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rachelselene's review against another edition
4.0
Why do they say ghosts are cold? Mine are warm, a breath dampening your cheek, a voice when you thought you were alone.
i really, really liked this book. i don't often read novels about modern teenage girls, but this one caught my attention because it was set in michigan. i was born in michigan, i live in michigan, i've spent my whole life in michigan - and i've also spent quite a few summers vacationing up north, passing through rural towns very much like silver lake. there was a sense of nostalgia for me in marlena: the snow-heavy winters, the cornfields, the long drives from one small town to the next, even little mentions of landmark sites like the mackinaw bridge and ann arbor (hello, fellow wolverines!). buntin's prose re: the scenery had a lot to do with how much i enjoyed this book. in fact, her prose re: everything was pretty great. was it a bit wordy or "too much" at times? yes. but i kind of like "too much," and i'm always gravitating toward books with flowery and poetic prose. there were some really poignant sentences in this one.
another factor: cat's dad. in so many ways her relationship with him echoed my relationship with my own father, to the point where some of their scenes made my heart ache: how he cut ties with his children, how their closeness during cat's childhood faded into vague memories with time, how he emotionally and physically abused his wife (pretending not to hear when she spoke? check. deliberately shoving her and watching her slam over a piece of machinery? check. for cat's mom it was the stairmaster; for my mom it was the open dishwasher.) i did not expect to form such an emotional connection to this book, but there it is.
admittedly, it took me a bit of time to get into this story. i moved through the first third at the pace of a snail, but my interest peaked around page 100 and i got through the rest quickly. there are a lot of questions left unanswered here, but it works. life is messy; that's something that cat, as an adult, is trying to reconcile herself with as she narrates her time in silver lake. it's complicated and unpredictable and most of the time we don't get any answers.
"Tu es mon diamant," Marlena told Sal, when he finished all of his food. "Je t'aime beaucoup." How strange to hear those swinging vowels--all city lights and crusty loaves of bread and blue shutters and expensive perfume--in that place, with its cement floor, with its bone chill and empty cabinets.
i really, really liked this book. i don't often read novels about modern teenage girls, but this one caught my attention because it was set in michigan. i was born in michigan, i live in michigan, i've spent my whole life in michigan - and i've also spent quite a few summers vacationing up north, passing through rural towns very much like silver lake. there was a sense of nostalgia for me in marlena: the snow-heavy winters, the cornfields, the long drives from one small town to the next, even little mentions of landmark sites like the mackinaw bridge and ann arbor (hello, fellow wolverines!). buntin's prose re: the scenery had a lot to do with how much i enjoyed this book. in fact, her prose re: everything was pretty great. was it a bit wordy or "too much" at times? yes. but i kind of like "too much," and i'm always gravitating toward books with flowery and poetic prose. there were some really poignant sentences in this one.
another factor: cat's dad. in so many ways her relationship with him echoed my relationship with my own father, to the point where some of their scenes made my heart ache: how he cut ties with his children, how their closeness during cat's childhood faded into vague memories with time, how he emotionally and physically abused his wife (pretending not to hear when she spoke? check. deliberately shoving her and watching her slam over a piece of machinery? check. for cat's mom it was the stairmaster; for my mom it was the open dishwasher.) i did not expect to form such an emotional connection to this book, but there it is.
admittedly, it took me a bit of time to get into this story. i moved through the first third at the pace of a snail, but my interest peaked around page 100 and i got through the rest quickly. there are a lot of questions left unanswered here, but it works. life is messy; that's something that cat, as an adult, is trying to reconcile herself with as she narrates her time in silver lake. it's complicated and unpredictable and most of the time we don't get any answers.
"Tu es mon diamant," Marlena told Sal, when he finished all of his food. "Je t'aime beaucoup." How strange to hear those swinging vowels--all city lights and crusty loaves of bread and blue shutters and expensive perfume--in that place, with its cement floor, with its bone chill and empty cabinets.
brighroosh's review against another edition
1.0
I have read books that place you within the world of a young person very successfully. Take My Brilliant Friend, for example. Which in a very small way this book mimics the Ferrente novel with the overly adoring feelings of a teen for her slightly older friend.
The older friend Marlena is a prescription pill addict but Cat, the friend, only begins to realize it slowly because of her adulation for her looks and her "coolness?" The friends drink, have sex, and entirely skip high school classes. If it is supposed to be a cautionary tale, it fails because the author spends a lot of time describing Marlena's superior physical appearance and independence as something to be admired. All the while my stomach was churning at the deceptions that were very evident on Marlena's part, and Cat's mother's blase attitude about her daughter spending time with her.
There was no humor, no redemption, and lots of gloomy writing about Marlena's impending death. I felt there was no upside to reading this book. Maybe people who want to wallow in this sort of depression because they know alcoholics in their family may want to read this. But it added nothing to that discussion.
The older friend Marlena is a prescription pill addict but Cat, the friend, only begins to realize it slowly because of her adulation for her looks and her "coolness?" The friends drink, have sex, and entirely skip high school classes. If it is supposed to be a cautionary tale, it fails because the author spends a lot of time describing Marlena's superior physical appearance and independence as something to be admired. All the while my stomach was churning at the deceptions that were very evident on Marlena's part, and Cat's mother's blase attitude about her daughter spending time with her.
There was no humor, no redemption, and lots of gloomy writing about Marlena's impending death. I felt there was no upside to reading this book. Maybe people who want to wallow in this sort of depression because they know alcoholics in their family may want to read this. But it added nothing to that discussion.
emleemay's review against another edition
4.0
Normally I start my reviews with a quote; a nice little taster of what to expect. But with [b:Marlena|30199414|Marlena|Julie Buntin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1487221159s/30199414.jpg|49155277] it was impossible to isolate just a sentence or two. I copied down whole paragraphs that became extracts until it felt like I would be quoting the entire book. I kept thinking I was done and then realizing the next sentence was equally poignant. If you want something, I'll give you this:
To be honest with you, I wasn't sure about [b:Marlena|30199414|Marlena|Julie Buntin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1487221159s/30199414.jpg|49155277] at first. I've read more than my fair share of these books about teen girls with intoxicating friendships that spiral out of control. Everything from [a:Megan Abbott|29593|Megan Abbott|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1341365230p2/29593.jpg]'s fucked up little world ([b:Dare Me|12982393|Dare Me|Megan Abbott|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1342214694s/12982393.jpg|18141649], [b:The Fever|18656036|The Fever|Megan Abbott|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1381359885s/18656036.jpg|26470722], etc.) to [a:Elliot Wake|15254487|Elliot Wake|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1480863996p2/15254487.jpg]'s [b:Black Iris|18829666|Black Iris|Leah Raeder|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1420737066s/18829666.jpg|26771709] to the murderous [b:Boring Girls|22750458|Boring Girls|Sara Taylor|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1408469857s/22750458.jpg|42295727] to last year's (less impressive, IMO) [b:Girls on Fire|26074200|Girls on Fire|Robin Wasserman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462088432s/26074200.jpg|44608351] .
I come back to this theme because the relationships between teenage girls continue to fascinate me. How close they can become, how intense, and how cruel. The fine line between friendship and vindictive jealousy. I was one not that long ago, but it doesn't make me any closer to figuring them out.
What makes [b:Marlena|30199414|Marlena|Julie Buntin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1487221159s/30199414.jpg|49155277] stand out, for me, what gives the book it's power, is the perspective of an adult woman. The story is narrated in past tense by Cat, as she sits in New York with a successful career and loving boyfriend. The sense that she can't shake off the intensity of this one brief period of her past permeates the novel. Her adult eyes bring maturity to the story, seeing things in hindsight that she never noticed at fifteen. It's incredibly effective, moving, and sad.
We learn almost immediately that Marlena - the friend who took over Cat's fifteen-year-old world - will die. Has died. Cat then proceeds to unveil how the friendship was formed and developed, revealing ever more details about Marlena and the person she was.
These kind of books tend to sit right on the line between pretty and purplish prose - and I think Buntin gets the balance just right. It's evocative, creating that whirlwind feeling of emotion as the story moves along, but grounded in insights about humanity and young women that make the book so much more than just an exercise in pretty metaphors. At one point, Cat recalls about Marlena the “glow to her that lives in lost things” and wonders if it was always really there or if that’s just how we see people who have gone.
It is very interesting to see the contrast between the teenage Cat who puts the wild Marlena on a mental pedestal, and the adult who can see her for what she was: a screwed-up girl. So many writers have created the spirited, fascinating tornado of a girl who drags another into her world, but so few breathe this much humanity into her.
A fantastic, beautiful, thought-provoking book.
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I’ve never believed in the innocent bystander. The act of watching changes what happens. Just because you don’t touch anything doesn’t mean you are exempt. You might be tempted to forgive me for being fifteen, in over my head, for not knowing what to do, for not understanding, yet, the way even the tiniest choices domino, until you’re irretrievably grown up, the person you were always going to be. Or in Marlena’s case, the person you’ll never have a chance to be. The world doesn’t care that you’re just a girl.
Let the record show that I was smarter than I looked. And anyway, I touched.
To be honest with you, I wasn't sure about [b:Marlena|30199414|Marlena|Julie Buntin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1487221159s/30199414.jpg|49155277] at first. I've read more than my fair share of these books about teen girls with intoxicating friendships that spiral out of control. Everything from [a:Megan Abbott|29593|Megan Abbott|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1341365230p2/29593.jpg]'s fucked up little world ([b:Dare Me|12982393|Dare Me|Megan Abbott|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1342214694s/12982393.jpg|18141649], [b:The Fever|18656036|The Fever|Megan Abbott|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1381359885s/18656036.jpg|26470722], etc.) to [a:Elliot Wake|15254487|Elliot Wake|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1480863996p2/15254487.jpg]'s [b:Black Iris|18829666|Black Iris|Leah Raeder|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1420737066s/18829666.jpg|26771709] to the murderous [b:Boring Girls|22750458|Boring Girls|Sara Taylor|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1408469857s/22750458.jpg|42295727] to last year's (less impressive, IMO) [b:Girls on Fire|26074200|Girls on Fire|Robin Wasserman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462088432s/26074200.jpg|44608351] .
I come back to this theme because the relationships between teenage girls continue to fascinate me. How close they can become, how intense, and how cruel. The fine line between friendship and vindictive jealousy. I was one not that long ago, but it doesn't make me any closer to figuring them out.
What makes [b:Marlena|30199414|Marlena|Julie Buntin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1487221159s/30199414.jpg|49155277] stand out, for me, what gives the book it's power, is the perspective of an adult woman. The story is narrated in past tense by Cat, as she sits in New York with a successful career and loving boyfriend. The sense that she can't shake off the intensity of this one brief period of her past permeates the novel. Her adult eyes bring maturity to the story, seeing things in hindsight that she never noticed at fifteen. It's incredibly effective, moving, and sad.
We learn almost immediately that Marlena - the friend who took over Cat's fifteen-year-old world - will die. Has died. Cat then proceeds to unveil how the friendship was formed and developed, revealing ever more details about Marlena and the person she was.
These kind of books tend to sit right on the line between pretty and purplish prose - and I think Buntin gets the balance just right. It's evocative, creating that whirlwind feeling of emotion as the story moves along, but grounded in insights about humanity and young women that make the book so much more than just an exercise in pretty metaphors. At one point, Cat recalls about Marlena the “glow to her that lives in lost things” and wonders if it was always really there or if that’s just how we see people who have gone.
It is very interesting to see the contrast between the teenage Cat who puts the wild Marlena on a mental pedestal, and the adult who can see her for what she was: a screwed-up girl. So many writers have created the spirited, fascinating tornado of a girl who drags another into her world, but so few breathe this much humanity into her.
A fantastic, beautiful, thought-provoking book.
Great loneliness, profound isolation, a cataclysmic, overpowering sense of being misunderstood. When does that kind of deep feeling just stop? Where does it go? At fifteen, the world ended over and over and over again. To be so young is a kind of self-violence. No foresight, an inflated sense of wisdom, and yet you’re still responsible for your mistakes.
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tarapollardyork's review against another edition
4.0
This book was well written but depressing to me. So sad. But i love that it took place in Michigan and i wanted to see cat not just thrive but survive. 3.5 stars
alienclans's review against another edition
4.0
This is a story about a female friendship in a small town and the lasting impact of addiction. It’s done so well.
This was a truly lovely book. It’s written beautifully and the characters are so compelling. Cat and Marlena are girls I could have been, girls I kind of was, girls who would have hated me, girls I still feel like sometimes. I liked that it was told from a much older Cat’s perspective. Her description of adulthood felt particularly true.
“Being an adult — it is not the same. It is not, actually, anything like what we wanted, what we imagined for ourselves. But, Marlena, mostly it’s better.”
Being a teenage girl is chaos. Being an adult woman is numbness. Instead of anxiety, I now have flashes of anger at the way the world treats me. This book perfectly captures how it feels to look back at the flurry of teenage feelings, emotions, changes, and new experiences as an adult who has settled into a life of routine and both miss it and feel thankful you never have to go back.
This book rang true. The writing is beautiful, poetic, and nostalgic. It took me a bit to get through it but it was worth the slow pace. It didn’t need to be rushed. I’m glad to have it on my shelf.
”Above is, the sky, a shattered mirror of the lake, and of course, the stars — as distant and unknowable as every single person I’d ever met, even myself.”
This was a truly lovely book. It’s written beautifully and the characters are so compelling. Cat and Marlena are girls I could have been, girls I kind of was, girls who would have hated me, girls I still feel like sometimes. I liked that it was told from a much older Cat’s perspective. Her description of adulthood felt particularly true.
“Being an adult — it is not the same. It is not, actually, anything like what we wanted, what we imagined for ourselves. But, Marlena, mostly it’s better.”
Being a teenage girl is chaos. Being an adult woman is numbness. Instead of anxiety, I now have flashes of anger at the way the world treats me. This book perfectly captures how it feels to look back at the flurry of teenage feelings, emotions, changes, and new experiences as an adult who has settled into a life of routine and both miss it and feel thankful you never have to go back.
This book rang true. The writing is beautiful, poetic, and nostalgic. It took me a bit to get through it but it was worth the slow pace. It didn’t need to be rushed. I’m glad to have it on my shelf.
”Above is, the sky, a shattered mirror of the lake, and of course, the stars — as distant and unknowable as every single person I’d ever met, even myself.”
othersimmons's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
fifijess's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
sp3cia1j's review against another edition
3.0
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.
This might be a case of a book with too much buzz. I had heard a lot about the quality of this book from various sources, so I was excited to crack it open (digitally, of course).
I really did enjoy the writing. The details used to flesh out the characters were vivid, easy to imagine and relate to.
As much as I loved the characters, I struggled with the pace of this book. Nothing much really happened, and when it does, it's recounted as "one time". I understand that this book is meant, in many ways, to be a love letter to Marlena. The book focuses more on describing Marlena's essence, rather than following a typical plot format. Despite this, the book can often feel slow and repetitive.
After all the build up, the actual death part of the book felt glossed over and rushed, as did the meeting with Sal. I would have liked to have felt more in the moment.
This might be a case of a book with too much buzz. I had heard a lot about the quality of this book from various sources, so I was excited to crack it open (digitally, of course).
I really did enjoy the writing. The details used to flesh out the characters were vivid, easy to imagine and relate to.
As much as I loved the characters, I struggled with the pace of this book. Nothing much really happened, and when it does, it's recounted as "one time". I understand that this book is meant, in many ways, to be a love letter to Marlena. The book focuses more on describing Marlena's essence, rather than following a typical plot format. Despite this, the book can often feel slow and repetitive.
After all the build up, the actual death part of the book felt glossed over and rushed, as did the meeting with Sal. I would have liked to have felt more in the moment.