Customer Reviews

Gemma

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

There was a point fairly early on in this book that I seriously considered not finishing it. The explicit details of the horrible sexual abuse being endured by a young twelve-year-old girl were almost more than I could bear. First, Gemma is sexually abused by her unloving mother's boyfriend who then sells her services to a man named Hazen Wood. Wood then kidnaps Gemma and they travel around the country until Gemma is rescued by the police and develops a mutually caring relationship with the detective (Cindy) who had literally grabbed her out of the grasping arms of her kidnapper. There are some endearing moments in the latter pages of the book as Gemma and Cindy's relationship develops and Gemma realizes the painful truth about her mother.

Gemma is written in a stream of consciousness format from the victim's point of view and that of the perpetrator (kind of like A Million Little Pieces only with paragraphs). The descriptions of Gemma's abuse are graphic and agonizing to read. It makes one wonder how many other young girls...boys, too...are being subjected to such horrors every moment of every day. The mind of the perp is frightening to behold. The way he justifies his sick behavior is frightening, indeed. We can't know what actually goes on in another person's mind, but it is terrifying to even imagine that what Tilly wrote as thoughts in Wood's head could be real.

We get a glimpse into Hazen's upbringing through his thoughts and memories about his grandmother (positive) and his mother (negative). As in Tilly's earlier work, Singing Songs, there is very little detail provided nor is there much in the way of character development, probably due, primarily, to the story's stream of consciousness style. Only the two major characters' thoughts are provided with minor allusions to/descriptions of time and place.

There were a few instances in Gemma where I thought circumstances described or references made were questionable with reference to the timeframe in which the story was told. I will not note them here. Each reader can decide for him/herself about these issues, if they notice them. If you decide to read this book, be prepared to have some strong feelings about the events that take place.

Carolyn Rowe Hill

At first I wasn't sure I could handle the content of the story, however I plowed through. I am more informed and aware as a parent and I am thankful for Meg Tilly's uncensored frankness.

Gemma is a 12 year old girl who is "sold" to another man by her mother's boyfriend for $100. The story follows Gemma through the kidnapping and sexual horror to which he subjects Gemma. It is told in points of view of both Gemma and her kidnapper, Hazen.

Gemma, though beaten down, literally, and abused beyond comprehension, shows unbeleivable resilience. The reader cannot help but "cheer" for each of Gemma's attempts toward escape and survival.

The book is very graphic and may offend some with it's sexual content. However, it is necessary for adults to hear first-hand what is being done to children in our country...we have to make it stop.

This was a very hard book to read. Once I encountered the graphic depictions of the abuse Gemma suffered, I really didn't want to keep reading. However, the way this story was told kept me going. I will admit that I'm typically skeptical when I see a novel that has been written by someone who is a celebrity in other mediums - especially actors. But Tilly is a gifted storyteller, and I am sorry for ever having a single doubt in my mind.

The very sad thing is that while this was fiction, events like these happen to children all around the world, every day. It's happening right this minute. Being made aware of that, makes me want to do what I can to help.

Recommended, especially if you have children.

An interesting book told by Gemma, the abused and Hazan, the abuser. The story allows the reader into the minds of both of these characters. The interesting part is how each party deals with their situation. There doesn't seem to be a need to tell you what this book is about, but rather explain how the book lets you see the point of view from someone who is suffering at twelve years old. Considering I have a young daughter, the thoughts and actions of this twelve year old were captured so well. I can imagine a young girl not understanding some things, but using silly phrases to express their outrage or dissappointment. Meg Tilly did a great job with the voice of Gemma. As far as Hazan is concerned, no matter how upset the reader gets with him-it is interesting to read his thoughts and try to wrap your head around such a sick man. I look forward to reading more by Tilly.

This book was very difficult for me to read. Not really because of the subject matter (multiple rapes, molestation, etc.) but because of the way this book was written. I found it very raw, almost childlike in a lot of the different passages, and it was hard to have an emotional response to either of the two narrators in the book, Gemma or Hazen. There would be these pages and pages of words about what was going on and where they were going but I never felt connected with either of the characters. It was like a stranger off the street was telling me a tragic story about themselves, but chopping up some much of it that I never felt any sympathy for them.

I have read other books like this one before and I just have to say that I don't think this one holds up very well in comparison. There was a lot of this book that also had me thinking about "White Oleander", and I did find myself comparing the two in my head throughout reading this novel, and liking "White Oleander" more.

What a book! I don't mean that with a positive or negative slant. It's just so different from anything else I've ever read or would like to read again. It's heart-wrenching at points, disgusting at points, and a little unbelievable. It's not a book that you would want to 'escape' with... The book bring up so many feelings. To think that there are people, much less children, who forcibly endure such hardships just makes me depressed.

The story revolves around Gemma. She has led a hard-life. She is confused, naive, and not very self-aware. While trying to review this book, the story "Precious" comes to mind. I see many similarities between the subject matter of the two and my reaction to each.

Gemma was often hard to read. The realities that the little girl faced were sickening. How do you rate such a book as this? Was Meg Tilly successful in her attempt? To me, it depends on what she was attempting. No one should have to read these horrible atrocities. I don't see any good that can come from a book like this, unless someone can relate to it and find hope in it.

When I first read Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones about 7 years ago, I was a bit disturbed by some of the subject matter but I wasn't really shocked. It concerns disturbing issues that are true to life, softened around the edges with fantasy and charm. I therefore picked up Meg Tilly's Gemma expecting much of the same and that likewise I could handle it as easily. Nothing could have prepared me forGemma and its powerful impact! It whipped me like a hurricane and took my breath away. The intense effect this gripping novel produced for me was lasting and even crept into my dreams, creating a horrible nightmare which awakened me in a cold sweat. That indeed is serious impact!

Gemma is frank, wrenching, raw. The language is rough, brutal, disturbing. The action is discomforting, suspenseful, terrifying. The antagonists are disgusting, violent, hateful. Yet it seems ironic that I would say I love this novel and give it 5 stars without hesitation. Here are my reasons:

Gemma is a riveting page turner. The novel is brilliantly written in language which seems appropriate for the circumstances, a clever and effective narrative shifting voice between the innocent, beautiful 12 year old Gemma and her sexually obsessed pedophile abductor. The reader will get to know Gemma intimately, to feel her pain and terror, to know her grief and longing, to understand her needs and fears. The reader will also become endeared by her ~ her tenderness, her intelligence, her spirit. Gemma's language is shocking and her knowledge of sex is abhorrent but she clearly is a product of her environment and the reader cannot help but feel compassion for this terribly manipulated and abused child.

Likewise, Ms. Tilly gets inside the head of Gemma's abductor, creating a psychological profile that will chill the reader to the bone. Ms. Tilly has an impressive gift for character development and giving her characters voice and presence.

Yes, Gemma is ugly, gritty and raw but it addresses real issues in our society, making it important and relevant reading. At the same time it is an uplifting story that wrenches the heart but does not necessarily finish with a happy ending. Rather Meg Tilly expertly leaves us with a thought provoking denouement and an unforgettable young heroine.

It has been hard for me to write a review of this novel - I read it several months ago, and my visceral reaction to it remains strong, but I've had trouble putting that feeling into words. Gemma is a smart, tough, creative 12-year-old who we quickly learn has been regularly raped since age 8 by her mother's low-life boyfriend. At the beginning of the book he sells her for $100 to another child molester, Hazen Wood, who becomes obsessed and kidnaps Gemma, taking her on a cross-country abuse and torture spree.

The story is told from alternating points-of-view, first Gemma then Hazen, which adds an element of raw truth to Tilly's well-written prose. Gemma's voice is quiet, shy - she survives solely on the basis of her vivid imagination; Hazen, meanwhile, is violent and obsessed, and sick too - he alternates between hurting Gemma and wanting to comfort her. The descriptions of Gemma's abuse are graphic and horrifying; the awful glimpses into the mind of her abuser are terrifying too.

This book was hard to read, and impossible to put down. I give Tilly 5 stars, but caution the sensitive reader - the images depicted herein will not quickly fade.

Gemma is a novel that is hard to read. Meg Tilly puts us into the mind of a 36 year old man who is a pedophile. There are pages and pages of graphic sexual assault and abuse upon his victim, 12 yr old Gemma. I found myself cringing and feeling sick to my stomach reading these parts. But the abuse parts had to be told. Because this is Gemma's story. The same story that countless children live with everyday. It is in her 12 year old voice that we live her life. She takes us into her life of school, her sad relationship with her mother, her pet turtle, and the abuse she endures by her mother's boyfriend. But she also tells us how she survived her time as a sex slave, her abduction and life on the run with her abuser. Her eventual escape and new life with a caring foster mother and father. And her quite strength as Gemma testifies against the monster who forever changed her. Gemma will forever haunt me, as I watch over my own daughter, and hold her tighter.

Before I write another word, let me state, unequivocally, that "Gemma" is NOT for kids or even teens (at least not those younger than college age). It's not for the sensitive reader. And it's probably not for anyone who has experienced sexual abuse, as I could see its very graphic descriptions causing a highly emotional response in people who have been through something similar.

So why am I giving the book four stars? Because "Gemma" is an insanely compelling, touching book that makes you want to immediately determine how you can best help children who are being victimized.

Gemma is a smart, tough 12-year-old who, we quickly learn, has been regularly raped by her mother's boyfriend since she was 8. She lives in squalor with her mother, who doesn't sound like any prize herself (though Gemma makes many excuses for her), and she doesn't know anything about her father. However, she works hard in school, and she tries to be a good person, protecting a boy with a stutter from bullies and ending a friendship when she realizes she's just using the girl because of her nice home life.

Things devolve even more for Gemma when her mother's boyfriend prostitutes her to another child molester, a man named Hazen, for $100. Hazen quickly becomes obsessed with Gemma and kidnaps her.

From that point on, we hear the story in both Gemma and Hazen's voices. I thought this was a particularly unique way of telling a story like this, because we experience not only Gemma's terror and her techniques for surviving, but Hazen's own twisted rationales for his actions.

I don't want to spoil the ending, except to say that while Gemma goes through even more hellacious experiences, the story does have an uplifting ending. (I would have liked a little more of a glimpse of her future, though.)

The one complaint I have is that the descriptions of Gemma's abuse are SO graphic. I really think the same horror could have been conveyed without such disturbing detail -- and I think that those details will keep this book from reaching a wider audience.