by Cynthia Voigt ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1986
Izzy, a nice 15-year-old in the best sense of that overused word, restructures her life after losing a leg in an automobile accident. There's nothing like trauma for sorting out true friends. Izzy's happy pre-accident world turns out to have been largely surface: the date whose drunken spree caused the accident never bothers to apologize; her best friends pay perfunctory visits but are obviously preoccupied with their own activities; her younger sister is jealous of the attention she's getting; even her parents, who at first seem ideally loving, supportive, and equipped with a good sense of humor, are so in the habit of concealing emotion and teaching their children to keep a stiff upper lip that they fail to realize Izzy's grief. Fortunately, help comes from a new friend: tactless, ebullient Rosamunde, who is bright and caring enough to imagine not only Izzy's physical struggles but her hidden emotions, and persistent enough to make friends. Voigt has a gift for writing books that are impossible to put down, not because of breathtaking plots but because her characters so involve the reader in their inner lives. This is a penetrating look at some real people. Izzy is a winner.
Pub Date: April 1, 1986
ISBN: 1416903402
Page Count: 344
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1986
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by Cynthia Voigt ; illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins
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by Cynthia Voigt ; illustrated by Paola Zakimi
by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2013
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
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SEEN & HEARD
by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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