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5.0 out of 5 stars
real characters, June 20, 2008
This review is from: It's Not About the Accent (Paperback)
Caroline Darcy wants more than her boring small-town Ohio life, so when she goes off to college, she reinvents herself, using her Cuban great-grandmother as a role model, speaking Spanish, and calling herself "Carolina."
Her first day, she meets two guys: frat boy Erik, who finds her exotic; and quiet, serious Peter, who's half-Cuban himself.
She starts dating Erik and becomes close friends with Peter, and her best friend back home keeps telling her to give up the charade, but it just never seems to be the right time.
Then disaster strikes, Peter comes to her rescue, and with his encouragement, she starts researching Nana Ellie's life and discovers herself in the process.
Although I'm more than a couple decades older than Caroline, she's very easy to relate to. I vividly remember reinventing myself when I went off to college, as I'm sure a lot of us did. It's the perfect time to do so, and a time in your life where you're trying on different identities. I wasn't quite as brave and bold as Caroline, but I could understand how she felt.
What's best about Accent is how real it feels. More than once, I laughed aloud, and more than once I had tears running down my face--not just a lump in my throat, but actual tears. The characters are vivid and 3-dimensional. Even the ones who aren't heroes (trying to avoid spoilers) aren't all bad--they're human and understandable, and people you might meet.
Barb's an outstanding writer, and I'm looking forward to whatever she writes next, regardless of the genre. She has a gift for bringing characters to life.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Another great one from Ferrer, February 7, 2009
This review is from: It's Not About the Accent (Paperback)
Adapted from my review blog post: http://mrsvsreviews.blogspot.com/2009/02/its-not-about-accent.html
I enjoyed It's Not About the Accent by Caridad Ferrer just as much as Adiós to My Old Life. Like Ali in Adiós to My Old Life, Caro had a distinctive voice, and I could really picture her emotions, thoughts, and feelings. The plot brought up a lot of different emotions as Caro has her highs and lows while discovering who she is during her first year at college.
Bored with her old life, Caro shows up to the summer session before her freshman year. Against her best friend's advice, she decides to die her hair brown, wear tinted moisturizer and create a new persona Carolina (rather than Caroline) and introduce herself as being half-Cuban. This whole plan was inspired by the fond memories of her great-grandmother Nana Ellie, who Caro found out was Cuban after she was already dead. It was humorous to see how she studied to pull off the role. She had everyone fooled except for the one person who really knew and understood her.
Since Caro initially wants to be a theater major, the book is creatively divided into Acts and an Entr'acte. I loved that creative twist on the book that framed the chapters and Caro's year.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Enchanting YA Review: It's Not About The Accent, July 4, 2008
This review is from: It's Not About the Accent (Paperback)
IT'S NOT ABOUT THE ACCENT
CARIDAD FERRER
Rating: 4 Enchantments
Caroline Darcy always wanted a life as exotic as her beloved great-grandmother's. Tired of being her boring old self, Caroline's got the perfect plan, when she goes off to college for the summer session, she's going to adopt a whole new persona. As vivacious Carolina, a half-cuban aspiring actress, Caroline is ready for adventure. But sometimes you should be careful what you wish for.
Things at school start off well. Carolina seems to be a hit with everyone, especially the guys. At her first party, she meets Erik, your typical frat boy. Their connection is almost instantaneous. Then there's Peter, the cute guy she meets at the same party who lives just down the hall. And the way he calls her Caro makes her smile.
It seems like Carolina is a success, but maybe too much of one. As her and Peter become good friends, her relationship with Erik heats up. Between studying with Peter and partying with Erik, her days are full. But when things suddenly go bad and Caroline finds herself in a dire situation, its Peter who bursts in and rescues her from the brutal attack.
This book is darker in tone then Ms. Ferrer's debut, but it's just as engrossing a read. Caroline's journey is filled with a number of twists and surprising turns, that take her from small town Ohio, to her summer on campus to Miami and back to Ohio as she discovers her own life might be just interesting as her beloved Nana's.
Reviewed by Lisa
YA Director
Enchanting Reviews
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