Dare Truth or Promise [Paperback]

Paula Boock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2009

"[A] steamy, brilliant girl-on-girl romance," says Kirkus, now available in paperback in our Graphia imprint with an eye-catching new cover!

Willa and Louie could not be more different. Louie wants to be a lawyer and is an outstanding student. Willa lives in a pub and just wants to get through the year so she can graduate and become a chef. But they are completely attracted to one another when they first meet at a fast-food restaurant. Soon they fall in love fast and furiously, and everything the girls are sure of -- their plans, their faith, their families, their identities -– is called into question...

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"When Willa turned and kissed her, Louie thought in her head, this is my first kiss. It wasn't, of course, she'd kissed a number of boys, and done more too, but she'd never, ever felt as if she were falling off a cliff."

Dare Truth or Promise, a turbulent love story by New Zealander Paula Boock, recalls Nancy Garden's Annie on My Mind and Good Moon Rising in its portrayal of two young women caught up in sexual passion for each other. Louie is the talented daughter of wealthy and cultured parents, and Willa is a strong-minded redhead who lives over the pub. They come from different worlds, but when they meet working at Burger Giant, lightning strikes--soon they are frantically in love. Willa has had a previous affair that was undermined by denial, but this time it feels inevitable and right, even when Louie's mother banishes Willa after discovering them in an embrace; even when Willa is threatened by hostile anonymous notes; even when they avoid each other in confusion and pain. Thanks to the acceptance of her tough bartender mother, Willa gains the strength to wait it out, but a psychologist tells Louie that her feelings are a passing phase, a fundamentalist promises her sins will land her in hell, and her best friend is supportive but embarrassed. The healing words that finally enable Louie to believe in herself and return to the relationship come at last from a young priest: "You see, I think love comes from God. And so, to turn away from love, real love, it could be argued, is to turn away from God." (Ages 16 and older) --Patty Campbell --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

New Zealand author Boock traces the developing lesbian romance between two high school seniors in an ultimately uplifting novel. The two are from different social strata: Louie quotes Shakespeare and poetry and comes from a conservative, upper-middle-class background, while newcomer Willa, still suffering from the repercussions of an ill-fated first relationship with another girl, lives above a pub. Told in a third-person narrative that alternates between the two characters' points of view, the book offers a frank appraisal of the girls' initial attraction, passions and the conflicts of dealing with a variety of outsidersAparents, friends, co-workers, etc. When Louie's mother discovers the two girls in bed together in Louie's room, she forbids Louie to see Willa. After a rather prolonged period of suffering and soul-searching, they are able to reunite. Although Boock's intense narrative crosses into melodrama and occasionally plants an important scene offstage, teens who are curious about or struggling with questions of sexual identity will find reassurance in these pages. The characters' interactions with Louie's father and priest, and Willa's conversations with her own mother, convey an empathy and tolerance strong enough to counterbalance the intolerance the lovers face from everyone else. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Graphia; Reprint edition (March 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780547076171
• ISBN-13: 978-0547076171
• ASIN: 0547076177
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #614,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars For Those Who Found It Too Hard January 14, 2006

By Ray Kay

Format:Hardcover

There isn't much that I can say about this novel that other people have already said. I can say that this book was so unbelievably incredible, it left me with my head spinning for days after I read it. The writing alone is utterly brilliant. This book is filled with honest, clever and elegant prose that I think future writers should take note on. As for the story, I don't think there was a better way Paula Boock could have delivered it. It wasn't simply a story of two girls having a lesbian fling. It's a story of deep, painful, heart-wrenching love and the tortures people can endure in this life. The novel was centred on the main characters Louie and Willa, but readers got to see other characters' perspective on the situation. Every minor character was given their own dues. This is not a novel where the author forgets about her 'background' characters, and I appreciate that she cares for them, instead of just sticking them in for plot progression. Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the themes building off of love. Familial love, self-love, the strength of friendship, that is, platonic love, and most importantly, passionate love for another human being. It was almost difficult for me to read this novel; it hurt too much. The realism of which this story is told is gripping and beautiful. Also, it isn't a fairy tale. These characters face so much anguish that none of them deserve.
Pick up this book. Read it. You might be in tears at the end.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book for Confused Teens June 9, 2004

By Bette

Format:Hardcover

This was a great book. Whether your are gay, bi, straight, or curious, you will enjoy it. It answers the questions a curious mind may have... and it helped me to decide to come out. I reccomend it to anyone. Even if you just want to read something, this is good reading, otherwise my school library wouldn't own it.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very beautifully written March 13, 2003

By paedagogue

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

a trim but suggestive narrative style makes this story of young lesbian love something worth reading even after you're long past the high school years. In terms of sheer literary quality, it stands up there with Jean Stewart's lovely Emerald City Blues (though the latter is considerably more explicit, and not so tightly focused on the main protagonists' personal angst). Anyway, Boock can really write.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Pick July 8, 2002

A Kid's Review

Format:Hardcover

At first i wasn't very interested in reading this book. I was looking for something along the lines of "empress of the world", and amazon.com reccomended "Dare, Truth, or Promise" as a good follow up. I was in the car on a road trip, and with nothing else to do, i opened it. I read the book in only a few days, which is unusual for me. I just couldn't get my nose out of it. Paula Boock writes so good you just want to know what happens next. I guess i can say, the story she wrote flows. It all comes together, and at the end you're wishing there was more. I really reccomend this book if you're looking for something along the lines of lesbian romance. It was cute, and very charming. It almost makes you wish you were there...

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Truthful and never fake October 22, 2001

By "acmedunveiled"

Format:Hardcover

The reason this book caught my eye was that it had a young pair of lesbians. But upon reading it, I realized that this book was much more than the average lesbian love story. This book had no sappy ending about love overcoming all odds, and it showed people in their environments. There was a different flavor that some people may not like, but I totally enjoyed.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb storytelling June 14, 2005

By Dana J. Lawrence

Format:Hardcover

Dare, Truth or Promise is not just a great teen book, it is a great book period. Telling the tale of Louis and Willa and their relationship, it presents its young protagonists as people with depth and feeling, who love one another despite significant odds against them, and who take their gayness as a matter of course. The writing in this novel is superb; sparse, yet extremely poetic. There are passages of surpassing beauty; the first kiss, which occurs near the end of an airline runway just after a plane takes off, is breathtaking, and the penultimate passages of the book, when Willa saves Louis and then breaks down in the hospital, will have you in tears. The story does not play out at all as one might expect. Solace comes where it is not expected. A young priest offers Louis words that, while not directly answering her questions, offers her the means to move forward with her love for both Willa and her parents. The despair that Willa feels when Louis is forced away from her is despair that we feel as well, as we watch Louis fall into the depths of pain. Her appearance at a dance is unexpected and sets the stage for the final denouement of the story; her face is described at the time as a "death mask." I cannot speak highly enough of this incredibly moving story. Buy it now, read it and then read it again.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books ever April 2, 2004

By The One Who Tells You The Truth

Format:Hardcover

I saw this book a few times in book shops but never thought much of it. However, when I read the reviews on Amazon then the book began to intrigue me. I bought it and to my amazement the book left me breathless, even speechless. I cried through it a few times. It describes passion, the pain of being in love, in a so true to life manner. It's really a slice of life about pure, unadulterated love. It avoids clichés, develops an emotional rollercoaster and has an exhilarating end.

I warn you: You're not going to like this book. You're gonna LOVE it!!!!