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47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Search for Self, April 29, 2008
This review is from: The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Jenna Fox Chronicles) (Hardcover)
"The dictionary says my identity should be all about being separate or distinct, and yet it feel like it is so wrapped up in others."
Jenna was left comatose after a tragic accident. One year later, she awakens to a life she can't recall, a body she doesn't recognize, two parents and a grandmother doesn't really know, and a house she can't leave. Her parents want her to stay at home for a while in order to make full recovery and avoid a relapse. Their smiles are cautious, wary; her grandmother's smile is sad, almost bitter.
When Jenna watches old home movies, she can't help but think of herself as two people. (Since she narrates the story in first person, it's easy to follow this train of thought: there's "Jenna," dancing and smiling away on the recordings, and there's "I" or "me" watching them in the present day. Also, there are shaded pages, passages in which Jenna has mental confessions about the past, present, and future.) She knows she was a dancer, a daughter, a student, a friend, and that she was happy, but the most of this knowledge comes from outside sources rather than her own memories. She does not want to rely on what the videos show and what her family tells her - she wants to know herself, herself.
Bits and pieces of her past begin tug at the edges of her mind, but they are not always happy and rarely are they clear. If anything, these blurry scenes and feelings only make her more confused about what happened to her, with her, around her. With the help of others - some forthcoming and some reluctant - things begin to clear up. The edges of her mind are still jagged and raw. Tidbits scraping there only serve to open up old wounds and leave new scars.
Wanting to know who she was, why she is the way she is, and what happened the night of the accident, Jenna pushes her parents' buttons as well as her own physical and mental limits. Her arms, hands, legs and feet, which once were "perfect," don't look, feel, or move the way they used to, her physical changes being as obvious and frustrating to her as her mental blocks. Though she is at first scared and tentative, Jenna keeps trying to get to the bottom of things until she gets through to others and dares to walk on a new path.
"Are the details of our lives who we are, or is it owning those details that makes the difference?"
This book brings up many questions, not only physiological and psychological but also philosophical:
How much can you really trust your memories - and if you lose them, can you get them back? Can you get yourself back?
"Maybe that is all any life is composed of, trivia that eventually adds up to a person, and maybe I just don't have enough of it yet to be a whole one."
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson is a stunning, fascinating novel. This eye-opening story which openly explores the concept of identity will stay on your mind for a long, long time.
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely riveting!, July 29, 2008
This review is from: The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Jenna Fox Chronicles) (Hardcover)
Terrifying yet intriguing. Those are my first thoughts after reading The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson. The basic premise: Jenna Fox, age 17, wakes up after being in a coma for one year. She has to relearn everything, walking, talking, thinking, etc. But something is off. What secret are her parents hiding from her?
And that secret is HUGE! As I read, I got glimpses of the truth. And that's how the book reads, teasing and tormenting each moment. I felt Jenna's pain, confusion, and finally horror as she realized what happened to her. Pearson is an excellent storyteller, revealing all things in her own time. I know this review is secretive but I don't want to give too much away! It's better going into it not knowing much! It makes the reveal that much more exciting and revolting! Definitely pick up this book and read it! It's one of the best books I've read in a long time!
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great Premise But Felt Underdevloped To Me, July 2, 2010
2 words that describe the book: Sci-fi Lite
3 settings where it took place or characters you met:
* Setting: California, sometime in the future
* Jenna Fox is a 17-year-old girl who wakes up after a year-long coma. She had been in a terrible accident but seems to have no recollection of her life before. Little by little, Jenna begins to remember more about her past, but each memory brings more questions--questions that her devoted parents seem not to want to answer. When she finally uncovers the truth of what happened to her, it rocks her to her core.
* Lily is Jenna's grandmother, who initially seems standoffish and cold to Jenna, for reasons that Jenna can't comprehend. As Jenna seeks for answers about what happened to her, she begins to understand Lily's complicated feelings towards her--just as Lily begins to understand some of what Jenna is experiencing and makes an effort to help her find the answers she's been searching for.
4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it:
* I liked how Pearson has written a Young Adult (YA) book that is filled with some Big Questions: How much does memory play a role in making us the person we are today? What does it mean to be human? Can we love someone too much ... to the point where we damage them instead of nurture them? The book also raises issues regarding medical ethics. In a very short amount of time, Pearson manages to raise a host of issues that will leave readers thinking. HOWEVER...
* I disliked that the book felt underdeveloped and simplified. I wish things had been more fleshed out. I truly felt that the book was too slight for its ideas, and I would have liked more details, set-up and development. At only 288 pages (many of which are short journal entries written in fragments), the book is a fast read ... too fast. I really felt Pearson could have done much much more. As usual, I struggled with the whole YA label. This felt like a book that was "dumbed down" to me. Pearson has lots of good ideas, but the story and characters felt shallow.
* I disliked that Pearson introduces characters, hints at Dark Things about them, and then doesn't really go back and explain things well. There was one character (whose name escapes me) who is either a psychopath or a really damaged kid. Pearson keeps bringing him in, having him scare or threaten others, and just drops him. Same with Jenna's neighbor, who seems friendly at first but then is revealed to have a bit of a dark history as well. Both of these characters should have either been developed further or eliminated as I didn't think they were integral to the story.
* I disliked that I couldn't buy into the science that plays a key role in the book. I'm not a real picky reader (though from this review it might seem like I am), but I just couldn't believe in the technology in this book. The single biggest hurdle for me were the three computers that play a role later in the book. I just didn't buy into that aspect AT ALL. It didn't make any sense to me, and I'm not sure I understood 100% what Pearson meant were on those computers.
5 Stars or less for your rating?
I'm giving the book 3 stars. I know a lot of people really really loved this book, and I might just be a crank or a person who doesn't really appreciate YA books, but I just felt like this was a wonderful idea for a book that didn't live up to its promise or its premise. As I said before, the book felt very underdeveloped to me. With such interesting and thought-provoking ideas, I think Pearson squandered her chance to write a really amazing book that would speak to all levels of readers. I seem to be in the minority on this one though, so be sure to check out what others think about this book. If nothing else, it would make a good book club read.
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