Chloe Doe [Hardcover]

Suzanne Phillips (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2007

Chloe Doe chronicles a 17-year-old girl's tumultuous path to becoming a prostitute and her ultimate transformation back into mainstream society. During her therapy at Madeline Parker Institute for Girls, Chloe slowly reveals aspects of her painful past--the stepfather who abused her sister, the mother who let it all happen, the need to love and be loved--and faces the future she finally decides to build for herself. Told in heart-wrenching language that's sometimes caustic, often ironic, and always authentic, Chloe Doe is certain to find a place among classics about teens that triumph over their loneliness and desperation to find hope.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Chloe is a 17-year-old prostitute who, after propositioning an undercover police officer, is sent to the Madeline Parker Institute for Girls. There, she adopts the last name "Doe," signifying her feelings of alienation and loss. During therapy sessions, Chloe slowly reveals the main reason she left home: her negligent mother chose to stay with and support Chloe's abusive stepfather, even after he was accused of murdering Chloe's older sister. In a style reminiscent of E. R. Frank's America (2002), Phillips effectively uses flashbacks, stream-of-consciousness prose, and gritty, Spanish-infused dialogue (Chloe is a gringa, a white girl from a Hispanic neighborhood) to create a blisteringly honest portrayal of a good girl who loses, then finds, her way. By novel's end, with the help of a sympathetic therapist, Chloe decides, "I can do better than Doe," and chooses a new name for herself ("Aimes") that showcases her positive, new direction. Give this intense and emotional debut to fans of Ellen Hopkins and Patricia McCormick, as well as E.R. Frank. Hubert, Jennifer
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Suzanne Phillips is a special education English teacher in San Diego, CA. Chloe Doe is her first novel.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (June 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316014133
• ISBN-13: 978-0316014137
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,403,861 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Talent., June 26, 2007

By 

Book Girl - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chloe Doe (Hardcover)

Suzanne Phillips is a wonderful writer. This book is filled with honest, true and riveting details. You really feel for Chloe. I couldn't put it down. The writing is stunning. A book that stays with you long after you've finished. You should definately read this one!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gritty and engrossing, November 25, 2007

By 

T. D. "A teacher and reader." (Reno, NV USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chloe Doe (Hardcover)

This is an interesting, workman-like addition to young adult literature. It has elements of mystery and family that make it more than just another gloomy look at a grim character in bleak circumstances. Like E.R. Frank's "America," "Chloe Doe" reveals the ache of its title character. Teen prostitution will make some readers uneasy, as will the appropriately realistic language, and such readers will seek out other material. The book is a quick read, even for people who don't normally enjoy reading. I can easily see teen readers of "A Child Called It" looking to this title.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, July 22, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chloe Doe (Hardcover)

CHLOE DOE is a wrenching, unflinching portrayal of a girl on the fringes of society. On and off the street since the age of eleven, having worked as a prostitute for most of that time, seventeen-year-old Chloe has little patience for the attempts of The Madeline Parker Institute for Girls to reform her. However, as she speaks with the institute's "shrink" and starts to bond with the other girls, she realizes there may be more to life than what she's assumed is her lot.

Chloe, who narrates the story in chapters set in the institute and flashbacks to her life before she ran away from home, has a sharp, engaging voice that will grip readers quickly and bring them into her world. As her story unfolds, those shocked by her situation will come to understand it. Despite her untouchable front, Chloe slowly reveals all the pain and fear that lie underneath, making her sympathetic even though her outlook is so different from that of most teens. Her love for her older sister in particular makes her human and achingly believable.

The novel doesn't shy away from the harsh details of Chloe's life. Thankfully, it manages to relate her awful and sometimes tragic experiences without falling into melodrama or playing up for shock value. Everything is stated simply and directly. While the narrative rarely goes into graphic detail, enough is shown and the rest is skillfully implied to make it clear that Chloe's path has been far from an easy one. This makes her attempts to open up and escape her narrow, hopeless world-view all the more poignant and heroic. As the scenes in the present and the past lead up to the final revelation of what drove her from her home, the reader will be glued to the page. The ending, when it comes, is hopeful without being maudlin or unrealistic.

That realism, ultimately, is what makes CHLOE DOE worthwhile. It acknowledges both the good and the bad, letting readers make their own judgments about Chloe and her life. Many will find themselves wondering, how would they have reacted, if things had gone a similar way for them? Could they have done better? Could they, in the end, rise above it? Chloe's story will inspire them with the idea that no matter how far one falls, there is always hope.

Reviewed by: Lynn Crow