Helpful Score: 9
What do you do when you hear Judy Blume has written a novel for adults? Get it and read it!
I was absolutely blown away by the subject matter in the book. Captivated by the title and the connection it has to the history of the Newark, NJ airport, I of course dug a little deeper and researched the actual events. Three plane crashes in under 2 months at the same airport! Unbelievable, but true. How Judy wove the fictional into the actual is pure magic.
The disasters no doubt affected hundreds if not thousands of people and how it affected those in Elizabeth New Jersey is where the artistry of Ms. Blume shines through. Miri and Natalie are the best of friends, inseparable until the first plane crash which starts a downward spiral in their friendship that no one saw coming and no one could prevent.
There are so many characters that I actually made a family tree and a cast of characters on a separate piece of paper just to keep track of who is who. Each person added to the overall story and being able to refer to my notes made it a lot easier for me.
I would have to say that while this is touted as an adult book, it would very easily fit in to the young adult category as well.
Congrats Judy Blume, you have another successful book on your hands.
I was absolutely blown away by the subject matter in the book. Captivated by the title and the connection it has to the history of the Newark, NJ airport, I of course dug a little deeper and researched the actual events. Three plane crashes in under 2 months at the same airport! Unbelievable, but true. How Judy wove the fictional into the actual is pure magic.
The disasters no doubt affected hundreds if not thousands of people and how it affected those in Elizabeth New Jersey is where the artistry of Ms. Blume shines through. Miri and Natalie are the best of friends, inseparable until the first plane crash which starts a downward spiral in their friendship that no one saw coming and no one could prevent.
There are so many characters that I actually made a family tree and a cast of characters on a separate piece of paper just to keep track of who is who. Each person added to the overall story and being able to refer to my notes made it a lot easier for me.
I would have to say that while this is touted as an adult book, it would very easily fit in to the young adult category as well.
Congrats Judy Blume, you have another successful book on your hands.
Helpful Score: 4
In the early 1950's the residents of Elizabeth were terrorized when not one, not two, but three planes crashed in their community. The legendary author, Judy Blume,used these events to inspire her story of multiple generations trying to come to terms with these events, while still going on with the struggles of their everyday lives.
The lives of these characters would be a good story on their own. Miri is a fifteen year old daughter of a single mother experiencing her first love and finally learning the mystery of her father. Meanwhile the people around her have secrets of their own from unhappy marriages to secret loves. When these events are added to the dramatic world events of the plane crashes, the Korean Conflict and McCarthyism, the story becomes great. Blume really shows how a community would be affected when the world thinks of them as "Plane Crash City". The adults try to protect the youth, but it's all they can think/talk about; speculating conspiracies ranging from aliens to communists. I highly recommend this book, just don't read it right before a plane trip.
The lives of these characters would be a good story on their own. Miri is a fifteen year old daughter of a single mother experiencing her first love and finally learning the mystery of her father. Meanwhile the people around her have secrets of their own from unhappy marriages to secret loves. When these events are added to the dramatic world events of the plane crashes, the Korean Conflict and McCarthyism, the story becomes great. Blume really shows how a community would be affected when the world thinks of them as "Plane Crash City". The adults try to protect the youth, but it's all they can think/talk about; speculating conspiracies ranging from aliens to communists. I highly recommend this book, just don't read it right before a plane trip.
