Customer Reviews

Tuesday Tells it Slant

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

 

 

I didn't actually plan on writing this review until Friday, but as I rounded the last 2% percent of this artfully crafted novel, my need to immediately put my thoughts to paper was almost overwhelming.

I have never encountered a book that embodied my personality more than "Tuesday Tells it Slant." Lets just say, for all intents and purposes...that I am in fact Tuesday. (p.s. Tuesday is a name, not a weekday reference)

1. She is a book reviewer who has absolutely no problem telling someone that their book is a waste of space.

2. She should probably be writing books herself but lacks the inspiration to do so.

3. She refuses to throw away books because, in her mind, it should be considered a crime, and

4. She is willing to do almost anything to make the past disappear.

Growing up for Tuesday was...interesting. With a twin sister who enjoyed chucking the occasional milk cartoon at people, and a childhood friend that was secretly in love with her, life was bound to be full of surprises, but when interesting turns to unfathomable Tuesday loses focus. With her world suddenly turned upside down she decides that re-writing the past is a more acceptable answer than dealing with the future. How far would you go to slant your memories? Who would you unknowingly hurt in the process and would slanting your past skew your future?

Despite the underlying darkness of "Tuesday Tells it Slant" it was actually quite witty. "Holly Christine's" writing had eloquence to it I was not expecting, and the novel as a whole gave me a much deeper appreciation for Emily Dickinson (whom I had otherwise considered a general waste of my brain matter.) The plot was written from 1 perspective, but in several different mediums, which could have (very easily) made this a difficult read, but a flowing plot and seamless transitions allowed the reader to keep pace with the (helpfully) dated flashbacks and diary entries.

Do I think this book is for everyone? No. It is not an epic romance, it is not an escape from reality, it is not a thoughtless read, what it is... is a lesson in dealing with the reality of life when it happens.

There was a spectacular revenge plot involving spoiled milk, a fight to save a book store, the invention of the orange skittle, adventures in teenage goldfish eating, a very stinky car, and 1 street-side hypnotherapy session that changed a life forever.

For those of you who do decide purchase this diamond in the rough...enjoy the beautiful prose, experience the inner-workings of an authors mind, and relish in the little details that make us human. Get it, Live it, Love it...pass it on.

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: "2 minutes in sorrow will make you fall flat"

Plot/Storyline: 1 Star

I was terribly confused when I began this novel. It skipped around so much that it was maddening. Although each "chapter" was labeled with a date, unless I sat and read it straight through with a pen and paper to take notes, there was no way for me to keep track of what was going on and when it was happening. About halfway through the novel, a clue was finally given as to why the story skipped around so much. Also, if you read the book description very carefully, you will be able to tell what is happening. However, I think having to read a book description in order to understand a novel means that the storyline was poorly written.

I began just trying to take each chapter as a story by itself, with a recurring protagonist. That did help a little, but it was very hard to put all the pieces together, especially after taking a break from reading to do things like eat and sleep. I would pick up the novel after one of those breaks and wonder where the heck I was for several paragraphs, or even pages.

The overall plot was very good, though. Had things been explained better, and earlier in the book, I think the idea would have been very appealing.

I have to add one thing: I loved the names of the twins: Monday and Tuesday Morning. Those names are terrific!

Character Development: 3 Stars

It was hard to judge character development when I had to wonder which parts were even true. Then, I realized that even the imaginary portions revealed things about Tuesday, perhaps even more so than reality. Even amidst all the confusion, I really felt like I knew Tuesday. She was deep, flawed, and interesting.

The other characters fell rather flat, seemingly just foils for Tuesday's life and events. I was completely unmoved by Monday as I just didn't get a change to know her at all. Tuesday's "love interest," Billy, was pretty much the same, with the man just being portrayed with no personality. He just seemed to follow along behind Tuesday with no real feelings of his own.

Writing Style: 5 Stars

The sentence structuring was very well done, making for smooth, easy reading. The descriptions were perfect, with some great metaphors thrown in at just the right pace for a humorous effect. The dialogue was realistic.

Editing/Formatting: 5 Stars


Both were of professional quality

Rating: PG-14 for Language and Adult Situations

The Author created a modern day fairytale. The glass slipper of tragedy brings home the prince charming. Yet, it is more thatn that; it is a story full of good and evil, lust and romance, love and hate, and truth and lies. It is a page turner, yet not Dan Brown annoying. Basiclly, her subtle hints force you to want to know more. Don't miss out on this enjoyable ride.

I was probably more than halfway through this book before I could make sense of it. Jumping back and forth in time, I was very confused.

Tuesday Tells it Slant by Holly Christine hits the top of my list for favorite books! I was a bit hesitant to get excited about reading this, the synopsis didn't fully catch my attention and actually confused me a bit. But once I started and got past the first few jumbled pages, I couldn't put it down. The story follows the journal entries of Tuesday Morning and the defining moments in her life, from her relationship with her twin sister, Monday, to securing her first real job, to falling in love. But when Tuesday's life starts slipping out of control, she decides to do something about it. Re-writing her past seems to be the only way she can control her future, so she revisits her journal, methodically changing what has already happened into a new story, redirecting her into a new future. But how precious is the past, and did Tuesday make a mistake rewriting hers?

I know that my synopsis of the story probably sounds just as confusing, but I really think everyone should try this book out. The concept is so intriguing, someone wanting to rewrite their past all with a paper and pen. While I was reading, I found myself wondering what I would change if I had the power to, or if I would leave all my memories intact. I found Christine's writing to be thought-provoking and eloquent, even while discussing some of the harsh realities people must face. The beginning may throw some readers off like it did myself. The journal entries skip around from events among the years, but once you get just a few pages in, you can start to see a pattern amongst the dates. I highly enjoyed this novel; I found it to be a refreshing break from the usual chick lit or women's fiction pattern. Tuesday Tells is Slant gets five stars from me.

As the story unfolds through present day events (right off the bat Tuesday loses her job) and diary entries from the past, the traumatic event that caused Tuesday to lose touch with reality is slowly revealed. It is rare that I come across such excellent use of the unreliable narrator. One would think diary entries would be accurate and honest, but Tuesday has created an entirely new past for herself. Holly Christine did an excellent job with both this element and at piquing my interest as to what the truth was (one of my theories wasn't too far off).

While I totally loved the book, Tuesday's name drove me crazy. Her parents named their twin daughters Monday and Tuesday Morning. During a job interview early in the book, her soon to be boss questions her name. Tuesday says she was born on a Tuesday and her parents were stoners (a reasonable answer considering the boss doesn't know about the twin), but the second part, at least, is a lie. So why did her parents name their daughters after two days of the week? Were the twins born near midnight so that one was born on Monday and the other on Tuesday and their parents thought it'd be cute considering their last name? No explanation is given and I desperately wanted one.

Received from the author's publicist.

Tuesday Tells it Slant is mostly written in the form of diary entries that vary from past to present time.
Monday and Tuesday Morning are twins. Tuesday's mother gave her a journal when she was a little girl and told her to name it, so each entry begins with 'Dear Claudia'.
Tuesday's journal entries are about her life from grade school into her twenties. She works as a book reviewer and editor at a literary magazine called The End.
I liked the relationships within the book. Tuesday and her sister Monday are very close, and she you get to read about their lives growing up from middle school and into their twenties. Tuesday is in love with her childhood sweetheart and best friend Billy.
Something happens to Tuesday that changes her life forever, and she'd rather forget this event than live with it. She re-writes her diary the way she would have liked the events to have happened, and then she goes to see a hypnotist in order to erase certain memories.

One thing that was a bit confusing were the flashbacks and flashforwards in the book. She goes back and forth from 1990 thru 2009. You are reading her diary entries throughout her life, but not in order. Some of the flashbacks were from present time, to the very recent past, then to present time again, only to go back way into the past once more.
I really liked is that each chapter beings with an Emily Dickinson poem, since Tuesday discovered the poet while writing a paper for school.


Tell all the Truth but tell it slant --
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise

As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind --
-Emily Dickinson


All in all, I enjoyed Tuesday Tells it Slant . I think I would have enjoyed this read much more if the diary entries were written in chronological order. I didn't enjoy the jumping back and forth with the flashbacks and flashforwards.
Some of the writing in this book is really great.

I won an autographed copy of this book on [...].

I enjoyed this book in the beginning because the main character is nearly my age. I understood the pop culture references from her childhood, and it made it a bit easier to relate to her. Unfortunately, as the book went on, I lost interest in where the story was going. Perhaps it was just a bit too philosophical for my mood, but I really didn't feel the numbness or subsequent pain and reawakening that she did. I think, overall, the book was set up well for a great story, but it wandered a bit too far off the edge to keep me hooked.

I would have given this book 4 stars except for all the jumping around. I don't mind going back and forth from past to present; however, when there are so many dates, it might be a good idea to have some sort of signifier for middle school years, high school years, college years, present day, etc. Several times I got lost in the transition.

That said, I loved the tie-in to the Transcendentalists and the puns. This was definitely a fun story and I look forward to seeing what the author comes up with next!

Holly Christine's "Tuesday Tells it Slant" is an entertaining and philosophical story. Her protagonist, Tuesday Morning, is revealed through diary entries, third person chapters, and the poetry of Emily Dickinson.

Through Christine's clever and engaging prose, we see Tuesday grow up, have love affairs, find and lose jobs ... the sorts of things that everyone experiences. However, there are some completely unexpected twists and turns to the story that keep the reader turning pages and wondering what will happen next.

An engaging tale from a new writer. Well worth investigating.