a novel by Rachel Coker
"Okay these are all checked out...and we have a book on hold for you, let me get it." The library cashier clicked on her computer then meandered on over to the back wall, leaving me standing there in amazement. Something on hold? I didn't order anything... did I? When the lady completed fumbling around on the shelf, I couldn't quite make out the title of the book she finally picked up. Until she slid it onto my already large stack. It was upside down, but I immediately gasped in recognition. It was the one. The book I'd heard about through the Young Writers' Workshop through Brett Harris and Jaquelle Crowe. Since I had watched a video of Brett interviewing the author Rachel Coker, I decided to look it up on Amazon and the reviews were pretty good. But the real reason that caused me to request it at the library last month was....she was fourteen. She was two years younger than me when she started writing it, the youngest author to be published at Zondervan. And with that in mind, I read the book. I didn't expect to do a book review, in fact this is only the second book review I've ever done, but the tingling in my soul presses me to proceed... WARNING: I am giving away some things in this review. Do not read this review if you want to be surprised when you read the book. Thank you. In short, this novel is about a girl who goes through losing her mother in the WWII period. When I read the back cover, I was expecting to hurriedly finish it because I thought it would be one of those, you know, those orphans who get taken in by a mean foster mom. The reviews on Amazon said the main character was annoyingly bitter and unrealistically mean. I was just going to read it just to say that I did. It's by a teen, how good could it be anyway? I'll just skim it. But I ended up savoring it. The CharactersAllie, the main character ya know, surprised me. For some reason she didn't annoy me, although the reviews are true that she is bitter. She is bitter from losing her mom, not being there when she died, having to get a "new mom" and having to move away from her beautiful home, cat, and gardens. She doesn't annoy me at all, maybe because of how realistic she is. I don't relate to her situation in life or her time period at all, but I can for some reason understand her feelings. I love how it's written in first person so you can know her thoughts exactly, as shown here: "Beatrice never looks at me that way. Every time she glanced into my direction, I sensed nothing but tiredness and concealed frustration. I was something she dutifully cared for, not loved. I cleared my throat and looked away." Another reason I love Allie is her love for writing and reading: "What was the real world created for anyway? The pretend world is so much nicer." Love that. She especially loves Emily Dickinson poems. They are quoted so often, mostly by her and sometimes Sam. Sam, oh dear Sam. He is a patient and quiet poetry lover who is also stubborn, the perfect complement to Allie. They connect so well. Just read the book and you'll fall in love with him too. Don't think he's that cliched perfect man, though. He has his realistic flaws hidden in there. And Allie's the only one that can peel back the layers of his heart. As a matter of fact, in most of the book he's the only one she opens up to as well. I love how Aunt Beatrice (the new mom who adopts Allie) always has these traditional old sayings like so: "A girl who goes to bed early is healthy wealthy and wise..." When Allie first meets her, Aunt Beatrice seems a little strange and stuck-up but you soon learn she's an extraordinary fluffy teddybear on the inside and a classy old-fashioned woman on the outside. Her house isn't a cliched stuffy orphanage-type house (which you might think in the beginning) but it is a rich, luscious house by the seashore, with a library and writing desk included. My dream basically. And last but not least: Irene the adopted older sister, with her pink car and pink restaurant and pink lemonade. Everything glamorous, everything romantic, with Bing Crosby always in the background. It's one of those personalities that make you laugh many times but also sometimes surprise you with deep thoughts. The DialogueSomething I'm very picky about is good dialogue, mostly because I'm terrible at writing it myself. The dialogue was superb, realistic enough I could hear it aloud in my head, allowing for a touch of humor. The author didn't write it like this: "'You'll never get me to engage in conversation with you, Danny Parker!' I said. 'Ouch,' Charlie said." She wrote it like this: "'You'll never get me to engage in conversation with you, Danny Parker!' I called back, flicking my hair. 'Ouch,' Charlie laughed and nudged me." It's a perfect blend of talking and moving and emotions and I even noticed she incorporates Allie's thoughts into it subtly. But again, realistically. The PlotSome aspects of the plot were definitely cliched and done before. For instance, getting stuck on top of a Ferris Wheel for two hours. Never heard that one before... however, it was hilarious. Especially when the Russell guy had to go to the bathroom. And yes, the story was predictable. But it was a "feel good" predictable. Not like those stories where you roll your eyes because the author tries to hide who the girl is gonna end up with, not here. It's not hidden or attempted to be. Allie's known Sam Carroll ever since she could remember and he's always been with her. In fact, he was the only one there when her mom died. I don't think she took a risk on making Sam and Allie obviously get together. Yes, it's inevitable that they will get married, and they do. But it's the sweet kind of story, the type you want to watch happen, the kind that unexpectedly draws moisture from your dry eyeballs as you hope no one's watching. (this is why I don't read in public!) I was also expecting more of the WWII aspect of the story, but it ended up only in about one chapter at the end. But when have my expectations ever been right? I'm learning... maybe. Bascially Sam goes off to war, he disappears for a year, and then magically comes back. It's written so that you completely soak yourself into the sweetness of it all so you don't even care that you expected it. Someone on Amazon (yet again) said that they felt like the book was missing something, they just couldn't put their finger on it. Well I put my finger on it. It's not annoying. It's missing the annoying parts. Listen to me: I'm a very well-read human who has trust issues when it comes to books. I know something bad is going to happen in the middle and then I'm gonna hate it and just flip through the pages until the happy ending where I can finally breathe again. Well let me tell you a secret. The only "bad" things that happen in this novel are at the beginning and the end: where her mom dies, and where Sam goes off to war. That's all. And it's not even for that long. The book isn't one of those annoyingly intense books you only want to read once. People don't really get mad at each other and hate each other, making you grumpy yourself. It's a comforting, relaxed book that doesn't stress you out so much you need a massage afterwards. At least to me. Most of it is a descriptive blend of her thoughts and dialogue, all of which are realistic. And I admire that SO very much. The Actual WritingI almost forgot this was written by a teenager, because it was the kind of quality books I'm used to reading. The show not tell kind. The kind I wish I could write so badly. Conclusion: This novel made me go through so many emotions, including jealousy, that made me want to write a book. That night. Like right now. I can't write that amazing, neither can I come up with any dialogue that amazing. But if you want to be inspired too or just enjoy a beautifully descriptive little novel, I suggest reading it.
Go request it from your library right now. And enjoy.
1 Comment
3/19/2017 02:51:02 pm
Love this review! This book sounds quite intriguing. I will have to check it out.
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about the authorAs a 21 year old aspiring teacher, Karissa loves to write, travel, play piano, and read. Many creative things have her heart. archives
November 2021
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