11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, November 26, 2006
This review is from: Bleed (Hardcover)
Who knew that in the course of one day so much could happen, not only to you but to everyone around you. But of course in real life, we only witness what happens to ourselves. Laurie Faria Stolarz takes the lives of ten teenagers who are all connected somehow, and shows how their lives can become so complicated in just one single day.
There's Nicole Bouchard, who is tired of her reputation as being the good girl and wants to change that by acting on feelings that she has had for quite some time. It won't only shock people but can hurt her best friend, Kelly Pickerel, who is in California, not only to visit her father, but her convict friend, Robby Mardonia, the guy she has been writing to. She desperately wants to be with him even though she already has a boyfriend, Sean O'Connell.
Sean, the guy who seems to be second-guessing all the choices he's made and now wants to change them. Then there's Maria Krito, who soon discovers that a best friend may not necessarily be someone who is willing to cut her, even though that's the only way for Sadie Dubinsky to finally become her friend. Sadie, the eleven-year-old who isn't the ideal size or weight or even the girl that her mother wants her to be, and the one that has to be constantly compared to her older, meaner sister, Ginger. Ginger Dubinsky, who has the chance to get back at Kelly for embarrassing her.
There's also Derek LaPointe, who soon finds out that looks can't get him the girl he wants, Mearl Aremian. Her odd nature may not be for Derek, but it can help others figure out their lives. Last but not least there's Joy Ryder, a fifteen-year-old waitress who is sick of all the childish boys that she has to deal with, and will learn a dark secret when she tries to get back at the one boy who made her life miserable.
Ten teens, ten stories full of complications and problems that will leave the reader wondering what happens to the lives around them.
BLEED is a very entertaining read that is much different from the other works of Laurie Faria Stolarz. Its deep messages and risqué language will make the reader feel pain, sorrow, and happiness for the characters, which are all well-developed. Readers will be pulled into every story, even if they don't like the person the story is about. Stolarz does her best to capture the hidden feelings that are felt by the person themselves. As a warning, though, the language used is most definitely not suitable for kids in eighth-grade and below.
Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Awesome Read!!!!, October 5, 2006
This review is from: Bleed (Hardcover)
Bleed is a creatively written novel that explores the lives of ten characters over the course of one day. Each chapter is dedicated to a teenager and the reader gets a brief glimpse into their life. The entire novel reads alomost like a collection of short stories whose characters' lives intersect in unforseeable and unexpected ways. For example, Nicole is in love with her best friend Kelly's boyfriend. Kelly is out of town visiting her father and is about to meet the convicted felon she's been writing to for several years. Maria has issues with self-mutilation and constantly tries to persuade her friends to cut her with pins. Sean cheats on his girlfriend with somebody he never would have expected. Stolarz expertly weaves a combination of stories the reader will remember for a long while. Laurie Stolarz is currently writing a companion novel to Bleed. You can bet this reader will be first in line to devour this forthcoming title.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Short stories that perfectly capture the angst and folly of the teenage world, January 12, 2007
This review is from: Bleed (Hardcover)
For ten teenagers --- Nicole, Maria, Kelly, Derik, Sadie, Robby, Mearl, Ginger, Joy and Sean --- a single day (August 12th) can bring life-altering experiences. In this collection of short stories, each personality is explored through a story. While only some of the characters know each other, their actions seem to have a domino effect, so that eventually they have --- knowingly or not --- touched each other's lives. The best way to talk about BLEED is to introduce some of its characters:
Maria - It's been a little goal of mine this past year --- to get all my friends to cut me... Cutting is a comfort to Maria. Sometimes she cuts herself, but she really gets off on having her friends mark her. Some like it and some don't, but to let her stress out, she has to see that her blood is really red. Maria doesn't know who her dad was (and neither does her mom) --- only that he was all chocolate and now Maria has his skin, unlike her mother's pale white. And there's "Uncle Luke," who lives with her mom. Maria and Uncle Luke have a kind of understanding between them; he doesn't actually touch her, but he likes to watch and then gives her money. Well, why not? She isn't worth much anyway. She's not even sure if her friend Nicole is really her friend. They were supposed to meet and plan a welcome home party for Kelly, but Nicole has not called her back. Now what does that mean?
Kelly - There's nothing that will stop Kelly from meeting Robby. They've been corresponding for over five years. Kelly has arranged to go out to see her dad in the Santa Cruz area, a perfect excuse and even more perfect for the first meeting with Robby. Yes, he killed his girlfriend, but that was (like he told her) just an unfortunate accident. She can tell Robby anything and he understands. He understands more than her mother and even makes her feel like a poet. She loves to write poetry. He has asked her to wear special panties and a bra, and she's so excited about this. It's her life; she can make these kinds of decisions. She knows he was just mixed up, but he's served his time. Her boyfriend Sean is nice, but there's something so mysterious about Robby that she can't help herself.
Mearl - On her to-do list of life, Mearl has three major objectives: to save someone's life, to settle down and grow a garden, and to have a great sexual relationship with a boy she loves. It sounds simple enough, but Mearl is anything but sure of herself. Maybe she's just too different: Why am I so drawn to the moon? Where did I get this jet-black hair, like a raven's wings? How come the tips of my upper eyelashes curl downward instead of upward?
Mearl likes to read auras; she's interested in palm reading and astrology. She feels the forces around her as her life is swept into the paths of others. She can have sex anytime and just move on --- she can find her own way. Still, she feels like an empty slate waiting for something to be written on it. She is in the graveyard visiting with the spirits one day and sees a girl about her age. She notices that her arms are all scratched and that dried blood criss-crosses them. Mearl meets Maria. Is this a life she can save?
Sean - His girlfriend, Kelly, is out of town and here's Nicole. He's really trying not to think about Nicole. How is it that she has changed so much? Didn't she used to be kind of nerdy and gawky, but now...well, she's pretty. She's not only pretty, but she really likes Sean. He can tell by the way she looks at him --- and she looks at him a lot. Kelly is due home soon and he's been good. He knows Nicole and her friends want to have a welcome home party, so that's another reason to talk with Nicole. Today she invited him for a swim and it's a hot day. Maybe he can go over there and cool off...or will he just get hotter? Guess there's only one way to find out, isn't there?
The reader is swept along in this masterful plotting of characters as their lives intertwine in most unexpected ways. Laurie Faria Stolarz has captured perfectly the angst and folly of the teenage world. BLEED will be a wonderful addition to high school and public library short story collections.
--- Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts (stibbetts@maine207west.k12.il.us)
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