The Rules for Hearts [Hardcover]

Sara Ryan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2007

Battle Hall Davies is sure of some things: she’s going to Reed; she loves girls; and her older brother, Nick, is cooler than she could ever be. Nick ran away when Battle was in high school, and four years later, he’s tracked her down. Now she’s spending her summer before college in “Forest House,” the co-op where he lives in Portland. Battle is quickly swept into Forest House’s community Shakespeare production, its all-night card games, and the arms of her new roommate, Meryl. It turns out that Nick isn’t who Battle thought he was—and Battle’s not who she thought she was, either.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up—Readers of Empress of the World (Viking, 2001) will relish another chance to spend time with Battle Hall Davies in this terrific sequel. Now 18 and about to start college, she decides to spend the summer with a houseful of quirky actors and bohemians in Portland, OR. What her parents don't know is that one of the Forest House residents is Battle's older brother, who ran away from home at 17. Her reunion with Nick is a prickly one, though, as she finds that he is not always dependable. Her crush on Meryl, a swimming instructor who lives in the house, is also full of ambiguities. Meryl is alternately seductive, manipulative, and confused, often leaving Battle baffled and hurt. Ryan does a wonderful job of portraying a group of creative young people with limited finances, fluid sexuality, and complicated relationships. This novel celebrates the process of becoming an adult without providing any easy answers. Battle's summer is a challenging one, full of possibilities and disappointments, and it's a joy to share her journey.—Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In this follow-up to Ryan's Empress of the World (2001), Battle, just graduated from high school and still hurt from her breakup with girlfriend Nicola, has arrived in Portland, Oregon, where she'll start college in the fall. Her parents don't know that Battle chose Portland to be with Nick, her estranged older brother, and that her home for the summer is the rambling Victorian that Nick shares with fellow members of a theater group. Writing in Battle's strong, believable voice, Ryan memorably captures an older teen's tumultuous first summer of independence. As in Empress, the artsy, ensemble cast is memorable, and both gay and straight relationships are described with refreshing honesty. Battle begins a tumultuous romance with a sexy female housemate, but the family feelings are the story's core. Battle quickly realizes that charming, charismatic Nick is also "a thoughtless bastard," who steals and lies, and Battle, "the queen of competence," struggles between anger and a powerful yearning to save him. Confusing and exhilarating, Battle's first stretch into adult life will resonate strongly with the target audience. Engberg, Gillian

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile; 1 edition (April 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670059064
• ISBN-13: 978-0670059065
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #701,008 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A welcome return., August 12, 2007

By 

R. Wright "Whisky Lover" (Classroom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Rules for Hearts (Hardcover)

Sara Ryan is back with her second novel, a sequal to Empress of the World. Battle hall Davies has graduated and heading off to college, her somewhat estranged brother lives in Portland Oregon and Battle has moved in with him and the various other roommates that inhabit the house.

Ryan's writing is more assured and stronger in this book and it was an enjoyable read. I loved the theatre bits and the various character's, while some are cliches, they are good cliches and really round out the parts making the scenes fuller and realistic.

My favorite part is the wedding scene and I must give Ryan props for having one of the character's wear a kilt and not present it as a man in drag or the source of drunks attempts at humor.

The relation between Battle and her brother is the main focus of the book though Battle's attempts to have a lesbian relationship are explored as well, it is the family story, blood family and adopted family, that is the true heart of the book.

Ryan has shown herself to be a writer that improves with each work and I look forward to reading more of her prose work as well as her comic book writings. The Rules for Heart's is definately going on my growing shelf of YA books.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best, March 12, 2010

By 

J.R. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rules for Hearts (Paperback)

I thought the book would tell more about what happened with Battle and Nic after the summer of the first book. It seemed like it really wasn't a sequel. Just another book with the same character. Overall, the book wasn't that great. It was not the most captivating book. I'm not really a fan of the author's style of writing, but I read this one to see what had happened from the previous book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars No as good as Empress, April 13, 2009

By 

J. Austin (Hixson, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Rules for Hearts (Hardcover)

The companion, and first book, to this book is better. This book tells Battle's story after camp (Empress of the World). It had its moments, but I wasn't nearly as interested in this book as i was in Empress of the World.

If you read Empress of the World it is worth the read because it give you and interesting perspective. It makes you think about how other people view situations because it gives a drastically different image of Nic than Empress gave.