chewireads's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
ennabananaz's review against another edition
2.0
It has been quite some time since I have read this. However I still remember that I was not a fan of the writing and just did not like the way the main character spoke and the overall vibe.
lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting concept poorly executed. The assignment, one of those creative writing start-of-year ones, is to write a letter to a dead person. Laurel, reeling from her sister's death and mother's move to California (not to mention living one week with her father, another week with her mother's sister) decides to write to Kurt Cobain, her sister's favorite singer.
Soon she's writing to Amy Winehouse, Judy Garland and others. See what I mean about interesting? The poorly executed part is that the letters don't work as well as they could. First, letters shouldn't be filled with dialog between characters, they should be narrative or with minimal dialog. No teen writes pages of dialog in a letter. Second, there's a clunkiness when Laurel writes exposition about the person to whom she's writing - rather than asking how Judy Garland felt about her name change and being forced to support her family, she writes that it happened. Or she tells Kurt Cobain the facts of his life, which one would suppose he already knew. I get why the exposition needed to happen, but it could have been more gracefully written.
ARC provided by publisher.
Soon she's writing to Amy Winehouse, Judy Garland and others. See what I mean about interesting? The poorly executed part is that the letters don't work as well as they could. First, letters shouldn't be filled with dialog between characters, they should be narrative or with minimal dialog. No teen writes pages of dialog in a letter. Second, there's a clunkiness when Laurel writes exposition about the person to whom she's writing - rather than asking how Judy Garland felt about her name change and being forced to support her family, she writes that it happened. Or she tells Kurt Cobain the facts of his life, which one would suppose he already knew. I get why the exposition needed to happen, but it could have been more gracefully written.
ARC provided by publisher.
sapphosgirlfriend's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book so much. This book only contains letters to famous dead persons. However, it wasn't boring at all, it was more like a story told using letters. It is a coming-of-age novel and I found it to be very well written. It didn't make me cry, but then again: I almost never cry so that's okay.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for fantasy and sci-fi stories but this story actually taught me stuff and made me care about the main character more than any science fiction ever could. There are loads of great quotes and if I grow up to be half the girl she is, I'll be happy.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for fantasy and sci-fi stories but this story actually taught me stuff and made me care about the main character more than any science fiction ever could. There are loads of great quotes and if I grow up to be half the girl she is, I'll be happy.
alomond433's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
franuary's review against another edition
3.0
Shattered by the death of her sister May, Laurel is unable to discuss her grief. That is, until she received an assignment asking her to write a letter to a dead person. Laurel writes dozens of letters to deceased stars, many of whom lived troubled lives. Through this letter writing, Laurel finds an outlet to process her emotions concerning her sister’s tragic death as well as the strength to finally open up to those close to her.
I loved the concept of an epistolary novel written to the dead, and Love Letters to the Dead was beautifully written and moving. There are fantastic moments in this novel; I especially loved Hannah and Natalie’s side story (they should have a book of their own). However, I had a few issues which detracted from the believability of the story. First, Laurel often writes biographical details within her letters about the lives of the people to whom she’s writing, but this exposition does not make sense within the context of the letter (Laurel wouldn’t need to tell River Phoenix about his own childhood, for example). This feels inauthentic and pulled me out of the narrative each time it happened; it comes off as the author trying to educate the reader about the life of the recipient.
Additionally, the former stars to which Laurel writes follow no discernable thread; I felt that the narrative would be stronger if each had a self-destructive streak, or died under mysterious circumstances so that the reader could believe that Laurel had chosen these celebrities due to their similarity to May. Why Laurel would reach out to some of these celebrities truly baffles the mind: many would resonate with modern teens (Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Heath Ledger), but many others are incredibly dated, and it defied belief that a teen would choose to write to any of them (Judy Garland, Elizabeth Bishop, John Keats, the voice of Mr. Ed). Descriptions of fashion are similarly old-fashioned (there’s a scene that revolves around Laurel’s lavender-colored velvet shirt, not a popular look at any point in the last decade). I was sure that the story took place in the mid 90’s until Amy Winehouse was mentioned.
Due to these issues, I worry that teens may have a difficult time identifying with Laurel. This is a shame because Laurel’s story, once she finally opens up, is interesting and relatable. Love Letters to the Dead may not be a book that all teens will understand, but teens undergoing loss in their own lives would benefit from this story of how Laurel handles, and eventually overcomes, her grief.
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and to NetGalley for the advance copy!
I loved the concept of an epistolary novel written to the dead, and Love Letters to the Dead was beautifully written and moving. There are fantastic moments in this novel; I especially loved Hannah and Natalie’s side story (they should have a book of their own). However, I had a few issues which detracted from the believability of the story. First, Laurel often writes biographical details within her letters about the lives of the people to whom she’s writing, but this exposition does not make sense within the context of the letter (Laurel wouldn’t need to tell River Phoenix about his own childhood, for example). This feels inauthentic and pulled me out of the narrative each time it happened; it comes off as the author trying to educate the reader about the life of the recipient.
Additionally, the former stars to which Laurel writes follow no discernable thread; I felt that the narrative would be stronger if each had a self-destructive streak, or died under mysterious circumstances so that the reader could believe that Laurel had chosen these celebrities due to their similarity to May. Why Laurel would reach out to some of these celebrities truly baffles the mind: many would resonate with modern teens (Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Heath Ledger), but many others are incredibly dated, and it defied belief that a teen would choose to write to any of them (Judy Garland, Elizabeth Bishop, John Keats, the voice of Mr. Ed). Descriptions of fashion are similarly old-fashioned (there’s a scene that revolves around Laurel’s lavender-colored velvet shirt, not a popular look at any point in the last decade). I was sure that the story took place in the mid 90’s until Amy Winehouse was mentioned.
Due to these issues, I worry that teens may have a difficult time identifying with Laurel. This is a shame because Laurel’s story, once she finally opens up, is interesting and relatable. Love Letters to the Dead may not be a book that all teens will understand, but teens undergoing loss in their own lives would benefit from this story of how Laurel handles, and eventually overcomes, her grief.
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and to NetGalley for the advance copy!
bhender3's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
marietheresle's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
lindacbugg's review against another edition
4.0