2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wit, angst, and longings, September 20, 2009
This review is from: The Sky Always Hears Me: And the Hills Don't Mind (Paperback)
Where to begin with my review? For me, reading THE SKY ALWAYS HEARS ME was like eating a delicious new flavor of cake: you know you love it, but you're not quite sure which ingredients were used. After some savoring of the writing, I believe these are key to the recipe:
-Morgan's voice, which hooked me as soon as I read the first chapter on the author's website. Smart, sarcastic, and saturated with a restless yearning for something more than a tiny little town in Nebraska she calls Central Nowhere. John Green hasn't written from the point of view of a girl yet, so far as I know, but if he did, I have a feeling it might sound like Morgan... full of wit, angst, and longings that so powerfully evoke what it means to be a teen.
-The people in Morgan's life: her alcoholic dad, the grandma she loves, the girl who kisses her, the coworker guy she has a crush on. All of these characters grow and reveal their many facets, complicating Morgan's life and making for an intertwined story firmly rooted in deep, scream-at-the-hills emotions.
-The setting of Central Nowhere. This book is best read outside, in the grass, on a windy day, where you can imagine Morgan venting her frustrations and desires. That's how I did it, anyway, and it made the experience all the more vivid. I also love the descriptions of the grocery store where Morgan works. I don't know why, but I've always had this strange fascination with expertly described details of everyday life that usually escape the eye of the author.
Disclaimer: I am a fellow Flux author, though my book won't be out until 2010. I am also, however, a choosy reader. There's no way I would actually go out and buy a book unless I thought I'd devour it, and I try my best to be an honest reviewer. So, honestly, I am recommending that you read THE SKY ALWAYS HEARS ME: AND THE HILLS DON'T MIND, in the hopes that you find it just as good.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Sky Always Hears Me, April 17, 2010
This review is from: The Sky Always Hears Me: And the Hills Don't Mind (Paperback)
I love reading about independent, confident, snarky girls, and Morgan is just that. I'm the exact opposite of all these things, so I tend to vicariously live through fictional characters and their brushes with an interesting adolescence. Mine was very normal: school, homework, that kind of thing. Morgan and Co. are a million miles away from my own life, yet I still found myself wishing I could be more like her. She's not a perfect role model by a long shot, but she doesn't take any rubbish from anyone, and she lives how she wants to.
Morgan's voice is brilliant; clipped and sharp, with sarcasm available on demand. Her I-don't-care attitude is something to aspire to, and the ability to block out nasty taunts and comments is sure to be a highly desired personality trait amongst teenagers.
Morgan goes through a lot in The Sky Always Hears Me, and a lot is packed into its average page count. She faces choices about her romantic life, her home life, and her future after she leaves Nowheresville. All these plot strands are handled realistically, and they could easily be happening to every student in your nearby high school. The teenage years are a time of change and hard decisions, and Cronn-Mills delves into this with both feet.
Sexual identity is addressed, the topic of sex isn't glossed over, and swearing isn't tactfully omitted. It's very much a book about honesty; both to yourself and to showing the world as it is, and I loved every single page.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
., September 2, 2009
This review is from: The Sky Always Hears Me: And the Hills Don't Mind (Paperback)
A wonderful book for its teen audience. It conveys the messages it is trying to get across without hammering you in the head with them. It shows perfectly that there are almost always big things that you don't know about even the closest person to you, but that you can still learn to love and forgive them afterwards. A great read for everyone!
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