rapitash's review against another edition
4.0
Oh my goodness. Writing a proper review when I get on a computer.
--
So, it took me a while, but I got to a computer.
But anyway, about the book. Checkers is the story of an unnamed protagonist who has voluntarily checked herself into a psych ward. Written as a way to get her feelings out without sharing them to any of the doctors or psychologists, she recounts memories of her dog, Checkers, as well as the rest of her family and how her life fell apart.
Although a lot of what the character goes through is not quite relatable to most people, her personality is. She has many of the same fears and insecurities that a lot of teenage girls (myself included) have. She was afraid to speak her mind and like things without being judged whether they were 'cool' or not. I posted a few quotes while I was reading and showing its progress, and I feel they were quite brilliant and somewhat relatable.
In drama class, I did a monologue out of a passage from the book in the first chapter. Straight after came my friend's monologue. Prior to reading this, I had no idea they came straight after each other because they seemed so different. It just shows how quickly the girl's train of thought can change and how many things she's dealing with. I read the book wanting to know what exactly I had based my character on drama on and I was just left feeling quite sad.
This book is horrible -- horrible in an amazing way. It was quite heartbreaking, as you begin to piece everything together and begin to understand the mystery surrounding her father's shady business deal and how it connects to her and her dog, Checkers. The ending is heartbreaking especially since you learn about what exactly happened to her family and how she feels about the outside world.
It's a beautifully written book, not extremely long, but long enough to get the point across and break your heart. I enjoyed reading this quite a lot.
--
So, it took me a while, but I got to a computer.
But anyway, about the book. Checkers is the story of an unnamed protagonist who has voluntarily checked herself into a psych ward. Written as a way to get her feelings out without sharing them to any of the doctors or psychologists, she recounts memories of her dog, Checkers, as well as the rest of her family and how her life fell apart.
Although a lot of what the character goes through is not quite relatable to most people, her personality is. She has many of the same fears and insecurities that a lot of teenage girls (myself included) have. She was afraid to speak her mind and like things without being judged whether they were 'cool' or not. I posted a few quotes while I was reading and showing its progress, and I feel they were quite brilliant and somewhat relatable.
In drama class, I did a monologue out of a passage from the book in the first chapter. Straight after came my friend's monologue. Prior to reading this, I had no idea they came straight after each other because they seemed so different. It just shows how quickly the girl's train of thought can change and how many things she's dealing with. I read the book wanting to know what exactly I had based my character on drama on and I was just left feeling quite sad.
This book is horrible -- horrible in an amazing way. It was quite heartbreaking, as you begin to piece everything together and begin to understand the mystery surrounding her father's shady business deal and how it connects to her and her dog, Checkers. The ending is heartbreaking especially since you learn about what exactly happened to her family and how she feels about the outside world.
It's a beautifully written book, not extremely long, but long enough to get the point across and break your heart. I enjoyed reading this quite a lot.
rosa3's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
mackenzierm's review against another edition
2.0
I don't really have much to say about Checkers by John Marsden. I guess I expected more from it than what I got. It was a really short book, but I felt like nothing substantial was ever happening. I found it a tad confusing.. the last 20 pages clarified things somewhat, but I didn't really like the ending.. or the book in general. I'm being a bit generous by giving this book 2 stars, as I am really giving it 1.5 stars.
jetsilver's review against another edition
1.0
This book holds the distinction of being the only one I have ever thrown across the room upon finishing it.
Usually I love Marsden.
Usually I love Marsden.
lizeee's review against another edition
3.0
After finishing this book, I realised that I never knew the name of the girl narrating. I never even questioned it because I felt like I knew her so personally, which honestly freaks me out. That and this girl's face on the cover, which is so intense it makes me feel nauseous.
But wow. Good book.
But wow. Good book.
More...