5.0 out of 5 stars
Gorgeous writing, August 10, 2011
This review is from: The Life of Glass (Hardcover)
Melissa's father died nearly two years ago in April. The last words he spoke were spoken to her and involved a small piece of glass she found in The Wash - a nearby dried up riverbed. Now her life is changing. A new girl moves into town - Courtney and becomes a close friend. The only problem - she likes Melissa's best friend Ryan and he's a bit taken with her as well. Her mother is now dating again and the guy may be younger but her mother seems to be taken with the man. Melissa's older sister Ashley is the same old annoying older sister - never giving her a ride to school and calling her the "imp" whenever talking to her friends. All this and it's her freshman year of high school. But a few different events change the life of Melissa and those around her, will their family work through it in the end?
The Life of Glass is a gorgeously written book about one girl's journey into coming into her own. Melissa is driven by what she enjoys, but she doesn't fully recognize herself for who she is yet. When Ryan gets pulled away from her, she finds that her feelings for him are deeper than friendship but she rather have him by her side in any way possible than not at all. None of the characters are really two-faced. Yes, there's some pettiness involved in the book - her sister being popular and hanging out with the crowd that is snobbish and self-centered. But there's a little more to each of them, a bit of depth.
The point of view of this book is really something else. You get this foggy sense of Melissa's personality and as the novel unfolds, it becomes clearer and clearer - like you are taking the journey with her into realizing who she really is. I like the realism, the interesting characters, and the overall story of this novel and I will definitely be picking up more of Jillian's novels in the future.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Profoundly Moving, August 10, 2011
This review is from: The Life of Glass (Hardcover)
"The last thing my father ever told me was that it takes glass a million years to decay. ... It was amazing, the way humans were just flesh and bones, and so susceptible to being broken down into so much less than that, into shadows and old men and hospice-bed figures, and yet glass could stay whole for so long." - Melissa McAllister
Exactly one year, two months and three weeks before Melissa McAllister's first day of high school, her beloved father died of cancer. It is an event she still struggles to get past every single day. When she was with her father, Melissa felt interesting and worthwhile, but she has absolutely nothing in common with her mother and her older sister, Ashley. One a former beauty queen and one a current pageant participant, they seem so much like each other and so very different from studious, introspective Melissa. If it weren't for her best friend Ryan and the stories and tidbits of information in her father's journal, Melissa fears she would become completely invisible.
As the school year progresses, it seems to Melissa as if everyone important in her life is drifting away from her. First it was her father dying, now her mother is ready to move on - she's even started dating again. Melissa's Grandma Harry has become so forgetful, she barely knows when Melissa has been to see her. And then at school, Ashley goes out of her way to either ignore Melissa completely or belittle her. When Ryan starts dating pretty, sophisticated Courtney Whitman and ignoring Melissa altogether, only her father's journal makes her feel real. But when she learns that her father may have had a secret, Melissa begins to fear the past that she can't seem to leave behind.
I first came across Jillian Cantor when I received an Advanced Readers' Copy of The September Sisters, a profoundly moving novel that I devoured in one long afternoon of reading. Even so, I approached The Life of Glass with some trepidation. The jacket blurb left me with the mistaken impression that this was a story concerned mainly with physical beauty - not a subject that interests me, particularly. I should have known that Ms. Cantor wouldn't settle for anything that shallow. This is a beautiful novel about the nature of both truth and beauty, it's centered on life and love and how very fragile human relationships, and human lives, can be. Melissa's voice is so very perfect. She is sad and confused at times, and at others wise and knowing. And always, Melissa is painfully honest and vitally present as she works her way toward understanding grief, love and what is most important in life. As with The September Sisters, the prose here is luminous. Truly a beautiful, stunningly real, coming of age novel.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
What a treasure!, February 26, 2011
This review is from: The Life of Glass (Hardcover)
This was a beautifully woven story. It's often very difficult for me to find a book at the library that I can stick with for awhile. I couldn't put this one down. It had an enticing cover, and I was even more intrigued by the story. This book was very close to home, as a family member of mine also is battling cancer. I could easily relate to Melissa, the main character, and the book felt so real to me. The way she perceives herself and the world around her is so miraculously similar to my feelings. I found myself muttering, "YES! YES!" over and over when I could relate to something so clearly. I'm sure many of you know the feeling. This book was a sense of hope and encouragement. Although a simple storyline, it was extremely empowering, and certainly is a story that grows on you. I'm a sucker for love stories, and reading this really made my week. How wonderful would it be to fall in love with your best friend? This is a sweet, humorous, timeless tale that will stick with you forever. This is a must read. And...if you think this is a mere chick flick with a guy and a girl who fall in love and walk into the sunset, think again. This book encourages me to accept myself for who I am, be strong enough to pick myself up when tragedy hits, and to simply believe in happy endings. Because they ARE real.
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