Customer Reviews

The Blue Girl

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When we meet 17-year-old Imogene, newly moved to Redding High School in Newford, she is not, in any sense of the word, blue. She's fiery, fiesty and free-spirited, a rebellious teen who finds herself shifting back to the tamer style of wild in her new surroundings. A key factor in her transformation is her new best friend, Maxine, whose prim and proper attitude conceals a spark of independence that needs only Imgene's gentle prodding to blossom.

But "The Blue Girl," the latest urban fantasy novel by Charles de Lint, is not your average young-adult story of teen angst and the perils of fitting in with a new crowd. Like any new student, Imogene runs afoul of the "beautiful people" who consider themselves superior to the groundling students in their midst. Unlike most students, however, she also encounters a ghost. And that ghost -- Adrian, the miserable remnant of an unhappy student at her school several years before -- has fair-weather friends among the fairies ("when house brownies go bad"). So, when Imogene readily accepts the existence of ghosts but balks at believing in fairies, Adrian decides to prove it to her -- and that brings Imogene to the attention of more malevolent spiritual forces.

"The Blue Girl" is a stand-alone story in de Lint's canon of Newford tales, although one recurring Newford character does make a few appearances and a handful of others are mentioned in passing. While the lead characters sometimes suffer from "Dawson's Creek" syndrome -- their vocabularies and mannerisms are a bit more mature than their supposed 17 years -- the book largely reads true. And, to be honest, the elevated maturity of the young protagonists makes the book far more readable to its adult audience while not pushing it past the ken of its younger target crowd.

"The Blue Girl" is an excellent starting point for newcomers to Newford, and for long-time fans it's a welcome addition to the Newford mythology. While it's always a pleasure to read about the new adventures of Jilly, Geordie and other Newford regulars, it's a treat to be introduced to new, fully realized characters in this exciting, mystical city.

The Blue Girl is another of Charles DeLint's Newford stories. He makes you feel that Newford is a real place and that you would like to visit there, possibly even live there. The author is rather secretive about where Newford is. It could be in Canada or the U. S. I think that adds to the mythic quality of the story.

The Blue Girl is about the new girl in town and her problems finding friends and getting harassed just for being different. There are many elements in the story that almost everyone can relate to, the cliques of kids in high school, the feeling of isolation because your different from the other students, and the happiness of finding that special friend who accepts you for who you are.

Although many of the regular characters you come to associate with Newford don't appear in the story (Jilly Coppercorn is mentioned. I don't think Charles DeLint could write a Newford story without mentioning her, at least), Christy Riddell appears as that special adult, a person a teenager can confide in. Of course it takes a little while for Imogene, the title character to decide whether Christy is that special adult.

Underneath all the universal truths and things we can identify with is that element of the supernatural and other world that permeates Charles DeLint's work. It's part of what makes his stories special.

If you've read DeLint's other stories, you'll want to read this one as well, especially if you like the Newford stories.

I wasn't expecting too much from this, since it is a young adult book, but boy was I wrong! This can be for all ages! De Lint tells a wonderfully detailed and rich story set in his already established world of Newford, but not reliant on it. I'd never read any of his work before and I fell right into it. This is a book about two female high school students who encounter a ghost...who then opens the door to all kinds of things that children hope for, yet fear at the same time. Not exactly women, but not children either, I believe De Lint captures the feeling of being a high schooler very well- at least as I remember it. DeLint also does a very good job of writing the feelings of an overprotected girl- something I'm also very familiar with. Far from being full of sweetness and light, the world of Faerie is very gritty and real in 'The Blue Girl'. I am stoked to have found a new author who is so entertaining and socially relevant. To paraphrase one professional reviewer, "DeLint celebrates fantasy, and instead of using it as an escape, uses it as a vehicle to explore many issues that are relevant for everyday life." If you like books with strong female characters, ghosts, odd otherworldly happenings, and the Fae (not the modern tall ones, but the authentic 'Wee Folk'), this is for you. Heck, even if you don't like any of these things but just enjoy good fantasy- ditto!
Go for this one! It's money well spent! (And I dont have alot to spend!)

If you're already a Charles de Lint fan, just go ahead and buy the book. Even though it's marketed towards the Young Adult crowd, it's a wonderful addition to de Lint's body of 'Newford' tales and more than adult enough for any reader.

If you've never read any Charles de Lint, this might be a good place to start. He is a master of depicting settings and characters that are very real and very familiar then adding a touch of Magic (whether it be ghosts, fairies, timetravel or just plain strangeness) that is never too much to overtax your willingness to go along with it. He writes frequently about themes of love, loyalty, friendship, acceptance, and, on the other side, loneliness, anger, and despair. Feelings we've all had to deal with from time to time. Without being preachy or overly moralizing, de Lint lets you hitch a ride with one or more characters as they work their way from darkness towards the light.

I won't bother to synopsize the book, other reviewer have done a good job of that already. But I will give it my enthusiastic recommendation to anyone who'd like to spend a few hours in a magical place, just around the corner.

I loved this book. The main character, Imogene, was so interesting with her tough attitude and confidence. I liked how she wanted to change herself from a thug to a fairly good person.
I also liked her friend Maxine a good deal, her wisdom and steadiness. The imaginary friend was an interesting addition too.
This book is filled with fascinating images and the climax of the book is exciting and brilliant. It has all the themes I like plus faeries. I love a good book with faeries in it.

Ok, to start with I picked up this book when I was just passing through one of my favorite book stores in San Fran. It wasn't priced too high, and when I read the summary on the back I thought "eh what the heck, I've been up to my neck in crumbeling empires, and reluctent heros all year." So, to say the least, I loved this book. Imogene is the first fictional character that I've actually been able to completley relate to, and the only regret that I had in reading this wonderful book is that it ended all to quickly. GIVEMEMORE!!!!!!!

I finished The Blue Girl in record time because I couldn't put it down! Charles DeLint has done it again. For all that he is a prolific writer, he never falls into a rut or pattern you can detect by page 3. I loved the characters Imogene and Maxine almost as much as Jilly Coppercorn, who has always been my favorite character created by DeLint. New readers can begin to explore Newford with this book and easily go back to the older stories and novels to "catch up." Here's hoping this book brings a whole new generation of readers into DeLint's urban mythology. Imogene and Maxine are both strong, brave women who do what needs to be done and learn about themselves and each other along the way. The magical world DeLint creates is as realistic and believable as the surface Newford. Read this and everything else DeLint has written. You won't be sorry.

There were aspects of this story that I really enjoyed - Imogene's quirky narration, the friendship between Imogene and Maxine, Adrian's story, the fairies and darkness - but there were a few issues that detracted from it as well.

While I liked Imogene's *voice*, the first-person narration from Maxine and Adrian didn't sound all that different. I like first-person POV but don't like it when the POV switches around. In this instance, I did enjoy hearing the story in Adrian's own words since his experience was so different from anyone else's, but didn't think it was necessary to do so with Maxine. Also, I didn't see the purpose in using different tenses (i.e., the beginning in past tense and the end in present tense). In some instances this technique can add to a narrative, but unless it's purpose is very clear, I find it often detracts from a story by interrupting the flow.

As another reviewer pointed out, the characters were all stereotypical. That didn't make them unlikable and the story itself was unique enough to compensate, but De Lint is so imaginative that I don't know why he'd need to resort to that. And two characters appeared but never had much of a role beyond being deus ex machina sources of info - the author (Christy Riddell - who just seemed like a self-insertion) and the e-mail pen pal Esmeralda.

Adrian was the only character I felt any emotional connection with and the poor guy never really got much fulfillment, even from Imogene. Only at the very, very end and only very marginally, which just made me sad for him.

There were little issues that bugged me like Maxine using a cell phone in the school basement, when she'd never be able to get reception there. Or the fact that everyone seemed to either a) have experience with the fairy world (down to Imogene's boyfriend) or b) be totally accepting of them. Only Imogene had trouble believing in the fairies which was absurd since she could plainly see and converse with a ghost.

It was still a fun and engaging read. De Lint is a talented writer - there's no doubt about that. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA urban fantasy, but I thought this had the potential to be so much more than it was.

I have to admit - I was very surprised when I realized that I have never reviewed one of Charles de Lint's books - he is one of my all-time favorite authors. His books feature likeable characters, hope, art, and mythical elements, but set in the here and now.

"The Blue Girl" is no exception. You really feel for - and like - the characters, even the ghost, Adrian. There is a lot of hope that things will get better. And of course, myth has come to life in the form of fairies and angels.

Imogene (the main character) and Maxine (her best friend) are both very likeable characters, especially Imogene, who is smart, funny and very much her own person. Although the two girls are different, they become best friends and help each other learn and grow. (The title of this review is something Imogene says near the end of the book.) The one negative is that both of their voices sound very similar - but in some respects, it's to be expected as they are both high school girls.

The other negative regarding the characters is that the bullies, Brent and Valerie, are extremely one-dimensional; we don't get to know them at all. We get a glimpse into Brent's motivation when a classmate discusses him, but that's about it. On the other hand, a bully is a bully, and a deeper look wasn't necessary to move the story along. I also wanted to get to know Esmerelda, the woman who helped Maxine in the end of the book - though perhaps she will show up in a future book. de Lint did a great job showing the character's growth through the course of the novel.

Since this book is geared to young adults, it isn't quite as "heavy" as some of de Lint's other work - the characters are dealing with some real issues, but it's not quite as sad or gritty as in other novels, such as "The Onion Girl".

It was also nice to recognize elements from other Newford books - such as a mere allusion to Christy's "shadow" - Christiana (from the novel "Spirit in the Wires"). However, you don't need to have read the other books to enjoy this one, and this is probably a good one to start with if you've never read any of de Lint's other works.

First off, I want to point out that I would not recommend this book to a young reader. I don't think they would "get it." Even a young teenager. I think it would require someone with a bit of maturity to grasp the depth of the book. I also would not recommend it to anyone who does not read and enjoy fantasy, because I don't think they would "get it," either. Sorry if that offends anyone.

For all those others out there, I think you would enjoy this book. DeLint uses a first person format switching between Imogine, Maxine, and Adrian (Ghost). You get the impression that Imogine is the focus character in that, well, everything and everyone focuses around her. Imogine is a new student at her school. She purposely befriends an outcast of her school, named Maxine. This high school is like many schools in that everyone has a clique. However, it is also different in that the bullies at this school are abnormally more agressive than you could imagine. This is not important, though, it is simply a side story to the story. The main part of the story is about Imogine discovering Ghost. A boy who committed "suicide" at the school in '98. Imogine makes it her mission to discover why this Ghost seems to be following her around. When she does, even stranger things begin to happen.

It was a good book, I finished it within two night because I was anxious to see how the problem would be solved. I'm definitely reading more from De Lint.