Fixing Delilah [Hardcover]

Sarah Ockler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2010

Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.

She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.

Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?

Rich with emotion, Sarah Ockler delivers a powerful story of family, love, and self-discovery.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up–When Del's grandmother's dies, the teen and her mother, Claire, immediately head to Red Falls, VT. The house is a Victorian relic where her mother and aunt grew up and it holds fond memories for Del, particularly of Rickie, the boy who was once her inseparable companion. An unexplained fight between her mother and her grandmother ended any contact. Claire is a secretive sort who has a demanding job and seems to pay attention only when Del gets in trouble, and Del has obliged. The summer is spent working on clearing the house and repairing it to get it ready to sell, with the aid of Rickie, now known as Patrick, and his father, who run a construction business. Romance ensues, along with uncovering clues about the family mystery regarding an aunt who died at age 19. Although the plot is sometimes melodramatic, romance lovers will enjoy the tender love scenes, while more practical folk may tire of Del's vacillations and whining. The ending seems telegraphed, and nothing is new, except a friend who declares herself a lesbian. The story will satisfy readers who crave romance that focuses on the moments spent kissing and touching rather than on the sex.–Carol A. Edwards, Denver Public Library, COα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Tragedy and deception tore 17-year-old Delilah’s family apart nearly a decade ago. After her grandmother dies, Delilah and her mother head to Vermont for another summer at the family home, where they settle the estate and revive unresolved family matters. Delilah discovers her deceased aunt Stephanie’s lost diary; as she reads about her teenage aunt’s relationships and her slip into depression, Delilah is worried to see parallels in her own life. She also learns of the secret that split the family apart, and threatens to do so again. A nice cast of characters adds a homey feel and small-town color to the narrative, including Patrick, Delilah’s childhood buddy, who has grown steadfast and handsome. Ockler’s follow-up to 20 Boy Summer (2009) is another perfect fit for those seeking expressive writing, emotional depth, and lush, cinematic romance, cementing her comfortably next to similar teen favorites like Deb Caletti, Carolyn Mackler, and Sarah Dessen. Grades 9-12. --Heather Booth

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (December 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316052094
• ISBN-13: 978-0316052092
• Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 5.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sarah Ockler is the bestselling author of critically acclaimed young adult novels Twenty Boy Summer, Fixing Delilah, and Bittersweet. Her books have been translated into several languages and have received numerous accolades, including ALA's Best Fiction for Young Adults, Girls' Life Top 100 Must Reads, IndieNext list picks, and more. Her short fiction and essays are featured in two young adult anthologies: Defy the Dark and Dear Teen Me.

Sarah is a champion cupcake eater, coffee drinker, night person, and bookworm. When she's not writing or reading, Sarah enjoys taking pictures, hugging trees, and road-tripping through the country with her husband, Alex.

Her latest novel, The Book of Broken Hearts, will be released in May 2013.

Visit her website at sarahockler.com or find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Worthy Follow-up to "Twenty Boy Summer" January 2, 2011

By Etana

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

After reading "Twenty Boy Summer," I was excited to see what Ockler had in store for her follow-up novel. While "Fixing Delilah" is not the tear-jerker that "Twenty Boy Summer" was, Ockler's story of the Hannaford family's secrets was a compelling read, full of suspense and innocent romance.

The story takes place over the summer when Delilah and her mother have to move back to her grandmother's lakeside home after her grandmother passed away. Neither Delilah nor her mother had been in touch with her grandmother for several years preceding her death, due to an incident that Delilah's mother will tell Delilah nothing about. Once back at the lake, Delilah begins to search for the answers about her family's past that her mother has adamantly tried to keep from her.

The only major flaw I had with this book was that, although we as readers were told that Delilah was a bit of a wild-child, after Delilah arrived to the lakehouse, we never actually saw this part of her personality. I had a hard time believing that she would so easily give up her old habits. I felt like whenever she would think about the "crazy" things she had done in the past, I found myself questioning the reliability of her narration, because those things seemed so out of character. And considering her wild nature, the first-person narration of Delilah seemed too mature and graceful. Ockler would spend a lot of time using poetic metaphors to describe the setting of the lake, which seemed false coming from this teenage girl with bad grades.

Also, it may be that I have simply read to many books revolving around family drama, but I thought that the secrets in the family were somewhat predictable.... There were several times throughout the novel where I wondered why Delilah had not figured out what I, the reader, already had about her family. However, despite Delilah's ignorance, I still found myself intrigued by the family secrets, and turning the pages at a rapid pace, not wanting to wait to find out if my suspicions were correct.

I thought that the romance between Delilah and Patrick was believably sweet - and was what I was sincerely interested in when reading this book. There are many moments between the two of them that made me break out in an incredibly goofy smile (which probably got me a few looks while I was reading on the bus). While Patrick, as a character, seemed just a little too perfect - he was a good balance with all the seriously flawed other characters in the novel.

I really liked that Ockler was able to write about the adults in the novel as having made serious mistakes - but not making them into caricatures or people to be looked down on. All of the adults had seriously failed Delilah in some way or another, but in the end, it was understood that everything they did was without malice. This aspect of the novel was very realistic, and was what made me care about the story.

This was a good follow-up novel to "Twenty Boy Summer", even if I did not enjoy it quite as much. I will be looking forward to reading whatever Ockler comes up with next! Read more ›

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Blend of Family, Love and Growing Up - Beautifully Written February 4, 2011

By Nikki (Wicked Awesome Books)

Format:Hardcover

It's official. I am in love with Sarah Ockler's words. She could write about caterpillars or bunnies or the most boring day in history, and I'm positive I would still love it. This quote describes my feelings perfectly:

He belts it straight out, his voice like milk and honey and everything rich and warm and good. I want to drink it. To take off my clothes and slip into his music like a hot bubble bath. ~ pg. 111

That is how I feel about Sarah's writing

The story starts off slow and kind of simmers, but it works. Fixing Delilah is one of those sweet, summer romance stories with a hell of a lot of family drama thrown in. It's very character-driven and internal. We're introduced to Delilah Hannaford, on the cusp of a summer in Vermont. Leaving her home and her non-boyfriend behind isn't really a big deal, but staying with her mother for an entire summer, cleaning up the home of her deceased grandmother, and digging up long buried family secrets, is.

Delilah is so much like every teen girl out there. She's angry and emotional - desperate for attention, but not sure how to get it. She wants her mother to love her like she used to. Back before her Papa died and her family fell apart. Her life is a series of mistakes that allow her to forget how much she's hurting, but this one summer changes that.

The Hannaford family secrets are revealed slowly, layer by layer. It's like wiping away a film of dust, just to find a box that needs to be unlocked. I loved the dynamic between Delilah, her mother Claire, and her aunt Rachel. These three Hannaford women are all strong-willed in their own way and flawed, but they so clearly want to be able to love each other the way they used to; they just don't know how.... Getting to know each of them was a pleasure, as was slowly discovering the secrets that once tore them apart.

During all this family strife, Delilah gets reacquainted with her best summer friend from her childhood. The boy who used to be Little Ricky, is now Patrick and Patrick is a swoon machine. His good-natured joking, handyman skills, and his musical endeavors made me adore him. He has all this going for him and to top it all off, he cares so much for Delilah. Their friendship does this thing, this crazy thing that many YA books disregard, it blossoms. That's right. No insta-love here, just some flirting, almost kisses, and finally we get there. And I love there.

Fixing Delilah is the perfect blend of a family, love, and growing up - it made me laugh, it made me ache, it had me sighing and swooning, and most importantly, it made me love it. Delilah Hannaford found a way into my heart and forced me to care for her and her entire family. It's a story that reminds us that every mistake, every action, every memory, makes us who we are and despite all of that, there will always be someone there who cares.

Opening line: "Claire? It's Rachel. I'm afraid I have some bad news." ~ pg. 1

Favorite lines: I dug up the past and sifted through the rubble and counted all the bones, and now I want to throw them all back in the hole under shovels full of earth. To forget. ~ pgs. 231-232

And here's a taste of Aunt Rachel:

"I'll go," Rachel says. "Need anything specific? Milk? Toilet paper? Compassion, maybe? I'll get a bunch. I probably have a coupon." ~ pg. 25 Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful story!!!! February 18, 2013

By Gguts

Format:Hardcover

Its now my absolute favorite book and after reading this book it made me change the way i see things in life.... and it was absolutely amazing!!!i do recommend it for teens because of the amount of romance!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeously written May 8, 2012

By Hannah @ Paperback Treasures

Format:Hardcover

I loved Sarah Ockler's debut, Twenty Boy Summer - one of my favorite books ever. So to say I had high expectations for Fixing Delilah would be an understatement. I knew I was going to love it. And while I didn't like Fixing Delilah quite as much as Twenty Boy Summer, it didn't disappoint!

The writing is what's best about this book. It's vivid and beautiful, just perfect. I know, that doesn't mean much - those are words we use all the time. But Sarah Ockler's writing is... wow. Her style is just perfect for me, and I fell in love with each of her sentences. This book makes me wish I wasn't too lazy to take notes while reading - I'd love to have some quotes written down to show you how amazing the writing is. But, since I am lazy, you'll just have to trust me - Sarah Ockler's writing is gorgeous. It flows nicely, and I felt like I was there alongside Delilah the entire time. The imagery is so beautiful and perfect. I could go on and on about Sarah Ockler's writing. It reminds me a lot of Sarah Dessen's style. Yes, comparing a contemporary YA author to Sarah Dessen is an obvious and boring choice, but it's true. Fixing Delilah sounds like something Sarah Dessen could have wrote. But - and this is a big deal - I think I like Sarah Ockler's style even more than Sarah Dessen's. Really, that's the highest praise any writing could get from me!

Okay, enough about the writing. I loved the story too. I really liked the focus on all things family-related. Why aren't there more contemporary YA books about family? I loved reading about Delilah's relationship with her mother. It's so, so real. Her aunt Rachel is a great character too. Each member of the family - living and dead - has a distinct and realistic personality.... Usually, when there's some kind of secret the main character wants to uncover, it's predictable and boring, but not in Fixing Delilah. I loved finding out about the Hannafords' family history alongside Delilah. It's unraveled layer by layer, and the big secret you eventually find out about is not predictable at all. The family aspect is my favorite storyline; I loved seeing Delilah's relationship with her mom - and Delilah as a character - evolve over the course of the novel.

The other main storyline, Delilah's romance with her childhood friend Patrick, though, I didn't like as much. The relationship doesn't seem as realistic to me, and it develops too quickly. I don't want to call it insta-love, since Patrick and Delilah have known each other since they were kids, but still - they haven't seen each other for eight years, so it's not like they still know each other really well. I would have liked them to spend more time getting to know each other again before their friendship turns into something more. Patrick as a character, though, I did like - he's sweet and swoonworthy. If their relationship had developed a little slower, the romance could have been great. The conflict between Patrick and Delilah towards the end didn't really work for me - it felt kind of constructed, and their fight is childish and melodramatic. That part annoyed me a little - it seemed like the author just wanted them to have a big fall-out, but really, I think I would have liked it better if that fight hadn't happened.

Delilah's friendship with Emily is okay. She's sweet, but I would have liked to see some more depth to her character - the way it is, with Emily not playing too important a role, what we find about her towards the end is kind of pointless.

I love the cover for Fixing Delilah - it's beautiful and fits the story perfectly. I just love the whole idea!

I didn't like Delilah's relationships with Patrick and Emily too much, and I would have preferred the story to focus even more on the family ties and less on those relationships. But I still loved Fixing Delilah - gorgeous, vivid writing, a fully-developed, relatable main character, and complex family bonds make Fixing Delilah worth reading. I have to get my hands on Bittersweet as soon as possible - I need more of Sarah Ockler's writing! Read more ›