suvata's review against another edition
3.0
First heard about this book on the What Should I Read Next Podcast Episode 104. Link: http://modernmrsdarcy.com/104-episode/
jackierobinson's review against another edition
4.0
Holy crap the cover of this book is misleading. I thought it was going to be another YA book about another teenager with another "special circumstance".
It was very dark and very sad but also quite beautiful and I really enjoyed it!
It was very dark and very sad but also quite beautiful and I really enjoyed it!
storymi's review against another edition
3.0
Dit boek is eigenlijk één groot misverstand. Iedereen praat langs elkaar heen en het is moeilijk om echt tot de ander door te dringen en elkaar te begrijpen. Daardoor gaat er van alles mis in het verhaal. Net het echte leven af en toe :) Door al die miscommunicatie vond ik het boek wel frustrerend om te lezen. Je ziet het telkens mis gaan.
Tegelijkertijd was het ook een boek dat vlot weg leest en het is spannend welke kant het verhaal opgaat.
Ik vond de oproep waarmee de auteur afsloot, zelf pleegvader van een autistische dochter, wel mooi:
'We hebben doorgaans de neiging om naar de grootste schreeuwers te luisteren. Door al het lawaai zou je makkelijk vergeten dat anderen hun behoeften niet zo makkelijk kenbaar kunnen maken. Sommigen - met name kinderen die geen ouderlijk huis meer hebben en in de zorg belanden - denken vaak dat hun behoeften er helemaal niet toe doen. Als je kijkt naar hun ervaringen in de maatschappij is dat ook geen wonder. Tijdens het schrijven van dit boek hoopte ik dat ik een stem kon geven aan mensen die wellicht niet zo makkelijk voor zichzelf kunnen opkomen, zoals Ginny. Ik hoop ook dat dit boek mensen inspireert om kinderen in de pleegzorg te helpen."
Tegelijkertijd was het ook een boek dat vlot weg leest en het is spannend welke kant het verhaal opgaat.
Ik vond de oproep waarmee de auteur afsloot, zelf pleegvader van een autistische dochter, wel mooi:
'We hebben doorgaans de neiging om naar de grootste schreeuwers te luisteren. Door al het lawaai zou je makkelijk vergeten dat anderen hun behoeften niet zo makkelijk kenbaar kunnen maken. Sommigen - met name kinderen die geen ouderlijk huis meer hebben en in de zorg belanden - denken vaak dat hun behoeften er helemaal niet toe doen. Als je kijkt naar hun ervaringen in de maatschappij is dat ook geen wonder. Tijdens het schrijven van dit boek hoopte ik dat ik een stem kon geven aan mensen die wellicht niet zo makkelijk voor zichzelf kunnen opkomen, zoals Ginny. Ik hoop ook dat dit boek mensen inspireert om kinderen in de pleegzorg te helpen."
megklaughtland's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
msanawith1n's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
nglofile's review against another edition
4.0
It's been a while since a book has yanked my emotions around quite like Ginny Moon. I was charmed. I was annoyed. Saddened. Exasperated. Angry. Captivated. Hopeful. Really, really angry. Mollified. Unsettled.
What to do with a book like this? Give it all sorts of credit, and think about it for days.
Though the writing occasionally veers into the manipulative and unpolished, there is no arguing that Ginny is given a distinct voice. Admittedly, it can also be a bit trying not to be able to step out of her intransigence, but we as readers desperately want Ginny to be OK and that perseverance is (mostly) rewarded. Hearing the story in Ginny's authentic POV – and whether people listen – both swells and cracks our hearts, and that is an experience worth having.
Patrice is an angel and a lovely presence both for Ginny and for us. On the other hand, Maura
The ending is...complicated.
I'd previously posted a bit of a rant about the Booklist review that gave away too much. It isn't an end-of-book spoiler, but it does change the frame of the reader for many early chapters. I stand behind my shaming of them.
audiobook note: Em Eldridge is a marvelous match for this work. Her ability to maintain a girlish voice while representing the overly literal and unintentionally funny Ginny is a strength of this production. Early in the book I'd considered switching to print because her lifelike portrayal was adding to the emotional weight I wasn't certain I could bear. Then it occurred to me: that's as it should be. Ginny's story should be a careful balance of determination, small pleasures, isolation, quirk, and tenacity, and it takes skill to voice all those aspects in a way that endears Ginny as a real girl.
What to do with a book like this? Give it all sorts of credit, and think about it for days.
Though the writing occasionally veers into the manipulative and unpolished, there is no arguing that Ginny is given a distinct voice. Admittedly, it can also be a bit trying not to be able to step out of her intransigence, but we as readers desperately want Ginny to be OK and that perseverance is (mostly) rewarded. Hearing the story in Ginny's authentic POV – and whether people listen – both swells and cracks our hearts, and that is an experience worth having.
Patrice is an angel and a lovely presence both for Ginny and for us. On the other hand, Maura
Spoiler
was the absolute worst. I just couldn't with her. Yes, she's a new mother and has some reason for her paranoia, but her actions make no sense. There were many possible ways to gently address and grow the Ginny-Wendy dynamic without causing harm. Her freakouts and desire to eject Ginny when she'd previously made a "forever" commitment were indefensible. Some may take issue with the fact I complain about Maura over Gloria, but Gloria is a train wreck I can understand. Somehow we're supposed to make allowances for Maura, but they are too extreme.The ending is...complicated.
I'd previously posted a bit of a rant about the Booklist review that gave away too much. It isn't an end-of-book spoiler, but it does change the frame of the reader for many early chapters. I stand behind my shaming of them.
audiobook note: Em Eldridge is a marvelous match for this work. Her ability to maintain a girlish voice while representing the overly literal and unintentionally funny Ginny is a strength of this production. Early in the book I'd considered switching to print because her lifelike portrayal was adding to the emotional weight I wasn't certain I could bear. Then it occurred to me: that's as it should be. Ginny's story should be a careful balance of determination, small pleasures, isolation, quirk, and tenacity, and it takes skill to voice all those aspects in a way that endears Ginny as a real girl.
marshmallowbooks's review against another edition
I did not finish listening to this book, and I will say upfront that says more about me than about the book.
Commendations, first, for representations of autism and the reality it is in the lives of many. It's an important topic for more people to be aware of, along with the other harsh truths Ginny has had to face in her life. Things that are not easy to read about by some are far too well-known by others.
Likes: Although I do not have anywhere near to a real-life grasp on autism, what understanding I do have was confirmed by this book: Ginny has rules and habits and phrases and sorts them out in a way that makes very good sense to her. Many of the adults in her life (up to the point I got to) do their best to adapt to and support Ginny's approach to life, and do so with their understanding of her best interests in mind. They do what they can to explain things in ways they hope mean she will be able to understand, and allow her to progress in the world that has so much to offer.
Dislikes: Other reviews mention adults failing Ginny when she could have used their support most, and I did get to the point where I think that must have begun. Past that point, I just wasn't ready to find out what Ginny would do to make things right.
Also, by the time I stopped, I realized I was only about a quarter of the way done with the audiobook, and I thought I was about 2/3 of the way in. I read in other reviews that the book is ~500 pages long, and I wasn't in the mindset to invest that time.
Commendations, first, for representations of autism and the reality it is in the lives of many. It's an important topic for more people to be aware of, along with the other harsh truths Ginny has had to face in her life. Things that are not easy to read about by some are far too well-known by others.
Likes: Although I do not have anywhere near to a real-life grasp on autism, what understanding I do have was confirmed by this book: Ginny has rules and habits and phrases and sorts them out in a way that makes very good sense to her. Many of the adults in her life (up to the point I got to) do their best to adapt to and support Ginny's approach to life, and do so with their understanding of her best interests in mind. They do what they can to explain things in ways they hope mean she will be able to understand, and allow her to progress in the world that has so much to offer.
Dislikes: Other reviews mention adults failing Ginny when she could have used their support most, and I did get to the point where I think that must have begun.
Spoiler
Ginny talks incessantly and passionately about a "baby doll" from her life with her birth mom. Adults in her life do seek to understand, but I feel like they really failed her in their lack of fully exploring the meaning of the baby doll in her life. I caught on immediately that Ginny's "baby doll" was not an actual baby doll. And that adults were not asking the right questions because they felt they already knew all the answers (a sad situation that I'm sure is the case in many child-adult conversations, whether or not autism is a concern). I set up in my mind two possibilities of what "baby doll" might actually be for Ginny. As soon as I found out I was right about one of them, I was done listening.Also, by the time I stopped, I realized I was only about a quarter of the way done with the audiobook, and I thought I was about 2/3 of the way in. I read in other reviews that the book is ~500 pages long, and I wasn't in the mindset to invest that time.
alienrat's review against another edition
3.0
As a story, I thought this was a compelling and addicting read. I could not put the book down.
However, as an autistic person, I thought this book really missed the mark on the autism experience. The author comes from a background of having adopted an autistic child, and through it he shows his frustration and resentment loud and clear through the Forever Parents' actions. This actually made me sympathize with Gloria more than the adoptive parents.
I also felt that Ginny was incredibly infantilized. I did not believe the character to be a realistic 14 year old, and her "simplistic" and literal thought process was contradictory with her deeper thinking patterns scattered throughout the book. I think the author would have done better telling this story in third person, rather than trying to replicate an autistic perspective from a non-autistic voice.
So overall, I give the story 3 stars for being a good narrative that kept me interested, but lacking an authentic autistic perspective.
However, as an autistic person, I thought this book really missed the mark on the autism experience. The author comes from a background of having adopted an autistic child, and through it he shows his frustration and resentment loud and clear through the Forever Parents' actions. This actually made me sympathize with Gloria more than the adoptive parents.
I also felt that Ginny was incredibly infantilized. I did not believe the character to be a realistic 14 year old, and her "simplistic" and literal thought process was contradictory with her deeper thinking patterns scattered throughout the book. I think the author would have done better telling this story in third person, rather than trying to replicate an autistic perspective from a non-autistic voice.
So overall, I give the story 3 stars for being a good narrative that kept me interested, but lacking an authentic autistic perspective.
nithyasrin's review against another edition
4.0
Intense account of how an autistic kid’s brain functions & interacts with others