A Long, Long Sleep [Hardcover]

Anna Sheehan (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 9, 2011

Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss.

Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten sub-basement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now her parents and her first love are long dead, and Rose -- hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire -- is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat.

Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existance, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes -- or be left without any future at all.

Editorial Reviews

Review

It's satisfying to see Rose grow stronger mentally and emotionally, ready to tackle her demons.
Don't count on getting to sleep early once you pick up this book. -- The Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan

"Beautiful and bittersweet, romantic and riveting, with characters I didn't want to leave behind when I reached the end. A LONG, LONG, SLEEP is my absolute favorite kind of book!" --Jaclyn Dolamore, author of Magic Under Glass and Between the Sea and Sky

In this intriguing first novel, Rose Fitzroy, biologically 16 years old, comes out of stasis to discover that her billionaire parents and the world she knew are long dead. Having survived the plague-ridden Dark Times, the Earth is doing quite well, with Rose's father's former company in charge of much of it. This puts Rose--the sickly, shy, and self-hating daughter of overbearing parents--in the unusual position of "waking up to discover she's the sole surviving heiress to an interplanetary empire." Before taking on any responsibilities, Rose simply wants to survive high school, make a few friends, and work on her art. Her plans are swiftly interrupted, though, when a strange, virtually unstoppable creature called a Plastine attempts to assassinate her. Aided by handsome Bren and blue-skinned alien hybrid Otto, schoolmates she develops crushes on, Rose must defeat the assassin, learn to live as an independent adult, and discover why her parents essentially abandoned her in stasis. With well-developed characters, a touch of romance, and a believable future that, for once, is not entirely dystopian, Sheehan's tale should please many readers. Ages 14 up. (Aug.) --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, reviewed on 6/13/2011

From the Author

This book came about when I realized that the world didn't stop when Sleeping Beauty was put to sleep. What would have happened while she slept? She would have had to come to terms with a whole new world the moment she opened her eyes. Once I had that concept, this particular book just fell out of me, almost whole. If only they were all so easy.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (August 9, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763652601
• ISBN-13: 978-0763652609
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 1.2 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (103 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #918,398 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anna Sheehan can be reached at annasheehan.com

To tell of myself:

As Walt Whitman said, "I am large, I contain multitudes!" The epigraph of every writer, really.


I was conceived in northern Alaska, and was born to a bohemian veterinarian mother in a hospital on the shores of Lake Michigan. I endured numerous hellish years of school, and I can say with reasonable veracity that I have forgiven all my teachers and even the poor children who had to figure out how to deal with me.

Instead of a social life, I swam in books. I became a devoted follower of Diana Wynne Jones and Douglas Adams. I studied acting and Shakespeare with the Young Shakespeare Players of Madison, Wisconsin, and it deeply impacted my direction in life. I then discovered historical re-enactment, where I hung about in velvet, idly strumming a harp while men in plastic armor hit each other with sticks. That too was most enlightening. Despite collecting a technical degree in commercial goldsmithing I instead pursued writing as my primary means of unemployment. I moved with my family to a tiny ranch in rural Oregon, where I still live with my daughter, my mother, and assorted Irish Wolfhounds.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Read with Kleenex. Nothing like I thought it would be...in a very, VERY good way August 24, 2011

By Sunny Books

Format:Hardcover

Anna Sheehan's A Long, Long Sleep has one of the best first chapters I've read all year. I read that first page and couldn't put the book down for the rest of the afternoon. What a hidden gem! The cover is pretty enough, but it absolutely does not convey what a touching, heart-rending story this is.

You read that blurb, and you THINK you know what A Long, Long Sleep is going to be about. You THINK you know exactly where the author's going to take this story (at least I thought I did). And then Sheehan takes these events and writes such an unexpectedly beautiful, startling, tragic story that I was blown away. This book was NOTHING like I thought it was going to be...in a very, VERY good way.

Forgotten in her stasis tube, Rosalinda Fitzroy is awakened after 62 years by a kiss. She struggles to come to terms with the death of her beloved Xavier and everyone she's ever known, and she understandably feels alone and lost in this strange world. Initially, Rose is passive and full of self-loathing and guilt. I've read about many YA heroines in need of a healthy dose of self-worth, and oftentimes the voices of these characters can be unbearable. But not Rose. Don't give up on Rose as she seems to shrivel with self-loathing. As her story unfolds and the REASONS for Rose's self-hate and passivity come to light, she becomes such a tragic, sympathetic character that you just want to love and embrace her. Watching her overcome her past and seeing her character growth was a beautiful, albeit heart-wrenching, journey.

Sheehan's writing shines in her characterization. Her characters are fascinating and well developed, especially my favorite, Otto. Otto, an experimental blue human with alien DNA, is such a poignant, compelling character. He cannot speak aloud, so he and Rose begin communicating through IM chats. After reading the annoying chats in Beastly, I was initially wary of this technique, but Otto and Rose's chemistry instantly won me over. These heartfelt chats quickly became the moments I looked forward to the most. Otto and Rose feel connected to each other through their loss and abandonment, and their devotion and understanding creates a touching relationship.

This story is absolutely devastating at times. Read with Kleenex. A Long, Long Sleep may be called sci-fi, and while it does have a futuristic setting, at its heart, this is a story about child abuse and abandonment. About the aftermath of abuse. About overcoming the tragic hand you've been dealt and learning to LIVE. Yes, there are those annoying future words and few new gadgets but this is not heavy sci-fi. This is a stirring blend of sci-fi lite, mystery, and romance coupled with a serious look at neglect and abuse.

I had an inkling from the beginning about a certain twist of events, and I read the next 250 pages wondering how Sheehan could possibly resolve this situation without a major dose of ick. (Let's just say the relationships in this book are unconventional.) At the end, I was utterly impressed--Sheehan crafts a satisfying resolution for these characters that feels authentic. The end isn't all rainbows and sunshine, but it feels triumphant and hopeful. And that last paragraph? CHILLS. What a powerful ending.

A Long, Long Sleep is a story of overcoming tragedy, of learning to love yourself in the aftermath of abuse. It is a story of love--not just the romantic kind, but of true friendship--and of finding a family in the ones who love you. It is tragic and devastating, but the ultimate message is one of hope and triumph.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A mix of fairy tale, sci-fi, and post-dystopia! August 9, 2011

By Bonnie Lynn Wagner

Format:Hardcover

What genre does a book like A LONG, LONG SLEEP by Anna Sheehan fall into? Is it a fairy tale? Is it sci-fi/futuristic? Is it post-dystopian? Is it medical? Is it something else all together? A LONG, LONG SLEEP is all of this and more. First and foremost, it is a book about a teenager named Rose--and teenager is used in the loosest of terms due to the fact that her parents put her in stasis for over sixty years (and several other times before she hit the age of sixteen, no less). The novel starts off with a SLEEPING BEAUTY spin, with Rose being pulled out of stasis and faced with the dashing teen who awakened her. The way Sheehan describes stasis reminds me of Across the Universe by Beth Revis, only the ramifications for being put under for so long are much more severe in Rose's world. Take a look at the first page (from the e-ARC edition; changes may have been made):

...When the electric-blue seascape I was trying to hold on to was interrupted, not by a hand but by the feeling of lips on mine, I was startled. I sucked in a breath through my nose and sat bolt upright, knocking my head against my supposed rescuer. I couldn't see. Everything was dark and painful, as if I had just opened my eyes into a bright light after days in the dark.

See what I mean? There are so many things going on in that one paragraph. How can this book possibly encompass one genre?

Rose emerges into a world that has recovered from "the dark times," a dystopic-sounding era brought about by illness. Everyone she knew and loved is dead. She herself very well might have been as well, if her parents hadn't left her in stasis for so long. At first, it's hard to connect with Rose as a character because she doesn't have depth and can be annoying, but as A LONG, LONG SLEEP delves deeper into her psyche, horrible truths come out that make readers realize why she's such a damaged character. She's been through so much more than most literary characters in YA. For one thing (and this is no secret, so it's not a spoiler), Rose's parents often stuck her in stasis growing up. She never questioned it before, but is only now beginning to realize the neglect she went to and the way her parents abused her throughout her life. She is emotionally and physically scarred, and has a lot of trouble adjusting to life, especially since she was cloistered as a child and must now navigate the world on her own.

Rose is constantly haunted by all that she has lost, including that of her true love Xavier, who grew up without her. At one point in her life, she was older than him and watched him grow. She was put under stasis so often, that eventually, they were the same age, and then he was older. And then he grew up and suffered through the dark times alongside her parents while she remained in stasis, alone and forever youthful. She has trouble forging new relationships now despite the way Bren, the teenager who discovered and awakened her, takes her under his wing. She goes to school for the first time and in introduced to crazy slang and new technology that's foreign to her. One of her classmates, Otto, is a well-written secondary character that readers will be clamoring to learn more about. He's truly amazing, and it's easy to embrace him as we delve more into what makes him tick. He adds another sci-fi touch to the novel with his back story (which IS spoilery, so I won't describe it here) and his unique way of communicating with other characters.

The novel's ending will blow readers away. I'm good at putting the puzzle pieces together well before I get to the climax, and even I was flabbergasted by many realizations. The ending left me a little shattered. I would love to see Sheehan write another book in this world and go into more depth with areas that were only briefly touched upon. Even if A LONG, LONG SLEEP remains a stand-alone, it is still a one-of-a-kind fairy tale entry, darker and grittier than most in the genre and impossible not to love.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of The Figment Review at Figment[dot]com August 9, 2011

By The Figment Review

Format:Hardcover

by Danielle Reid

Rose Fitzroy has not opened her eyes in sixty-two years. After several decades of being in a futuristic device called a stass tube that leaves the occupant unconscious, Rose wakes to a world so much unlike the one she knew. Her family and those she loves have long passed on, and the other children are not accepting of this strange girl who doesn't understand their modern slang and behavior. To top it all off, her parents ran a massive corporation that owned....basically everything, and when the current president of the company realizes the actual heir is actually alive and well he's a bit irritated, to say the least. Dangerously so.

I had ambivalent feelings about A Long, Long Sleep. Rose Fitzroy is a weak female character with questionable self-esteem. Oh, and she's not very intelligent. There were a couple parts where I just shook my head and thought, "Is this girl being serious right now? No one is really that stupid." If you prefer headstrong females that take the initiative and act with intelligence, you'll probably find yourself getting annoyed with her petty behavior and inferiority complex. Much of the book reflects on Rose's life before her sixty-two year sleep, allowing readers to examine her relationships with her parents and friends. In Rose's defense, her lack of a backbone may have stemmed from the parenting style of two highly disturbed individuals. This was my main qualm with the novel, but it's written very well, especially the dialogue. Anna Sheehan has a graceful and commendable writing style.

She makes good use of her skills to develop a romantic relationship between Rose and another unlikely character. It is honestly the cutest thing, and I couldn't help but make a few verbal, "Awwwwwwwws". I was enthralled by the subtle romance and really wanted to see where it ended up. Admittedly, I was very tempted to cheat and read the last few pages of the book, but I didn't. I was strong! Sheehan's is a unique approach to building a relationship between characters that I've never seen before, but it works well. My only issue with the relationship is that I thought it progressed a little too fast.

A Long, Long Sleep combines action, romance, and science fiction to create a wonderful novel with an unpredictable, OMG ending. Note that the book is classified as science fiction, but I don't believe it would appeal to the average sci-fi lover. I give this book three stars because I had to read it twice to appreciate and enjoy it, but once I properly understood the plot, I couldn't put it down.