Customer Reviews

The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer (A Twin Peaks Book)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I was a big Twin Peaks fan and watched the show faithfully, right up to the end. I even saw Fire Walk With Me in the theaters opening weekend.

I have to say reading this book gave me the chills. It was very heartbreaking,sad and terrifying as you read how Laura Palmer's life unfolded from ages 12 to 17.

I know there are a lot of theories from fans regarding whether BOB was real or someone Laura's sub-consciously made up to block any truth that her father was abusing her. But as Agent Cooper said in the show: Would it be any easier if I told you a man would rape and murder his own daughter?

In reading this you can almost hear Sheryl Lee's voice: from joy to sadness, terrified to angry, hopeful to hopeless: all the emotions are conveyed here.

In a way this would be a companion piece to the young adult novel "Go Ask Alice" , which was based on a true diary. Both books delve into the world of the All Amercan Girl and see their dreams go horribly astray.

Kudos to Jennifer Lynch for writing a very powerful work that may in fact help people who have beeen victims of abuse break free so that they don't become Laura Palmer herself.

I am the first to admit that this is a book for die-hard Twin Peaks fans only, but doesn't that kind of go without saying? I doubt anyone else would even consider reading this book or even know of its existence. So this review is from the perspective of a Peaks fanatic.
This book grabs you from the start. I received it in the mail when I got home from work last night around 5:30, and I had it finished by 11:00--it's about 180 pages. Its conversational tone makes it a fast read, for sure, but it's Laura's completely unusual, fascinating experiences that really get the pages turning. The great thing about it is that it gives you further insight into the world of Twin Peaks, specifically Laura Palmer, obviously. TP is a very layered, complex "world" that requires multiple viewings to truly appreciate. Fire Walk With Me provided much appreciated insight into Laura's final week, but this diary goes so much further than that and highlights Laura's life from the age of 12 and off and on until 17, when she died. It is genuinely fascinating to see Laura change from a generally happy, if somewhat "different" 12-year-old into a tormented soul who welcomes death. The influence of Bob increases over time, though he had always been there. The pain seems so real, you can't really blame her for some of her outrageous and even hurtful behavior. I'm not going to give away anything specific, but suffice it to say that there is ample support for Dr. Jacoby's statements in the first season: To Agent Cooper that Laura should not be faulted for her cocaine addiction, and to Bobby that she didn't mean to hurt him, she just had no control over her own life.
Speaking of Bobby Briggs, this book goes into quite a bit of detail about their relationship. Although he softens considerably over the course of the show, this diary cements the idea that he was always misunderstood. If there was any doubt that Laura's relationship with Bobby was actually much deeper than her relationship with James Hurley, this book puts that doubt to rest for good. Here Bobby emerges as someone who understands Laura better than almost anyone, even though he didn't know her "secret." But he sensed it was there.
There are some pretty surprising revelations in this book, quite a feat, really.
Jennifer Lynch really succeeded in capturing the essense of Laura Palmer's struggle with Bob. I'm guessing she was briefed by her Dad beforehand--David Lynch has said that he has the world of Laura and Twin Peaks mapped out in his mind, and that TP will always be there, just no one is pointing a camera at it right now.
I must also comment on one poster's assessment of Bob's speaking through Laura as "dumb." How is it dumb if that was the reality in Laura's life? As for the poster who suggested that Jennifer Lynch was working through her own issues in writing this book, that is just uncalled for. Nothing in this book is inconsistent with what we already knew about Laura Palmer. Was there any doubt that she was one seriously screwed-up chick?

"The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer" is a book that will make your jaw drop to the floor. The story centers around a woman by the name of Laura Palmer. Through her very eyes, the book shows how her reality is plagued by sex, drugs, and even an evil man trying to take over her life (known as BOB). A lot like Stephen King's novels, this book is shocking and disturbing, but unlike King, "The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer" is easy to read and the words flow smoothly. On a scale of one to ten (one being the lowest score and ten being the highest), I rate this book an eight. The story kept me compelled to read more and find out what else happened in Laura's intense life!

For those who are familiar with the 1990's TV series "Twin Peaks", this book is a must-have. It begins on Laura Palmer's 12th birthday and documents most of the important events in her short life, up to a few days before her murder and the disappearance of this diary. Although "The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer" is very provocative (after all, how many young girls have 40 lovers before they turn 15, are constantly abused by an unknown entity named BOB, and also struggle with a cocaine addiction?), I wasn't entirely shocked. I had watched the series first, as well as the movie ("Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me"), before reading this book (which I highly recommend other readers do as well; otherwise, you might be a little lost), so I pretty much knew what to expect from Laura. However, I never did feel any closer to her after reading her diary, probably because there were giant time lapses between entries, and the book didn't even read like a diary at times. Still, I highly recommend this book to "Twin Peaks" fans who are interested in Laura Palmer's past. And even if you've never watched the series, you might want to give this one a try and "discover the nightmare version of daddy's little girl". After reading this, you'll definitely want to watch the series and movie again. You might even catch some clues you didn't see before.

I really enjoyed this "diary". It was written by Jennifer Lynch, who is the daughter of "Twin Peaks" director David Lynch. It's really racy and captivating, as Laura reveals everything in her diary--the mysterious "BOB" who visits her at night and who she can never get away from (is he real or just in her mind?); her awful drug habit; her sexual experimentation; her close friendships with Bobby and Donna; her struggle to find help and redemption from God; pages ripped out of her diary by someone, and then death just days later, when she's just 18. This is the diary of a troubled and tumultuous life cut short by tragic circumstances. The dead body of prom queen Laura Palmer was found washed up along the shore. Who killed her?

David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"

So I watched 2 season of Twin peaks, than read this book, and after that I saw movie twin peaks (about 2 hours). The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer shows her live, and so does the movie, but book has more details (so it is better to watch tv series, read book and than watch the movie). Great addition to 2 seasons, and at the end of the movie we have an answer why BOB went into someone else( I don't want to spoil anything for those who didn't see Twin Peaks tv show yet).

I just read this book for the second time and with clear mind I can state that this book catches the great atmosphere residing in the little town Twin Peaks. The diary is focused (as expected) on the person of Laura Palmer - the girl who when found killed unleashes a masterpiece movie by the genius David Lynch. Almost every character from the Twin Peaks series has its place on the pages of this diary and as in the movie, most of the facts are left to the raders to interpret in their own way. The fate of Laura Palmer is moving and her character quite interesting - for most persons not knowing her she seems to have quite a strong character but deep inside she's a weak little girs seeking out for help. At the end of the story however she loses the fight she's been losing almost all her life. Or does she lose at the end? It is up to your interpretation as I mentioned.

The book was released between the first season & the second season. No one was ready for such a twisted, sorid, and honest page-turner. It isn't some knock off meant to cash in on the television show's popularity. It works as a stand alone novel. The book's twist to viewers was Laura's incredible possession by BOB. At this point in the show's run, Twin Peaks was normal murder mystery with some supernatural sprinkles on it's doughnuts. But this book signaled that perhaps, the little town of Twin Peaks was a spirit-filled dream land, with reality sprinkled on top. Fire Walk With Me.

READ THE BOOK BEFORE YOU READ MY REVIEW!!BR>WHEN READING THIS BOOK PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE PHRASES IN ITALICS, THEY HELP YOU UNDERSTAND WHATS GOING ON.

My suggestions to this book is whatch the pilot epesode of twin peaks, read the book, then watch the movie Fire Walk with Me, it will blow your mind into peices. After youve done this if you want a second chance at the story, read the book first, watch the movie FWWM, then view the pilot. AMAZING<PBR>This is the best part of the whole TP world. This book shows the thoughts of the perfect girl(footbal star boyfriend, honor roll, homecoming queen) living in a small town, become a victom to the most evil of crimes. This is the best, most REALISTIC illuistration of what goes on in the mind of a girl who is being molested. ...... Most of her behavoir is a cry for help, but by this point she is very confused. Then after she quits sleeping out of fear of being raped and her HEAVY drug use she becomes schizophrenic and starts to see BOB as an actual person, and hears his voice in her head and transcripts the conversations in her diary. By this point she does not know weather to believe she has ever been raped or if she is completely insain. After she writes some incriminating evidence about her fathers boss, her father tears out the pages. When she finds her diary with missing pages she begins to relize that BOB is a real person. She then slowely starts to realize who BOB is while writing in her diary. ...
Laura sees Small Hills and the Fire in her dream when she was first raped. Small Hills are her developing breasts, hence the name Twin Peaks. BECAUSE of the psychological trauma of being raped she starts to destroy herself (drugs, sex, violence)hence the phrase Fire Walk with Me.
AFTER you realize ...basicly whats going on in this book, it is ONE HUNDRED TIMES more twisted and is very hard to read.... IT is completely DISTURBING! you see how Laura is this wonderfull little inocent girl, and gets emotionally TORTURED and DESTROYED. This book will change the way you inturpeted Twin Peaks completely, BOB is not a demon but a way of Laura denying reality. ... This book only makes sense for the first couple of episodes, then TP gets way OFF the story and doesnt really go along with this inturpretation. BUT FWWM goes PERFECT with this book. SORRY My spelling [is bad}

I bought this book with the intention of having it as a supplement to the TV show "Twin Peaks", which I also bought on DVD. However, the events which are written in the book really have nothing to do with anything that is portrayed in the TV show. There are a few tidbits in the book that correspond with the facts presented in the show, but other than that, its mainly a tool for more character development that the show wasn't able to offer. As a book to read by itself, it reads like a diary, so you can't really critique the writing style or plot of the book at all. Most of the book features characters from the TV show. There really isn't that much merit to it. I would recommend reading this book before watching the series from beginning to end as it does present some foreshadowing of things to come.