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scribesprite's review
4.0
There are not many books that I've read about military brats so this was different. It was nice to see her knowledge of everthing in Europe but she wasn't snobish about it.
In the beginning I just felt so bad for Arden. I'd hate to be stuck in Paris and not have any fun. However things do get better as things progress. The three girls she meets on the plane and decides to join have very distinct personalities. Each one brings something to the story.
The military life has seemed to take a great toll on Arden. It effects her more then most military brats I've seen. That isn't to say that some people are not affected at all, just not as much MOST of the time. I can understand though because her mother is the only person she has left. If she were to lose her than she would be all alone and then what would happen to her.
Some parts of Arden's observations of military life I though were right on the money. Others I thought were a bit exaggerated but not by much. It's a good read.
In the beginning I just felt so bad for Arden. I'd hate to be stuck in Paris and not have any fun. However things do get better as things progress. The three girls she meets on the plane and decides to join have very distinct personalities. Each one brings something to the story.
The military life has seemed to take a great toll on Arden. It effects her more then most military brats I've seen. That isn't to say that some people are not affected at all, just not as much MOST of the time. I can understand though because her mother is the only person she has left. If she were to lose her than she would be all alone and then what would happen to her.
Some parts of Arden's observations of military life I though were right on the money. Others I thought were a bit exaggerated but not by much. It's a good read.
lumos_libros's review
4.0
I'm kind of biased because I could really relate to Arden. Not so much her personality but her situation. I've had a parent deploy to Iraq and I understood a lot of what she had to go through, but I didn't take it the same way she did. Arden is already away at college when her mom is deployed and she has already lost her father, so she dealing with a lot of feelings that seem to be suffocating her (though she doesn't know it). With all that moving around military brats do it's hard to keep many friends, so she feels more alone than most people would. One thing is for sure that Stein got right was the feel for the military community. It was so comical and deja vu like to see her mention things like the cheesy AFN commercials, Fort Riley, Heidelburg, the DEFAC, and so many other refrences I can't even recall.
The beginning of the book seemed too rush. Like she was hurrying things along to get to the middle of the story. This bothered me to no end. I kind of felt like it was being unfair to the character in a way. Like we really couldn't see who she was because things were moving along too fast. Another thing that bothered me was how she mentioned how nobody really understood, which is true but you don't have to be mean about it. I get it because if I didn't have a parent in the military I can't say for certain I would care that much about the war. It's sad but it's the truth. I did think the author handled the whole political aspect of the war well. She didn't take sides but rather concentrated on the people who are affected by the war.
In some parts of the trip I could really feel for her. Some people assume traveling is so much fun but the truth is it can really suck sometimes. Once we get into the meat of the story that's where things start getting good. Even though we don't get that much romantic action in this book there is of course the love interest. I really enjoyed the way they had a little history before they met up again. That does happen from time to time when you move around, so that was nice touch. Don't worry things workout for the both of them. I don't want to give anything away, but suffice to say that Arden learns that she needs to open up and like the title of the book refers not to be afraid to get off the high dive.
It feels like 4 stars. It's the first book I've seen out there that touches this subject so it should get props for that:)
The beginning of the book seemed too rush. Like she was hurrying things along to get to the middle of the story. This bothered me to no end. I kind of felt like it was being unfair to the character in a way. Like we really couldn't see who she was because things were moving along too fast. Another thing that bothered me was how she mentioned how nobody really understood, which is true but you don't have to be mean about it. I get it because if I didn't have a parent in the military I can't say for certain I would care that much about the war. It's sad but it's the truth. I did think the author handled the whole political aspect of the war well. She didn't take sides but rather concentrated on the people who are affected by the war.
In some parts of the trip I could really feel for her. Some people assume traveling is so much fun but the truth is it can really suck sometimes. Once we get into the meat of the story that's where things start getting good. Even though we don't get that much romantic action in this book there is of course the love interest. I really enjoyed the way they had a little history before they met up again. That does happen from time to time when you move around, so that was nice touch. Don't worry things workout for the both of them. I don't want to give anything away, but suffice to say that Arden learns that she needs to open up and like the title of the book refers not to be afraid to get off the high dive.
It feels like 4 stars. It's the first book I've seen out there that touches this subject so it should get props for that:)
belles_bookshelves's review
4.0
This is hard for me to review because I liked the book, but I think it was mostly because I could relate to Arden's situation. At times it was sad and in Arden's voice you can hear the weight of the world that she feels like she's carrying. Then you see all the great things she does and sees while she traveling. The book was pretty accurate when describing how travel is in Europe (as in it kinda sucks). It was funny to read the military jargon that I only hear when I'm on post or talking to my family. Along with the mention of those stupidly chessy AFN commercials, and it's totally true that you can guess where someone is from just by the way they look! The Texans that Arden makes friend with during her trip change from interesting, to shallow, to complex. At times they seemed vapid (actually, mostly just Lola), but then you get more insight. Arden talks a lot about how she worries about her mom who is in Iraq, but it felt like she over did it at times. I can understand that though. Sometimes Arden seemed too judgmental of people. Mostly about them not understanding her situation. I liked how the author wrote about Iraq without actually taking sides. It's great to see Arden traveling and how she starts to see things differently. How she changes for the better. At first she's very cautious, both with trusting people and taking chances. I was pleased with how it all played out, even if I guessed at it. Again, I think I liked the book mostly because I could relate to Arden. I'm not sure how this book would look to other poeple but I think that it's definitly worth giving a chance.
heykellyjensen's review
4.0
Arden is a character with wit, intelligence, and adventure-driven. Stein writes a fast-paced but descriptive story of a girl who goes out of her way to take on an adventure in Europe with three strangers. The book is well-written and perfectly paced, and Stein does not dwell on details but inserts enough to make the story colorful and vivid. The entire plot hinges on one character choosing adventure, and from there, the story unfolds to develop her character and her story past to present. The characters with whom Arden interact are also well developed and become individuals.
One thing that struck me as unnecessary throughout, though, was Madison's pregnancy. I almost felt like Stein needed to add another hook to the story and it was something not resolved in the end. The story was so well written without this subplot and since the subplot never develops, it should have been left out all together. The couple of pages this subplot adds would have been better used on other aspects of the story or even in description. The military subplot with the contemporary elements made it a relevant story that does not get political the way a lot of similar story lines do. Well done, and definitely for anyone with an interest in adventure, growing up, alternative family life, or, well, Europe!
One thing that struck me as unnecessary throughout, though, was Madison's pregnancy. I almost felt like Stein needed to add another hook to the story and it was something not resolved in the end. The story was so well written without this subplot and since the subplot never develops, it should have been left out all together. The couple of pages this subplot adds would have been better used on other aspects of the story or even in description. The military subplot with the contemporary elements made it a relevant story that does not get political the way a lot of similar story lines do. Well done, and definitely for anyone with an interest in adventure, growing up, alternative family life, or, well, Europe!
tybabess's review
4.0
I can't even really pinpoint exactly why I liked this book so much but I really really did. With how short the book was I was afraid I might feel unfulfilled at the end but I totally didn't at all. This was a cute read that wasn't superficial and had some real stuff going on. I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book... travel stories for the win :)
everydayreading's review
4.0
Read my review here: http://everydayreading.blogspot.com/2008/10/high-dive-by-tammar-stein.html
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