Game of Life [Hardcover]

Norma Howe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 12, 1988

A girl's sixteenth year is an eventful one.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

According to PW , Howe "vividly documents the 16-year-old heroine's experiences and encounters, as a flurry of names, dates and moments in time are intricately textured into a rich, realistic portrait of a young woman's life." Ages 12-up
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10-- A self-described "unique kind of oddball," Cairo (named after the city where she was conceived) Hays is the middle of three daughters in a suburban California family. She is jolted out of her naivete when events and personalities conspire to shape her sixteenth year into a bittersweet season from which she learns that the "game of life" yields neither simple answers nor reassuring guarantees. Howe saves Cairo's narrative from being another tedious YA "what I learned about life" chronicle by infusing it with a gallery of unique, finely etched characters, a fast-moving plot which successfully balances multiple storylines, and a sharp wit laced with pathos. Cairo's education is implemented by her interactions with her overweight, self-loathing Aunt Lucille; her boyfriend, Rocky; her flighty older sister Heather, hooked on astrology and an egotistical, abusive beau; and her emotionally remote grandfather, whose carelessness causes a misfortune which makes Cairo hate him. The anecdotal plot and breezy narrative will appeal to readers with short attention spans, yet those seeking more substance will be satisfied by the skillfully delineated evolution of Cairo's new philosophy of life. A sparkling gem replete with nuggets of wit and wisdom. --Merilyn S. Burrington, Vergennes Union High School, VT
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 181 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (December 12, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517571978
• ISBN-13: 978-0517571972
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,872,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars spectacular, June 6, 2003

By 

lisa (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Game of Life (Hardcover)

Life. What is the meaning and purpose of life? This book managed to answer this question with one sentence.
Cairo is an ordinary teenager living in the world of reality. She goes through her 16th year with the memory of an incident of a blender and strawberries. Using this one incident, the whole randomness of life is slowly revealed to us. Through many happenings, Cairo realizes that nothing can be helped, nothing is predestined. Whatever happens just happens, and there is no way to change the past.
This is a delirious and light read, but if you think about it afterwards, it's one of those "iceburg" books. There's so much more beneath the surface. Dig deeper. I won't keep you here any longer, go READ.