Contents Under Pressure [Hardcover]

Lara M. Zeises (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Random House Childrens Books (April 1, 2004)
• ASIN: B001IBY7MW
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Lara M. Zeises is the author of three novels for young adults. Her first, Bringing Up the Bones (2002), was named an honor book for the 2001 Delacorte Press Prize Competition. Her second, Contents Under Pressure (2004), began as her thesis project at Emerson College, where in 2001 she earned her MFA in creative writing. It has been named to the 2006 International Reading Association's Young Adult Choices list (among others) and was voted the 2006 Delaware Blue Hen Teen Book Award winner. Lara's third novel, Anyone But You (2005), was a Teen People Top 10 Pick. An excerpt from that project helped earn Lara a 2005 Emerging Artist Fellowship in Literature-Fiction from the Delaware Division of the Arts.

In addition to writing, Lara teaches part-time at the University of Delaware, where she received her BA in English-Journalism. She also facilitates creative writing workshops for both teens and adults.

You can learn more about her by visiting her website or her blog at zeisgeist.livejournal.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Good Book, March 19, 2005

By 

occultoscriptor - See all my reviews

This review is from: Contents Under Pressure (Hardcover)

This is the first book I have read by Lara M. Zeises, and I was happily surprised.

The book follows fourteen-year-old Lucy Doyle as she falls in and out of friendships, battles home conflicts, and eventually gets a boyfriend. I found the story itself, quite readable and realistic.

One of the things I liked about this book was that it didn't seem to make any of the horrible and all-too-common mistakes that other books have. For instance, I hate it when main characters treat depression, mental illness, and other family problems with an almost bored tone as in "I'm so-and-so, I'm tall and skinny, have a dog, and have a mother who hasn't gotten out of bed in three weeks." Another thing I hate is when the girl/boy's situation is a my-dad-is-in-jail-my-brother-is-suicidal. "Contents Under Pressure" avoided both these problems. The situation at home was realistic and just as life-changing, and the Lucy had genuine reactions that changed over the course of the book.

You can sympathize with Lucy and all of her friends at the same time, instead of hating one person one page, and hating another the next. The same thing goes for her brother, jack, and his girlfriend, Hannah. The way she meets her future boyfriend is quirky and unique.

Overall, I definitely recommend "Contents Under Pressure."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great characters, April 30, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Contents Under Pressure (Hardcover)

I ate this book in one day. I wanted to hurry up and read it and at the same time I didn't want it to end. I cared about all of the characters, especially Lucy and Hannah. Lucy's friendships with her girlfriends and Tobin were realistic, and anyone with a brother will relate to Lucy's mixed feelings about Jack and her booger-eating little brother, Brody. There were a lot of subtle, touching moments in this novel. I liked Zeises first book a lot, but I thought this one was even better.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Zeises does it again!, May 24, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Contents Under Pressure (Hardcover)

I was a big fan of Zeises's first book, but this one blew me away. The characters were believeable and sympathetic, the dialogue rang true, and the situations were incredibly realistic. The story sucked me in and left me wanting more, more, more! I hope there will be a sequel because I just HAVE to know what happens to Lucy and Tobin and Hannah and Jack! I am going to recommend this book to everyone I know.