Customer Reviews

My Invented Life

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I loved this book almost as much I as I love the smooshed up faces of the girls on the cover!!!

Ah. Sisters. Such complex relationships most of us have with our sisters, and an especially endearing and funny one In My Invented Life. Roz the main character is quirky and loveable despite inventing a new sexuality for herself, to try to out her sister. The fact that she fantisizes over her sister's boyfriend was sooooooooo well done.

Filled with drama, both the Shakespearean kind as well as the teen self-induced kind, this is a surprising story that tugs at emotion while inducing genuine laughter. This is a book that made me laugh, cry and think and I highly recommend it

Absolutely hilarious--with as many twists and turns as the school production of Shakespeare's AS YOU LIKE IT which provides the backdrop for the action in this playful romp.

The writing is crisp and clever, making the book a quick, fun read. I especially adore the way Bjorkman peppers the story with Shakespearean insults and even includes a glossary of terms in the back of the book.

Roz and Eva's sisterly antics ring so true--just the right blend of love and competition. And who couldn't fall in love with Roz whose misguided good intentions lead to all kinds of laugh-out-loud moments.

My favorite thing about this book is the way Bjorkman makes us laugh while also making us question our assumptions about people. Ultimately it's a story about complex relationships, figuring out who we are, growing up, and forgiveness. Truly great read!

Our youth teach us that we humans are far more resourceful and full of possibility than "grown ups" may think.

I'm seriously starting to doubt that a 2009 Debutante can ever write a bad book. Since, My Invented Life was a hilarious, laugh out load type of novel with an excellent cast of characters and if isn't obvious enough yet, Lauren is part of that amazing group.

Anyway, getting back to My Invented Life, I simply adored it. Roz was an awesome main character that often left you in stitches with her blunt observations and tell it as it attitude. I loved how she would go to the end of the earth for her sister or in her case lie about her sexuality to get Eva to finally admit something that everyone kind of knew. Eva was also a fun character and her and Roz played well of each other's senses of humour. Plus, as I mentioned above, I envied their sisterly bond. The other main characters were also pretty cool, I loved eyeliner Andie, dorky but sweet Nico, and Carmen.

The plot was also an high point. Lauren has in My Invented Life a fast paced, funny journey all in the mist of the character's Shakespeare play. While the story was always a bit obvious and predictable, other things such as Lauren's writing and Roz overshadowed it.

The one thing that will most likely make this a new favorite for teens was that My Invented Life addressed a very honest look at a teens life. It was interesting to see all the characters explore their sexuality and see were they wanted to be with it all.

Overall, My Invented Life was a charming read that I hope will find a place in your heart, as it did mine.

Grade: A+

When I read the description of this book, I thought it would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, it just wasn't.

First of all, the characters. The main character--Roz--got on my nerves. Her way of talking and think just got annoying. And enough with her invented life scenarios (yes, I know this is the title of the book, but we got it). While I don't have a younger sister, I think if I did have one, and she was like Roz, we would not be close at all. A lot of the things she said and did were immature. My favorite character was actually Eva. Yes, I know she was standoffish, but there was just something about her that made me sympathize for her. And I think she was a pretty normal teen that is an older sister--wanting her privacy. And I didn't get Andie or Nico at all. Andie was hot and cold, cool in an eccentric way one minute, and just odd the next. And I didn't find any appeal in Nico at all. But I definitely like Jonathon. I have a lot of gay guy friends and I could see a lot of them in his character.

Next, the writing. All of the Shakespeare, olden days talk got old quickly. At first I thought it was neat, but then it was just too much. I was part of the theatre crowd in high school and college and no one talked like that.

But I do have to say that I like the way that it covered teen sexuality. Like I said before, I have a lot of gay friends. I have known some who came out when they were adults, and some who came out as teens, before I knew them. Luckily all of my friends have supportive parents. But I know that's not always the case. And I know some of the guys came from a high school where being gay was completely accepted and others who were outcast. And that's so wrong. I think that there needs to be more books like this that bring light to being a gay/lesbian teenager and that everyone needs to be who they truly are. They shouldn't feel scared to let their feelings known and I can't wait for the day when everyone has the right to love and marry whomever they want and be accepted for it! Bravo to Lauren Bjorkman for shedding light on this very important issue!

MY INVENTED LIFE is a spunky and witty GLBTQ book that deals with the fluidity of sexual identity, and the complexities of placing labels on people. The fantastic narrative voice and the unique premise will make this a delightful read for nearly anyone.

This book's strongest point is its protagonist. Roz is a feisty girl with a good blend of sass, passion, and self-delusions. Her witty, laugh-out-loud narration--always direct, never dully over-eloquent--will draw you into the story even if you may cringe at some of her behavior and want to shake some insight into her. For the most part, the secondary characters are also well-drawn: they're people with endearing quirks, people who you'd like to hang out with. They're complicated and funny, occasionally bitchy and selfish. In other words, they could've been our high school friends.

Because MY INVENTED LIFE is so energetic and fast-paced, it occasionally runs the risk of getting annoying. Every once in a while I felt like I had gotten too much of Roz's snarky mentality, and her secret desires--her invented life--sometimes gets repetitive, in an "okay we get it already" way. Similarly, I had trouble understand the sisterly dynamic between Roz and Eva. Sibling relationships are especially difficult to write about, since they contain the requisite family love as well as voluntary platonic devotion, and I felt that Roz and Eva's relationship--particularly Roz's almost grovel-like approach to her sister--pinged around in all directions in a way that jarred me and made me the slightest bit skeptical of the believability of their relationship.

That being said, MY INVENTED LIFE is a fresh approach to homosexuality. In this story, the characters' sexual orientations are rather fluid, defying categorization. You can never completely say that this one's a lesbian, that one's totally gay, and so on and so forth. This is admirable because labels regarding sexual orientation are hardly ever direct in real life: there is a huge amount of gray area between heterosexuality and homosexuality, an area that many people unknowingly dwell in. I thought that MY INVENTED LIFE did an exceptional job of capturing the complexities of labels; readers will think twice about when it means to assign people to strict categories.

All in all, readers can take MY INVENTED LIFE at two levels. It can be read as a witty romp through the intertwined lives of theater geeks, or one can consider the usage and flexibility of homosexuality in the story. Either way, it makes for a satisfying read without being offensive to any kind of readers.

This is a finely crafted novel of manners which provides both pure entertainment and an intelligent treatment of a contemporary issue. Splendid, believable characterization. Highly recommended.

I have a sister (nah, you don't say). I also have a best friend. The subject in those two statements are one in the same. In that way I can relate to much of what Roz is feeling with her sister. At some point, although it's easy to remain close, you also grow apart, it's simply a part of life. You go from stuffed animals and movies to boyfriends and... movies. Now, we're not the huggy-huggy tell-you-anything type family, but I know without a doubt if there was something I had to tell someone, or needed to trust someone with, I could go to her. Which is what completely breaks my heart about My Invented Life: The fact that Eva doesn't think she can trust Roz.

The beginning of My Invented Life is cute, sarcastic, and filling to the brim with sibling rivalry. The middle is full of mystery and Shakespeare. And the end is a tear jerking conclusion full of sibling revelations and self-discovery (and more Shakespeare). The plot was a tiny bit confusing at some points, and when Roz and Eva are talking to each other I got lost in who was saying what. Speaking of Roz and Eva, I love them so much. They are such believable teenagers, as well as believable sisters. I loved most of the side characters as well, and one thing I can say that everyone will get once they read it: I did not expect Bryan to be that way. I also absolutely LOVED the Shakespearean insults. They're so ridiculous sounding, it makes it even better and even funnier, and makes it easy to turn a heavier scene into a lighter one. It's weird to hear (read?) someone insult someone else and want to laugh.

The only problem with My Invented Life is that there doesn't seem to be one clear shot of conscious plot. There is the main story line, which is Roz trying to figure out if her sister is in fact a lesbian. Other then that though the story is all over the place. It's hard sometimes to realize when something is taking place, as it switches between being at home one day to being at school the next a lot through the paragraphs. Without a divider or a bigger break between those paragraphs the days get jumbled together.

I also was surprised to see a mentioning of Matthew Shepard in My Invented Life. I am glad that people are not forgetting what happened to him, and that they're still (somewhat, even inadvertently) raising awareness for the absolute horrid things that happened, and that things like that can be prevented. I grew up with a ton of gay/lesbian/bi friends -guys and girls- and I am SO glad I was raised in a family, and in a town where I am free to be who I am no matter what that might be.

Over all though it was a fun story with plenty of twist and turns, I loved the characters, the plot -although sometimes confusing- was interesting and the writing was great. Lauren Bjorkman definitely has a new fan, and I absolutely can't wait until her next book, Miss Fortune Cookie, in 2011.

You know that book you got simply because of the cover? Well, this is the one that did it for me. There's just something about those two girls making silly/glam faces that reminded me of the best times in high school, hanging out and goofing off with friends.

And the great thing about the novel is that it does capture the spirit of the cover. High school junior Roz is overdramatic in an endearing way - she wants to play Rosalind, the lead in the school play of Shakespeare's AS YOU LIKE IT (even though normally the lead would go to her older sister, the more popular Eva) and would go to great lengths to get it. She also pines for Eva's boyfriend Bryan and often "invents" love scenes between them. She's very enthusiastic and exuberant, and jumps into situations without really thinking them through.

AS YOU LIKE IT, a play with elaborate gender reversals (Rosalind disguises herself as a man through much of the play), fits perfectly in this story that explores the sometimes blurred lines of sexual orientation. Just as Rosalind plays at being a man, Roz plays at being a lesbian (in a half-baked scheme to get her sister to come out) and learns some surprising things along the way. Although this idea really works on a conceptual level, I have to say it's not that believable on a realistic level. Roz is written as a pretty self-confident teen - but confident enough to let taunts and slurs simply roll off her back? Now that is some super-human self-assurance.

Even though the story can be messy at times and it can be confusing to tell what is invented and what is real, I think it would be a great read for Shakespeare enthusiasts (for the Shakespearean insults alone), the drama crowd, and those interested in GLBT lit.

Roz lives a great deal of her life in her head. In her head, she would be close to her sister, instead of being ignored like junk e-mail. Also, Bryan confesses that she is the only one for her, and is not making out with her sister. Finally, her friends are not plotting every second unlike now. Their upcoming production of Shakespeare's As You Like It might be ruined. Roz has a suspicion about Eva. In turn, Eva taunts Roz with a dare, which leads to an act of total insanity that swings their world out of control.
My Invented Life is a hilarious book. I loved the fact that Roz imagined a lot in her head. It was so amazing and entertaining. I also loved all of the Shakespearean insults. It was just amazing and totally reminded me of vlogbrothers. The Shakespearean Insult Lexicon was awesome, too. Roz was a great character that is impossible to not like her. Eva wasn't likable at the beginning, but she grew on me. The same goes with Carmen, I could understand her anger about things in the book. Bryan was a total jerk, I don't understand why Eva was with him in the first place and how Roz liked him at all. Andie was awesome and pretty kick ass. I loved Nico and his hair. I wish that there was more about him. Jonathan was interesting and I felt sorry for how his parents acted. I also liked how the main characters all grew a lot. The plot was really entertaining. Like Roz explored her sexuality and found herself. Bjorkman captured teens perfectly and had a great sense of humor. I think that this is the perfect books for teens and I highly recommend it.