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kt15's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
lazygal's review
3.0
There's something clearly wrong with Frenchie: she's depressed, doesn't want to hang out with her friends (even as Joel is pulling away because of his involvement with Lily), didn't get into art school and doesn't seem to care, and when Robyn tries to set her up with Colin she's rude and obnoxious. Then, at the depths of her despair, she asks Colin to hang out with her one night - a night the mimics the night she spent with Andy Cooper, recent suicide and former classmate.
Their night is relatively stereotypical teen rebellion (swimming in the ocean at night, trying to "steal" a swan boat, getting a tattoo, etc.) and Frenchie is somehow convinced that she missed a clue, a sign, that could have saved Andy. It's something that probably every friend of a suicide wishes they could have done, that if they somehow relive the last time they were together they could change something and the friend would still be alive.
In that way, this book gets it right. The problem is twofold, however: Emily Dickinson seems randomly chosen to be a friend/mentor (if Frenchie's an artist, why doesn't she have an artist to talk to?) and I really didn't care about Frenchie. Her problems and despair just didn't move me.
ARC provided by publisher.
Their night is relatively stereotypical teen rebellion (swimming in the ocean at night, trying to "steal" a swan boat, getting a tattoo, etc.) and Frenchie is somehow convinced that she missed a clue, a sign, that could have saved Andy. It's something that probably every friend of a suicide wishes they could have done, that if they somehow relive the last time they were together they could change something and the friend would still be alive.
In that way, this book gets it right. The problem is twofold, however: Emily Dickinson seems randomly chosen to be a friend/mentor (if Frenchie's an artist, why doesn't she have an artist to talk to?) and I really didn't care about Frenchie. Her problems and despair just didn't move me.
ARC provided by publisher.
katie_luder's review against another edition
4.0
I almost gave up on this book 15 pages in. I'm glad I didn't. It's maybe a little sappy or cheesy or predictable even but I still liked it a lot. I wish I would have read it in high school.
ayshayodels's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book. I didn't love it. It didn't wow me and I'm still reluctant about the 4 star rating but frankly I don't mind giving it 4 stars at all. The story was sad and "demented" and I actually enjoyed it. As heavy as the title might be this was a quick, nice read. But what bothers me the most is the length. It was just so short and maybe it's the kind of book that should be short but I'm still wondering why I don't know much about Joel, or Colin, or even Andy for the matter. Even Frenchie. She was a nice character but her love for Dickinson could've been enlightened more than what was portrayed. Other than that I don't think I have any complaints. The plot was basic but it was also a quite interesting book that didn't bore me at all. I'm glad I picked this one up.
samantha_winkel13's review against another edition
5.0
When I first read the back of this book, I'll admit I was a little skeptical. But once I started to read it...
I couldn't stop. Something about it...
Frenchie has to figure out who she is and to try and get over the death of a friend. She fees guilt and pulls away from everybody. She loves Emily Dickinson and goes and visits her grave and talks to her like a friend. I mean, hell yeah.
This book is 5/5 stars. It makes you think. How far would you go to try and figure out a loss? To find some closure?
I couldn't stop. Something about it...
Frenchie has to figure out who she is and to try and get over the death of a friend. She fees guilt and pulls away from everybody. She loves Emily Dickinson and goes and visits her grave and talks to her like a friend. I mean, hell yeah.
This book is 5/5 stars. It makes you think. How far would you go to try and figure out a loss? To find some closure?
karajay's review against another edition
2.0
The start of this book made me no want to finish it. The establishing chapters were too long and drawn out and honestly unnecessary.
The meat of this book was decent, predictable, but decent. I didn't hate or love this book and honestly if you are looking for a super quick, easy read grab this book.
The meat of this book was decent, predictable, but decent. I didn't hate or love this book and honestly if you are looking for a super quick, easy read grab this book.
drbird's review against another edition
5.0
Frenchie Garcia is one of the best characters I’ve read in a while thanks to a classic technique: the exploration of mortality. Instead of focusing on her own, however, Sanchez constructs a story wherein Frenchie ponders the suicide of a guy named Andy with whom she spent one adventurous night. Frenchie’s own mental state is fragile enough to suggest she, too, might take herself out of the world but the more compelling threat is what her own rationale might be. She’s in search of a deeper truth not to life, but to ending life.
A satisfying story with great exchanges of dialogue, a sprinkling of Emily Dickinson, and a very effective exploration of coping with death.
A satisfying story with great exchanges of dialogue, a sprinkling of Emily Dickinson, and a very effective exploration of coping with death.
akernelofnonsense's review against another edition
5.0
Frenchie Garcia is stuck in a rut. With graduation in the rear-view mirror, it’s time for Frenchie to figure out her future. The problem is, she can’t seem to find the motivation. Ever since her classmate Andy Cooper died, Frenchie’s thoughts have revolved more and more around death. What no one knows is that Andy spent his last night with Frenchie and what she thought was the beginning of something ended up being his final goodbye to the world. Now Frenchie must find a way to accept what happened if she has a chance of moving on.
Jenny Torres Sanchez’s Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia deserves a lot more credit and attention than it’s been given. I’ve been making an effort to seek out more Latina authors and when I came across this one, I had to read it. Frenchie has been pulling away from her friends for months, seeking refuge at the cemetery down the road where she holds imaginary conversations with Emily Dickinson. While not the resting place of the real Emily Dickinson, her namesake feels pretty close enough. Drawn to the poet because her poetry often deals with death, Frenchie is prone to some pretty morbid thoughts herself and it’s quite clear she’s never dealt with the suicide of the boy she once liked. She’s cynical, moody, and likely to scowl at any given moment, which actually makes her incredibly relatable. Her standoffish and stubborn attitude toward those pushing her to become the girl she once was makes sense only to the reader who begins to understand how Frenchie’s and Andy’s lives intersect as the story moves forward.
I loved the way this novel was structured, weaving together Frenchie’s present with the night she spent with Andy. Frenchie deals with issues of guilt, struggles with an answer to Andy’s suicide, and the muddiness that has become her own thoughts. A part of her feels responsible for his death and with no one to talk to, she’s left drowning in this unhealthy mindset. Her relationships have suffered, most notable is her friendship with her best friend Joel. She’s always been able to count on him, but when she needed him most, he wasn’t there and the chasm between the two keeps growing as his relationship with his girlfriend grows more serious. While her friends prepare to embark on new adventures, Frenchie looks ahead and sees a dead end and in many ways hopes for it.
Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia is both tragic as well as cathartic, dark with a glimmer of hope. It’s a novel I highly recommend to anyone interested in exploring issues of death, guilt, and of course, Emily Dickinson.
“I feel that steady beat in my head, Em. I march through my days like those mourners, but I feel like I’m in that box, too. There’s a funeral in my brain. How do I make it stop?”
Jenny Torres Sanchez’s Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia deserves a lot more credit and attention than it’s been given. I’ve been making an effort to seek out more Latina authors and when I came across this one, I had to read it. Frenchie has been pulling away from her friends for months, seeking refuge at the cemetery down the road where she holds imaginary conversations with Emily Dickinson. While not the resting place of the real Emily Dickinson, her namesake feels pretty close enough. Drawn to the poet because her poetry often deals with death, Frenchie is prone to some pretty morbid thoughts herself and it’s quite clear she’s never dealt with the suicide of the boy she once liked. She’s cynical, moody, and likely to scowl at any given moment, which actually makes her incredibly relatable. Her standoffish and stubborn attitude toward those pushing her to become the girl she once was makes sense only to the reader who begins to understand how Frenchie’s and Andy’s lives intersect as the story moves forward.
I loved the way this novel was structured, weaving together Frenchie’s present with the night she spent with Andy. Frenchie deals with issues of guilt, struggles with an answer to Andy’s suicide, and the muddiness that has become her own thoughts. A part of her feels responsible for his death and with no one to talk to, she’s left drowning in this unhealthy mindset. Her relationships have suffered, most notable is her friendship with her best friend Joel. She’s always been able to count on him, but when she needed him most, he wasn’t there and the chasm between the two keeps growing as his relationship with his girlfriend grows more serious. While her friends prepare to embark on new adventures, Frenchie looks ahead and sees a dead end and in many ways hopes for it.
Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia is both tragic as well as cathartic, dark with a glimmer of hope. It’s a novel I highly recommend to anyone interested in exploring issues of death, guilt, and of course, Emily Dickinson.
idogrocker's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide