Customer Reviews

Flightsend

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Charlie's mother, Kathy, decides to move to the countryside in a place called Flightsend. Flightsend is a way for Kathy to get away from her old life. Ever since Kathy gave birth to a stillborn, she has not been the same. Her daughter would have been named Rose. As a result, Kathy quits her job and dumps her boyfriend. Charlie does not see how moving to Flightsend will help anything, especially herself. Now, Charlie will be far from all of her friends. However, soon after moving, Charlie lands a job waitressing at Nightingales and realizes she may be wrong about Flightsend.

I did not enjoy Flightsend. None of the characters held my attention. They were all kind of boring. The plot was not much better than the characters. Most of Flightsend deals with Kathy's midlife crisis and how it all affects Charlie. I almost felt as if Flightsend dealt too much with Kathy's problems. At times, I felt that this novel should not be labeled YA. This is especially bad considering that the novel is in Charlie's point of view. My next dislike is completely subjective. I really did not like the font that Flightsend is printed in. The font is 12 pt. New Baskerville. This is the first time that a font has really bothered me in a novel, and I really think I would have enjoyed Flightsend slightly more if it was printed in another font. :/

On a more positive note, there was one thing that I enjoyed about Flightsend. While the things I dislike outweigh the thing I like, I think it is still worth mentioning. Flightsend takes place in England, and I did enjoy reading the English dialect. There were probably a few other small things that I liked about Flightsend, but I can't remember them at the moment. Come to think of it though, if I can't remember the things, then I must not have liked them too much...

Flightsend - By Linda Newbery

Charlie was young when Sean moved in. Sean has been there

almost ever since she can remember. Everything was going

right; her mother was set to have a baby, Sean had moved

in, and it seemed as if a marriage was about to occur.

But than everything went south.

Her mother had a miscarriage, pushed Sean away, and seemed

to be suffering from depression. Charlie thinks that Mum

is making a terrible mistake, and doesn't know what her

mother is going to do.

Mum's solution - move to Flightsend. Of course, Charlie

thinks that this is the worst thing ever, but along the

course of this novel, Charlie grows up, and shows

experience beyond her years.

But will her mother?

I felt that this book was very well

written. The plot didn't drag, the characters were fun and

easy to relate to, and the writing style was good. The

book is in first person; from Charlie's point of view.

This alone makes it interesting, to see it from the kid's

point of view. I loved how reality hit hard for both her

and her mother, and seeing their ways of dealing with

things. Also, I enjoyed how she and her mother lost, than

found, a connection between each other. Lastly, I think

that it was interesting so see Charlie's way of dealing

with her mother's "depression".

I would most definitely recommend this to other readers my

age, for it shows the true hardships of growing up.

NOTE to parents: This book deals with some more mature themes, dealing

with pregnancy and relationships. Some children might need

some guidance with these themes.

Reviewed by a young adult student reviewer

Flamingnet Book Reviews

Teen books reviewed by teen reviewers

Flightsend (Definitions) Charlie did not want to move. She was 16 yo and she had loved her neighborhood and her friends. Her mother, Kathy (such a great name!), wanted to start over. She wanted to get away from the people and the places that held so many memories for her, she want to put "...an end to...well everything that's gone wrong." (p. 6) So she found a place that wasn't so far that Charlie had to switch school but far enough for things to begin again. She and Charlie could move forward with questions or complications. It turns out Flight's End was just what they needed.

I really enjoyed this book. Both Charlie and her mom were well-rounded characters who were allowed to grow, make mistakes, and even fix some of them. When I first met Kathy, I thought she was running away. Charlie says "they couldn't rebuild their lives on pills." (9) so I got the sense that something was missing and her mom didn't want to face it. Kathy grew more confident throughout the telling of the story. She comes to terms with her past and builds a better future. You also see Charlie becoming more sure of her place in the world.

"You've got me haven't you? Don't I count? Don't I mean anything to you? (27)

Moving to Flightsend means not hanging around after school, not seeing Rowan as much, and trying to determine where she fits in. I enjoyed seeing Charlie take on responsibilities but not lose the friendships from the past. I wish there had been more of Angus in the book because I was hoping for a relationship to develop between him and Charlie. He is exactly the type she needs. Maybe Ms. Newbery will do a sequel.

I found the story engaging and entertaining without making me maudlin. Ms. Newbery uses the phrase "new mood of optimistic vagueness" (10) and that's how the story starts but slowly shifts into something more real. I found her use of imagery fascinating and could conjure up each scene she wrote. I even liked the chapter headings, moving from Flightsend to Flight's End. I give it 4 copies! Definite School Library purchase.