Bittersweet [Hardcover]

Drew Lamm (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 2003

Taylor has always thought of herself as an artist, never lacking ideas or creative energy. But when her beloved Grams, who has raised her from infancy, suffers a stroke, Taylor’s world is shaken. People she thought she knew suddenly assume confusing new identities. Worst of all, her artistic ability deserts her—and if she isn’t an artist, who is she? Since she can’t create images on paper or canvas, there seems to be no reason not to paint her own face and body, no reason not to stop talking for a week, or throw the telephone out the window, or make a boutonniere of raw frogs’ legs for her prom date. . . . Slowly, Taylor finds her way through the aching grief of Grams’s absence and the shifting layers of her emotional reality to a clearer perception of herself, her surroundings, and her connections with others. Poignant, edgy, and irreverent, her voice will resonate with anyone who has had difficulty crossing shaky ground.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-11-Taylor Rose is bright, creative, and emotionally out of control. Raised by her grandmother and her psychologically absent father, she has flourished under the guidance of this woman who revels in life, celebrates people, and loves her unconditionally. Now, with Grams in a nursing home unable to even recognize her after suffering a stroke, the teen begins to shut down. She longs for her father to talk to her but "everything interesting about me slams closed when Dad walks in." School, where she's always been confident and outgoing, seems like a different place; "something inside me shrinks when I walk into school." And her art, which was what Taylor did, dreamed of, and lived for, has disappeared. She has simply lost the ability to create as surely as Grams has lost the ability to communicate. While readers never really know what Taylor's art looks like, they can feel the power of her involvement with it in her language, which is as full of color and nuance as the paintings of Chagall, Gram's favorite artist. This is a story of a spirited young woman finding new ways to express her feelings and needs, rebuilding her life, and accepting her losses. Lamm has written a dramatic, poignant, realistic first novel with a character who will find a place in readers' hearts.
Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 8-11. Since her mother's death many years before, Taylor has grown up with her rather distant father and her warm, vivacious grandmother. But a sudden illness and collapse have left Grams in a nursing home, unable to return to her former life and unavailable to Taylor as confidant, consoler, and cheering section. Taylor narrates the story of the summer after her junior year of high school. Instead of working furiously on her art, as she had planned, she finds herself unable to paint at all. At the same time, her relationships with two boys she has known since childhood shift in ways that alternately discomfort her and elate her. The first-person text is shot with intense feelings of loss, fear, jealousy, and sadness that threaten to overwhelm Taylor, but the novel ultimately affirms her strength as well as the varieties of love she has experienced. Lamm offers a vivid portrayal of the emotional confusion and volatility experienced by a young woman in a season of change. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (October 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 061816443X
• ISBN-13: 978-0618164431
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,553,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent, magnificent, magnificent!, December 14, 2004

By 

Virginia (Manhattan [USA] [NY]) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bittersweet (Hardcover)

I recieved this book as a present for Channukah, and I saw the cover and fell in love with the fablous artwork. Once I opened the book I was drawn into the hard life of Taylor Rose, who is having an artist's block, one thing, which I can assure you, I am all too familiar with. The sad tale was so addicting that, even tohugh I finished my studies at 11:00 I was up reading it until 2:30, when I had finished it. Though I was exausted the next day, the book was a great reward, I just wish that I hadn't finished it so quickly, for the book I am reading now has not engrossed me into its depth yet. This book is I am very glad to say a great acheivment in the world of books.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book by a wonderful author, November 3, 2003

By 

Diana Holdsworth (CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bittersweet (Hardcover)

Drew Lamm is a marvelously poetic writer with a special gift for making deep, subtle feelings easily accessible to the reader. Bittersweet offers honest, positive insights about a teenage girl's struggle with the very serious subject of grief. In a harsh and noisy world that conditions people, especially young people, to "turn off" inside, Ms. Lamm's book is a special treasure. I'm recommending it to all my friends with teens, and it's going to the top of my Christmas gift list. I predict that Ms. Lamm is on her way to becoming one of our recognized authors. Can't wait to see what she does next!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST READ for Young Adults (and parents too!), November 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Bittersweet (Hardcover)

Drew Lamm captures the essence of a young teenage girl working through loss and learning to reconnect with others in order to reconnect with herself. Humorous, outrageous at times, yet sensitive and poignant, BITTERSWEET puts the reader smack dab into Taylor's struggles with her ailing, beloved Grams, her artist' block, friends who try to be there for her if she'd only let them, and a distant father. I couldn't put it down. Taylor sneaks right into my heart from the first slam of her locker!