You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
Really good. A little bit boring at moments, but I so understood her… the plot was scary and moving and I LOVE HIM. just saying.
some moments were wow. and it's not huge on the Christian thing, which I found refreshing for Christian fiction. Non believers will enjoy this too.
some moments were wow. and it's not huge on the Christian thing, which I found refreshing for Christian fiction. Non believers will enjoy this too.
I'm a huge Sara Zarr fan and this book did not disappoint. I really related to Sam. No, I didn't experience a mother in rehab or dealing with the kidnapping of a friend, but I grew up in a youth group, I am currently a pastor's wife (in a very laid-back, open-minded church. I feel none of the pressure Sam's mom did), and all of her questions about God and goodness and evil and life are definitely my own. Zarr crafted wonderful characters and made it all read and made it all okay. A great book!
One thing I admire about Sara Zarr's writing is how honestly the characters are portrayed. Much like in "Story of a Girl," Sam felt like a real teen, dealing with real issues that were not treated as a cliche. It's so incredibly refreshing to read a character like Sam in realistic fiction, because I feel it reflects more accurately real, honest, relatable issues, and some realistic fiction has the tendency to fall flat or feel over-dramatized. I felt like I could relate easily to Sam, not only because the characters around her were also presented honestly, but because her questions and interactions with what goes on around her were so truthful. I think it takes a lot of skill to be able to pull that kind of character off, and Zarr definitely proves that she can achieve that.
Zarr paints an honest picture of life as an evangelical teen, as anyone who's sat on the dilapidated, donated couches of a youth group center would understand. Presenting images of faith and doubt, the story manages to be thought-provoking without being preachy, and shows the difficulty of living with religion as well as the pain of leaving that life. To me this book felt very real, and while I don't think it's for all teens, I'd recommend it openly.
Yikes. The more I read of [a:Sara Zarr|19093|Sara Zarr|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1302718823p2/19093.jpg], the more I realize how smart she is, how compassionate. This is such a painful rendering of a protagonist in need of some major direction who isn't getting it in any of the places you'd expect. Broke my heart a little.
Sara Zarr does the realistic YA novel well. In this book, Samara is losing faith in God as well as her father, the upstanding church pastor who can't seem to/doesn't seem to want to save his wife from a drinking addiction. While Samara is preoccupied with her various problems - and estranging herself from her best friend - a girl goes missing in town, causing her to spiral even deeper into self-doubt and self-pity.
I like the way Zarr handles adults through the eyes of a teenager. Samara's anger with her father is well portrayed - never through over-the-top arguments, but through her constant yearning for him to live up to her image of him. It's awful when your parent fails you time and again, and Zarr highlights the bitterness of this disappointment poignantly.
However, I found Samara difficult to sympathise with outside of this. Although her problems are indeed bad, I disliked the way she imposed them on the brother of the girl who had disappeared. It's like - Hey, dude, so sorry about your kid sister going missing, but could you hear me out on my problems and how they relate to yours?
This is the second Zarr book I've read, and I had almost exactly the same problem with [b:Story of a Girl|33906|Story of a Girl|Sara Zarr|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168471691s/33906.jpg|2420507]. I can see teenage girls liking these books, but am not sure I can take the self-centred angst any more.
I like the way Zarr handles adults through the eyes of a teenager. Samara's anger with her father is well portrayed - never through over-the-top arguments, but through her constant yearning for him to live up to her image of him. It's awful when your parent fails you time and again, and Zarr highlights the bitterness of this disappointment poignantly.
However, I found Samara difficult to sympathise with outside of this. Although her problems are indeed bad, I disliked the way she imposed them on the brother of the girl who had disappeared. It's like - Hey, dude, so sorry about your kid sister going missing, but could you hear me out on my problems and how they relate to yours?
Spoiler
I didn't like the romance element at all - didn't think it was realistic how the young man, having been badgered by the pastor's daughter about her own problems, would succumb to her charms and even begin a long-distance relationship with her by the end of the book.This is the second Zarr book I've read, and I had almost exactly the same problem with [b:Story of a Girl|33906|Story of a Girl|Sara Zarr|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168471691s/33906.jpg|2420507]. I can see teenage girls liking these books, but am not sure I can take the self-centred angst any more.
Wow, this is hard to read and especially hard as an audiobook. Sam is really Not Doing Well, and her dad is seriously Fucking Up. The ending is maybe a little too tidy, but I'm mostly okay with it.
This isn't one of those books that just slaps you in the face with happy feelings at the end and I usually go for those types of books. So I wasn't sure I'd like this book because I usually don't like depressing books. Don't judge me, okay! It wasn't depressing but I wouldn't say happy. However, I was surprised to find that I liked this book and even more that I in a way appreciated it. I'll admit that I was on the fence of give this book 4 stars but I decided not to for these reasons:
Sam has her world just breaking all around her and she has just shut down from everyone and everything. She doubts things that she had always believed and questions go whirling around when a girl disappears from her church. I know that maybe some people might not like her expressing her doubts but it really didn't bother me all that much. Sam conveys that her life is bad without sounding whiny, a definite plus. And even though she is down for much of the book I never felt hopeless, just more somber.
What made me want to give it 4 stars was the father. I HATE him. Even after a week since reading the book I still resent him. He's a horrible father and a selfish son-of-a...dog. Sam was mature enough to accept him for being human and making mistakes even though she doesn't excuse him for not being there when she needed it. And she also does the same for her mother. I doubt I'd be so mature. But that is what I really liked about the book. I could really see everyone as a real person and I therefore could feel the unfairness of everything and really feel angry; with the blood rushing, my hands clinched, and the desire the throw the book across the room because I needed to hit something in my frustration. And I could feel very sad too.
Another reason I could appreciate the book so much was I could really get the symbolism of things that I could usually only get if I had a teacher explained them to me. I could see the symbolism in the weather, the broken stuff in the house, the yard and so many other things. I liked it that I could recognize them without having to read into every little thing. There is so much truth in Zarr's story, almost every character says some true at one point of another.
The ending was good. I still hate the father but maybe I could learn to accept it -this is a big MAYBE.
Sam has her world just breaking all around her and she has just shut down from everyone and everything. She doubts things that she had always believed and questions go whirling around when a girl disappears from her church. I know that maybe some people might not like her expressing her doubts but it really didn't bother me all that much. Sam conveys that her life is bad without sounding whiny, a definite plus. And even though she is down for much of the book I never felt hopeless, just more somber.
What made me want to give it 4 stars was the father. I HATE him. Even after a week since reading the book I still resent him. He's a horrible father and a selfish son-of-a...dog. Sam was mature enough to accept him for being human and making mistakes even though she doesn't excuse him for not being there when she needed it. And she also does the same for her mother. I doubt I'd be so mature. But that is what I really liked about the book. I could really see everyone as a real person and I therefore could feel the unfairness of everything and really feel angry; with the blood rushing, my hands clinched, and the desire the throw the book across the room because I needed to hit something in my frustration. And I could feel very sad too.
Another reason I could appreciate the book so much was I could really get the symbolism of things that I could usually only get if I had a teacher explained them to me. I could see the symbolism in the weather, the broken stuff in the house, the yard and so many other things. I liked it that I could recognize them without having to read into every little thing. There is so much truth in Zarr's story, almost every character says some true at one point of another.
The ending was good. I still hate the father but maybe I could learn to accept it -this is a big MAYBE.
"I want to believe the stories, that there really is someone who would search the whole mountainside just to find that one thing that he loves, and bring it home."
I am at a total loss as what to rate this book. But one thing I can say for sure is that it gave me a lot to mull over and analyze, that I even thought about how I felt at the age of 15 again.
At Samara's age I can remember being very contemplative like she was in the story. She feels the urge to mature and to fully grasp the understanding of the things she always relied on, but is struggling so much because of what is happening around her. Her father is the pastor of a local church in Pineview, and her mother is in rehab. There is the whole thing about being the pastor's kid, and how she is treated differently because of it. Things are going on as "normally" possible, but something happens that shakes the whole town. Jody, a local girl from the chruch, is kidnapped.
This book tackles the sensitive issue of religion, and Zarr did this with ease. When talking about religion in books it can come off preachy, and you can just imagine eyes rolling. You see actual substance, and you never feel this is an anti-religion book though some people may see it that way because of the doubt that Sam harbors.
It touches a lot of subjects without being heavy handed. The feelings that Sam has really come through to you, and though I was close to being annoyed at her she would do something redeeming. Sam is fairly mature and I appreciated that she could see why her father, mother or anybody for that matter would do certain things, but she never excused them for it. With Jody being taken away you see how the paranoia can get to people. The whole town sees everybody in a different light, and I had to keep guessing who did it, though this isn't necessarily the book's focus. It's real focus is how this event affects everyone in the town and specifically Sam. What can be admired about the author is how she can write scenes that hold lots of hidden meaning without much being actually said. Sometimes what is not said speaks louder than what is.
After reading the review I obviously had only positive things to say and it is one of those books that make the gears in your head turn. Delivered the message with much heart that even though you feel lost you can find your way.
I am at a total loss as what to rate this book. But one thing I can say for sure is that it gave me a lot to mull over and analyze, that I even thought about how I felt at the age of 15 again.
At Samara's age I can remember being very contemplative like she was in the story. She feels the urge to mature and to fully grasp the understanding of the things she always relied on, but is struggling so much because of what is happening around her. Her father is the pastor of a local church in Pineview, and her mother is in rehab. There is the whole thing about being the pastor's kid, and how she is treated differently because of it. Things are going on as "normally" possible, but something happens that shakes the whole town. Jody, a local girl from the chruch, is kidnapped.
This book tackles the sensitive issue of religion, and Zarr did this with ease. When talking about religion in books it can come off preachy, and you can just imagine eyes rolling. You see actual substance, and you never feel this is an anti-religion book though some people may see it that way because of the doubt that Sam harbors.
It touches a lot of subjects without being heavy handed. The feelings that Sam has really come through to you, and though I was close to being annoyed at her she would do something redeeming. Sam is fairly mature and I appreciated that she could see why her father, mother or anybody for that matter would do certain things, but she never excused them for it. With Jody being taken away you see how the paranoia can get to people. The whole town sees everybody in a different light, and I had to keep guessing who did it, though this isn't necessarily the book's focus. It's real focus is how this event affects everyone in the town and specifically Sam. What can be admired about the author is how she can write scenes that hold lots of hidden meaning without much being actually said. Sometimes what is not said speaks louder than what is.
After reading the review I obviously had only positive things to say and it is one of those books that make the gears in your head turn. Delivered the message with much heart that even though you feel lost you can find your way.