2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read, August 13, 2008
This review is from: Inside Out Girl: A Novel (P.S.) (Paperback)
I loved this book! It is a beautiful story with wonderful characters. I loved Olivia, a quirky and adorable mix of innocence and heart breaking vulnerability. I loved the relationship between Len and his daughter Olivia. A moving story and a great read from cover to cover.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
POIGNANT AND HAUNTING, August 12, 2008
This review is from: Inside Out Girl: A Novel (P.S.) (Paperback)
Len Bean and Rachel Berman are two attractive single parents, doing their best to balance high-powered careers and the needs of their children when they meet in the breakdown lane of the highway. (For once, it's the woman who plays hero, since Len has no idea how to change a tire.) What follows is an old fashioned love story--but not the one I expected. Though I was utterly charmed by Len's devotion to his daughter and Rachel's tendency to apologize for things that aren't her fault, it was the children who stole my heart. Olivia, who loves rodents and her father beyond reason is one of those unforgettable child characters whose triumphs and heartbreaks will sear you forever.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
On The Outside Looking In, June 1, 2009
This review is from: Inside Out Girl: A Novel (P.S.) (Paperback)
"Your inside is out, and your outside is in." -- Beatles, 1968 from "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me & My Monkey
Olivia Bean 10, whose name is as deliciously appealing as her very quirky character dances to her own tune. She lives with her widowed father Len and her paternal grandparents are part of her life.
Len is clearly a good father trying his best with Olivia who, at 5 was diagnosed with a Nonverbal Learning Disorder or NLD. A condition that has closely overlapping behaviors with autism, the distinguishing factor of NLD is an indiscrimate display of affection. Author Tish Cohen defines Asperger's Syndrome, which is the spectrum partner to autism as a condition wherein people are content to remain in their own worlds. That is not true. Many if not most people AS crave social interaction and social acceptance but have trouble navigating social terrain with their neurotypical (NT) counterparts.
Olivia's behavior is very bizarre. She hugs everyone without question; she does not even know when her own birthday is and she wears her clothing inside out. She plays with Barbie dolls in a very unusual way and has an encyclopediac knowledge about rodents. In fact, readers are introduced to Len and Olivia when her rodent dies and she refuses to bury him.
A chance encounter with magazine editor Rachel Berman bring two families together. A divorcee with 2 children, Janie 14, and Dustin, 12 Rachel has all she can manage with the magazine and her children's issues. Unknown to her, Janie is gay and Dustin is a typical pre-teen interested in skating and heckling his sister. He is very funny and the typical brother.
Len and Rachel plainly need each other, even if their kids don't hit it off right off the bat. Olivia likes bubblegum pop while Janie prefers "pure punk" from the 1970s and 1980s. She fancies herself a "punk purist" and idolizes the Dead Kennedys, Sex Pistols and their punk peers. In one very funny moment, Janie tells Olivia that her sugary pop tunes are "mainstream BS" and Olivia repeats that to all and sundry. Olivia also has very rigid routines about food and Rachel learns to work within the boundaries of Olivia's very specialized needs.
As it turns out, Olivia and the Berman kids attend the same school. Janie's life parallels with Olivia's wherein she is rebuffed by a neighbor girl and classmate on whom she has a crush. This in turn leads to a huge dent in her reputation among her peers. Olivia, never able to figure her peers out, takes everything they say seriously even when they set her up for cruelty and ridicule. Toward the latter part of the book, some of her worst bullies trick her into accepting an invitation with devastating results.
Len has his own very serious concerns to think about as well. He has to make some very major decisions concerning his only child and that is where Rachel comes in. Each help the other make connections they thought were forever lost. The Beatles' 1965 "In My Life" could easily be the soundtrack of Len and Rachel's courtship.
This is a book that readers of any age would enjoy. Phil Collins' "Inside Out" could very well be the soundtrack of this book as well. Readers get a good understanding of the social hierchy of middle school; coming to terms with one's sexual orientation and peer pressure and peer trickery and bullying in general. This is a wonderful book that gives an excellent look at raising a child with special needs and decoding the social perplexities that so many face.
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