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joyousreads132's review against another edition
4.0
Truth be told, I wrote this book off as something that was slightly out of my intellectual reach. Even if the story sounded simple enough, I'm shamed to say that I didn't get it.
I had a completely different opinion after I read it the first time. I was unable to get over myself. See, I get so comfortable with my reading choices that when a book this jarring comes my way, I freeze. I don't know what to do with myself. I've been so stubbornly set on how a character should act or how her story should've been written that when an author writes something incredibly real, I'm unable to react.
I've been trying to finish this book for more than a month now. And I've asked myself fruitlessly on numerous times why I've exerted the effort. The only reason I could come up with is that I've been intrigued by this book ever since I came across it last year. I must admit that while reading this novel, I wondered what makes someone's work critically-acclaimed. And man, I didn't get it. I realized at some point why I can't quit my day job just yet. Because if I can't differentiate an award winning novel from the prosaic, then there's no point of entertaining my life-long dream of doing this for a living.
I should mention that perhaps I am just not ready for this mature, quest-for-oneself's-identity type of story. It had evoked empathy that would probably be more jostling to mothers like me. If there's anyone who could tell us a tale of self discovery, it would be a baby abandoned at the doors of a Y. I was expecting some pretty harrowing tales of living out the horrors of the foster care system in Canada. But there wasn't much of that. The most disheartening story was when she was but a toddler in the hands of an abusive foster dad. Other than that, you could say that she had better luck that most. Right now, in my city, a trial is in progress for the murder of a four year old girl in the hands of her mother and her boyfriend. She's been in and out of the foster care system and had finally ended her short life full of abuse when her mother and the boyfriend beat her to death. The system is under fire because they somehow missed the signs. The point is, there are a lot of horror stories out there and Shannon may have been lucky to a degree.
Shannon was pretty restless and living in all four seasons of her discontent. She struggled to find herself in a world where nothing seemed right; where she couldn't find her rightful place. It's difficult to do that if you don't know where you came from. That, in its essence, is Shannon's quest: to know the reason why a mother would give up a child without knowing whether or not she'd end up with a good life. She didn't want a life with her biological mother, she just wanted to know.
There were stories of teenage angst and rebellion of the lighter kind. There were encounters with drug addicts, alcoholics and homeless hobos. Even if the foster family who took her in offered her some sort of stability, she couldn't quite settle. So she goes and finds her past starting with the man who found her at the Y.
And then there's the story of her mother (Yula), who incidentally was a child herself. Her story was heartbreaking, her first child's even more so. She loved the way she knew how - pure and all encompassing and to a fault. Victim of circumstance and the environment around her, leaving Shannon's fate in the mercy of strangers was her way giving her second child a fighting chance. In the end, and whatever her state of mind was at the time, I really couldn't fault or admonished her for committing all her unforgivable sins. In the end, it was her love that made her do what she needed to do.
It's a story of a girl
left on the steps of a Y.
Growing up listlessly
wondering hopelessly why.
An infant aware
soon as she opened her eyes.
A violent birth
and the impending demise.
Days turned to years
in wonder and impatience.
Nothing could ground her,
and thought that
love's an indulgence.
She's wary of anyone
who might show her compassion.
Always defensive,
second guessing their intentions.
To those who love her
fully and honestly.
She's out of reach
all closed up tightly.
A slip of a girl
with one blinded eye.
Stronger than she looks
for a four foot nothing high.
She draws her strength
in knowing that she survived,
the violent birth
and in love she had thrived.
I had a completely different opinion after I read it the first time. I was unable to get over myself. See, I get so comfortable with my reading choices that when a book this jarring comes my way, I freeze. I don't know what to do with myself. I've been so stubbornly set on how a character should act or how her story should've been written that when an author writes something incredibly real, I'm unable to react.
I've been trying to finish this book for more than a month now. And I've asked myself fruitlessly on numerous times why I've exerted the effort. The only reason I could come up with is that I've been intrigued by this book ever since I came across it last year. I must admit that while reading this novel, I wondered what makes someone's work critically-acclaimed. And man, I didn't get it. I realized at some point why I can't quit my day job just yet. Because if I can't differentiate an award winning novel from the prosaic, then there's no point of entertaining my life-long dream of doing this for a living.
I should mention that perhaps I am just not ready for this mature, quest-for-oneself's-identity type of story. It had evoked empathy that would probably be more jostling to mothers like me. If there's anyone who could tell us a tale of self discovery, it would be a baby abandoned at the doors of a Y. I was expecting some pretty harrowing tales of living out the horrors of the foster care system in Canada. But there wasn't much of that. The most disheartening story was when she was but a toddler in the hands of an abusive foster dad. Other than that, you could say that she had better luck that most. Right now, in my city, a trial is in progress for the murder of a four year old girl in the hands of her mother and her boyfriend. She's been in and out of the foster care system and had finally ended her short life full of abuse when her mother and the boyfriend beat her to death. The system is under fire because they somehow missed the signs. The point is, there are a lot of horror stories out there and Shannon may have been lucky to a degree.
Shannon was pretty restless and living in all four seasons of her discontent. She struggled to find herself in a world where nothing seemed right; where she couldn't find her rightful place. It's difficult to do that if you don't know where you came from. That, in its essence, is Shannon's quest: to know the reason why a mother would give up a child without knowing whether or not she'd end up with a good life. She didn't want a life with her biological mother, she just wanted to know.
There were stories of teenage angst and rebellion of the lighter kind. There were encounters with drug addicts, alcoholics and homeless hobos. Even if the foster family who took her in offered her some sort of stability, she couldn't quite settle. So she goes and finds her past starting with the man who found her at the Y.
And then there's the story of her mother (Yula), who incidentally was a child herself. Her story was heartbreaking, her first child's even more so. She loved the way she knew how - pure and all encompassing and to a fault. Victim of circumstance and the environment around her, leaving Shannon's fate in the mercy of strangers was her way giving her second child a fighting chance. In the end, and whatever her state of mind was at the time, I really couldn't fault or admonished her for committing all her unforgivable sins. In the end, it was her love that made her do what she needed to do.
It's a story of a girl
left on the steps of a Y.
Growing up listlessly
wondering hopelessly why.
An infant aware
soon as she opened her eyes.
A violent birth
and the impending demise.
Days turned to years
in wonder and impatience.
Nothing could ground her,
and thought that
love's an indulgence.
She's wary of anyone
who might show her compassion.
Always defensive,
second guessing their intentions.
To those who love her
fully and honestly.
She's out of reach
all closed up tightly.
A slip of a girl
with one blinded eye.
Stronger than she looks
for a four foot nothing high.
She draws her strength
in knowing that she survived,
the violent birth
and in love she had thrived.
butterfly2507's review against another edition
1.0
Meine Review:
http://butterflyyintheskyy.blogspot.com/2013/03/hier-konnte-ich-zur-welt-kommen.html
http://butterflyyintheskyy.blogspot.com/2013/03/hier-konnte-ich-zur-welt-kommen.html
rebeccalm's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the back and forth of this book and how two stories were told interchangeably. The author was great at character development and I felt like I really got to know each of them in a very intimate way. I thought Shannon's story took a little too long to develop, and parts of it became mundane towards the end - that's why I feel I wouldn't rate it higher than 3 stars. I did enjoy the premise and appreciate that the characters weren't perfect, they were very flawed and felt real. I always like when literary characters aren't overly simplified - life doesn't leave room for static people.
readhikerepeat's review against another edition
4.0
Review from The Book Wheel
Y by Marjorie Celona is another one of those books that was recommended to me by Rebecca at Love at First Book, who read it upon the recommendation of Jennifer at The Relentless Reader. I was looking forward to reading it until I read on the back of the book that fans of White Oleander would love it. You see, White Oleander is the only book I have put down after reading 1/3 of it in the past decade. Call me crazy, but I hated that book. I tried to watch the movie and only made it in to about the same point that I made it into the book. So, when I read that comparison, I hesitated. As the third book blogger to come into possession of this exact copy, however, I felt that I should at least give it a chance. And I must say, Rebecca was right. The book was fantastic.
It centers around a girl named Shannon who is left as a newborn at the YMCA and follows her throughout her childhood and teenage years. From foster care to adoption, Shannon struggles to belong and her story is, at times, heartbreaking. I’m not sure whether the author was adopted, but she does a fantastic job of getting into the mind of a young girl searching for who she is and where she came from.
For the full review, click here.
Y by Marjorie Celona is another one of those books that was recommended to me by Rebecca at Love at First Book, who read it upon the recommendation of Jennifer at The Relentless Reader. I was looking forward to reading it until I read on the back of the book that fans of White Oleander would love it. You see, White Oleander is the only book I have put down after reading 1/3 of it in the past decade. Call me crazy, but I hated that book. I tried to watch the movie and only made it in to about the same point that I made it into the book. So, when I read that comparison, I hesitated. As the third book blogger to come into possession of this exact copy, however, I felt that I should at least give it a chance. And I must say, Rebecca was right. The book was fantastic.
It centers around a girl named Shannon who is left as a newborn at the YMCA and follows her throughout her childhood and teenage years. From foster care to adoption, Shannon struggles to belong and her story is, at times, heartbreaking. I’m not sure whether the author was adopted, but she does a fantastic job of getting into the mind of a young girl searching for who she is and where she came from.
For the full review, click here.
bmcfee's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
elliemcc11's review against another edition
4.0
This was an interesting story of a girl's search for her identity after being abandoned on a doorstep as a baby.
I didn't really like the character of the girl - she seemed to be wasting her life - but maybe you weren't meant to like her, maybe that was the point of the story that her lack of identity left her troubled. In the end I don't know.
I didn't really like the character of the girl - she seemed to be wasting her life - but maybe you weren't meant to like her, maybe that was the point of the story that her lack of identity left her troubled. In the end I don't know.
lori_loves_reading's review against another edition
1.0
Not even half way thru and it is a slog. This is a book club pick so I will finish it but I don't like any of the characters so far and I'm so bored! Actually didn't mind the last 40 pages or so. All in all would not recommend it.
liadra's review against another edition
4.0
Initially I wasn't sure what to make of this book. Some of the narrative workings gave me pause - in particular, I felt drawn out every time the narrator made some comment about how withdrawn and fearful she was. I can't actually place why this made me stop every time I would read these bits - perhaps it was the undercurrent of what wasn't said, things that become clearer as the story goes along. As far as stories about abuse and not fitting in go, this one is was relatively mild, even with the undercurrents, but rather well handled. I found the treatment of the older Shannon was dealt with much better, even if the resolution in the end wasn't all sunshine and roses. I appreciated that much more than the happy ending, though.
sweetpeppah's review against another edition
4.0
brilliant! in both the sense of being cleverly crafted and also the sense of shiny and sharp. she puts a ton of emotion into very crisp descriptions of characters and events. it's written in an immediate and blunt first person. half of the narrative voice evolves as a foster child grows from toddler to school age to teen, and the other half is told in her voice ("my mother") but with the understanding and depth of a much older and experienced person. they weave together perfectly and build suspense as the mother hurtles towards her decision to abandon her child. I also love the details of the city of Victoria and Vancouver, BC and especially the town of Sooke(which is where we spent all our family vacations). loved it, both story and craft.
sjklass's review against another edition
4.0
"Y. That perfect letter. The wishbone, fork in the road, empty wineglass. The question we ask over and over. Why?" Why was she abandoned,as an hours old newborn, on the front steps of the Y-MCA? An unsentimental novel chronicling Shannon's life in foster care and as a teenager and her search for her birth parents, interspersed with chapters of Yula and Harrison's life leading up to the birth of the abandoned protagonist. Set in downtown Victoria, BC, I found myself looking up the locations on Google maps but it was the characters Miranda and Lydia Rose, Quinn and Vaughn that made the book come alive. Fantastic! Can't wait to read this gifted writer's next book! When Marjorie, when?