Customer Reviews

Jessica Z.

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In a trenchant view of the near-future, Jessica's story unfolds easily against the charged backdrop of terrorist-besieged San Francisco. Adrift in an ambiguous relationship with sweet but safe Patrick, who lives upstairs, Jessica seems to want something more. Before long she meets Josh, a mysterious and seductive artist, who becomes a central and unsettling force in her life. Her erotic awakening begins when she finds herself drawn into his world. Caught between these two men, Jessica explores the boundaries of love and lust and opens up to a fuller knowledge of herself.

In Jessica Z, Klomparens creates not a portrait of a woman, but a woman - fleshy and real. Through smart dialogue and beautifully rendered insecurities, we come to know Jessica intimately, and we see shades of ourselves reflected in her. Her story is well written and easily told.

The narrative is taut with the heightened anxiety of terrorist threats, as well as the mystery and danger of Jessica's new relationship. Yet it skillfully layers this raw emotion with a counterpoint of clarity and tenderness. Jessica's moments of real insight, when they come, are arresting in their stillness and simplicity, and they stand in stark contrast to the overall tone of the book. And just like in real life, they are fleeting.

Klomparens gives us a tightly-constructed plot full of great dialogue and incisive wit. It's smart, funny, and impossible to put down. Bravo!

Lots of surprises, twists and turns, along with romantic intrigue. Identifies with present real-life situations that are a part of our culture post 9-11. Great portrayal of family relationships, and fun to watch how Jessica grows and gains self-confidence.

I find it interesting that this book was written by a man -- he captures the female point of view in a very realistic way.

This is an engaging novel; the story really draws you along. I was particularly struck by two elements in this novel. The first was the relationship of the sisters. I was truly touched by their closeness. The second element was the story line regarding lithography. I thought this was an extremely creative depiction of an artistic process. It made me want to see the finished work in person.

This book is certainly worth a read.

[sigh.]

I'm certain I'm not the first to say Shawn's work doesn't feel written, it feels told. Lived.

JESSICA Z. is a departure from the young-adult reading and research I normally do. Where YA characters may obsess over just what sex is or could be, Shawn's characters are having it (gasp!). Beyond that, good lit is universal. Shawn's unique perspective closely revolves around my favorite part of any story: characters. Relationships. I'd describe Jessica as coming-of-age, honestly, something that can totally happen when you're a 28-year-old, city-dwelling, redheaded Copywriter... qualities I share, plus a few years. Ahem. :)

As for Shawn's world-building in JESSICA Z., I am a fan. Details, subtle and not-so-subtle, weave into the plot as they would from any well-constructed contemporary setting. This one just happens to include near-daily terror threats. "Seamless" may be an unfortunate descriptor, but the environment makes sense. It underlines and gives dimension to the characters and story; it doesn't overpower.

Aside from all this, I almost can't believe that JESSICA Z., this strong, first-person present voice - a woman's voice - comes from a dude who lives in the mountains. What? Okay, sure, let's give him that. He does it. But he does it well. A unique sort of tension arises from his gift with dialogue, a real-time quality you don't notice until you're reading and reading and almost miss an appointment or a train. His paragraph breaks can speak volumes. Page 244 brought tears to my eyes on a landing airplane. I will never look at sand the same way again, or maps. And I did a happy dance this morning about moving on to his second book, Two Years, No Rain.

Wow. I am so shocked by how good this book turned out. I cried and laughed and got irritated. It was unpredictable. I'm surprised at how well a male author was able to write from a woman's perspective! Jessica reminded me so much of myself so it was scary-easy to fall into this story. I'm honestly amazed!

The author does a great job of capturing a woman's voice, and offers a depthful look at the U.S. as though it were a Middle Eastern state - threats are ever-present and life goes on. He's particularly good at examining relationships, and I absolutely adored the sisters'. Jessica Z made me laugh out loud and cry in the span of 2 pages. A very good read.

I enjoyed this book from start to finish. I highly recommend this book & can't wait for his next book. In our post 911 world, the story was realistic & interesting. I didn't want to put it down until I was finished.

A remarkable book that captures the resiliance of the human condition. Having lived in W-DC during 9/11, and the subsequent anthrax mailings and sniper attacks, I am sad to say that I have experienced life as experienced by Jessica Z. To me, the writing rings true.

Of course, life goes on even under conditions much worse than those depicted (without undue gore, thankfully) in this novel. I thought the author did a marvelous job of capturing the yin and yang of life...obviously all the characters are experiencing angst and stress but the novel does not dwell there, it is a backdrop against the rest of life that Jessica and Patrick are experiencing, from the simple pleasures like coffee in the morning to the joy of meeting a new friend.

I really enjoyed this book, particularly the characters and dialogue. I actually liked how the terrorism aspect seemed to be commonplace, and that the author didn't try to get into why that was happening. My only complaint is that the book seemed to end too quickly. I would have liked things to have been more drawn out. All in all, though, I'd recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book. I moved from SanFran a while ago, and I thought the author really captured life there. I liked Jessica and would date her if I lived upstairs from here! I already lent my copy to a friend.