A review by juliaogden
Unforgettable by Loretta Ellsworth
2.0
I loved the Gatsby parallels (though as an English teacher, I think 9th grade is pushing it for most kids--even 11th graders struggle with the book).
I'm not sure I ever got a real feel for who Baxter is. His voice wasn't very strong. Yet Fitzgerald was criticized in his day for his characterization of Gatsby for much the same reason, and Baxter sees himself as a Gatsby parallel...
I loved all the plot ideas in this book, but the writing didn't always do them justice.
As an adult who reads a lot of YA, I'm always on the look-out for fleshed-out adult characters...this book had opportunities, but the grown-ups were pretty flat.
I'm not sure I ever got a real feel for who Baxter is. His voice wasn't very strong. Yet Fitzgerald was criticized in his day for his characterization of Gatsby for much the same reason, and Baxter sees himself as a Gatsby parallel...
I loved all the plot ideas in this book, but the writing didn't always do them justice.
As an adult who reads a lot of YA, I'm always on the look-out for fleshed-out adult characters...this book had opportunities, but the grown-ups were pretty flat.