A novel about a novelist that’s short on plot but long on character development.
In Clark’s (Monsignor, 2014) latest work of fiction, a college senior defies his parents in his quest to write the next Great American Novel.
Robin, an English literature major in his senior year at Cornell University, knows that his mother, Elaine, and his father, a history professor nicknamed “The Blade” for his sharp intellect and cutting put-downs, expect him to continue on to graduate school and a career in academia. Robin has different plans, hoping to travel and work menial jobs while writing a novel, which only exacerbates his contentious relationship with The Blade. Two experiences in the academic world have only strengthened his resolve: a pretentious faculty dinner with his father’s peers, and a high school class in which the students discussed King Lear. Both scenes feel unnecessarily long in portraying the tedium Robin feels, and the latter scene’s young students curiously have the same verbosity as The Blade’s associates (barring their overindulgence in the word “like”). As Robin deals with burnout, breakups, writer’s block, and continued clashes with his father, he struggles to write through graduation; later, he waits tables and meets oddball characters. Clark has crafted a multilayered protagonist in Robin, who, despite being self-interested and judgmental, is also incredibly sincere. The character has an ambitiousness and spirit of youthful rebellion that’s impossible not to like, especially given the onerous presence of The Blade. The novel resists straightforward plot in the same way that its protagonist resists his parentally ordained destiny, and it uses its considerable length to explore its characters. To that end, it often uses Robin’s own writings, including his winter-break diary and an extensive term paper on Romeo and Juliet. Although these sections shine light on Robin’s character, the author could have accomplished that goal with greater thrift. Overall, the novel goes to exhaustive lengths to familiarize readers with new characters, but it too often discards them afterward. This is perhaps most egregious during a scene at a party, late in the novel, which brims with hipsters, intellectuals, and artists; in it, the author meticulously explores each of the characters’ backgrounds with little consequence, as they barely interact with Robin at all.
A novel about a novelist that’s short on plot but long on character development.Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5119-8521-5
Page Count: 750
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: March 20, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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