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kblincoln's review against another edition
5.0
I thought I was going to give this book a 4 because sometimes the characters were just waaaaaaaaay to wise, and the ending is a bit too pat....but I couldn't.
I had to give it 5 starts. Even with those faults, the book really satisfies on so many levels.
Haunted by nightmares mostly surrounding the death of her mother in a plane crash over the Indian Ocean, Sienna agrees to go with her father, a noted PTSD psychiatrist to an orphanage (pesantren) in Indonesia for two weeks to help with tsunami survivor orphans' therapy.
At the pesantren, Sienna meets Deni, a boy who has lost so much and survived so well, that Sienna begins to heal her own hurts while helping him discover what happened to his father.
Okay, so the good things are that we get a great view of Indonesia. Deni isn't afraid to tell Sienna things like only tourists say "thank you" in a certain way, or to explain and share his countries' customs with no sense of apology.
Sienna is a believable and sympathetic character despite her white-American privilege. Watching her deal with primitive conditions at the orphanage with a normal reaction of disgust without making too much of an issue of it in front of the orphans was a deft handling of this particular problem.
While Deni sometimes seemed too wise beyond his years ("We do not choose what happens to us. We can only choose what we do after. What we do now. We can only choose to keep going.") and sometimes his English too skillful, his relationship with Sienna was poignant, honest, and exciting. I mean, how romantic is stealing away at night from a gender-segregated orphanage to ride around the streets of Java on a moped scooter with your arms wrapped around a beautiful boy?
I loved watching Sienna break out of her grieving shell of a persona and begin to understand and appreciate her life and the people in it.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice ) chock full of shrimp, chicken, and luscious vegetables with a hint of fire for the romance.
I had to give it 5 starts. Even with those faults, the book really satisfies on so many levels.
Haunted by nightmares mostly surrounding the death of her mother in a plane crash over the Indian Ocean, Sienna agrees to go with her father, a noted PTSD psychiatrist to an orphanage (pesantren) in Indonesia for two weeks to help with tsunami survivor orphans' therapy.
At the pesantren, Sienna meets Deni, a boy who has lost so much and survived so well, that Sienna begins to heal her own hurts while helping him discover what happened to his father.
Okay, so the good things are that we get a great view of Indonesia. Deni isn't afraid to tell Sienna things like only tourists say "thank you" in a certain way, or to explain and share his countries' customs with no sense of apology.
Sienna is a believable and sympathetic character despite her white-American privilege. Watching her deal with primitive conditions at the orphanage with a normal reaction of disgust without making too much of an issue of it in front of the orphans was a deft handling of this particular problem.
While Deni sometimes seemed too wise beyond his years ("We do not choose what happens to us. We can only choose what we do after. What we do now. We can only choose to keep going.") and sometimes his English too skillful, his relationship with Sienna was poignant, honest, and exciting. I mean, how romantic is stealing away at night from a gender-segregated orphanage to ride around the streets of Java on a moped scooter with your arms wrapped around a beautiful boy?
I loved watching Sienna break out of her grieving shell of a persona and begin to understand and appreciate her life and the people in it.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice ) chock full of shrimp, chicken, and luscious vegetables with a hint of fire for the romance.
kellyjcm's review against another edition
4.0
Heartbreaking to read about the tsunami victims. I liked how realistic Team Hope was, and that they didn't sweep in and fix all the problems in two weeks.
It was easy to get swept up with Sienna & Deni. She was ruled by her heart, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
It was easy to get swept up with Sienna & Deni. She was ruled by her heart, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
frootjoos's review against another edition
3.0
Good book! I liked it, and it gave my brain a nice break from the chemistry I'm going to have to cram into it over the next 2 weeks :( guuuh. At least my imagination got to go on a mini-vacation before I go back to work.
gabieowleyess's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my goodness... oh my goodness... oh my goodness...
I'm still in awe. This is the first book EVER that I have finished in a day and it was totally worth it. I loved it soooo very much. I cried and I laughed and I fell in love. It was completely amazing. I don't even know what to say because I loved it so much. I'm left wondering how a person can thing about these kind of stories. It was amazing, amazing, amazing. I have to thank Ms.Kling, because this book was an honor to read.
To Read more, please visit my blog:
http://owleyesreviews.tumblr.com/post/19540819360/sea-by-heidi-r-kling
I'm still in awe. This is the first book EVER that I have finished in a day and it was totally worth it. I loved it soooo very much. I cried and I laughed and I fell in love. It was completely amazing. I don't even know what to say because I loved it so much. I'm left wondering how a person can thing about these kind of stories. It was amazing, amazing, amazing. I have to thank Ms.Kling, because this book was an honor to read.
To Read more, please visit my blog:
http://owleyesreviews.tumblr.com/post/19540819360/sea-by-heidi-r-kling
beecheralyson's review against another edition
5.0
Sienna "Sea" Jones lost her mother to a plane accident three years ago. Her father, a psychiatrist who does relief work in underdeveloped countries, decides that maybe a trip to Indonesia to help with children victims of the Tsunami will help her heal from her own loss.
I have to say I truly loved this book (and that is saying a lot since I really prefer fantasy/paranormal books). I really liked Sienna and all the other characters in the book. I felt like the relationship Sienna had with her dad was well portrayed. And the journey Sienna make personally and emotionally is mirrored through the physical journey of the plane ride to Indonesia and throughout her experiences there and then Sienna's return to California. And for those who like a little romance...that is there too (Ah, Deni! Ah, Spider!)
The shortish chapters, and easy writing style will make this book something that even reluctant readers can quickly get into. It would work for tweens or teens and even students of various cultural backgrounds will find ways to relate to Sienna's story.
What a fantastic debut novel from Heidi R. Kling. I look forward to future books by her.
I have to say I truly loved this book (and that is saying a lot since I really prefer fantasy/paranormal books). I really liked Sienna and all the other characters in the book. I felt like the relationship Sienna had with her dad was well portrayed. And the journey Sienna make personally and emotionally is mirrored through the physical journey of the plane ride to Indonesia and throughout her experiences there and then Sienna's return to California. And for those who like a little romance...that is there too (Ah, Deni! Ah, Spider!)
The shortish chapters, and easy writing style will make this book something that even reluctant readers can quickly get into. It would work for tweens or teens and even students of various cultural backgrounds will find ways to relate to Sienna's story.
What a fantastic debut novel from Heidi R. Kling. I look forward to future books by her.
greenbeanteenqueen's review against another edition
5.0
Love, Love, Love it! I love books with romance, but sometimes the romance genre feels oversaturated with paranormal or new girl falls for hot guy who finally notices her storylines. Sea stands out among these romances and is a breath of fresh air. In Sea, you'll find a wonderfully lovely story about a normal girl-and this girl actually travels the world and helps people! Sure, she's reluctant to at first, but what I loved about Sienna is that she goes for it-she joins Team Hope and travels to Indonesia and steps out of her comfort zone. She made me want to jump on a plane and find a Team Hope of my own.
What really made Sea stand out for me though was that the unique storyline could have gotten very preachy about helping others, joining service projects and doing good. But it never does-this is more Sienna and Deni's story about finding and helping each other-and it just happens to be in a more exotic setting with a unique premise. This is much more than a contemporary love story-it's a story about two people thrown into hard situations and making it through and the healing that can come after tragedy. Even if you typcially shy away from books with romance, give this one a try-I think you'll be surprised!
I do wish we could have gotten more information on the orphange and Deni's concerns about the owner, but I do that stayed true to the fact that Team Hope was only there for two weeks-they couldn't change everything. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I have to say that I loved the ending-it was just right and I really loved how everything came full circle. Sometimes when an author tries to pull of an ending like the one in Sea, I want to throw the book across the room because it just doesn't work. But Ms. Kling makes it work and it left me happy and there was no book throwing-she pulled it off perfectly!
I stayed up late reading Sea because it was a book I couldn't put down. It starts out innocently enough and I thought "I'll just read one chapter"-but this one pulled me in and once I started reading, I couldn't stop. Sea ranks at the top of my debut book list for 2010 and should be added to everyone's must read list.
What really made Sea stand out for me though was that the unique storyline could have gotten very preachy about helping others, joining service projects and doing good. But it never does-this is more Sienna and Deni's story about finding and helping each other-and it just happens to be in a more exotic setting with a unique premise. This is much more than a contemporary love story-it's a story about two people thrown into hard situations and making it through and the healing that can come after tragedy. Even if you typcially shy away from books with romance, give this one a try-I think you'll be surprised!
I do wish we could have gotten more information on the orphange and Deni's concerns about the owner, but I do that stayed true to the fact that Team Hope was only there for two weeks-they couldn't change everything. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I have to say that I loved the ending-it was just right and I really loved how everything came full circle. Sometimes when an author tries to pull of an ending like the one in Sea, I want to throw the book across the room because it just doesn't work. But Ms. Kling makes it work and it left me happy and there was no book throwing-she pulled it off perfectly!
I stayed up late reading Sea because it was a book I couldn't put down. It starts out innocently enough and I thought "I'll just read one chapter"-but this one pulled me in and once I started reading, I couldn't stop. Sea ranks at the top of my debut book list for 2010 and should be added to everyone's must read list.
smithers815's review against another edition
5.0
I don’t know where to start with this one. I knew it was going to be good, but DANG! Heidi does not disappoint her readers with this amazing debut. Sienna’s journey in finding herself takes readers on a journey through things that many turned a blind eye to because it was so far away. Heidi uses Sienna to not only weave a beautiful story of love, loss, and discovery but to also show the readers the amazing power that words have. Her descriptions of Indonesia and its devastation were riveting and it felt like I was looking through Sienna’s eyes and seeing it all before me. When Deni described running from the tsunami… that was enthralling. I felt the wave coming along with the tears in my eyes when I realized what all he had lost.
Heidi has reminded us that hope lives on within us every day. Sienna had hope that her mother would return in the beginning even though she knew that her mother’s return was nonexistent. Deni had hope that he could go back and live in his home even though there would be devastation around him and constant reminders of what he had lost. In the end, however, they both found hope in ways they were not expecting… miracles of their own.
Each character and setting that you come in contact with throughout Sea are freshly written, described in such a way that you can see it all before you (even the orange converses) and you learn so much along the way. My reading journal is FULL for this book. I love that I learned things and had my interest sparked about Indonesian customs (of which I have a list of in my journal now), Buddhism, Islam, jilbab, Borodubur temple (of which I have a picture of in my journal… beautiful temple), and so much more. The writing was amazing and Heidi has shared with us a fantastic story for her amazing debut. I believe that Sarah Ockler, author of Twenty Boy Summer, said it best when she said, “Sea is a richly woven story as turbulent and beautiful as the sea itself… A touching and romantic debut.”
Congratulations Heidi on an amazing debut novel! Can’t wait to see what else you have in store for us.
Heidi has reminded us that hope lives on within us every day. Sienna had hope that her mother would return in the beginning even though she knew that her mother’s return was nonexistent. Deni had hope that he could go back and live in his home even though there would be devastation around him and constant reminders of what he had lost. In the end, however, they both found hope in ways they were not expecting… miracles of their own.
Each character and setting that you come in contact with throughout Sea are freshly written, described in such a way that you can see it all before you (even the orange converses) and you learn so much along the way. My reading journal is FULL for this book. I love that I learned things and had my interest sparked about Indonesian customs (of which I have a list of in my journal now), Buddhism, Islam, jilbab, Borodubur temple (of which I have a picture of in my journal… beautiful temple), and so much more. The writing was amazing and Heidi has shared with us a fantastic story for her amazing debut. I believe that Sarah Ockler, author of Twenty Boy Summer, said it best when she said, “Sea is a richly woven story as turbulent and beautiful as the sea itself… A touching and romantic debut.”
Congratulations Heidi on an amazing debut novel! Can’t wait to see what else you have in store for us.
destiel74's review
adventurous
sad
medium-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
3.75
I feel torn. On the hand, I believe it is well written and I definitely was rooting for Deni and Sienna. The writing elegantly depicts the grief surrounding the characters. On the other, it can come across as too white saviory. I will read the next book but as much as I enjoyed this book I cannot in good faith recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Religious bigotry
heykellyjensen's review
2.0
This was kind of painful to read. Clunky writing and a really irritating main character, along with a hefty dose of cheese and unbelievability. Review to come. This has a true readership, but I'm certainly not it. Full review here: http://stackedbooks.blogspot.com/2010/07/sea-by-heidi-kling.html
ifthebook's review
3.0
If you want to learn a little something about Indonesia through a YA book, like I did, this will be okay. If you want to read this for a good romance plot, you might want to look elsewhere. I found the romance a bit heavy-handed, and the character development, or even character description, throughout really didn't lead me to the ending in a logical way.