Customer Reviews

Sandpiper

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Seventeen-year-old Sandpiper Hollow Ragsdale has a bad reputation. Even Sandpiper's younger sister Daisy knows that kids at the high school call her older sister a slut. Sandpiper has figured out that giving oral sex to guys can get her some much-needed attention and a sort of power. The only problem is that she doesn't even like the guys she "dates," and she's more than willing to dump them after a few days or weeks. That kind of approach doesn't fly with her most recent boyfriend, Derek, who thinks that Sandpiper owes him --- and his friends --- even more.

Sandpiper certainly can't talk to her parents about Derek's threats or about the reasons for her self-degrading sexual behavior. Her mom is getting remarried and can only think about plans for the upcoming lavish wedding. Her stepfather-to-be, Nathan, brings his daughter Rachel into town for the wedding. Rachel is everything Sandpiper isn't --- cute, petite, perky, the kind of girl who pleases parents and waits until marriage for sex. Sandpiper's father, Rags, has plenty of problems of his own --- he's a serial dater of younger women, and he doesn't know how to even look at Sandpiper now that she's developed breasts.

Then Sandpiper meets a mysterious loner simply called the Walker, because he walks incessantly around their small Massachusetts town, refusing to ride in cars even in the pouring rain. She doesn't know anything about Walker's past, not even his real name (at first); all she knows is that he offers her platonic friendship without any sexual demands. When Derek starts to act on his threats, Walker and Sandpiper must come clean about their pasts so that they can help each other and find a new, more genuine kind of relationship.

Sandpiper's own narration of her story alternates with her autobiographical poetry, often written in the style of famous poems ("The Love Song of Piper H. Ragsdale," for example). Surprisingly, the novel doesn't offer Piper's poetic gifts as healthier opportunities for her to increase her own self-worth, instead focusing on family and genuine romantic relationships as the best solutions. Both the characters of Derek and Walker are taken to extremes; Derek is a one-dimensional thug, and Walker is a little too wise and philosophical for his years. Piper herself, though, is a complex, sympathetic (if not always entirely likeable) character.

Ellen Wittlinger's novels for teens don't shy away from tough subjects. In SANDPIPER Wittlinger explores the current widespread belief that oral sex is not "real sex." The novel's subject matter and its weighty tone make it appropriate for older teens.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

I enjoyed this story. I liked how it was a cautionary tale about teen sex without being too preachy. I identified with the characters and liked how dimensional they were especially the ones I least expected like Daisy, Rachel and Edie. I wanted to know more about Derek's craziness he was a little too dimensional. One of my favorite aspects of this book was Piper's use of poetry and how she mimicked famous styles. I liked that Piper wrote poetry. One problem with this book though, it felt like too much was going on, with Aidan, the wedding, the issues with friends, parents, Piper's own sexuality, Rachel's, Daisy's, there was a lot going on in such a small book. It felt at times over dramatized and then in key moments not dramatic enough. I like this book but.....

I absolutely loved this book! I signed it out from the library and finished it before I went to sleep the same night! It was great. Ellen Wittlinger is one of my favorite authors, and this is her best yet.

I disagree with people who think that younger teens should not read this book. They are the ones who should read it - both girls and boys.

If you search online for "percentage teens sex," you will learn that about 1 in 3 or 4 teens have had oral sex by the time they leave middle school, often casually, like playing spin the bottle.

Sandpiper shows, in a powerful and nonjudgmental way, all the dangers of casual sex. It also shows how a true friendship can develop between a girl and a boy.

Ellen Wittlinger is one of the greatest YA authors, in my opinion. I read Hard Love (which is excellent) and now I've read Sandpiper. It definitely wasn't as good as Hard Love, but there's just something about the way that Piper's life is portrayed that really draws me in. It seems realistic, and I'm so intrigued by the way her mind works. She's different from me, but she's still the type of character I look for in a book. I can be sympathetic to how she feels, but at the same time I disagree with her opinions

Sandpiper, by Ellen Wittlinger is a story about a girl named Sandpiper who is notorious for her short term, unattached relationships and for her need to get the attention of boys to feel valued and important. After one of her ex-boyfriend becomes violent, Sandpiper decides to change her lifestyle and to forget about her past. In her struggle to do this, she accidentally meets a boy named Walker, who, because of a mysterious past, lives without a family or home. As their friendship grows, Sandpiper discovers his hidden guilt over the accidental death of a young girl and the reason for his isolation. She realizes that Walker's inability to accept his past is what made him alone and through this knowledge, Sandpiper is able to live with her own past and help Walker come to terms with his.

First of all, when I read reviews, it'd be nice to be reading ones that are written by people who have actually read this book. Not even the two editorial reviews featured on this book's main page can agree on an age for Piper. Also, Walker wasn't responsible for the accidental death of a girl, it was a boy -- his nephew.
That being said, "Sandpiper" is a worthwhile read about a girl who has reached a difficult point in her life. Sandpiper's mother is getting remarried and her new stepsister is everything she isn't. Her biological father, who she was once close to, has become a serial dater and can't deal with the fact that his teenage daughter is maturing and becoming much like the young women he dates. And Sandpiper, who has the reputation of a slut at her school for dating guys for short periods of time and giving oral sex, has a tough problem to deal with when one of her many scorned exes returns with plans for revenge.
Piper finds solace in her poetry inspired by famous poets, and these poems are scattered throughout this book, providing an introspective view into Piper's mind, as well as a break from everything else. She becomes friends with the Walker, a mysterious guy who walks everywhere he goes and doesn't have a family or a home. It becomes clear that Piper and Walker must save each other from themselves, and maybe even more than that.
However, as many reviewers have said before, the character of Derek, the vengeful ex, is a bit too one-dimensional, and it's almost a little frustrating that his madness is never really explained, aside from the fact that he was mad at Piper for dumping him.
This is a decent young adult book, and teenage poets would definately enjoy it. I would consider it appropriate even for younger teens, to caution them about the consequences of careless sex, if nothing else. Luckily, this book does not preach. Insightful, entertaining, and darkly comical at times, "Sandpiper" definately earns the privilage of being read twice -- at least, for me it does.

~Ash

Oh. My. God. I wanted to die when reading this book. Sandpiper is a girl who does not have a good reputation and she finds out that giving guys oral sex does give power but also some much needed bad reputation along the way. She is scarily stalked, almost raped and she meets a guy who saves her and in return she is saving him without even knowing it, he is known as the Walker and he has a secret of his own. This book is the best book that Ellen Wittlinger ever wrote. But after reading it I wanted to kick Derek Murphy butt and then destroy him for what he almost did. I found myself wanting to claw the living daylights out of this book. I was so mad. This is great book, one of the best Wittlinger has ever written.

This book was very difficult to find a book description to preview here with this review. The one above I felt just does not do this book justice, so here is a little more description about this story. Sandpiper is 15 years old, and found her way into a dangerous lifestyle. In attempts to replace the hole her father seems to be leaving in her life; she has become very promiscuous with many young men in her life. The charged emotions that accompanied sexual acts allowed her to feel, at least for the moment, that she was loved and adored. While she is still a virgin; she is far from innocent. After Piper's last break up things have begun to unravel leaving a desire for change in its wake. She soon finds that the past is a hard thing to overcome. When her last boyfriend decides that she must pay for breaking his heart; she not only finds herself in danger, but also her family and more importantly her thirteen year old sister. In the midst of the story Sandpiper finds herself drawn to one particular young boy that is known as "The Walker"; her attraction to this young boy as her caught off guard when it is nothing like what she has experienced in the past. Aidan, aka The Walker, is a loner that is only known for his constant walking of their small town. When Sandpiper drags him into an altercation with her ex boyfriend it sparks a friendship that they never knew would lead them both into a world of trouble. Aidan has his own secrets that he has struggled to leave hidden, but his friendship with Sandpiper gains him some unwanted attention. When Aidan finds that he is no longer the loner with no name he knows that it is time to go, but it seems that he has more trouble leaving than was expected. Although, what Aidan fears most just might be what he needed to save him. Wittlinger adds depth to her story by following each chapter with a poem written by Piper. This gives the readers more insight into the characters feelings and thoughts; kind of like foot notes to each section of the story. Sandpiper is a very realistic story that gives readers a shocking glimpse of today's societies kids. This story portrays just how easy it is for a young girl to find herself in a position such as this one. The promiscuity of this story is a little hard to handle in parts, but it seems necessary in establishing the true nature of this story.

I couldn't set this book down, and was thrilled to finally find a book that, without being explicit or overly detailed, really talks about how teens get so easily drawn into sexual behavior that they may or may not be ready for. The main character of this book had serious consequences to deal with. At first she blames herself for all the problems, but later she learns to tell which things really are or are not her fault. She manages to gain insight into how her father's promiscuity affected her choices, and luckiest of all, she has a forgiving family and friend who help her to heal and re-ground herself. I think this is one of Ellen Wittlinger's best books yet.

Several reviewers are disagreeing about what age this book is appropriate for. I think it is less the age than the behavior and emotions. If teens, or even pre-teens, are already thinking about and/or performing oral sex, then they are old enough for this book and will be thrilled to find a book that speaks their language and helps them sort out the confusion of teen sexuality. However, teens that are not tempted by sexual behavior yet will probably be grossed out and will not have any sympathy for the main character, so they won't enjoy this book, whether they are 14 or 17 or 19. Some people will never enjoy this book, and that is OK, but it should not detract from the fact that it is an excellent book for anyone, of any age, who has ever struggled with confusion or regrets about past sexual behavior.

Thank you Ellen Whittlinger!