Reviews

The Summer of Naked Swim Parties by Jessica Anya Blau

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poisoned_apathy's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lornarei's review against another edition

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4.0

I loved this book! Maybe it's because I was a similar age at the time, although her life was nothing like mine. (Thank goodness.) The family was totally dysfunctional, but the story was great. Looking forward to reading her new book.

sunshinemagik's review against another edition

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challenging funny reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

kricketa's review against another edition

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3.0

it's california in the year of the bicentennial and 14-year-old jamie has her first boyfriend, surfer-boy flip jenkins. her parents are throwing pool parties where no one wears a suit but everyone smokes weed, her sister renee has escaped the family for outward bound, and jamie's two best friends are having sex...and loving it. everything is changing and jamie isn't sure if she's reading to change with it.

this is kind of what you would expect for a coming-of-age story taking place in california in the 70s. which is to say that it reminded me of other books with this setting- 'cherry' by mary karr, 'promiscuities' by naomi wolf...and lots of judy blume books. that's not a bad thing, it just didn't cover any new territory for me. i enjoyed some of the humorous moments, and LOVED the ending.

ariannazylstra's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

minniepauline's review against another edition

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4.0

A slow, "tell-y" start made me think, uh-oh. But once the story got going I really began to identify with Jamie. Ms. Blau really caught the emotional life and thoughts of a 14-year-old girl growing up too fast, caught in a vise of peer pressure, begging for guidance and finding none. In the end I couldn't put it down.

danamuses's review against another edition

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2.0

This book is pretty vapid. I was looking for a "beach read" and was attracted to the 70's stripey styling of the cover and chapter pages. Too bad I never really enjoy beach reads. This one was easy to get through but I felt like I would have learned more about myself and the world reading a PEOPLE magazine.

pattieod's review against another edition

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4.0

A coming of age story that those of us who grew up in the 70s might recognize.

robinsbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

This is my "car" book--that is the book that lives in the back-seat of my car and is available for reading during traffic jams, while waiting for hubby shop in the hardware store, or having lunch on the road. So far I really like it and it brings back a lot of memories of being a teen in the 70s--OK, so I was a teen in the late 60s but it's close.

Update: 10-10-08 - Finally finished this while [b:on the road|6288|The Road|Cormac McCarthy|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21E8H3D1JSL._SL75_.jpg|3355573] and although it wasn't a dynamic read, it got its message across quite nicely, which is that even though your family may be a little on the "unmainstream" side, family bonds and connections will pull you through.

abaighritz's review

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

4.5

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