cathi_p's review against another edition
2.0
A girl's coming of age story written from a man's perspective. There are no women in her life and she is always at the mercy of the males around her and has to be rescued. It tries to be poetic but the story falls flat.
betsycrawford's review against another edition
1.0
I really struggled through this book. It was very confusing and I never really connected with any of the characters or fully grasped what was actually happening. I do NOT like giving an author a bad review or low rating; I do believe there are readers who will appreciate and enjoy this book but I am not one of them.
colinrafferty's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Fantastically done—every paragraph is a quiet work of art, and they accrue into a wonderfully meditative novel about what it means to be adrift today.
lukenotjohn's review against another edition
3.0
Honestly, this book hurt me a bit, which makes the title (intentionally?) ironic. I tend to really enjoy meloncholic and dark books and movies, so I'm a little surprised how much this affected me, but I just found myself feeling so heavily burdened by the unrelenting bleakness of Pearl's life. And I'm struggling to review the book without feeling like I'm dictating what choices Pineda "should" have made, because obviously it's his book! But I honestly just became angry with him, especially at the book's climax, because it felt like an exercise in sadism. I could see what ended up happening from a mile away (which made Pearl's anticipation all the more dreadful) and I felt like the only way it would feel merited is if my expectations ended up being subverted, but it was actually more vile than I'd anticipated. I guess I don't know why the book was written? Here's a young girl enmeshed in cascading tragedies, surrounded almost entirely by neglectful if not evil men...watch her suffer? We get glimmers of hope and love, but they're so fleeting, so minor. I just wanted more for her. And I'm not someone who generally needs a happy ending! There was just something that felt cruel for the sake of cruelty to the crafting of this story, even though I'd also say Pineda told it with care.
I enjoyed the first third most, perhaps because I was still hopeful at that point for an upswing in the story, a trajectory towards redemption or vindication of some sort. The dynamic between Pearl and Main Boy was hard to read, but compelling...and I was eager for a recompense that never came. The voyage to the hospital demanded so much time without seeming to really lead to anything in the story, and the final third felt expected in a way that felt like a disservice to Pearl. I think we'd been shown that she was too wise, if not cynical, to walk right into that –– even despite her agonizing loneliness and longing. The saving grace was Pineda's writing, which is genuinely striking. Much of this reads as a poem anthology that happens to be telling a story (though not in an [a:Ellen Hopkins|2821144|Ellen Hopkins|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1317081848p2/2821144.jpg] way), and many of those "poems" are very good.
I enjoyed the first third most, perhaps because I was still hopeful at that point for an upswing in the story, a trajectory towards redemption or vindication of some sort. The dynamic between Pearl and Main Boy was hard to read, but compelling...and I was eager for a recompense that never came. The voyage to the hospital demanded so much time without seeming to really lead to anything in the story, and the final third felt expected in a way that felt like a disservice to Pearl. I think we'd been shown that she was too wise, if not cynical, to walk right into that –– even despite her agonizing loneliness and longing. The saving grace was Pineda's writing, which is genuinely striking. Much of this reads as a poem anthology that happens to be telling a story (though not in an [a:Ellen Hopkins|2821144|Ellen Hopkins|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1317081848p2/2821144.jpg] way), and many of those "poems" are very good.
broe028's review against another edition
2.0
I kind of struggled with this book. For starters, this book is very short and a quick read. But I also wasn’t a hundred percent sure of the story. It just seems very unfinished, and i felt as though I was missing some points. This story could have gone a lot further than it did, and it could have gone in depth as to what this character was really going through, but maybe the point was to keep it shallow? The name of this book could be renamed to shallow. From start to finish I just wasn’t sure what to think. I was confused by the elements in it. At least it was over fast.
audreyrosemi's review against another edition
4.0
Quite an interesting poetic read. I enjoyed the way the author describes the environment and the characters in this one. The story is somewhat predictable but at times it was surprising. A slow burner but glad I got through it.
luciemariec's review
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
euryale's review against another edition
5.0
This novel is absolutely gorgeous. A friend read it in one sitting on a plane ride and then passed it on to me--I read it in 3-4 hours. I don't think I even put it down to go to the bathroom, it had that much of a hold on me. It was totally immersive & arresting: what I could relate to (Pearl's coming-of-age, budding sexuality) was painful but absolutely truly rendered, and what was new (how/where Pearl & her father live) felt lush, like I could see it & smell it & taste it.
Jon's prose, as always, is achingly beautiful, and pairs well with the short, snapshot-style chapters. So much is left unsaid but remains incredibly palpable... at some point I started crying and realized it wasn't triggered so much by a specific event, but just the accumulating weight of Pearl and her family's experiences. Pearl really came to life for me--her strength, her sass, the total honesty with which she lived and expected from others.
The move at the end left me gob-smacked with its strange, perfect, wonderfulness.
Jon's prose, as always, is achingly beautiful, and pairs well with the short, snapshot-style chapters. So much is left unsaid but remains incredibly palpable... at some point I started crying and realized it wasn't triggered so much by a specific event, but just the accumulating weight of Pearl and her family's experiences. Pearl really came to life for me--her strength, her sass, the total honesty with which she lived and expected from others.
The move at the end left me gob-smacked with its strange, perfect, wonderfulness.