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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing until the end, February 27, 2008
Much of the current YA fiction seems to be depressing and morbid and while this book certainly fits both those descriptions, it is also well-written and hopeful. I enjoyed the subtlety in which Frances releases herself from her emotional prison; smothering is an underlying topic not only because of the past she shares with her mother and dead sisters, but because of her smothering adoptive family and the way she smothers her own emotions. It's very easy for the reader to feel Frances' growth as she breaks free of her past, her present and herself. The trip she takes to confront her mother, her father, her memories, is poignant and memorable and while some of the scenes between her and her hero/savior/love-interest are a bit contrived, they are not unbelievable. The thee main teens are interesting and play well off each other. For much of the novel, Frances doesn't display much personality, nor does she seem very self-aware. Her best friend is the opposite and serves to show strength and confidence, as does the mysterious new boy who helps her save herself. I was really taken with the book up until the end. Once Frances makes it to the safe-house where her mother is being kept, it seemed that the book becomes the screenplay for an episode of Scooby-Doo; the appearance of a nefarious villain, who wouldn't have been out of place in saying, "And it would have worked, too, had it not been for you meddling child!", bordered on the ridiculous. The book could have ended in the mental ward and that would have made sense to end on a note of hope, love and redemption, but it seems the author wanted Frances to have a little more closure. I found that closure to be not only super-quick, but also unbelievable; people just don't get to tie up deep emotional problems that neatly or with the support of the volunteer fire department. I was horribly disappointed in the end and felt that I had been let down and that Frances had been created as a real-feeling persona only to have that taken away so she could become a caricature for all abused children who have succesfully healed themselves and entered healthy adulthood. Regardless, the book is still worth reading. Not only does it satisfy the horrified voyeur of the tragic and senseless, but it offers hope that even the worst cases can have healthy outcomes.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Ludicrous climax, April 24, 2008
The premise of this book was fine: the mother whose lost touch with reality, the children who pay along with her fantasy, the teenage girl who is trying to understand what happened to her. The reality of it all was predictable; but then the story comes to a ridiculous head at the end of the book, which turned the entire thing into a disappointment.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing and intense, March 16, 2008
"Breathe My Name" may just well get readers with the half creepy half intriguing cover - the name written into a sort of fog/steam. It's pretty cool, but also has a creepy vibe to it. That's a good way to describe the book itself. "Breathe My Name" has a really intriguing setting. The chilling concept of killing one's own children through insanity is disturbing but also very real. Nelson handles this difficult topic almost easily, creating a well-written book with a series of realistic and different characters whose interactions with each other are vivid and accurate to reality. "Breathe My Name" is the kind of book that is impossible to put down. So clear your afternoon. It's a book that makes you think, makes your brain itch, and makes your eyes hurt from straining them late in the night. It's suspenseful and at times frightening, not with gross deeds, but rather with psychological ones. I liked Frances' emotional development. I liked that she wasn't always ready for things and didn't just deal with everything handily as it came. I liked how each character was so individual and special, all balancing the others out. France's voice is clear and believable, the love story is not overdone, and the plot is well-spaced. The only part that I perhaps liked least of all was the ending. I felt that compared to such a strong book, it was somewhat weak. Nelson certainly could have strengthened the ending with just a bit more writing, just a bit more discussion, just a bit more emotion, but ultimately, the reader is left with very strong positive feelings. This is an interesting book about mental illnesses and dealing with traumatic pasts. Nelson's writing is really great, the plot never stops, and the characters are all well-made. It's an excellent book, until the ending, where it becomes simply a very good book. It's not for those with weak stomachs, and expect to cry (or want to cry) several times throughout the read. On the whole, recommended.
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