Customer Reviews

Grand & Humble

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GRAND AND HUMBLE (YA/Harper Tempest)

I'm a fan of Brent Hartinger's writing so I was eager to read his newest book. I had no idea what to expect except I'd heard it was different that his other books. I'm going to be careful in this review not to reveal too much, but I can tell you that when I finished reading this book I literally said, "WOW!" And I'm still thinking about it, tempted to read it again to catch all the hidden meanings.

GRAND AND HUMBLE follows Manny, a humble likeable guy who is suddenly tormented by terrible dreams, and Harlan, a wealthy charismatic guy who is suddenly tormented by visions of death. As the chapters alternate from each viewpoint, the dreams and visions grow stronger, pushing the characters to delve deeper into secrets of the past. Manny's father seems to be hiding something and Harlan is being manipulated by his ambitious mother. Secrets are revealed and drive the characters toward a stunning revelation that takes places at the street intersection of Grand and Humble.

The characters are likeable, the pacing swift and mesmerizing, and the ending packs a surprising punch. Part mystery, part emotional journey. Excellent book! Highly recommended! I expect to see this on future YA award lists.

Grand and Humble was awesome! It was a one of a kind book, and I have never read anything like it. I was always wanting to read more and find out what would happen next. Grand and Humble is about two boys, Manny and Harlan, that each live totally different life styles. Manny is a geek, with not a lot of money, and lives in a small house. Harlan on the other hand, is son of the senator, has more money than he knows what to do with, lives in a huge house, he is on the swim team, and on top of that he is the school president.
Now you're probably wondering how two totally different guys such as Harlan and Manny have anything to do with each other. Well, it is their senior year of high school and everything seems to be going great for both of them, until they start getting visions of them-selves getting hurt and even their deaths. After a few months the visions started getting out of control, and they don't know how much more they can take. What will happen when they find out the meaning of these visions?

I am a big fan of Hartinger's, but this book was my favorite barring THE GEOGRAPHY CLUB. I loved the main characters and all the sub-characters were so appealing. And I never saw the twist coming! Not only was it a surprising twist, but it reframed the whole story in a way for me that has left me thinking about it for days.

Highly recommended.

On the surface, Manny and Harlan have absolutely nothing in common. Sure, they're the same age and they attend the same high school. But Harlan is the school's golden boy --- the school president and star of the swim team, dating the hottest girl in school. Manny, on the other hand, is a big nobody. He does lighting for the school plays, and in his spare time he enjoys making movies and designing websites. He's
happy enough with his single dad, who's a paralegal, but no one would ever call his life glamorous. Harlan, by contrast, does have an exciting life: his dad is a U.S. Senator, even if it's his mom who really runs the show. Harlan's life is a whirl of parties, receptions and celebrities.

So why do both Harlan and Manny share the same sense of dread? Manny has been suffering from crazy nightmares that seem to be about his own past. Harlan has frightening visions of the future that seem to be coming true. Could they be connected? As the psychic whom Harlan consults says, "the past and the future are often one and the same." What secrets lurk in the boys' disturbing visions --- and why are they both drawn to the same intersection, at the crossing of Grand and Humble?

Brent Hartinger, who has won popular and critical acclaim for his earlier young adult novels such as GEOGRAPHY CLUB and THE LAST CHANCE TEXACO, again does a great job of delving realistically into the social lives and psyches of teenagers. As readers get farther and farther into GRAND & HUMBLE, though, they'll realize that Manny and Harlan's stories verge more on magical realism than on the everyday.

The novel's surprising ending will inspire many to reread the story immediately, picking up on clues that they might have missed the first time around. In addition to being well-plotted, though, this suspenseful novel also includes genuinely thought-provoking questions about why we are who we are, and how the smallest choices may have the largest consequences.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

Two boys, who on the outside couldn't be more different. Harlan Chesterton is good looking, popular, the rich son of a prominent Senator. He's an ace on the school swim team, he's dating the beautiful Amber, his best friend, Ricky, has street cred. If it weren't for the debilitating panic attacks, along with the flashes of tragic premonition that Harlan experiences, his life would be perfect. After all, that's what his mother is aiming for--running the lives of her husband and son until every detail is absolutely perfect.

Manny Tucker, on the other hand, is a geek. A theater geek, to be exact. Never one to attract attention, Manny prefers working behind the scenes with the lighting, bringing the stars of the stage into perfect, shining glory. He's not popular, he's often picked on by the other kids in school, and his good friend, Elsa, is deaf. He likes working on the computer, coming up with movies to film with Elsa, and living a simple life with his single-father dad. Except lately he's been having vivid nightmares that seem to portend a tragic ending.

How is it that two boys, so far removed on both a social and financial level, should share the same feelings of dread and uncertainty that Harlan and Manny do? And how is the intersection of Grand and Humble, a scene which both see in their unwanted "visions" of either the past or future, involved?

GRAND & HUMBLE is an engaging mystery that delves into the paranormal. The result is a thriller with twists and turns and a surprise ending that will leave even the best of detectives guessing until the final page. Not to be missed by all lovers of a good, thought-provoking "what if" story, GRAND & HUMBLE is sure to please!

Hartinger slips away from his usual novels about teen love and angst and gives us this suspenseful, psychological thriller. Original charcters, clues that keep you guessing, and an impressive twist ending. I couldn't put it down.

This book is about two boys, Harlan and Manny. Harlan is having terrifying premonitions that leave him questioning them. Manny is having nightmares that he thinks are concerning his past. Little do the boys know that their problems have to do with their past and present lives. It turns out they know less about their past than they thought.

I thought this book was an excellent book! It was compelling, adventerous, and psychological - all in one book. I was not able to put it down. I also hope that their is an equally thrilling sequel. Everybody thought I was crazy walking around while trying to read that book because it was such a page turner.

Reviewed by a student reviewer for Flamingnet Book Reviews
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Preteen, teen, and young adult book reviews and recommendations

I just finished Grand and Humble.

I've enjoyed Hartinger's other books, and this one still had everything that I liked about his other 3. All of the characters are well thought out and very distinct. Even the minor characters that we don't spend much time with still have very strong personality and presence.

The characters help move the plot along effortlessly, and the closer you get to the ending, the faster you want to read so you can figure out exactly what is going on. You'll never guess how it ends!

Hartinger does a really good job of taking regular every day teen issues and putting a unique spin on them.

I've never read anything like this book (and that's a good thing). To say any more would be a bad thing. Just read it.

So I know this author from Geography Club and The Order of the Poison Oak (which I loved). This one is pretty different from those two (in some ways anyway--it's definitely another fast can't-put-it-down read!). It's a thriller, the story of two very different boys. Neither is aware that the other exists, but they both have a sense that something isn't quite "right" in their lives, so they each try to figure what's going on. And what they find...wow. I mean WOW! Read it. Now.