The Disenchantments [Hardcover]

Nina LaCour (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 16, 2012

Colby and Bev have a long-standing pact: graduate, hit the road with Bev's band, and then spend the year wandering around Europe. But moments after the tour kicks off, Bev makes a shocking announcement: she's abandoning their plans - and Colby - to start college in the fall.

But the show must go on and The Disenchantments weave through the Pacific Northwest, playing in small towns and dingy venues, while roadie- Colby struggles to deal with Bev's already-growing distance and the most important question of all: what's next?

Morris Award–finalist Nina LaCour draws together the beauty and influences of music and art to brilliantly capture a group of friends on the brink of the rest of their lives.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The Disenchantments:

"This is about the inside and outside of characters, the past and future of their lives—and it is astonishing." --Booklist, starred review
 
"...a rich tapestry that will make readers confident that they are in the hands of a master storyteller...Hauntingly beautiful." --Kirkus, starred review

"LaCour (Hold Still) skillfully draws connections between art and life as she delves into the heart of her characters..." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

“LaCour’s writing style is laid-back, low key, and totally on point.” --VOYA, starred review

"Enchanting in its depiction of the cusp of young disenchantment, this realistic novel will hit home with many thoughtful YAs.” --School Library Journal, starred review

“Each roadtripper has his or her own artistic way of chronicling the individual journeys they are on together, and that introspection draws the reader into this intimate novel.” --NPR.org

"Quietly compelling...well rendered, bittersweet and hopeful." --Los Angeles Times

About the Author

Nina LaCour (www.ninalacour.com) is a high school English teacher and former bookseller. She is the author of the award-winning Hold Still. A San Francisco Bay Area native, Nina lives in Oakland, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (February 16, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525422196
• ISBN-13: 978-0525422198
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #470,833 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm Stunned By This One February 18, 2012

By Trisha Leigh

Format:Hardcover

The characters in this book are so incredibly real. They frustrate you. You're embarrassed for them. They will break your heart in the most exquisitely fulfilling way imaginable. Most of all, their trials as they learn that life is almost never what you expected - but it can be achingly beautiful anyway - made me remember those same things too. I was touched by Colby, the narrator, and the way he saw these three special girls, his friends. I felt twisted and desperate for Bev, who loved Colby but maybe not the way he wanted, which is maybe the worst of feelings. The entire journey, from the first page until I ran out, left me breathless and in tears.

I'm broken. And put back together and in love. All the feelings ever made. Read this book. My words can't do it justice.

Recommend.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Story of Growing Up February 19, 2012

By Brandi's Book Musings

Format:Hardcover

From the cover of The Disenchantments I was expecting a light, fluffy, fun summer novel. That is not the case. Instead I got a wonderfully different surprise. The Disenchantments is one of those hard to describe books. It's a story about growing up, growing apart, realizing some childhood dreams are just dreams, and that sometimes you need to follow your own path. This book is both happy and sad all at the same time, but most of all it is real. Nina LaCour brings to life heartache, pain, fun, and first love in the pages of The Disenchantments.

The male perspective of Colby, his love for Bev, and their relationships with Meg and Alexa were amazing. Colby is an idealistic dreamer who actually follows through with his plans. Bev...Bev is an enigma, a mystery that I spent the whole book trying to figure out, and in the end she had the simplest explanation. Meg is the tough girl hiding a broken interior and Alexa is a lot like Colby. She's an innocent dreamer who believes in the good and sees the brighter side. (After Colby, Alexa was my favorite character) The adventure that they had is something that I wish I could experience. Throughout this supposed happy time of their life, there was a constant sense of sadness, of finality. I believe that we all feel this at one point in our lives. That moment when we are transitioning from childhood to adulthood, that moment that we have all longed for, and when it finally comes we put it off until it catches us.

Colby and The Disenchantments went on one of the most epic road trips ever and in the end came out different, they grew up. The Disenchantments made me angry, happy, and sad all at the same time. I simply loved it.
*** I received this book free through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program in exchange for a review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars So Different from Her debut - still so amazing! May 25, 2012

By Book Sp(l)ot Reviews

Format:Hardcover

While everyone else has been deciding scouring college brochures, taking college tours, filling out applications and finally deciding where to attend, Colby has been planning a much different post-high school experience. After high school he has long planned to spend a week touring Northern California with his best friend Bev and her all-girl band before the two jet off to Europe for a year. He's spent his high school life looking over European public transport maps, planning their adventures deciding where they need to go.

It's all set.

Until Bev announces, just after they start the tour, that she plans to start college right after the tour.

What does this mean for Colby? For his future?

As a huge fan of LaCour's first novel Hold Still I was absolutely thrilled to see this book up for offer on Early Reviewers - even more so to win it. While it is so incredibly different from Hold Still, it also has a friendship that is strained - albeit for a different reason - and features LaCour's great writing.

The tour that The Disenchantments (and really, Th Disenchantments themselves) take is so far from ordinary or boring that it's absolutely fantastic. They each have their own little quirks and unique traits - the obvious Bev's awesome art; Colby's gifted drawing; Meg's pink hair or Alexa's feathers - to the one's that we discover along the way, all things that make them not only more interesting, but also characters we really care about.

Even The Disenchanments being horrible (as in they are not a good band, not all that musically gifted) makes them incredibly endearing.

I love the places that they go to on their tour. It says not only something about their tour planner, but also about why they are in this band - and why they've really gone on this tour in the first place. This isn't a tour for the glitz, glamour and fame, it's for them and that's beautiful.

Oh, and the people they encounter, especially Jasper! Each of them could have their own story; they are such strong side characters. They aren't throw-away, extra characters that are just there to be there. All of the characters, no matter how minor really add something to the story.

I was thrilled with the ending - I had been hoping for it, it was a bit different than I expected but I think it's even better than I hoped.

Probably my only issue with The Disenchantments at all, and it's a minor one, is, a few times, Colby seemed more feminine. Possibly an effect of being around as many girls or LaCour writing a male character in with so many female ones . . . or just my interpretation of things. But that's about it.

Rating: 9/10

(review copy provided by LibraryThing and Penguin)