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midwifereading's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it. I almost put it down, because the beginning chapters are so very depressing and heavy. The focus is on Shelby Richmond, who was driving with her best friend at 17, and got into an accident that put her friend into a somewhat vegetative state, never to recover. At the beginning of the book, she's a walking ball of despair and trauma 2 years after the accident.
By the end, she has come into some cautious hope again, slowly, imperfectly, and with the kind of help we all know -- community. People who accept her and walk with her even through some pretty major mistakes. She learns, grows, changes, and moves forward. I only wish there were illustrations of the postcards...(read it and find out)
It's a solid character-centered story, rather than being plot-driven. It's not particularly deep, but it feels close and familiar. Shelby's growth feels natural, not forced, and is much closer to reality than many similar stories.
NOTES: There is more language than I would have liked, but it's realistic, not gratuitous, and is used well in context. It's not there just to be there. There is also sexual assault in the early chapters. Again -- not gratuitous, and is treated like the horrendous act that it is. But you need to know if you pick it up.
By the end, she has come into some cautious hope again, slowly, imperfectly, and with the kind of help we all know -- community. People who accept her and walk with her even through some pretty major mistakes. She learns, grows, changes, and moves forward. I only wish there were illustrations of the postcards...(read it and find out)
It's a solid character-centered story, rather than being plot-driven. It's not particularly deep, but it feels close and familiar. Shelby's growth feels natural, not forced, and is much closer to reality than many similar stories.
NOTES: There is more language than I would have liked, but it's realistic, not gratuitous, and is used well in context. It's not there just to be there. There is also sexual assault in the early chapters. Again -- not gratuitous, and is treated like the horrendous act that it is. But you need to know if you pick it up.
megn317's review against another edition
4.0
At first I thought this book was going to be too somber for me. And I started not to like the main character but as time went on and I kept reading I started rooting for her. Loved how it ended. Second chances are important.
books_yarn_and_the_moon's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
5.0
Alice Hoffman is the queen, I've never read something of hers I haven't loved.
ktswings's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed watching Shelby's ebbs & peaks of wearing her guilt, and Hoffman's portrayal of how we accept the love we don't think we deserve. I loved all the supporting characters.
When I lost my mom, I said how alone I felt because the person who loved me best no longer existed, seeing those lines were my own cardinal in the backyard.
When I lost my mom, I said how alone I felt because the person who loved me best no longer existed, seeing those lines were my own cardinal in the backyard.
abaugher's review against another edition
5.0
another enjoyable hoffman read, with deep feelings hidden beneath mundane actions, and reading between the lines about what characters might be experiencing. Hoffman does a great job of taking her characters from their lowest level and gradually healing them into stronger people. one of the many things I like about her.
tarawe's review against another edition
5.0
I started off not having a hard time getting into the book (audiobook) but as Shelby matures through the story, I found myself having a hard time turning the book off.
shareen17's review against another edition
3.0
A teenage girl is driving a car when it slides on the ice and wrecks, severely disabling her best friend. Her life takes a very dark turn from this point. This book is both about how her guilt upends her life and how she eventually rebuilds. The relationship between the girl and her mother is really realistically and beautifully portrayed. I also liked how she is eventually - years later - able to build a meaningful life, even though it is quite different than how she pictured her life going before the accident.
trichinas's review against another edition
4.0
The Helene aspect of this should have been developed more.
tstanley's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
itskatehill's review against another edition
4.0
Beautifully written book. It's hard to write a review after just having finished it because I feel as though I'm still digesting, but it was a beautiful picture of grief, and what can come out of it. I related very much to Shelby, and her early life self punishment, and how she was so certain she knew how her life would go, but ended up being delighted to know that the future is wide open. It's such a valuable lesson for all of us.
Somehow Alice Hoffman always ends up writing about love in its various forms, and I couldn't be more grateful for that. It's a nice reminder about what actually matters. There are many roads to finding love, and this is just another example. I've dealt with grief in my life, many times, and a need to control or to think that I knew exactly how my life would play out, and I've been happy to find at times that I was wrong. There is something wonderfully hopeful about Hoffman's writing, that I can always rely on to pick me up when I've fallen down again.
I've read two of her books now, and it seems as though there's no real plot, just characters experiencing their lives. I love her style of writing. I teared up many times, and overall really enjoyed the book.
Somehow Alice Hoffman always ends up writing about love in its various forms, and I couldn't be more grateful for that. It's a nice reminder about what actually matters. There are many roads to finding love, and this is just another example. I've dealt with grief in my life, many times, and a need to control or to think that I knew exactly how my life would play out, and I've been happy to find at times that I was wrong. There is something wonderfully hopeful about Hoffman's writing, that I can always rely on to pick me up when I've fallen down again.
I've read two of her books now, and it seems as though there's no real plot, just characters experiencing their lives. I love her style of writing. I teared up many times, and overall really enjoyed the book.