How I wanted to like LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS more than I did! This was such a good insight into a 15-year-old girls mindset, but alas, a distinct lack of plot and, subsequently, a complete inattention to pacing meant that I did not enjoy this as much as I had wanted to.
I very much appreciated that LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS acknowledged the fact that 15-year-old girls dont think about guys all the time; that, in fact, 15-year-old girls are in that great Land of Potential where all of their realizations about life and relationships are insightful and significant. Amelia, while a little bland in personality in my opinion, was nevertheless a smart girl, interested and opinionated in a variety of topics from the outcomes of Victorian novels to modern feminism. While her thoughts certainly cannot match the breadth and depth of university-educated students, I liked that it showed she had the potential to be a conscientious and creative older person, even when I didnt like how unhealthily obsessed she was with Chris.
Alternating sections featuring long parts of Chris journal provided a necessary look into Chris and revealed a confused and empathic depth to him that Amelias worshipful descriptions of him could not. Like Amelia, Chris, too, will grow into a great adult, well read and thoughtful and devoted. The parts of this book that resonated particularly with me were when Chris and Amelia talked about family dynamics, how you can hate and love them at the same time, and how much control you really have over their contentedness.
I suppose that my lukewarm feelings toward this book were a matter of personal taste. Buzo really knows her characters and their mindsets at their particular ages. Whether its because I thought about different things at their ages or because I think about different things now, I finished LOVE AND PERISHABLE ITEMS with an approving nod but not much more.
I very much appreciated that LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS acknowledged the fact that 15-year-old girls dont think about guys all the time; that, in fact, 15-year-old girls are in that great Land of Potential where all of their realizations about life and relationships are insightful and significant. Amelia, while a little bland in personality in my opinion, was nevertheless a smart girl, interested and opinionated in a variety of topics from the outcomes of Victorian novels to modern feminism. While her thoughts certainly cannot match the breadth and depth of university-educated students, I liked that it showed she had the potential to be a conscientious and creative older person, even when I didnt like how unhealthily obsessed she was with Chris.
Alternating sections featuring long parts of Chris journal provided a necessary look into Chris and revealed a confused and empathic depth to him that Amelias worshipful descriptions of him could not. Like Amelia, Chris, too, will grow into a great adult, well read and thoughtful and devoted. The parts of this book that resonated particularly with me were when Chris and Amelia talked about family dynamics, how you can hate and love them at the same time, and how much control you really have over their contentedness.
I suppose that my lukewarm feelings toward this book were a matter of personal taste. Buzo really knows her characters and their mindsets at their particular ages. Whether its because I thought about different things at their ages or because I think about different things now, I finished LOVE AND PERISHABLE ITEMS with an approving nod but not much more.
