Girl, (Nearly) 16: Absolute Torture [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Katherine Kellgren (Reader)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Just when things were going so well.

Jess had the perfect summer planned: She and Fred, lounging in the park, gazing into one another’s eyes and engaging in witty repartee. It was going to be so romantic. And then her maddening mum stepped in: She suddenly announced a two-week “road trip” to Cornwall to visit Jess’s dad, something Jess might have enjoyed, actually, were it not for the monstrously bad timing. Not only will this force Jess and Fred apart for two whole weeks, it will also leave the darling and handsome Fred in the clutches of Jess’s blindingly beautiful best friend, Flora—who, you might recall, expressed an interest in Fred not too long ago. As if all this weren’t enough, Jess’s mum seems to expect her to weep at the grave of every departed literary hero in Britain’s long history. It’s absolute torture. And little does Jess know, a huge surprise awaits her when she visits her dad at his home for the first time in years.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10–A thoroughly welcome, laugh-out-loud addition to British chick lit told in Jess's comedienne-to-be voice. At the end of Girl, 15, Charming but Insane (Delacorte, 2004), the teen realized that she was crazy about her clever pal, Fred, and that he shared her affection. As they're about to settle into a perfect summer, Jess's mom announces a two-week vacation visiting historical and literary landmarks–just what a teen relishes most–that will end with a trip to the beach where her artist dad lives. Along the way, her grandmother plans to scatter her grandfather's ashes in the sea near their honeymoon village. Although Jess longs to visit her dad, she despairs at the timing, especially since Fred has bought tickets to a music fest. As in its predecessor, this story relies on Jess's misconceptions, emotional dips and heights, and on characters and situations that are both sweet and wacky. In a fit of spontaneity, she boards a bus to her father's a day early and learns that he broke up with her mother because he's gay. She meets his partner, a boutique-owner and boatsman, who offers to take Granny out to sea for a private ash-scattering ceremony. Although readers will savor this novel on its own, reading Girl, 15 first makes it even funnier.–Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. In the on-going tradition of Louise Rennison and her heroine, Georgia Nicholson, comes the story of Jess, who is in the first throes of love with her boyfriend Fred. Then her mother has to go and ruin it all by planning a vacation--just Jess, Mum, and Gran, motoring down to Cornwall to visit Jess' long-absent dad and throw Grandpa's ashes in the sea. Readers will have to have an affinity for the English countryside because this is as much travelogue as it is romance. Between haunted castles and quaint B & Bs, Jess spends much of her time on her "mobile" trying to find out if Fred is spending time with her friend Flora. Fred turns out to be true blue, and Jess' dad turns out to be gay, which is fine with Jess, but alters her plan to have her parents remarry. Fewer Briticisms than in other books of this sort help speed this light romance on to its happy ending. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Listening Library (Audio); Unabridged edition (June 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307207080
• ISBN-13: 978-0307207081
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,513,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great but not as good as the first., November 21, 2005

By 

Bibliophile "Fitzpatrick" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Girl, (Nearly) 16: Absolute Torture (Hardcover)

Sue Limb has done it again, created a funny and quirky story about a British teen's insecurities and life adventures. This book is a nice fun read but not nearly as funny or surprising as the first. I look forward to the third installment all the same though. If your daughter liked Bridget Jones she would love this series.

4.0 out of 5 stars Positives and Negatives, March 3, 2010

By 

Jennifer Miller "Kaydence" (Southern California) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Girl, (Nearly) 16: Absolute Torture (Readers Circle) (Paperback)

My thoughts:
Positives:

* This type of book is always very funny to me.
* Typical teenage girl in love behavior filled with jealousy and "going to kill you" fantasies.
* Emotions run rampant and I understand that better than staying calm all of the time
* When her father tells her that he's gay, it's the coolest thing that she can imagine. That part of the book is very inclusive and hilarious at the same time. It's a great way to bring up a sensitive topic.

Negatives:

* This type of book has a plot, but really the side stories distract you from it consistently. There is no "point" to this story.
* She can be a little too dramatic at times.
* Honestly, you never really find out what's going on between the family members. Perhaps I would have had to read the other ones to understand the problems between her mother and her.

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, November 18, 2008

By 

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

This review is from: Girl, (Nearly) 16: Absolute Torture (Mass Market Paperback)

Welcome back to more crazy adventures of Jess Jordan.

School is out and Jess has nothing more planned than to spend her time with her newly turned boyfriend, Fred. But it doesn't take long before disaster strikes. Of all times, Jess's mom has decided to take a vacation. They're to take a road trip so that Jess can visit her father in St. Ives. They'll stop at all sorts of historical and literary sites along the way. She surprises Jess with the news hours before Fred surprises her with tickets to the Riverdene concert. Typical of Jess's life.

Leaving Fred behind, Jess, her mom, and her dear grandmother (along with her grandfather's ashes) head off on the trip. With intermittent phone and text connections with Fred, Jess's mind starts coming up with far-fetched ideas of his indiscretions. Jess's best friend, Flora, has canceled her vacation when Flora's mom winds up with a broken leg. Earlier in the year Flora was keen on Fred. So leaving the two back home without a chaperone could spell a breakup for Jess.

The trip wouldn't be nearly so bad if it weren't for the timing of it. Jess tells her story with anguish and comedy, leaving the reader in hysterics and wanting to learn more. The reader can tell what is about to happen, but the anticipation of Jess's twisted reality is what makes the story so much fun.

Eventually, they get to St. Ives, where Jess finds out the truth about her parents' divorce and what Fred has really been up to while she's been gone.

This installment of Jess Jordan's life picks up where GIRL, 15: CHARMING BUT INSANE left off. And after reading this, I'm already eager to get my hands on GIRL, GOING ON 17: PANTS ON FIRE. I can't imagine what other situations Jess can manage to get into.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr