To an extent, I can understand why THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE is one of the most highly praised books of 2010. The poetry and the way it makes the characters seem to ache with loveliness.Its easy to be hypnotized by what the book presents. But I seem to be one of just a handful for whom this book did not work.
Good things first. Nelsons writing really is a work of art. She effortlessly twists words, emotions, and descriptions that are so common in YA lit theyre practically cliché into ribbons of beauty that you just want to remember forever. After all, how many books about teenage girls grieving after a loved ones death have been written in the past year alone? And then how many have been written by a poet?
However, there was just something about Lennie that had me not connecting with her. I really had to wonder, most of the time that I was reading this, what about her was attractive to not just one, but two guys. Toby and Joe are reasonably well-rounded characters: Joe is a genuinely swoon-worthy musician character, while Tobys angstiness is slightly harder to swallow. But either the love triangle aspect of this book felt contrived to make Lennie more desirable, or else Baileys death feels like a merely convenient premise to work Lennies romantic troubles.
For me, THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE is yet another victim of the assumption that a sympathy-inducing issue can turn a book into a five-star classic. The writing is beautiful, and even the examination of the characters different ways of dealing with grief was good. I just didnt feel a connection to Lennie, and thus, to the rest of the book.
Good things first. Nelsons writing really is a work of art. She effortlessly twists words, emotions, and descriptions that are so common in YA lit theyre practically cliché into ribbons of beauty that you just want to remember forever. After all, how many books about teenage girls grieving after a loved ones death have been written in the past year alone? And then how many have been written by a poet?
However, there was just something about Lennie that had me not connecting with her. I really had to wonder, most of the time that I was reading this, what about her was attractive to not just one, but two guys. Toby and Joe are reasonably well-rounded characters: Joe is a genuinely swoon-worthy musician character, while Tobys angstiness is slightly harder to swallow. But either the love triangle aspect of this book felt contrived to make Lennie more desirable, or else Baileys death feels like a merely convenient premise to work Lennies romantic troubles.
For me, THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE is yet another victim of the assumption that a sympathy-inducing issue can turn a book into a five-star classic. The writing is beautiful, and even the examination of the characters different ways of dealing with grief was good. I just didnt feel a connection to Lennie, and thus, to the rest of the book.
Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
