Customer Reviews

Whistle Me Home

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Whistle Me Home is the one of the best books I have read in mySemantics class. This book allows the reader to experience howdifferent people find romance. This book demonstrated how Noli and TJ were able to bond and form a relationship, through troubled times of conflict, emotional distress, and differences in how each of them preceived things. For example, forming a relationship with someone else enables one to enjoy his or her life. Noli was able to stop her bad habits of: smoking and drinking vodka when she met TJ. TJ introduced a new aspect of her life. Throughout this book the reader will find that this book demonstrates how love overcomes one's bad habits. It was very unique how the author included details (everyday experiences for us) that Noil and TJ had. I would recommend this book to teenagers as well as middle aged adults. People under the age of thirteen could read this book, but not completely understand the whole affect of the book, as teenagers and adults of society understand this book today. This book should be a reading requirement for all teenagers.

I have read this book and the only person in it that I cared for is Noli.Her name is really Noelle but she prefers Noli.She has had only one friend at school until she meets Greek God TJ,(note my sarcasm).Noli has serious issues with her mother and as a result alcohol.She quits drinking for a while because TJ disapproves but starts again after she discovers he's gay(that's the BIG secret TJ's been hiding,if he had been an Hermaphrodite,now that would have been surprising.just what is it with Ms.Wersba and straight girls and gay guys anyway?).Noli soon finds out that TJ is far from perfect himself,his former peccadillos include,drugs,booze,and male prostitution,he was busted at a party with some other *guests*.Noli hits rock bottom which causes her to lose her puppy,given to her by TJ as Christmas/birthday present,but fortunately Noli recovers herself when she starts going to AA meetings and later finds her dog(the puppy had been found by a family and taken to Florida,when they returned they saw the lost puppy posters Noli had put up).She soon sees TJ again who wants to be her friend but she refuses,she knows she'll never be free of TJ if she accepts his offer of friendship.TJ is just this side of a being a little prick.He let's Noli believe that they could be more than friends,but I think that the real reason he chose her to be his buddy was because of her rather quirky way of dressing like a boy.When she attempts to make herself look more feminine,he gets angry with her,which not unnaturally confuses poor Noli.Noli is a sad,lonely,confused young girl,she feels unwanted and unloved until she meets TJ but the Golden Boy turns out to be made of clay.All he really cares about is himself and about being/not being gay.Noli is better off without him.This is an angst-ridden book with a bittersweet ending.Even though TJ is a sefish self-absorbed jerk,in a way Noli has become a better person for having known him.I have given this book two stars because of Noli.

Noli is a high school student unhappy with her life. She has nothing to talk about with her father, her parents are distant from each other, and she and her mother do nothing but fight. Mostly they fight about the way Noli looks. She is a tomboy and refuses to dress in frilly girly clothes or to grow her hair long. Recently she has started drinking in order to make things a little more bearable.

On her first day of her junior year, Noli meets TJ. He is new and he is absolutely beautiful. His father is an author, so TJ is also smart, well read and worldly. He seems to know everything about everything, and he is also an athlete. There seems to be nothing he can't do, and Noli finds herself falling in love with him.

It is shocking to Noli that TJ is just as taken with her as she is with him. Soon they are spending every moment together and Noli's life is much better. She is certain TJ is her soulmate. However, there is one problem. She would like their relationship to be more physical, but he doesn't seem to want to do more than kiss her on the cheek. Despite her happiness at finding someone so perfect, Noli begins to suspect that something might be wrong.

I liked the fact that over the course of the book Noli was able to take more control over her life and her happiness. She was a stronger character at the end than at the beginning. It was unfortunate, though, that she and TJ could not be friends again.

Whistle me home was a great book. I gave this book four stars.Whistle me home is about a boy who is unsure about his sexuality, and a girl who is simply looking for love.TJ is new to schooland everyone finds him atractive.Nolli and TJ become fast friends and soon lovers. From the start Nolli thinks somthing is different about their relationship.She tinks they are in love but TJ acts very different around her. When they go out in public TJ makes her dress like a boy.They look more like twins than boyfriend and girlfriend.Soon Nolli figures out that TJ has a secert that will forever change their relationship.I gave this book four stars because it is a great love story with a twist.the ending was not exactly what i expected. It leaft me wondering.Over all it was a great book .I would recomend it for someone who is looking for a great love story

The name of the book I read is Whistle Me Home by Barbara Wersba. It is a romance story about a girl named Noli and a boy named T.j. They met the first day of the school year and they fell in love and started dating. Noli is kind of a tomboy and T.j. is the new cute kid in school. But soon Noli finds out the truth about t.j. and his homosexuality. In the beginning of the book you read through the narrators, Noli's point of view as she watches her ex-boyfriend T.j walking with his new friend Walker through the woods. After that the rest of the book is a flashback of Noli's memories. Noli is known as the outcast and has a drinking problem, which T.j. disapproves of. She is skinny and very insecure about herself. Her and her mother are always fighting about how she should like more girlish. As their relationship grows deeper, Noli wants to become more physical but T.j. seems satisfied with the way things are. This is a hint to her about his homosexuality. T.j. is a super athlete and the all around "cute kid" in school as everyone refers to him as. He is under a lot of stress at home from the pressure his parents put him under about having a straight life. T.j.'s and Noli's break up is a very emotional one. T.j. still wants to remain friends with her but she can't because her love for him is too great to just be friends. This book is not the greatest; it's pointed more towards female teens. It's very confusing, and jumps around a lot. But it's not completely horrible book.

This book was ok. It was definitely not the best book ever. It had surprising elements, but the characters were dull. I wouldn't recommend to anyone who doesn't like to read. Find something else!

i thought this was a alright book. i don't think an adult would like this book because it's about two teenagers and going through young love, but you know, everyones different. i thought this book was roamntic, and T.J. was every girls dream of a guy.... or was he.
This book goes through problems, sex, and all of life of a teenage girl.

I loved reading this book, I actually finished it in one night, which is pretty suprising, cuz I don't really read books that much. The only think I didn't like about it is that Noli began to "hate" TJ because he is a homosexual. She was being selfish and stopped talking with him cuz she wanted him to herself. It's a romantic book and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading romance novels.

As a high school librarian, I acquired this book for students to read. I read it in several hours one evening. I found Wersba's portrayal of Noli to be true and right on the mark. Yes, she says hateful things to T.J. because she is hurt. However, as the novel ends, it seems that she has started to understand and I felt hopeful that she would continue to grow in her understanding of gays. I imagine her forgiving him and spending time with him in the future when they are in their twenties. Already, she has started to mature in her admission of problems with alcohol and with her mother. Perhaps there is a sequel here.

After I finished this book, I realized how furious it left me. It seemed to be derogatory towards gays, in the way that Noli (the female character) despised T.J. after she found out that he was gay. She uses derogatory terms towards him, and declares herself the enemy of T.J. and his new boyfriend. She is thoroughly selfish, and turns against him because she wanted to be his lover, and couldn't because he is gay. She didn't seem to understand what that meant. As a gay activist, and always looking out for the feelings of gays, I would have to say that this book does more harm to the reader then good.