fictionalkate's review against another edition
4.0
Clementine Darcy is just starting year 9 and finds herself a little disappointed by Ms Hiller’s philosophy class. Expecting to be devouring great works by influential thinkers, Clementine doesn’t see the point in being told to write whatever comes to her head. But as the year goes on Clementine finds herself sharing the highs and lows of her life with her teacher. Her friends are moving on with boyfriends and leaving Clem behind. Her brother hasn’t left his bedroom in a year and her perfect sister Sophie has her own set of problems. Clementine’s world is changing but as some things are ending, others are just beginning.
This is one of those books which seem sweet and fun at the start but once you get into the story, more layers are revealed. There are some incredibly sensitive issues brought up from depression to relationships with boys and the ever changing dynamic of female friendships. Clementine is an energetic and enthusiastic main character that the perfect choice of narrator. She misses the simplicity of childhood when plans with friends were movies and sleepovers whilst trying to adjust boys always being the forefront of her friends minds. Clem is also incredibly brave. This is a book which shows sometimes you don’t need to be saving the world to be brave. Sometimes regular people in everyday situations show how strong the human spirit is.
Steampunk isn’t something I’ve seen incorporated into any contemporary novels but I loved how Kate Gordon wove it into Writing Clementine. Fred is out of place in modern day Tasmania but somehow when he is with his Steampunk friends he is completely in his element. I love the idea that you can be born in the wrong time and yet still find a place in which you belong. Clementine’s relationship with Fred is great to watch as it develops from friends of convenience to more.
I loved the time I spent reading this book – I started it before bed and was up until I finished it! Clementine is charming and I was absorbed by reading her tell Ms. Hiller her story. The characters are realistic and relatable, each with their own set of problems. It was great to be able to watch Clementine grow over the school year. I recommend this book to fans of clean teen reads with characters of substance and just a hint of Victorian era elegance.
Thanks to Allen and Unwin for the review copy.
This is one of those books which seem sweet and fun at the start but once you get into the story, more layers are revealed. There are some incredibly sensitive issues brought up from depression to relationships with boys and the ever changing dynamic of female friendships. Clementine is an energetic and enthusiastic main character that the perfect choice of narrator. She misses the simplicity of childhood when plans with friends were movies and sleepovers whilst trying to adjust boys always being the forefront of her friends minds. Clem is also incredibly brave. This is a book which shows sometimes you don’t need to be saving the world to be brave. Sometimes regular people in everyday situations show how strong the human spirit is.
Steampunk isn’t something I’ve seen incorporated into any contemporary novels but I loved how Kate Gordon wove it into Writing Clementine. Fred is out of place in modern day Tasmania but somehow when he is with his Steampunk friends he is completely in his element. I love the idea that you can be born in the wrong time and yet still find a place in which you belong. Clementine’s relationship with Fred is great to watch as it develops from friends of convenience to more.
I loved the time I spent reading this book – I started it before bed and was up until I finished it! Clementine is charming and I was absorbed by reading her tell Ms. Hiller her story. The characters are realistic and relatable, each with their own set of problems. It was great to be able to watch Clementine grow over the school year. I recommend this book to fans of clean teen reads with characters of substance and just a hint of Victorian era elegance.
Thanks to Allen and Unwin for the review copy.
magiklee's review against another edition
5.0
A heart warming book for any person wanting a touching story to read. Written in a journal entry type style you get to know the character of Clementine on a more personal level, which makes it so much easier to slip into the mind of the young girl and understand her better; to believe in her, to accept her. You get to read her most private thoughts, her fears, her discoveries and her innocence.
The young Clementine is an honest and likeable character that will have you cheering for her throughout her journey and (as a mother) want to hold her close and protect her. She's an easy character to identify with through her experiences with misunderstandings with her friends, problems with her family and her own confusions with her identity. At no point did I question her "voice" in the novel. It was easy to believe in Clementine and her ups and downs as we all had similar (if not exact) experiences in our own lives as school children.
It was an honest and refreshing read that had me drawn in from the very first page. I cried. I cheered. I felt rejection and felt acceptance alongside Clementine throughout the story. I loved it. It's a book anyone should read if they need a little "pick me up" or just in need of the sweetest kind of story there is.
Book review can be found on my blog site:
http://magikbookreviews.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/the-best-kind-of-heart-warming-read.html
The young Clementine is an honest and likeable character that will have you cheering for her throughout her journey and (as a mother) want to hold her close and protect her. She's an easy character to identify with through her experiences with misunderstandings with her friends, problems with her family and her own confusions with her identity. At no point did I question her "voice" in the novel. It was easy to believe in Clementine and her ups and downs as we all had similar (if not exact) experiences in our own lives as school children.
It was an honest and refreshing read that had me drawn in from the very first page. I cried. I cheered. I felt rejection and felt acceptance alongside Clementine throughout the story. I loved it. It's a book anyone should read if they need a little "pick me up" or just in need of the sweetest kind of story there is.
Book review can be found on my blog site:
http://magikbookreviews.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/the-best-kind-of-heart-warming-read.html
rebeccadanielle's review against another edition
4.0
Writing Clementine is written by Kate Gordon. It’s a young adult book that’s actually set in Tasmania. That’s what primarily attracted me to the novel in the first place. It’s not an easy task to find a book set in Tasmania that’s brilliant.
I honestly couldn’t put this book down once I started and of course I read it two more times not long after I finished it the first time. I am in love with the characters and this story.
Writing Clementine is brilliantly written and I highly recommend this book to all lovers of young adult fiction. The characters are wonderfully thought out, including secondary characters. What I love most about this book is that it’s very real. A lot of young adult realistic fiction never seems all that realistic but Kate Gordon has successfully written a book that shows multiple relationships – family-friends-finding oneself, without going overboard. I really appreciate that. Thank you Kate Gordon.
I honestly couldn’t put this book down once I started and of course I read it two more times not long after I finished it the first time. I am in love with the characters and this story.
Writing Clementine is brilliantly written and I highly recommend this book to all lovers of young adult fiction. The characters are wonderfully thought out, including secondary characters. What I love most about this book is that it’s very real. A lot of young adult realistic fiction never seems all that realistic but Kate Gordon has successfully written a book that shows multiple relationships – family-friends-finding oneself, without going overboard. I really appreciate that. Thank you Kate Gordon.
jackie413's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely fell in love with this book, and it's uniqueness. Clementine is such a relateable character, and her feelings aren't sugar coated, which is refreshing. I would recommend this book to anyone.
elouise_l's review against another edition
3.0
I got this as an advanced reading copy from Allen and Unwin.
This was such an amazing book! It took me two days to read (and that was only because of studying getting in the way). For me, it brought back many memories of growing up in Tasmania and made me more than a little homesick (as I now study interstate). But, I think that any teenage girl can identify and connect with the themes and the high school setting. The struggle for identity is common; I discovered things about myself as Clementine discovered things about herself as I read. I loved how Clementine wrote to Ms Hiller, yet it actually seemed as if she were addressing us, her audience, inviting us into her story. I also liked how she used poetry for what she could not express in any other way, it felt very intimate. This book is great at face value, but it also holds the lesson that there is beauty in being exactly who you are. I really hope to read more from Kate Gordon and the beautiful state of Tasmania.
This was such an amazing book! It took me two days to read (and that was only because of studying getting in the way). For me, it brought back many memories of growing up in Tasmania and made me more than a little homesick (as I now study interstate). But, I think that any teenage girl can identify and connect with the themes and the high school setting. The struggle for identity is common; I discovered things about myself as Clementine discovered things about herself as I read. I loved how Clementine wrote to Ms Hiller, yet it actually seemed as if she were addressing us, her audience, inviting us into her story. I also liked how she used poetry for what she could not express in any other way, it felt very intimate. This book is great at face value, but it also holds the lesson that there is beauty in being exactly who you are. I really hope to read more from Kate Gordon and the beautiful state of Tasmania.
elouise's review
3.0
I got this as an advanced reading copy from Allen and Unwin.
This was such an amazing book! It took me two days to read (and that was only because of studying getting in the way). For me, it brought back many memories of growing up in Tasmania and made me more than a little homesick (as I now study interstate). But, I think that any teenage girl can identify and connect with the themes and the high school setting. The struggle for identity is common; I discovered things about myself as Clementine discovered things about herself as I read. I loved how Clementine wrote to Ms Hiller, yet it actually seemed as if she were addressing us, her audience, inviting us into her story. I also liked how she used poetry for what she could not express in any other way, it felt very intimate. This book is great at face value, but it also holds the lesson that there is beauty in being exactly who you are. I really hope to read more from Kate Gordon and the beautiful state of Tasmania.
This was such an amazing book! It took me two days to read (and that was only because of studying getting in the way). For me, it brought back many memories of growing up in Tasmania and made me more than a little homesick (as I now study interstate). But, I think that any teenage girl can identify and connect with the themes and the high school setting. The struggle for identity is common; I discovered things about myself as Clementine discovered things about herself as I read. I loved how Clementine wrote to Ms Hiller, yet it actually seemed as if she were addressing us, her audience, inviting us into her story. I also liked how she used poetry for what she could not express in any other way, it felt very intimate. This book is great at face value, but it also holds the lesson that there is beauty in being exactly who you are. I really hope to read more from Kate Gordon and the beautiful state of Tasmania.
themaddiest's review
3.0
Perfectly sweet little epistolary novel that never completely gelled for me.
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