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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
YA, messed up boy like Holden, has trouble making friends
goes to rural Minnesota!
too much sex and bad language to be in BBHS library, but great book
goes to rural Minnesota!
too much sex and bad language to be in BBHS library, but great book
I don't want it to be over! I loved Evan so much, he is one of the best characters ever. Whole book was so full of mixed feeling, sadness and laughing. This is one of the rare books I will buy after reading pdf version
Really liked this book. A teen is attacked in a shower at school and his girl is brutally raped. The dad takes him away for the summer and he meets the first friends of his life. He makes some really stupid choices, which sort of made the book unreal to me (he got beat up because he was messing around with another guy's girlfriend, then in his new town is messing around with the girlfriend of a wacko). But he's trying to work through all of his problems and you see him growing and trying to be a better person. Good book.
Teenage boy Evan gets brutally beaten for messing around with a girl at his boarding school, so his father moves the both of them back to the Minnesota lake house that was his (now dead) mother's. Evan spends the summer healing physically and emotionally, making forays into friendship and tentatively investigating relationships. What made this book excellent was the spot-on boy voice, and the many different settings the author creates. And how does she manage to handle so many different characters? It's also snortingly amusing throughout. These teenagers drink and drug and sleep around, not to mention swear a lot, but if you are okay with that, read on! A short excerpt: "Baker grinned and I felt like maybe the weirdness from the summer kitchen had passed and we could get back to our regular setting of me just secretly liking her while dicking someone else and her just being supersmart and unavailable while smelling delicious."
Quite Excellent!
Quite Excellent!
This was truly an amazing book. The author captured the teenage male voice spectacuarly. I loved that even though Evan was a dick for the majority of the book...I still liked him.
I think this is going to piss a lot of readers off. But that's the point. Also, it is at times funny and then completely heartbreaking, and there is no shying away from either the sex nor the violence. And I'd never quite made the connection in this way until this book.
Longer review to come.
Longer review to come.
Despite the grisly subject matter, this book was engrossing and because of that, a quick read.
Mesrobian's writing style is direct, clear, and lovely.
This story's protagonist isn't the most likable guy (understatement, perhaps?), but it's still easy enough to understand where he's coming from and to empathize with his choices and where he is. Ethan is so incredibly human and direct with himself in spite of being "economical" with his words.
Based on the title alone, you'd be right concluding that the topics of teenage sex and violence are not handled with kid gloves. It's gritty and real.
Mesrobian's writing style is direct, clear, and lovely.
This story's protagonist isn't the most likable guy (understatement, perhaps?), but it's still easy enough to understand where he's coming from and to empathize with his choices and where he is. Ethan is so incredibly human and direct with himself in spite of being "economical" with his words.
Based on the title alone, you'd be right concluding that the topics of teenage sex and violence are not handled with kid gloves. It's gritty and real.
Chronique originalement postée sur Sous ma Couverture.
Étrangement, il n'y a pas grand chose à dire sur ce roman. Concrètement, il s'agit d'Evan, un garçon de 17 ans, qui doit souvent déménager à cause du travail de son père. Ne pouvant construire une relation amoureuse, puisque vouée à l'échec, il se contente de trouver la-fille-qui-dira-oui, et de l'effacer de sa vie après avoir couché avec elle. Mais un jour, il est agressé après avoir trainé avec la-fille-sur-le-point-de-dire-oui.
C'est là qu'on souffre.
Ha, j'ai eu mal.
Deux chapitres. Ce résumé se base sur deux chapitres, sur un total de vingt. Ça change des résumés français qui spoilent le livre entier sauf l'épilogue, pas vrai ;)
Au bout de deux chapitres, on est lancé dans l'histoire, et on n'a aucune idée d'où Evan va, d'où on va.
Les dix-huits chapitres restants racontent une année entière après l'agression, mais surtout un été où Evan apprend à s'en sortir, à se débarrasser de ses peurs, à être quelqu'un de meilleur : il construit sa maturité, se découvre.
Evan est un personnage très agréable à suivre. Malgré ses actes, il est très intelligent et sait faire la part des choses entre le mal et le bien, même si les décisions prises ne sont pas toujours les bonnes. Mais le roman est surtout sur la psychologie de l'adolescent, sur la réalité du sexe - dans tout son spectre, de toute sorte - et de l'aspect émotionnel qui en ressort.
Le langage peut être cru, mais les détails restent minimes. Croyez moi, moi qui suis choquée pour un rien.
Alors, pas grand chose à dire sur ce roman, hormis le fait qu'il est très prenant, même si l'action est minime et qu'il s'agit principalement d'un voyage au coeur des pensées d'un adolescent qui se cherche.
Ce que j'ai le plus aimé : la psychologie d'Evan.
Ce que j'ai le moins aimé : la fin ouverte.
Étrangement, il n'y a pas grand chose à dire sur ce roman. Concrètement, il s'agit d'Evan, un garçon de 17 ans, qui doit souvent déménager à cause du travail de son père. Ne pouvant construire une relation amoureuse, puisque vouée à l'échec, il se contente de trouver la-fille-qui-dira-oui, et de l'effacer de sa vie après avoir couché avec elle. Mais un jour, il est agressé après avoir trainé avec la-fille-sur-le-point-de-dire-oui.
C'est là qu'on souffre.
Ha, j'ai eu mal.
Deux chapitres. Ce résumé se base sur deux chapitres, sur un total de vingt. Ça change des résumés français qui spoilent le livre entier sauf l'épilogue, pas vrai ;)
Au bout de deux chapitres, on est lancé dans l'histoire, et on n'a aucune idée d'où Evan va, d'où on va.
Les dix-huits chapitres restants racontent une année entière après l'agression, mais surtout un été où Evan apprend à s'en sortir, à se débarrasser de ses peurs, à être quelqu'un de meilleur : il construit sa maturité, se découvre.
Evan est un personnage très agréable à suivre. Malgré ses actes, il est très intelligent et sait faire la part des choses entre le mal et le bien, même si les décisions prises ne sont pas toujours les bonnes. Mais le roman est surtout sur la psychologie de l'adolescent, sur la réalité du sexe - dans tout son spectre, de toute sorte - et de l'aspect émotionnel qui en ressort.
Le langage peut être cru, mais les détails restent minimes. Croyez moi, moi qui suis choquée pour un rien.
Alors, pas grand chose à dire sur ce roman, hormis le fait qu'il est très prenant, même si l'action est minime et qu'il s'agit principalement d'un voyage au coeur des pensées d'un adolescent qui se cherche.
Ce que j'ai le plus aimé : la psychologie d'Evan.
Ce que j'ai le moins aimé : la fin ouverte.
Review from The Librarian Who Doesn't Say Shhh!
Evan Carter has been to more schools than he can count in his young life, and he's not made friends at any of them. He prefers purely sexual relationships with girls who don't ask for anything emotional from him, while his relationships with males often end in physical blows. Evan's father is a computer science researcher for various universities and his mother died many years ago, so Evan's life lacks any kind of healthy attachments.
However, life as Evan knows it comes to a complete halt when he is the subject of a violent assault that leaves hims physically and emotionally scarred. Evan's father decides to take matters into his own hands and moves them both to a tiny lakeside town in Minnesota. Evan's father has fond memories of his time living in his lakeside cabin as a young man and quickly connects them both with the local families who spend their summers partying on the lake. Evan is forced to socialize with the teenagers, silently mocking their weird rituals and gossipy nature. Because people in small towns know everything about everyone. It's impossible to hide, even though that's all Evan wants to do. He's never had to form friendships and attachments to other human beings. Will life in a small town teach him how?
Just when I thought I couldn’t read another coming-of-age tale about teen angst, Carrie Mesrobian hits me with a story that is well-crafted and insightful. I think the success of the novel hinges on Evan. With Evan, I was expecting an unlikeable, violent, angsty character. While he touches on all of those things, Mesrobian writes Evan as a sympathetic character. Evan is clearly dealing with the aftermath of a very serious assault, so his healing process is slow and complicated. He has some signs of PTSD. But more than that, he is working through an entire life of difficult relationships. Evan is unable to relate to people and must learn how. Watching him go through this process was wonderful to watch, even though he often took one step back for every two steps forward.
On a personal level, I could really relate to the setting of the story. My father grew up in rural Vermont, where we have a cabin on a lake that has been in the family for generations. The lakeside homes are owned by family friends and distant cousins, and the nearby small town is a tight-knit community where everyone knows everyone. Many of my relatives spend much or all of their summers in the area. Evan’s Minnesota is not exactly like my Vermont, but it is close enough that I could imagine the community that he has entered in the story.
Mesrobian also brings in the history of the lake and the wildlife as Evan reads, and becomes obsessed with, a nature book he finds in the cabin. The science of the lake provides an interesting parallel to Evan’s own journey. Though his new friends on the lake are wrapped up in teenage pursuits (sex, drugs, and drinking are featured heavily in the novel), the quiet and serenity of nature is inescapable for Evan. I felt Mesrobian did a particularly good job of keeping the story modern and relevant (and gritty) while still connecting readers with the timeless power of nature on the quality of the human experience.
Final Grade: A
Overall, I felt Sex & Violence was similar to Winger…but better. Even though I hate directly comparing two excellent novels in this way. Part of my love for the book comes, undoubtably, from my person connection to the setting. But the other impressive elements of the novel are plentiful. This is a great novel, and my personal pick for the Printz this year…even though I don’t imagine it will actually win, it is the book I would fight for in any Printz discussion (and up against Eleanor & Park and Boxers & Saints, that’s saying a lot!). Do I really need to give a content warning here? Sex & Violence is clearly full of sexual situations and violence. And drugs. Often without any negative consequences for characters (shocker! like real life!). However, I do feel Evan’s story shows the power of relationships over escaping through sex, drugs, and violence. I think there are a lot of positive messages here for teens and the quality of the writing is good enough to warrant inclusion in both the high school library and for reading in the classroom. Highly recommended for fans of contemporary novels and novels with authentic male protagonists.
Evan Carter has been to more schools than he can count in his young life, and he's not made friends at any of them. He prefers purely sexual relationships with girls who don't ask for anything emotional from him, while his relationships with males often end in physical blows. Evan's father is a computer science researcher for various universities and his mother died many years ago, so Evan's life lacks any kind of healthy attachments.
However, life as Evan knows it comes to a complete halt when he is the subject of a violent assault that leaves hims physically and emotionally scarred. Evan's father decides to take matters into his own hands and moves them both to a tiny lakeside town in Minnesota. Evan's father has fond memories of his time living in his lakeside cabin as a young man and quickly connects them both with the local families who spend their summers partying on the lake. Evan is forced to socialize with the teenagers, silently mocking their weird rituals and gossipy nature. Because people in small towns know everything about everyone. It's impossible to hide, even though that's all Evan wants to do. He's never had to form friendships and attachments to other human beings. Will life in a small town teach him how?
Just when I thought I couldn’t read another coming-of-age tale about teen angst, Carrie Mesrobian hits me with a story that is well-crafted and insightful. I think the success of the novel hinges on Evan. With Evan, I was expecting an unlikeable, violent, angsty character. While he touches on all of those things, Mesrobian writes Evan as a sympathetic character. Evan is clearly dealing with the aftermath of a very serious assault, so his healing process is slow and complicated. He has some signs of PTSD. But more than that, he is working through an entire life of difficult relationships. Evan is unable to relate to people and must learn how. Watching him go through this process was wonderful to watch, even though he often took one step back for every two steps forward.
On a personal level, I could really relate to the setting of the story. My father grew up in rural Vermont, where we have a cabin on a lake that has been in the family for generations. The lakeside homes are owned by family friends and distant cousins, and the nearby small town is a tight-knit community where everyone knows everyone. Many of my relatives spend much or all of their summers in the area. Evan’s Minnesota is not exactly like my Vermont, but it is close enough that I could imagine the community that he has entered in the story.
Mesrobian also brings in the history of the lake and the wildlife as Evan reads, and becomes obsessed with, a nature book he finds in the cabin. The science of the lake provides an interesting parallel to Evan’s own journey. Though his new friends on the lake are wrapped up in teenage pursuits (sex, drugs, and drinking are featured heavily in the novel), the quiet and serenity of nature is inescapable for Evan. I felt Mesrobian did a particularly good job of keeping the story modern and relevant (and gritty) while still connecting readers with the timeless power of nature on the quality of the human experience.
Final Grade: A
Overall, I felt Sex & Violence was similar to Winger…but better. Even though I hate directly comparing two excellent novels in this way. Part of my love for the book comes, undoubtably, from my person connection to the setting. But the other impressive elements of the novel are plentiful. This is a great novel, and my personal pick for the Printz this year…even though I don’t imagine it will actually win, it is the book I would fight for in any Printz discussion (and up against Eleanor & Park and Boxers & Saints, that’s saying a lot!). Do I really need to give a content warning here? Sex & Violence is clearly full of sexual situations and violence. And drugs. Often without any negative consequences for characters (shocker! like real life!). However, I do feel Evan’s story shows the power of relationships over escaping through sex, drugs, and violence. I think there are a lot of positive messages here for teens and the quality of the writing is good enough to warrant inclusion in both the high school library and for reading in the classroom. Highly recommended for fans of contemporary novels and novels with authentic male protagonists.