Violet & Claire (Paperback)

by Francesca Lia Block (Author) "The helicopter circles whirring in a sky the color of laundered-to-the-perfect-fade jeans..." (more)
Key Phrases: Tinker Bell, Flint Cassidy, Peter Brookman (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Francesca Lia Block has gained a tremendous following writing stories about the young denizens of Los Angeles that are simultaneously ethereal and utterly tangible. Titles such as The Hanged Man, Dangerous Angels, Girl Goddess #9, and I Was a Teenage Fairy explore the heaviest issues facing teens--including all variety of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll--with the light touch of skillful poet. In Violet and Claire, Block once again exposes us to both the best and the worst of the City of Angels, as we trace the rise and fall of a female friendship from thrilling expectations to soul-squelching excess.

Set against the glittering background of Hollywood, Block's work has long been marked by an intensely visual style, so it is perhaps appropriate that this story opens like a screenplay: "FADE IN: The helicopter circles, whirring in a sky the color of laundered-to-the-perfect-fade-jeans. Clouds like the wigs of starlets--fluffy platinum spun floss." The script theme continues with chapter subheadings such as "EXT: HIGH SCHOOL QUAD--DAY" and "INT: LIMO--NIGHT" while teenage wannabe filmmaker Violet and gossamer-winged poet Claire take turns telling their story. Everywhere Violet is dark, Claire resonates light. And as they make the arduous journey toward adulthood by way of the silver screen dream, it is this essential oppositeness that both draws the two together and drives them apart. Luckily, there's a Hollywood ending for the yin-yang duo, "the photo negative of each other, together making the perfect image of a girl." (Ages 12 and older) --Brangien Davis --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Block (the Weetzie Bat novels) sets herself new challenges and meets them with consummate grace in this resonant novel. Violet and Claire, best friends, are polar opposites: Violet is angry and intense, with a fierce ambition to write and direct films; Claire is passive, attempting poetic transcendence of the casual cruelties of everyday life. Each girl gets what she thinks she wants. Violet, still in high school, lands a six-figure film deal, and Claire begins a romance with her poetry teacher. But these fulfilled dreams sour, and Violet and Claire become painfully estranged. In a triumphant finale, they embrace, aware that their relationship restores the balance missing in their separate personalities. The elements of the storyAfairies, overnight fame, arts, sex and drugs, glamorous parties and, of course, the heady Los Angeles settingAare classic Block; the combination, however, is fresh and arresting, and her fans will applaud it. The narrative line is more pronounced than in previous works and, in another departure, provides a clear division between the fantastic and the real. The fairies, for example, belong to Claire's fantasy history of a lost race of "faeries" ("The patriarchy turned them into little insects," she explains to Violet). Cynical Violet and dreamy Claire alternate as narrators, projecting distinct voices that gradually come to resemble each other. Shedding a transformative light onto the often complex, sometimes dark nature of close friendships, Block's writing is as lush and luminous, as hip and wise as ever. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (September 19, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064472531
• ISBN-13: 978-0064472531
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (123 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #454,304 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Block Is A Teenage Fairy, July 15, 2002

By	bharring (Living Under A Rock) - See all my reviews

I read this book when I was sort of in a slump of mediocre reading. I really wanted something that would hold my attention and pique my senses. VIOLET&CLAIRE did just that. It is the story of two girls who seem very different yet have a similar essence, a quality which ties their fates together. Violet is dark and moody, ambitious and practical; Claire is light-hearted and delicate, innocent and dreamy. Violet dreams of escaping from the mundane life of a seventeen year-old which is her present lot, through making a movie. Claire has images of a secret race of faeries, who are gentle and kind and light as air. She writes poetry. Attracted to Claire's poetic visions and sympathetic to her ostracism from her peers, Violet asks Claire to star in her movie.

Things take a drastic turn, shifting dream to reality, when Violet and Claire attend a rock concert and get to go backstage and meet the band's sexy lead singer. Impressed by Violet, the two of them have a fling, and then he gives her his agent's number. Violet soon has a job working for the agent. She finds herself having less and less time for Claire, who pleads with her to come back to her so they can write poetry together. When a sadistic and sudden tragedy occurs, Violet finds that everything she has hoped for is falling into her hands. Yet if this is so, why is she so miserable. Claire, too, is falling apart, and has a fling with an older teacher at a poetry workshop. Ultimately, it is only through vice and destruction, while maintaining a genuine connection and a desire to save one another, that Claire and Violet can find their way back to one another and have ultimate peace.

This book starts out in a screenplay format with Violet giving a director's description of how a scene will open. From there, half of it is narrated in Violet's voice, the second half in Claire's. As always, Block proves herself to be glittering and mysterious in her prose. Yet this novel seems to have more plot than some of her others, such as THE HANGED MAN did. Parts are a bit confusing: you will find yourself wondering what really did happen the night Violet went alone to her agent's office to work late. There is a twisting, circular sort of scene where you are wondering did or didn't Claire's poetry instructor have a fling with Violet? The party scenes are dangerous yet great. As always, Block opens herself to the lifestyles of others.

VIOLET&CLAIRE is a must-read about friendship, pain, and the true meaning of success. And if you are a Block fan, my only question is why you haven't read this already?

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not her best work, October 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Violet & Claire (Hardcover)

overall, i liked it. but i was semi-disappointed. it started out good enough (even though violet wasn't the greatest of people) but then came the ending. it felt rushed to me, like she got bored with writing it and decided to sum it up in as fast as possible. i recommend you buy this ONLY if you are a fan of hers. if you are just starting to read her stuff, don't start with this book. i suggest you start with 'weetzie bat' or 'the hanged man'.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Both Worlds, July 29, 2001

By	"dragon_angel" (Nova Scotia, Canada) - See all my reviews

I couldn't help but be drawn into this book. It's about two teenage girls with personalities at completely opposite extremes - Violet, a cynical rebellious Goth who has raised herself on TV and cinema, and Claire, a lonely freespirited but fragile poet who believes she may be descended from an ancient race of faeries - and how they meet and become best friends. This friendship brings them both inspiration, adventure, and a lot of pain, but in the end they are both somewhat happier and stronger than they had been in the beginning. The way the book is written is very appealing and original. It starts out script style, the way Violet might start one of her screen plays, and is divided into three parts - Violet's narrative, Claire's narrative, and, at the conclusion of the story, a chapter combining their viewpoints. The writing style is vibrant and beautiful, and plays up both girls' personalities. It isn't a total fairytale. There's a good dose of reality in here - Violet's ambition for writing leads her right into the world of celebrities, where getting hurt can be as easy as making the wrong decision, or the wrong friends, and Claire's hunger for love, and love for both her new poet boyfriend and her new friend Violet, leads her to a lot of heartache - but the overall appeal of the book isn't lost, and in the end everything turns out alright. It's hard to stick this book in a category, but if you're a fan of Francesca Lia Block, or if you just like well written, touching stories, this is well worth checking out.