Diva [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Alex Flinn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2006

For most people, the word "diva" means brilliant and over–the–top. Caitlin, however, seems to be trapped in a not–so–glamorous life with serious ex–boyfriend issues and a permanent yo–yo diet. But when she auditions and gets into the performing arts high school, everything changes. Caitlin can sing like an angel, but it will take more than her voice to help her overcome her past and shape her future.

In this companion novel to Alex Flinn's acclaimed Breathing Underwater, Caitlin puts her past as "the abused girlfriend" behind her and moves onward and upward to Diva–dom.

Ages:12+

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10–Caitlin, who was abused by her 16-year-old boyfriend, Nick, in Flinn's Breathing Underwater (HarperCollins, 2001), wants to put that relationship behind her. A talented opera singer, she gets into Miami High School for the Performing Arts despite her own nervousness and her mother's objections. Even there she feels like an outcast as she can't dance or sing pop and she obsesses about her weight. Her mother dresses like a teenager, is dating a married man, and seems to live off her ex-husband. At auditions, she meets another talented opera singer, Sean, but just as Caitlin's starting to fall for him, she realizes he's gay. While she's struggling to put all this into perspective, her singing instructor suggests that she try out for a summer opera program in New York. In the end, the teenager patches things up with her ex, who has reformed through counseling. After she gains new respect for her mother, and new confidence, she decides to pursue her dream and is accepted to the program in New York. Caitlin tells her story partly through online journal entries. Although her understanding of her mother comes too rapidly, this is a solid story, full of self-deprecating humor, snappy dialogue, and well-developed characters and situations.–Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In Breathing Underwater (2005), Flinn told the story of Nick, a kid who seems flawless but beats his girlfriend, Caitlin. Diva is Caitlin's story. Some time has passed. Nick is abiding by the restraining order keeping him away from Caitlin, and she is still trying to understand herself. She no longer believes she is the fat no-talent Nick insisted she was, but she's still obsessed with her weight and unsure about trying out for a performing-arts high school and exploring her passion for opera. Then there's her mother, who wants people to think they are sisters and is having an affair with a married man. Written partly as an online diary, the story neatly delineates teens' concerns--some contemporary, others ages old. Caitlin makes the grade at her new school and begins to appreciate her talent, but things are rockier with friends and boyfriends. The most interesting relationship is between Caitlin and her mother; Flinn turns a fine eye on the seemingly never-ending mother-daughter dance, in which someone is always out of step. A fast read, but there's meat here, too. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (October 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060568437
• ASIN: B001G8WFIA
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #719,471 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alex Flinn was born in Syosset, New York. She learned to read at three and wanted to be a writer at five. She received her first rejection letter (from Highlights magazine) at eight. At twelve, her family moved to Miami, Florida, where she had a really hard time making friends, due to congenital shyness and a really bad haircut. So she read a lot and tried to write a novel but never finished because she had no idea what to write about.

Flinn attended a performing arts high school program, similar to that portrayed in her book, Diva, then majored in vocal performance in college. Panicked upon realizing that there weren't a whole lot of jobs for opera singers, Flinn went to law school.

Law school was, it turns out a really good place to learn to write for teenagers. Writing for teens and writing for judges are very similar because both judges and teens have a lot of demands on their time and minimal time for reading. Also, Flinn interned at the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, trying many domestic violence cases, which were later the inspiration for her first novel, Breathing Underwater.

Breathing Underwater was published in 2001. It received many honors, including being chosen a Top 10 Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association. It was followed by Breaking Point, Nothing to Lose, Fade to Black, Diva, and Beastly. Beastly is soon to be released as a motion picture. Her newest book is A Kiss in Time, a modern Sleeping Beauty.

Flinn still lives in Miami with her husband, two daughters, a dog, cat, and African Spur-Thighed Tortoise. She enjoys performing arts, biking, and travel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, November 4, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: Diva (Hardcover)

DIVA tells the story of Caitlin McCourt, a sixteen-year-old opera fan and singer, as she attempts to break out of her old life by transferring to a performing arts school. Among the things Caitlin is escaping are an abusive ex-boyfriend, vacuous "friends" who don't understand her interests, and the advice of her overbearing and superficial mother. However, her new school comes with its own share of difficulties. She has to learn to dance and act as well as sing, and she's afraid she's too "normal" to fit in with the artsy students.

Caitlin is an incredibly sympathetic character. Despite being burdened with a mother who's more interested in flirting with Caitlin's guy friends than supporting her daughter, and a father who's started a new family that rarely includes her, she manages to believe in and look after herself. Her voice is realistic and open, letting the readers in on all of her insecurities (which many teens will share). Her decisions make sense for her, even if readers don't always agree with them, and throughout the story she comes more and more into her own.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Caitlin's story is how her relationship with her mother evolves. Much of Caitlin's personality appears to be a product of her mother's hot-and-cold attitude toward her daughter. As Caitlin steps out from her mother's shadow, she sees not only her own needs and desires more clearly, but also her mother's. Caitlin's discovery that there's more to her mother than she realized is poignant and believable.

DIVA will be enjoyed by any teen, especially girls, struggling with the pressures of friends and family. With its colorful and well-developed characters, it's an easy story to get drawn into. The only criticism I could make is that the novel doesn't offer a great deal more than other good titles with similar subject matter, but what it does offer is so involving that it's hard to complain.

Reviewed by: Lynn Crow

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Listening and Learning, December 31, 2007

By 

Little Willow (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diva (Hardcover)

I am compelled to read pretty much any and every fiction book about a hopeful singer, dancer, or actress. DIVA offers a realistic, contemporary look at one girl's performing arts school experience, intermingled with her personal life, her past, present, and future.

I thoroughly enjoyed DIVA. Not only is it a great companion piece to Alex Flinn's earlier story BREATHING UNDERWATER, but it can also be read as a stand-alone book.

DIVA is about following your heart, even if it leads you to something that others may not understand, and overcoming your fears. Caitlin's love and talent for opera is evident, as is her struggle to come to terms with the abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex-boyfriend. Though this is a book and not a live performance, her voice, as it is written on the page, rings true.

DIVA is also about relationships, not only romantic but also related (mother and daughter, in this case) and platonic, friendly and competitive. There are so many different ways to connect with and be connected to others. As Caitlin learns to use her voice both onstage and off, readers will applaud her.

5.0 out of 5 stars This grrrl is real and funny!, September 30, 2011

By 

Deborah Sandford "Marian the Librarian" (Madison, NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diva (Hardcover)

This is one of the best young adult books I've read! Narrated by sixteen-year-old Caitlin, there is a ton of excellent dialogue to break up any pretentious adhesion to a stream of consciousness monologue. We are privy to Caitlin's online journal, as well as her thoughts in italics. This grrrl is real and funny--she thinks like I do. Aside from growing up, becoming one's own person, and `getting along with your mother', other issues brought to light include battering, dead-beat dads, and peer pressure bullying. Characters are realistic and well-developed, situations are believable everyday occurrences (if not often desirable), and although resolutions to the situations are somewhat too neat and tidy, it makes for a quick and very satisfying read. On the strength of this book, even on the first few pages, I would read anything that Alex Flinn has to offer.