This Lullaby [Hardcover]

Sarah Dessen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 27, 2002

Remy always knows the perfect time to give a boyfriend "The Speech" telling him it's over-after the initial romantic whirl, but before the reality of an actual relationship hits. Her friends tease that her boyfriend tally is nearing the triple digit mark, but she's a girl who knows just how to avoid any messy emotional entanglement. After all, she's had the example of her five-times-married mother to show her what not to do.

So what, then, is it about Dexter that makes it so hard for her to follow her own rules? He's everything she hates: messy, disorganized, much too vulnerable, impulsive, and worst of all, a musician like her father: the father Remy never knew, the father who wrote a famous song for her, the father who disappeared from her life.

Sarah Dessen's most captivating novel yet introduces readers to a girl who believes her heart is made of stone-and the boy who proves her wrong.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"I had no illusions about love... It came, it went, it left casualties or it didn't. People weren't meant to be together forever, regardless of what the songs say." Remy doesn't believe in love. And why should she? Her romance novelist mother is working on her fifth marriage, and her father, a '70s hippie singer, left her with only a one-hit wonder song to remember him by. Every time Remy hears "This Lullaby," it feels like "a bruise that never quite healed right." "Wherever you may go / I will let you down / But this lullaby plays on..." Never without a boyfriend, Remy is a compulsive dater, but before a guy can go all "Ken" on her (as in "ultra boyfriend behavior") she cuts him off, without ever getting close or getting hurt. That's why she's stunned when klutzy, quirky, alterna-band boy Dexter inserts himself into her life and refuses to leave. Remy's been accepted to Stanford, and she plans on having her usual summer fling before tying up the loose ends of her pre-college life and heading for the coast. Except Dexter's not following Remy's tried-and-true rules of break-up protocol. And for the first time, Remy's questioning whether or not she wants him to.

Author Sarah Dessen's ability to write novels that are both crowd pleasers and literary masterpieces of YA fiction is showcased beautifully in This Lullaby. Subtle yet completely absorbing, Lullaby is peopled with breathtakingly believable, three-dimensional characters, the very best of which is the bitter, broken Remy herself. An original love story about learning to love yourself first. (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

From Publishers Weekly

This modern-day romance narrated by a cynical heroine offers a balance of wickedly funny moments and universal teen traumas. High school graduate Remy has some biting commentary about love, including her romance-writer mother's betrothal to a car dealer ("He put one hand on my shoulder, Dad-style, and I tried not to remember all the stepfathers before him that had done the same thing.... They all thought they were permanent, too") and her brother's infatuation with self-improvement guru Jennifer Anne. But when rocker Dexter "crashes" into her life, her resolve to remain unattached starts to crack. Readers will need to hold on to their hats as they accompany Remy on her whirlwind ride, avoiding, circling and finally surrendering to Cupid's arrows. Almost as memorable as her summer romance with a heartwarmingly flawed suitor is the cast of idiosyncratic characters who watch from the sidelines. There's the trio of Remy's faithful girlfriends, all addicted to "Xtra Large Zip" Diet Cokes practical-minded Jess, weepy Lissa, and Chloe, who shares Remy's dark sense of humor as well as Dexter's entourage of fellow band members, as incompetent at managing money as they are at keeping their rental house clean. Those expecting a Cinderella finale for Remy will find a twist consistent with the plot's development. Contrary to any such implication in the title, this one will keep teens up reading. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile; First Edition edition (May 27, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670035300
• ISBN-13: 978-0670035304
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (244 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #326,474 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've been writing, in one way or another, for as long as I can remember. I was always a big reader, mostly because my parents were. I used to get frustrated with my mom because she bought me books for Christmas when what I really wanted were the gifts my friends got, things like sweaters and jewelry. But I did love to read. When I was eight or nine my parents gave me an old manual typewriter and a little desk in the corner of our den, and I'd sit there and type up my stories. I was the kind of kid that people always sighed over and said, "She has such a wild imagination," which usually meant "I wish Sarah would try to stick to the truth." I have a tendency to embellish: I think it's just a weakness of fiction writers. Once you learn how to make a story better, it's hard not to do it all the time."The books I read when I was teenager, the good ones anyway, have stuck more in my mind than anything since. I still love books, but while I couldn't tell you complete plots of novels I read even six months ago, I do remember even the smallest descriptive details from Lois Lowry's A Summer to Die or Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. I think it was because back then books were still somewhat new to me, and when I found an author who seemed to say just what I was feeling, it really struck me and resonated. I hope that my books do that for the people who read them: I think it's the best thing to which any writer can aspire. "As far as my other life, my non-writing life, I live in the country with my husband, some lizards, and two dogs who are completely spoiled and rule me completely. I like to work in my garden---although I have not yet perfected the art of keeping everything alive----and, in my weaker moments, shop. I have a bit of an addiction to the Gap clearance rack, to be honest. I have this strange need to buy huge quantities of black pants. How many pairs of black pants does one person need? (Obviously for me, the answer is 11 and counting. But I digress.) What else can I tell you? I love Starbucks mochas but they make me way hyper. I subscribe to too many magazines. I make a mean bean salad. I could go on, but the truth is, my books are much more exciting than I am, and that's a good thing. It's always more fun to make stuff up anyway."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dessen shines!, August 26, 2002

By 

Traci D. Haley (Prineville, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Lullaby (Hardcover)

This Lullaby is about Remy, daughter of an eccentric, romance writer mother who has been married five times and a dead, musician father whose only legacy is a song called "This Lullaby." Remy, having seen her mother go through husbands like kleenex, is jaded about love and relationships; every time she gets close to a guy, she dumps him.

Then along comes Dexter, who not only breaks her "no musicians" rule (he's in a band that sings - among other things - "The Potato Song"), he's also everything that drives her crazy.

Sarah Dessen's talent for character development shines through in this tale of first love. Her characters are flawed, dysfunctional, and so realistic that reading this book is like visiting with old friends. The topics tackled in This Lullaby are written both believably and in an utterly unique way, so that an old problem - "What do you do when someone doesn't like you back?" - becomes a fresh, new story with an ending that will satisfy both romantics and cynics alike.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner from Sarah Dessen, June 15, 2002

By 

Rachel Hanson (Salt Lake City, Utah USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Lullaby (Hardcover)

Sarah Dessen quickly became one of my favorite authors after I read her books "Dreamland" and "Someone Like You". I was super excited when I found her new book, "This Lullaby", and settled down to read it right away.

I was not disappointed. This book is amazing! It made me laugh out loud in some parts (Dessen has remarkable prose, and just her word choice and descriptions make for a humorous time), gave me butterflies in others, and had me feeling pretty sorry for the characters during certain scenes.

Remy has got the guy thing figured out -- once the first heady, romantic feelings start to fizzle and "cracks" begin to appear in the guy's personality, Remy's out of there. Remy has plenty of experience -- her father left before she was born, leaving her with his sappy one-hit-wonder, "This Lullaby". Not a great gift, considering the lyrics "I will let you down." Plus, Remy's mother, a romance author, is now on her fifth marriage -- "This time it will work, Remy." But Remy doesn't share her mother's hopeful outlook on love.

Then she bumps into Dexter, quite literally. She avoids him as much as she can, but he manages to pop up everywhere, and just where she needs him the most. He's the exact opposite of her usual guy -- messy, clumsy, and, of all things, a musician like her father. She runs away from him until he crashes through her bedroom window, and she finally decides to take a risk with this guy.

They're a couple from then on. But Remy's done this before -- have a fun time with a guy through the summer, move on in September. Remy wants to head to Stanford in the fall leaving nothing messy behind her -- but Dexter might make this hard.

The Dexter/Remy romance is just perfect. Dexter is far from being the perfect guy, but that enhances it. The ending is not picture-perfect, but we are left with plenty of hope for our couple's future.

Dessen has scored another winner with this book. I recommend it wholeheartedly. :)

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Lullaby- This will not disappoint you!, April 25, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: This Lullaby (Hardcover)

Remy has never been involved too long with a boyfriend, but who can blame her? Her mother is about to start her fifth marriage! Remy has actually come to believe that she has a heart of stone and that love is not real. When shes least expecting it, she meets Dexter, her complete opposite. Hes a musician which has always been a warning sign for Remy considering her father, who is long gone, was one himself. Dexters clutter and vices soon make up a part of Remy shes been missing.
This book will teach you that first impressions can either be everything or nothing. It is the ideal book for teenage girls who need a good novel to keep them interested for awhile. I found I could relate to a lot of what the characters were going through. Their antics will melt your heart and give you a good laugh. After reading This Lullaby, I was so motivated that I continued on to reading three other books by Sarah Dessen: she definitely won me over!