he had cut and why. Although I'm kind of glad all the "personal" stories Goldman shared about his "wife" and "son" weren't real. Because then I would have felt bad for all of them. 

Anyway, good read. Really funny. Very original. A classic, in its' own right. 

Language: Mild
Sexual Content: Mild
Violence: Heavy (fight scenes, death scenes, torture scenes)
Drugs/Alcohol: Mild (a scene of poisoning, wine)

Nevermore By: Kelly Creagh

Book Description:
Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look. 

Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life. 

As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares. 

His life depends on it.

My Thoughts:

Let's just get it right out there - Varen is a lame name. Even with the obvious Poe-allusion, still lame. 

Okay, now that that's done with. It took me till about page 115 to get into this story. I had a haaard time seeing past the Twilight-yness of the beginning (shut up, it's there, and yes, I fear that every paranormal romance young adult novel will forever be compared to Twilight, alas.) Some of the writing was a little contrived in places, and seriously, do normal high school girls think about boys THAT much? Because all I remember in high school is vaguely wanting a boyfriend, but being more concerned with oh I don't know, like grades and graduating and college and crap. Go figure.

Anyway, after I got into the story, I couldn't put this book down. Loved reading about the characters. I did think the scene with Varen's dad was a little contrived (but, being not-the-target-audience, I can see why it's in there. Wow, it hurts to realize I am no longer the YA target audience. Gack.) Loved Varen's unruffledness. Got a little annoyed with the eyes, those jade eyes, soul piercing eyes (ocher eyes, anyone?) 

I adored Gwen. Absolutely love her. I want her as my friend. The jury is out on Isobel. She's decent, but 
do I like her? I do not know. I like her enough to continue reading about her (but let's be honest, I more interested in a showdown with Reynolds, another character I adored.) 

All my ranting and raving aside, this is a decent book. Much better than 90% of the current YA offerings. Great way to pass the time, and perfect to read in October. So someone remind me to re-read it around Halloween. 

(First read June 1, 2011.) 

***

Re-read October 2012. I have downgraded my opinion of Gwen - I find her a little annoying. But I have

decided that I love Isobel. She does not, in fact, suck. And the Twilight-yness of the book no longer irritated me.

And the Poe stuff was 9,000 times cooler. I just really liked this book a lot more the second time I read it. So, booyah! 

Book Review: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Book Description:

Since his debut in 1951 as The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has been synonymous with "cynical adolescent." Holden narrates the story of a couple of days in his sixteen-year-old life, just after he's been expelled from prep school, in a slang that sounds edgy even today and keeps this novel on banned book lists. It begins,
"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them."

His constant wry observations about what he encounters, from teachers to phonies (the two of course are not mutually exclusive) capture the essence of the eternal teenage experience of alienation.

My Thoughts:
I get it. This book, Holden Caulfield; I get it. 

Reading this book brought back memories of adolescence that I now understand better because of the way Holden reacted to them. I'm glad I didn't read this when I was a kid; I wouldn't have understood it at all. As an adult looking back, I completely get it.

 Except for the major depression, poor language, super-rich parents and living in New York, this guy could totally be my male-adolescent-emotional-doppleganger. The phonies thing!! I totally felt like that. I still feel like that. I hate phonies. 

This book is so perfectly written. It's not clean, it's not polished; It's gritty and honest and it feels the way things really feel. I think that's why so many people relate to it. It's feels so real and makes so much sense. Every teenager goes through those feelings. My only problem with the book was that there was no real plot. It just kind of wandered. But I guess that made it more real, too, because life just kind of wanders. There's no real plot until you look back at the end of your life and piece together all the major events that make your story.

It's just one of those books that touched me. I will remember it and think back on it fondly. This one book understood me; What it was like to feel alienated, to be a teenager. So well done. Modern classic.

Sexual Content: Heavy (talking about sex and an almost-sex scene, some make-out scenes)
Language: Heavy
Violence: Moderate
Drugs/Alcohol: Moderate (if you include cigarette smoking, then Heavy)