Customer Reviews

Girl Walking Backwards

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The best writing seems like it was almost effortless... that's certainly the case here. The book reads so smoothly and so quickly, it feels as though it was written in one night.

Skye, a fifteen year-old girl who's dealing with a ton of stuff all at once, is a great character. She's tough enough to earn our admiration, but human enough to make you wince every time something bad happens to her. Through her, the book deals with issues of self-mutilation, discovering one's own sexuality, New Age cultism, drugs, friendship, sex, and all the usual highlights of being 15. This is no After School Special, though, and the book does not preach to the reader or try to force all-encompassing conclusions upon complex issues. The author is confident enough (and wise enough) to let the reader reach his/her own conclusions. She also avoids the "easy epiphany" pitfall. This book has no easy answers.

More than anything, though, this is a fun book. That's largely because Skye, though fallible, is such a likable character.

I would recommend this book especially for anyone in junior high school or high school, although it's perfectly suitable for adults as well. Writers like Judy Bloom, though wonderful in their own way, fail to address truly contemporary themes for teenagers. This book fills that void.

Final comment: I very much appreciated that the whole homosexual/heterosexual thing was addressed so realistically. There may be some people for whom it's a simple yes/no dichotomy, but most people I knew back in high school weren't nearly so one-way-or-the-other. It's nice to read a book about a lesbian who doesn't think of herself as "a lesbian" but rather as herself. She's Skye. Who she sleeps with (or wants to sleep with) is only one small part of who she is.

Really, really good stuff.

Am I the only man who read this book?... This is pretty stunning stuff from a first-time novelist: beautiful but grounded prose, deep and believable characterizations, and a deft handling of complicated coming-of-age issues. On the other hand, first novels (and films) are often about those things closest to the author's heart and experience, so we'll wait to see what Williams comes up with next before proclaiming her the voice of a new generation... The book is about Skye, a high school senior in Santa Barbara trying to deal with a new school, making new friends, her insane New Age-addict mother, and her own sexuality. Williams juggles these along with the typical teenage traumas of parties, a controlling parent, an absent parent, and an out-of-control friend. It's a complex journey into Skye's head, and even though much of the book concerns her lesbianism, it never draws attention to itself. Williams' prose floats and flows but never lifts off into the realm of mawkishness. Deserves a wide readership.

I enjoyed this novel a great deal. It was entertaining and engrossing, sometimes erotic. As a teenager myself (16) I can relate less to the turbulant sex-and-drug-drenched world the author depicts, and more to her style of writing. Bett Williams is obviously an extremely talented writer (some selections of her prose are astoundingly poignant) but she also shares the self-absorbed dramatization of everything in her writing that is characteristic of youth. Each "gothic" character was depicted as achingly beautiful, each description of each outfit and eyeliner described as if it were art in it's highest form, each syllable uttered by each character took on almost too much meaning. While suitable for perhaps the description of Jessica because the main character is so obsessed with her, it becomes almost tiring to keep reading about these 'profoundly' beautiful people. And cynic that I am, I never imagine them in my head as quite as beautiful or romantic as Williams probably would like me to; instead I imagine that they like to think of themselves in such a way. The book gets better farther along, and I was surprised to find a great deal of depth in Skye by the end. (Who's very name smacks of a teenager's main character) However, with mention of Doc Martins and goths, it will not be long before this book will become extremely dated and almost cringely-embarrassing to read. (it's never fun to read how self-important we are in our youth) However, read it. It's enjoyable and entertaining, and although it doesn't reach the level of depth I think it strove for, I am positive that Bett Williams is capable of such a novel in the future.

-Liz

Fortunately I found this book when I wasn't looking in the gay/lesbian fiction section of the bookstore. What a relief to read a book with a gay character that doesn't hang the plot on the sole fact that the character is into his or her same sex, and instead makes the characters lifelike and interesting to keep your attention. It's full of interesting hooks that kept me reading right through my classes. Reminiscent of "Catcher In The Rye," with the whole disillusioned teen deal, only I found "Girl Walking Backwards" to be much more interesting. I walked away feeling like a more learned person. Unfortunately, I have to admit that parts of the book reminded me too much of the movie "Fox Fire" for comfort. Definately worth reading.

I could not believe how shockingly honest this book was when I first read it. There was one line in the novel at the beginning, where the main character describes that she was sweating. And not in a good way. The fact that the writer would be so bold to do that had me immediately hooked. Simply becuase she kicked "nobody sweats in fantasy worlds" right in the soft spot. This book is down to the bare grit of writing. The dysfunction was so well described and delivered so subtly. The ease in which the sexual encounters were described might disturb people. It should, because good writing affects people, whether it be negatively or positively. This novel is one of the most daring YA book I have ever read. The plotline about a teenage lesbian is not drawn out and predictable, but takes a mad and twisting road towards realism, the ifs and maybes. The main character Skye is unbelievably human. I definitely reccommend this book. It's content is heavy, but quite enjoyable to read.

Skye is fifteen and trying desperately to find her place somewhere in this big, crazy world. With a hot shot father and an emotionally unstable and unreachable mother, the challenge is much more intense. She is struggling with her attraction to two different girls at her school and in the meantime making friends she never thought she'd have.

From page one, this book will have you absolutely hooked and as cliche as that sounds, this time I really do mean it. The writing style in this book is more of poetry and prose than a work of fiction. There is incredible symbolism and metaphorical usage that makes it much deeper and impacting. This is one of those books that keeps you reading for hours, because the words just flow on beautifully. A worthy read for anyone, especially the lover of quality, symbolic writing.

Any teen girl that is searching for her own identity should read this book. I'm a 15 year old girl and I could relate so well to this story. You can tell the writer is young and knows what she's talking about- it is not written by an older adult. The times have changed drastically, so when adults write about teenage life in the present it is often very unrealistic. This book is. Its about a girl trying to discover who she is and what she wants. It is definately not a book for the "preps" that only care about blow-drying their hair...this story involves raves, goths, bisexuality, drugs, psycho mothers, and everything else. This is one of my all-time favorites.

I really enjoyed this book and thought the character of Skye was very fleshed out and real. However, I was a little disappointed by the character of Jessica, a goth girl who self-mutilates. I thought Jessica was a fascinating character, but I took issue with the fact that all of her self-mutilation behavior was described very stereotypically, in a way that shows that the author has limited knowledge of the subject. Jessica cuts herself for attention, to stand out, and to look tough. Her self-mutilation also works as a tool to show that she is ultimately self-destructive. The issue I have with this is that most people who cut are not doing it for attention, are trying very hard NOT to be self-destructive, and don't want people to know about their self-mutilating behaviors. It's a topic that I am somewhat sensitive about, and I was a little peeved at the author's stereotypical characterization of the subject. Other than that, I really loved this book and would reccommend it to anyone, teens or adults, as a beautiful, difficult coming of age story.

Smart, witty, true-to-life (in the southern California sense, at least) tale of a girl dealing with life as she finishes high school. More than a few interesting items on her plate--a mentally unstable mother, an emotionally unavailable father, new friendships, and her own struggles to find and understand love with the girls she is drawn to. I like that this isn't your overt 'gay' novel, as it stands on its own as a very believable account of what any young adult could experience in today's hormonal adolescence. A bit self-absorbed, but weren't we all?

This book is goooooooood!! If you are having any doubts on the quality or the price, or whatever... put them aside! You must buy this book. I have not been that engrossed in a book in a long time. At first glance or to read about it, you might think that this book is for young adults or teens. The actual content of the book goes way beyond any young adult category. This is a book that is suitable for teens, but yet is packed with maturity and content for adults. I am 22 and I enjoyed every last word. You will not regret this book!