barcodeborrower's review against another edition
4.0
It was a good thrill. I recommend reading this after you read Rhymes With Witches
leah_peters's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
suhbreenah's review against another edition
3.0
My opinion of this book changed a lot as I read it. The writing was odd to me on one hand and I didn't really like the ending. It was entertaining to read, I just don't think it's anything particularly extraordinary. I don't know it just wasn't my thing.
emilyforgo's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was for the most part an awesome book. I really liked the characters and thought the ties to history only made it more interesting. I guessed from the beginning/middle the role Sandy would have in the book but it was so good it still kept me wondering the extent to which I was right until the very end. The ending though I found disappointing. I felt the ending was abrupt and because of that, dissatisfying. It almost seemed like Myracle had a word limit she had to keep to and wrote this really strong awesome book, realized she was almost at her page limit, then proceeded to slap an ending on. I would've considered it a five star book but the ending killed that last star for me. Still overall a great book that I would recommend others read. I think I'm going to read the book that this book was supposed to be a prequel to, Rhymes with Witches.
geofroggatt's review against another edition
3.0
Bliss was a decent horror read for younger readers. The scene describing a girl’s filthy bedroom stayed with me even all these years later. I think this book is good for any younger girl wanting to get into the horror genre but not wanting to read about intense violent or scary themes. Content warning for animal cruelty, suicide and racism.
missprint_'s review against another edition
2.0
When her parents decide they can no longer live in Nixon's US, Bliss is shipped off to Atlanta to live with her grandmother while her parents flee to Canada in Bliss (2008) by Lauren Myracle. The year is 1969 and after spending most of her life living on a commune, or wherever else her parents decided to hang their hats, Bliss is ill-prepared for conventional life in a big city.
Bliss isn't too worried when she starts at the prestigious Crestview High School though because she's spent a lot of time watching TV. Surely The Andy Griffith Show will tell her everything she needs to know about life in the "civilized" world of non-hippies, right?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. Real life in Atlanta is nothing life fake life in Mayberry. The slang is different, unspoken rules make no sense, and the de facto racism is painful to watch--even as a bystander. Then there's the mysterious voice Bliss hears whenever she walks by Hamilton Hall. Is it a ghost? Can anyone else hear it? And, most troubling of all, why does the voice seem to be dripping blood with its every inflection?
Bliss tries to set these troubling thoughts aside as she focuses on making new friends. But the closer Bliss gets to her new classmates the more entangled she becomes in both the politics of Crestview and a more sinister campaign centered around the sinister voice from long ago.
Bliss is a prequel to Myracle's earlier novel Rhymes With Witches which, I am told, ties back to the events related here. It is also one of the suspected reasons behind the rather open-ended conclusion of Bliss. (It was one of those "That's it?" moments.)
Right until the ending Bliss was fraught with tension. The title on the cover is written in blood over a seemingly innocent picture made sinister through the contrast. The interior design of the book is equally fright-inducing. Chapters are separated with white-on-black text quotations from a variety of sources including The Andy Griffith Show and transcripts from the Charles Manson trials used to set the backdrop for the story. Excerpts from a mysterious journal whose pages are covered with blood up the sinister factor even more.
This is an interesting book in that it can appeal to a lot of people. There's a bit of history, a bit of the supernatural, a little romance, some suspense, and even some mystery and horror. If that appeals, or if you just want to see how a book can drip blood, Bliss might be worth a gander.
Bliss isn't too worried when she starts at the prestigious Crestview High School though because she's spent a lot of time watching TV. Surely The Andy Griffith Show will tell her everything she needs to know about life in the "civilized" world of non-hippies, right?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. Real life in Atlanta is nothing life fake life in Mayberry. The slang is different, unspoken rules make no sense, and the de facto racism is painful to watch--even as a bystander. Then there's the mysterious voice Bliss hears whenever she walks by Hamilton Hall. Is it a ghost? Can anyone else hear it? And, most troubling of all, why does the voice seem to be dripping blood with its every inflection?
Bliss tries to set these troubling thoughts aside as she focuses on making new friends. But the closer Bliss gets to her new classmates the more entangled she becomes in both the politics of Crestview and a more sinister campaign centered around the sinister voice from long ago.
Bliss is a prequel to Myracle's earlier novel Rhymes With Witches which, I am told, ties back to the events related here. It is also one of the suspected reasons behind the rather open-ended conclusion of Bliss. (It was one of those "That's it?" moments.)
Right until the ending Bliss was fraught with tension. The title on the cover is written in blood over a seemingly innocent picture made sinister through the contrast. The interior design of the book is equally fright-inducing. Chapters are separated with white-on-black text quotations from a variety of sources including The Andy Griffith Show and transcripts from the Charles Manson trials used to set the backdrop for the story. Excerpts from a mysterious journal whose pages are covered with blood up the sinister factor even more.
This is an interesting book in that it can appeal to a lot of people. There's a bit of history, a bit of the supernatural, a little romance, some suspense, and even some mystery and horror. If that appeals, or if you just want to see how a book can drip blood, Bliss might be worth a gander.
hollylash's review against another edition
3.0
Would've been 4 stars if it hadn't been for the ending. I mean, really? REALLY?
agkrob's review against another edition
3.0
I thought it was a good book. More of a 70's teenbopper book than a ghost story most of the time, but still a good book. There were a lot of great moments and I really liked a lot of the characters. It dealt with racial issues and feminism and rebellion against the government and the Manson case. It was a easy but interesting read overall. The ending is what threw me. I am all for a twist ending or writers being able to surprise me, but this ending did not feel right for the story, there was a lot of set up with little payoff. The main character never got her badass moment or at least her moment of accidental badassery in self defense. I felt like the book just ended with no real closure. I will not be forgetting this book anytime soon, and don't regret reading it, but I am still not 100% sure how I feel about it.
michelle_pink_polka_dot's review against another edition
1.0
Sorry I couldn't finish it. It was creepy in a weird way. Once the entries from SLL started I was like ewww, no thanks. If I want to read about periods I'll read [b:Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret|37732|Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret|Judy Blume|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255655175s/37732.jpg|4121]. If it was set in California and there was less super wierdness, this might have went somewhere for me, but I gave up 3/4ths of the way through, I just didn't care about Sandy's issues or the dead girl.... now i'm kind of scared to read [b:Shine|8928054|Shine|Lauren Myracle|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1294346503s/8928054.jpg|13804537] and [b:Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks|5711749|Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks|Lauren Myracle|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1305492464s/5711749.jpg|5883360] which were both on my list to read....