notlikethebeer's review
4.0
Echoing a lot of the other reviews here to say that this is not action-packed, nor does it really follow the 'normal' story curve with a climax and a resolution. Instead it's a meditative, reflective work that unfurls slowly, like the petals on a flower. It's a journey through identity and family; a look at motherhood and the choices we make; love, loss and the loss of love. Told through gorgeous prose, this is a stand-out novel.
kateleos's review
I quit this out of spite - it was non-engaging enough that I forgot I was reading it and left it at home, which means I forgot my bus pass, which means I had to go back and was therefore very late to work. So there.
gabieowleyess's review
3.0
3.5 stars. This book read very differently then I thought it would be from the summary. I thought it was going to be a story about a girl and her boyfriend struggling over what to do with their unborn child, but it was very far from that. It was about a young pregnant girl, who is shipped to Spain and ends up falling in love with the land. The formatting of some of the dialogue kind of put me off, but I did enjoy the book.
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lis_ellie_'s review
4.0
i loved this book!! so much!! thanks to gray marie for convincing me to read this in one quick post - I read it in 2.5 hours as soon as I got my hands on it.
// we need more books set abroad (aka NOT in the usa) and this one really delivers!!
// SPAIN guys
// though she doesn't go traveling much, you can really really feel the different atmosphere, the vibe, the setting - IT'S ALIVE, IT'S VIVID, IT'S TANGIBLE.
// love how the Spanish English was written, I could hear it in my head
// bulls, horses, gypsies, oranges, a tree house
// learning to cook!! LOVE THIS SUBPLOT SO MUCH.
// lovely little pet birds
// a camcorder (she likes making films)
// the style was gorgeous!! it was a YA book and yet didn't sound like the standard YA voice at all
// loved the main character - she feels so much like a character I'd write XD
// loved all the characters she met in Spain
// really found it well done how it started with her arriving in Seville, and the whole preceding, backstory is told in vivid flashback
// Estela and Esteban <33
// the character growth and development was so subtle and beautiful
// I really appreciate how it handled the teen pregnancy issue
to quote the dust jacket,
"Small Damages is Spain alive. It is hearts broken and healed. It is heat and color and soul."
I recommend really much!!
// 4.5 stars
ps if you want extra incentive you can read gray's review here
// we need more books set abroad (aka NOT in the usa) and this one really delivers!!
// SPAIN guys
// though she doesn't go traveling much, you can really really feel the different atmosphere, the vibe, the setting - IT'S ALIVE, IT'S VIVID, IT'S TANGIBLE.
// love how the Spanish English was written, I could hear it in my head
// bulls, horses, gypsies, oranges, a tree house
// learning to cook!! LOVE THIS SUBPLOT SO MUCH.
// lovely little pet birds
// a camcorder (she likes making films)
// the style was gorgeous!! it was a YA book and yet didn't sound like the standard YA voice at all
// loved the main character - she feels so much like a character I'd write XD
// loved all the characters she met in Spain
// really found it well done how it started with her arriving in Seville, and the whole preceding, backstory is told in vivid flashback
// Estela and Esteban <33
// the character growth and development was so subtle and beautiful
// I really appreciate how it handled the teen pregnancy issue
to quote the dust jacket,
"Small Damages is Spain alive. It is hearts broken and healed. It is heat and color and soul."
I recommend really much!!
// 4.5 stars
ps if you want extra incentive you can read gray's review here
vivianhester's review against another edition
4.0
Heerlijk boek, beetje voorspelbaar en cliché hier en daar maar verder erg fijn geschreven en een mooi verhaal. Van genoten! Recensie: http://thebookreview.nl/recensies/romans/de-geur-van-sinaasappels-beth-kephart/
libkatem's review
4.0
I really have a thing for small, beautiful, delicate, devastating stories. Kenzie is an 18 year old who, after the sudden death of her father, turns to her closet friend for support. She feels so isolated, and Kevin is there for her... until she ends up pregnant.
Her mother ships Kenzie off to Spain to have the baby and give it up for adoption. Kenzie, meanwhile, is falling in love with the life inside of her.
It's a bit of an old fashioned idea, sending your daughter away to have her baby in secret. But it's these secrets that allow her to connect with the people around her, who have secrets of their own.
Kephart has a deep love of Spain, and there's a bit of Hemingway's Lost Generation that shines through. I was completely entranced by Kenzie's journeys.
Her mother ships Kenzie off to Spain to have the baby and give it up for adoption. Kenzie, meanwhile, is falling in love with the life inside of her.
It's a bit of an old fashioned idea, sending your daughter away to have her baby in secret. But it's these secrets that allow her to connect with the people around her, who have secrets of their own.
Kephart has a deep love of Spain, and there's a bit of Hemingway's Lost Generation that shines through. I was completely entranced by Kenzie's journeys.
whyteal's review
4.0
For a lot of the book I was confused as to where it was going, but it all made sense in the final pages.
Lovely, fluid writing.
Lovely, fluid writing.