A review by bykaitrose
The Life of Glass by Jillian Cantor
4.0
The Life Of Glass is Jillian Cantor's second novel and after reading this one I seriously need to check out the first. The Life Of Glass took a little getting into but once I did the writing and the story just blew me away.
Melissa McCallister is starting high school. For most people it's a time of nerves but also of excitement. Not for Melissa. For her it's all nerves. It's been a year since her father died and she still hasn't really moved on with her life. She has one real friend, Ryan, and high school, not to mention the people in it, seem to be tearing them apart. Melissa's older sister is no help being the beauty queen that she is and now that her mom is dating someone, Melissa has nobody to turn to. When a mysterious person from her dad's past shows up, Melissa focuses on that but if she continues to focus solely on the past how will she ever learn to live?
At first, I didn't like Melissa. She is 14 years old but at the beginning of the book she acted much younger. She seemed kind of whiny and self-absorbed but she did some growing throughout the book and I began to like her. Her older sister, Ashley, was another matter. She was very selfish and she didn't grow out of that but she did grow in some other ways. By the end of the book she was tolerable. Ryan was another person I didn't like for most of the book but that was only because of the things he did. Otherwise he seemed to be a good person and I liked him much more by the end. There were other characters with important roles but these three were my favorites.
The Life Of Glass was a bit sad. Any book having to deal with death is going to be sad but this one wasn't too bad. It didn't focus overly much on the death of Melissa's father but just enough to show how it changed the lives of every member of the family. It was sad but it also showed how love can help you move on with your life while never forgetting the past.
Overall, The Life Of Glass was a truly beautiful story that is good for people of all ages, not just teens. If you haven't read it, check it out. I will definitely be buying a finished copy once it hits shelves. I can't wait to get a copy of The September Sisters too so I can see how much I love that one. =]
Melissa McCallister is starting high school. For most people it's a time of nerves but also of excitement. Not for Melissa. For her it's all nerves. It's been a year since her father died and she still hasn't really moved on with her life. She has one real friend, Ryan, and high school, not to mention the people in it, seem to be tearing them apart. Melissa's older sister is no help being the beauty queen that she is and now that her mom is dating someone, Melissa has nobody to turn to. When a mysterious person from her dad's past shows up, Melissa focuses on that but if she continues to focus solely on the past how will she ever learn to live?
At first, I didn't like Melissa. She is 14 years old but at the beginning of the book she acted much younger. She seemed kind of whiny and self-absorbed but she did some growing throughout the book and I began to like her. Her older sister, Ashley, was another matter. She was very selfish and she didn't grow out of that but she did grow in some other ways. By the end of the book she was tolerable. Ryan was another person I didn't like for most of the book but that was only because of the things he did. Otherwise he seemed to be a good person and I liked him much more by the end. There were other characters with important roles but these three were my favorites.
The Life Of Glass was a bit sad. Any book having to deal with death is going to be sad but this one wasn't too bad. It didn't focus overly much on the death of Melissa's father but just enough to show how it changed the lives of every member of the family. It was sad but it also showed how love can help you move on with your life while never forgetting the past.
Overall, The Life Of Glass was a truly beautiful story that is good for people of all ages, not just teens. If you haven't read it, check it out. I will definitely be buying a finished copy once it hits shelves. I can't wait to get a copy of The September Sisters too so I can see how much I love that one. =]