The Local News
by Miriam Gershow
368 pages
368 pages
About the Book
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWYzIRHq3OGSm8niMWbwFrFydL5FSFMdy_hLL1qlQudzk8QdB8wDtcKAO7iXdvTd-Gnr9nHUbS8kRzhy02pbPy6WToX-e7oRTned1eNpfe6O_DQnsdjwlJLKvmoznwO_vHrMOGX0mWX8/s320/1local.jpg)
My Thoughts
I have mixed feelings about this book. In fact, it has been several days since I finished reading it and I still can’t decide exactly what I want to say about it. To make this easier for me I’m simply going to list my thoughts as they come to me …
- The book is very well written. It moves along at a steady pace, never seeming to drag or feeling choppy anywhere.
- A few of the main characters, specifically Lydia and Lola, are VERY convincing. These girls could be walking the halls of the high school near you right now (well, ok, it is summer right now, but you know what I mean).
- Although the book deals with sad circumstances, I didn’t feel weighted down with sadness as I read. Lydia’s apathy (along with her other issues) allowed me to keep an emotional distance that enabled me to read this book. Without Lydia, I might have struggled with the topics raised. However, looking back on the book now, it is incredibly sad; the family goes into a downhill spiral after Danny’s disappearance and it is painful to watch in retrospect.
- I really didn’t like any of the characters. This is my biggest complaint about the book and the reason that I’m struggling so much to review it. Yes, Lola was a sweet girl, but I still didn’t like her much. Danny’s friends were all super-macho jocks. Lydia … well, she is unique to be sure, but I didn’t really LIKE her either.
- The book comes to a somewhat abrupt ending. There is some resolution to the issues raised at Lydia’s 10-year reunion but then the book just stops. Period. I’m not a big fan of that type of ending.
Other Opinions
Since I'm somewhat ambivalent about this book I figure I'd share with you what other bloggers are saying. Most of them seem to really like it, so I guess I'm in the minority here ...
- A recent guest post ReadingGroupGuides praised this book saying, "The story is a page-turner with a quality reminiscent of Jodi Picoult's ability to explore complicated dilemmas without attempting anything so trite as solving the problem." (Maybe that is part of my problem- I'm not a big Picoult fan!)
- Books on the Brain says, "I loved this book and couldn't put it down."
- Redlady's Reading Room calls it "haunting and compelling."
- Peeking Between the Pages actually liked the ending. She says, "The end of the novel brings things together nicely as it takes us to Lydia as an adult attending a school reunion and coming to terms with who she is, what she wants and what the disappearance of her brother has done to her life and her."
- She Reads and Reads thought she wouldn't like but ended up really getting into Lydia's character.
- Lit and Life thought the author really captured teen angst.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHR4vR-Eh8Gp2FbeMEEh4odA71sRXD9LnTa2JkgNZmYXANJmgDsZvHKFyWX1aV96jaYEa4x6QpM7gualSGKgL5vwz9ON84tQSyGQAhYTKCpBnZ_wBvlqaIUMGeXc-0_JmURlzBqm-aXyk/s320/tlc+tour+host.png)
Thank you to TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to review this book.
11 comments:
Well, it sounds like the book made you think, so it can't be too bad.
The reviews we have to write about the books we have mixed feelings about are always the hardest for me. You did a good job getting across the positives and your points of contention, Heather.
This one does sound interesting, but abrupt ends are frustrating.
--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric
bermudaonion - It wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't the right book for me.
Literary Feline - Thanks. I was hoping to not be too negative, b/c as I said above, it wasn't a bad book.
Anna - True. But I linked to Peeking Between the Pages's review in my post, and she thought it ended well, with just the right closure ... to each their own, I guess!
I had some mixed feelings about this book too, although in the end I think I enjoyed it more than you did. Feel free to check out my review! (I also linked to yours.)
avisannschild - Thanks for the link, I added it to my post. I'm glad that you enjoyed this one - it sounds like you really identified with Lydia for a while there.
I know EXACTLY what you mean about some books ending too abruptly and you go aaaaaaagggghhhhh, and others end abruptly and you say cool ending.
I think it depends on the book. Personally, I loved the ending of Edgar Sawtelle, while others hated it. I think it all has to do with how vividly I'm imagining a book and can continue to visualize the end. Which is related to how well the author drew me into the book.
Thanks for the link!
softdrink - good point ... I'll have to think more about that.
Erika - you're welcome.
I was like you with mixed emotions on this book. I think Gershow did a great job channeling the teen sensibility. But I didn't like the ending either. Here's my review:
http://litandlife.blogspot.com/2009/06/local-news.html
Lit and Life - Thanks, I added yours in. :)
Post a Comment