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csquared85's review against another edition
3.0
A solid 3.5, but Goodreads doesn't allow half stars.
My thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC.
I had conflicted feelings about Without Tess.
Author Marcella Pixley skillfully reveals how Tess and Liz's innocent childhood games and play-acting can turn sinister very quickly, and the horror is very real. Tess's cruelty is almost guileless at times, making it even more terrifying. The girls' invented game of Crab Carcass Bingo is gross and macabre, but not unrealistic. While Tess's darkly vivid imagination and desperate belief in magic are strange and she becomes a kind of de facto antagonist, Pixley is able to make her worthy of sympathy though she is not at all sympathetic. The reader realizes just how dangerous Tess is long before young Liz does, creating interesting narrative tension. Liz loves her sister deeply, despite the constant hurts Tess inflicts upon her, but she also resents her destructive behaviors and jealousy. The dynamic between the sisters is suitably complex.
As if the subject of mental illness weren't enough to handle, Pixley also tries to tackle religious confusion. Liz's family is Jewish, but not particularly religious, while her neighbor Isabella is a devout Catholic. While Isabella uses her religion to solve her problems and encourages Liz to turn to Jesus, Liz has difficulty trusting in her faith. Scenes of Isabella and Liz taking Communion are juxtaposed with Tess taking her medication, and both sisters reject their respective symbols; the body of Christ and Tess's pills cannot serve as a panacea for the girls' respective problems. While this particular comparison is interesting, the religious subplot in its entirety seems superfluous, especially since I didn't feel it was completely resolved.
What I didn't particularly like were the girls' voices. They just didn't sound like children to me. Tess and Liz are 11 and 10 respectively for much of the story's action, and some of their conversations (and Tess's poetry especially) were way too mature. There's a certain childishness in the scenes with Isabella and Liz that is sorely lacking in those between the sisters. I suppose that may have to do with the fact that this is a YA novel that is about 75% flashback to the sisters' elementary years. Its mature subject matter demands a more mature audience, but most of the action occurs while the girls are still immature. Their behavior certainly reflects this, but not their conversations.
Tess's poetry is utterly unbelievable, and while several characters refer to them as childlike and magical, they really aren't.
For example, "Queen of Toads": Ghosts of toads still haunt my dreams / Scratch my cheeks with desperate nails / Leather lips still jeer and scream / And mouths drip blood on muddy trails. Interesting poem, but not one I would describe as "childlike" or "magical", and just not believably penned by an 11-year-old. The poems are used as a framework for the narrative, and while they intrigue me, they don't entirely work because they don't feel age appropriate. I just cannot buy that these poems are Tess's voice.
Tess and Liz's parents seemed like good people that actively parented while still allowing their children certain freedoms, which makes it difficult to understand why they didn't notice that Tess's disordered eating was a part of a larger problem. Tess is never depicted as acting any differently around her parents than she does with Liz, so I didn't think she was being duplicitous or manipulative, but somebody, somewhere down the line should have picked up on some behavior problems. Issues like Tess's would never go unnoticed by schoolteachers. It didn't make sense to me.
I found teenage Liz rather unlikable, and while I don't need to love my protagonists to enjoy their stories, it really didn't help when compounded with the other problems mentioned above. She's bitter, jaded, and utterly passive - not a fun character to inhabit.
The writing is solid, but it's difficult to enjoy a story like this, and I didn't feel as moved as I wanted to be. The resolution satisfied me, but didn't resonate as strongly as it could have if I believed more in these characters, or if I liked Liz more.
My thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC.
I had conflicted feelings about Without Tess.
Author Marcella Pixley skillfully reveals how Tess and Liz's innocent childhood games and play-acting can turn sinister very quickly, and the horror is very real. Tess's cruelty is almost guileless at times, making it even more terrifying. The girls' invented game of Crab Carcass Bingo is gross and macabre, but not unrealistic. While Tess's darkly vivid imagination and desperate belief in magic are strange and she becomes a kind of de facto antagonist, Pixley is able to make her worthy of sympathy though she is not at all sympathetic. The reader realizes just how dangerous Tess is long before young Liz does, creating interesting narrative tension. Liz loves her sister deeply, despite the constant hurts Tess inflicts upon her, but she also resents her destructive behaviors and jealousy. The dynamic between the sisters is suitably complex.
As if the subject of mental illness weren't enough to handle, Pixley also tries to tackle religious confusion. Liz's family is Jewish, but not particularly religious, while her neighbor Isabella is a devout Catholic. While Isabella uses her religion to solve her problems and encourages Liz to turn to Jesus, Liz has difficulty trusting in her faith. Scenes of Isabella and Liz taking Communion are juxtaposed with Tess taking her medication, and both sisters reject their respective symbols; the body of Christ and Tess's pills cannot serve as a panacea for the girls' respective problems. While this particular comparison is interesting, the religious subplot in its entirety seems superfluous, especially since I didn't feel it was completely resolved.
What I didn't particularly like were the girls' voices. They just didn't sound like children to me. Tess and Liz are 11 and 10 respectively for much of the story's action, and some of their conversations (and Tess's poetry especially) were way too mature. There's a certain childishness in the scenes with Isabella and Liz that is sorely lacking in those between the sisters. I suppose that may have to do with the fact that this is a YA novel that is about 75% flashback to the sisters' elementary years. Its mature subject matter demands a more mature audience, but most of the action occurs while the girls are still immature. Their behavior certainly reflects this, but not their conversations.
Tess's poetry is utterly unbelievable, and while several characters refer to them as childlike and magical, they really aren't.
For example, "Queen of Toads": Ghosts of toads still haunt my dreams / Scratch my cheeks with desperate nails / Leather lips still jeer and scream / And mouths drip blood on muddy trails. Interesting poem, but not one I would describe as "childlike" or "magical", and just not believably penned by an 11-year-old. The poems are used as a framework for the narrative, and while they intrigue me, they don't entirely work because they don't feel age appropriate. I just cannot buy that these poems are Tess's voice.
Tess and Liz's parents seemed like good people that actively parented while still allowing their children certain freedoms, which makes it difficult to understand why they didn't notice that Tess's disordered eating was a part of a larger problem. Tess is never depicted as acting any differently around her parents than she does with Liz, so I didn't think she was being duplicitous or manipulative, but somebody, somewhere down the line should have picked up on some behavior problems. Issues like Tess's would never go unnoticed by schoolteachers. It didn't make sense to me.
I found teenage Liz rather unlikable, and while I don't need to love my protagonists to enjoy their stories, it really didn't help when compounded with the other problems mentioned above. She's bitter, jaded, and utterly passive - not a fun character to inhabit.
The writing is solid, but it's difficult to enjoy a story like this, and I didn't feel as moved as I wanted to be. The resolution satisfied me, but didn't resonate as strongly as it could have if I believed more in these characters, or if I liked Liz more.
chloesumner1317's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book because I loved reading about Tess, who is, without a doubt in my mind psychologically disturbed. She doesn't eat, she's convinced Merlin is real, and rather confusingly turns into a wolf. In my opinion psychologically imbalanced characters are often written really well, which makes them exciting to read, so that's why I tend to gravitate towards books which feature them. Also TV shows and movies-prime examples are Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender and Nina from Black Swan, both are extremely excellent things you should watch!
Back to my review, I actually didn't really care for the part of the story without Tess (ha, ha pun). I was really interested in learning about how she died, and Lizzie was a really great voice but I just didn't connect to her in some ways. I also thought the bit with Niccolo was just too cliche. I, however, loved the scenes with her therapist, he was awesome.
The inclusion of a lot of poetry in this book made it better, in my opinion. There are poems by both famous writers and Tess, and so it was interesting to see the contrast between the two. The Tess poetry was actually quite good, and you could definitely hear Tess' voice.
Religion was a really heavy theme throughout the novel. Lizzie is Jewish, but her friend Isabella and Niccolo are both Catholic, and so the difference in holidays, beliefs, and prayer rituals are all explored. I actually thought it was quite eye-opening. I've never sat down and compared Jewish and Catholic ideologies, so I really enjoyed reading the disagreements.
I actually kind of guessed what was going to happen to Tess a while before the end of the book, but that didn't make it any less shocking, or resonant.
I couldn't quite understand where geographically this book was taking place. Maybe I just didn't see the name of a city or something, but I felt lost trying to place it in my mind.
Also, the cover would have benefited from a different font, and less text over the lily. In my opinion, anyway.
Back to my review, I actually didn't really care for the part of the story without Tess (ha, ha pun). I was really interested in learning about how she died, and Lizzie was a really great voice but I just didn't connect to her in some ways. I also thought the bit with Niccolo was just too cliche. I, however, loved the scenes with her therapist, he was awesome.
The inclusion of a lot of poetry in this book made it better, in my opinion. There are poems by both famous writers and Tess, and so it was interesting to see the contrast between the two. The Tess poetry was actually quite good, and you could definitely hear Tess' voice.
Religion was a really heavy theme throughout the novel. Lizzie is Jewish, but her friend Isabella and Niccolo are both Catholic, and so the difference in holidays, beliefs, and prayer rituals are all explored. I actually thought it was quite eye-opening. I've never sat down and compared Jewish and Catholic ideologies, so I really enjoyed reading the disagreements.
I actually kind of guessed what was going to happen to Tess a while before the end of the book, but that didn't make it any less shocking, or resonant.
I couldn't quite understand where geographically this book was taking place. Maybe I just didn't see the name of a city or something, but I felt lost trying to place it in my mind.
Also, the cover would have benefited from a different font, and less text over the lily. In my opinion, anyway.
aprilbooksandwine's review against another edition
4.0
Lizzie Cohen’s sister Tess is dead, and has been dead for a number of years. That’s kind of a callous way to start off this review of Without Tess by Marcella Pixley, but I have to put that out there, since it’s pretty much what drives Without Tess. You see, Tess was a batshit insane 11 year old and truly believed she was: a Pegasus, a selkie, and awolf. Yeah, I know. Eventually those fantasies lead to Tess’s death and consequently mess Lizzie up.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
folklaureate's review
5.0
More reviews at Rondo of a Possible World: YA Book Reviews
Raw Emotion.
This story hit me hard.
It is a book that will have you crying by the final chapters from the bittersweet conclusion to Lizzie's absolution. For all of you that have heard good things about this book. They are true. Do not delay in reading Without Tess, the story is unforgettable.
During the beginning I was confused with what was going on. But after a few chapters I figured out that you went from present day 15-year-old Lizzie Cohen to flashbacks of 10-year-old Lizzie and 12-year-old Tess Cohen. Some of the narration was strange but when the details about Tess are revealed the pieces fit together nice and snug.
Tess, I had a love-hate relationship with her character. What she puts Lizzie through made me mad. I had a friend like Tess (not exactly like Tess but the actions that she performs) where I was did whatever she said. If I happened to step out of her line of control, I would get a temper tantrum or an unreasonable action. Tess, an over-dramatic troubled child had me teetering on the edge for her.
On the other hand, Lizzie, the pity for her was deep. Death is a terrible nail that pushes itself through you and never recedes. Even for sisters that happened to be as close as could be. The overbearing guilt that had built up within her for over five years must have been excruciating and she's one of those characters that you wish you could jump into the story and just hug them and tell them "I'm here for you, everything's going to be okay."
Marcella Pixley was outstanding with the imagery. The pictures painted in my mind. Of the frail and skinny Tess with the red hair down to her waist. Lizzie who dressed in all black, the shadow of guilt and the years of tears hiding within her. The overpowering image of Tess' last moments. And the ending, the beginning of a Lizzie, free from the guilt and free as a bird, ready to start over and prepare her voice once more.
Raw Emotion.
This story hit me hard.
It is a book that will have you crying by the final chapters from the bittersweet conclusion to Lizzie's absolution. For all of you that have heard good things about this book. They are true. Do not delay in reading Without Tess, the story is unforgettable.
During the beginning I was confused with what was going on. But after a few chapters I figured out that you went from present day 15-year-old Lizzie Cohen to flashbacks of 10-year-old Lizzie and 12-year-old Tess Cohen. Some of the narration was strange but when the details about Tess are revealed the pieces fit together nice and snug.
Tess, I had a love-hate relationship with her character. What she puts Lizzie through made me mad. I had a friend like Tess (not exactly like Tess but the actions that she performs) where I was did whatever she said. If I happened to step out of her line of control, I would get a temper tantrum or an unreasonable action. Tess, an over-dramatic troubled child had me teetering on the edge for her.
On the other hand, Lizzie, the pity for her was deep. Death is a terrible nail that pushes itself through you and never recedes. Even for sisters that happened to be as close as could be. The overbearing guilt that had built up within her for over five years must have been excruciating and she's one of those characters that you wish you could jump into the story and just hug them and tell them "I'm here for you, everything's going to be okay."
Marcella Pixley was outstanding with the imagery. The pictures painted in my mind. Of the frail and skinny Tess with the red hair down to her waist. Lizzie who dressed in all black, the shadow of guilt and the years of tears hiding within her. The overpowering image of Tess' last moments. And the ending, the beginning of a Lizzie, free from the guilt and free as a bird, ready to start over and prepare her voice once more.
daringreader13's review
2.0
2.5 stars out of 5
Honestly I almost DNFed this. I really was this close and was flipping through the first thirty pages and decided to continue reading/skimming where needed just because I wanted to know what happened and I’ll be real- it wasn’t even worth it.
I skipped over all of the poems because they felt forced and the structure didn’t flow for me.
Tess has delusions and an eating disorder at 11 that makes her suicidal. And when Tess dies Lizzie blames herself- even though Lizzie was messed up a lot of the time by her sister.
THE KISS THOUGH SEEMED SO FORCED I OUTWARDLY CRINGED AND ALMOST THREW THE BOOK LIKE NO!
Just overall this book was a no for me.
Honestly I almost DNFed this. I really was this close and was flipping through the first thirty pages and decided to continue reading/skimming where needed just because I wanted to know what happened and I’ll be real- it wasn’t even worth it.
I skipped over all of the poems because they felt forced and the structure didn’t flow for me.
Tess has delusions and an eating disorder at 11 that makes her suicidal. And when Tess dies Lizzie blames herself- even though Lizzie was messed up a lot of the time by her sister.
THE KISS THOUGH SEEMED SO FORCED I OUTWARDLY CRINGED AND ALMOST THREW THE BOOK LIKE NO!
Just overall this book was a no for me.
alexislynae's review
3.0
Disturbing. That's how I would categorize this book and how I have categorized it on my bookshelves. When you start the book you are faced with two sisters, one eleven and the other nine, we first see them playing under the table, pretending to be horses. This is all fine and good, after all, most children pretend to be things when they are young, however, as the novel progresses it becomes increasingly obvious that there is something wrong with Tess, the oldest, something very wrong.
Told in alternate views of a nine-year-old and then a sixteen-year-old Lizzie, we get to see all sides of her story with Tess as well as without her. For a person approaching this book with no expectations, I left it carrying a lot. Not a story to be taken lightly.
Told in alternate views of a nine-year-old and then a sixteen-year-old Lizzie, we get to see all sides of her story with Tess as well as without her. For a person approaching this book with no expectations, I left it carrying a lot. Not a story to be taken lightly.
geminipenguin's review
5.0
This book examined some complicated themes through a teenagers and a child's eyes. The writer did an excellent job of keeping the suspense up right until the perfect moment for the reveal.
lindagreen's review
4.0
This book, I imagine, is a tough sale for the publisher. It has no niche, no real target market because of the age variations and topic. Getting the word out regarding this title then is really left up to the world of bloggers and librarians so let me do my part and tell you to read this book at your first opportunity. It won’t be an easy or light read. You may have to put it down to contemplate or take a breath but hang in there because this is worth it. The emotions are so well drawn and realistic that it will make you want to crawl into yourself at times and search your own dream world to make sure it’s “normal”. A startling and provocative read and unlike anything I’ve read before. Highly recommended.
ARC Galley Proof
ARC Galley Proof
danibene's review
4.0
I've read so many novels centering around dead family members that I'm never too excited to read another even if it does have a promising summary. It takes a lot for one of these stories to stand out, and, to my delight, Without Tess managed to have enough of a dark side to differentiate it from all the other "dead family" books I've come across.
What makes this book stand out is its emphasis on the relationship between Lizzie and Tess before Tess passed away. In fact, I would say more of the book is made up of memories and flashbacks than of the present, which I often disliked as much as I liked. Because of the immense amount of time spent in the past, it never really seemed like Lizzie went through that much growth in the present. I never felt like I got to know the people who were trying to help her, which made it harder for me to see how exactly what influence they had upon her, or even how they tried to get over Tess's death themselves.
However, despite that qualm, I loved the time set in the past and always wanted even more. There's something frightening and magical about the way Tess is characterized through Lizzie's stories and her own included poetry; she begins as whimsical and imaginative but as the novel goes on there is a psychotic dark side that appears so subtly but powerfully that I was always compelled to keep reading to find out what Tess was really all about. I also enjoyed this past narration because it provided a basis for much of the rest of the characters' actions in the present, because Tess's influence was so powerful that it carried on years later into even the lives of people she wasn't close to.
Despite my initial skepticism because of the unassuming premise, I found Without Tess to be surprisingly dark but beautifully written and compelling novel.
What makes this book stand out is its emphasis on the relationship between Lizzie and Tess before Tess passed away. In fact, I would say more of the book is made up of memories and flashbacks than of the present, which I often disliked as much as I liked. Because of the immense amount of time spent in the past, it never really seemed like Lizzie went through that much growth in the present. I never felt like I got to know the people who were trying to help her, which made it harder for me to see how exactly what influence they had upon her, or even how they tried to get over Tess's death themselves.
However, despite that qualm, I loved the time set in the past and always wanted even more. There's something frightening and magical about the way Tess is characterized through Lizzie's stories and her own included poetry; she begins as whimsical and imaginative but as the novel goes on there is a psychotic dark side that appears so subtly but powerfully that I was always compelled to keep reading to find out what Tess was really all about. I also enjoyed this past narration because it provided a basis for much of the rest of the characters' actions in the present, because Tess's influence was so powerful that it carried on years later into even the lives of people she wasn't close to.
Despite my initial skepticism because of the unassuming premise, I found Without Tess to be surprisingly dark but beautifully written and compelling novel.
lydhavens's review against another edition
4.0
This book switches from the past to the present, the past telling the story of two sisters, Tess and Lizzie. Tess lives in a magical fantasy world of Merlin and Pegasuses. Lizzie plays along to please her sister, but as she gets older, she begins to hate how the magical world has transformed her sister. Tess's world seems to make her go crazy; she starves herself (food is seen as too "mortal" to her) and feels a loathing for Isabella Amadeo, their neighbor who becomes Lizzie's best friend. Tess begins to see a doctor and is prescribed pills, but she spits them in the toilet or hides them away in her mattress and socks. One night, Tess drags Lizzie to a nearby dock and they both jump in, but Tess never reaches the surface, drowning.
Present Lizzie is now a teenager who wears all black to fade away, and sees a school counselor. She is failing all of her classes except for her poetry class, as she turns in the poetry Tess wrote years ago in her Pegasus Journal. Lizzie feels like she murdered Tess and keeps to herself.
This book was very gripping, but had a lot of faults. Tess's poetry seemed way too mature to be written by an eleven-year-old. The author is a very good poet, but almost too good compared to eleven year olds. Teenage Lizzie was not likable at all, and I would wonder sometimes if she had a mental sickness herself because of how she acted around her counselor, Dr. Kaplan. I also felt the ending was too rushed, I would've loved to see more development and closure. But overall, this was a beautiful book and I feel like it's going to stick with me for a while.
Present Lizzie is now a teenager who wears all black to fade away, and sees a school counselor. She is failing all of her classes except for her poetry class, as she turns in the poetry Tess wrote years ago in her Pegasus Journal. Lizzie feels like she murdered Tess and keeps to herself.
This book was very gripping, but had a lot of faults. Tess's poetry seemed way too mature to be written by an eleven-year-old. The author is a very good poet, but almost too good compared to eleven year olds. Teenage Lizzie was not likable at all, and I would wonder sometimes if she had a mental sickness herself because of how she acted around her counselor, Dr. Kaplan. I also felt the ending was too rushed, I would've loved to see more development and closure. But overall, this was a beautiful book and I feel like it's going to stick with me for a while.