33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
Very worthy...
Let me preface by saying both that I have read a LOT of books and that usually I do not care for teen angst. Where Teen suicide, drinking, drug use, or disorder is the theme, I tend to steer clear. The temptation for adult authors writing about teen disorder, is to make their character (and the character's disorder) too... syrupy, too convenient, too rational, too...
Angieville: WILLOW
I had, of course, seen WILLOW all over the blogosphere when it came out last April. It got tons of good press and I suspected it was a pretty solid read. But I admit I stayed away. In part, because of the subject matter. I'm a bit of a lightweight when it comes to self-harm or abuse in all their forms and cutting (Willow's specialty) is a particularly visible and grisly...
Let me preface by saying both that I have read a LOT of books and that usually I do not care for teen angst. Where Teen suicide, drinking, drug use, or disorder is the theme, I tend to steer clear. The temptation for adult authors writing about teen disorder, is to make their character (and the character's disorder) too... syrupy, too convenient, too rational, too accessible/acceptable to today's teens. I don't like that.
Having said that, I do not know why I picked "Willow" up and scanned the first page. But I did. I don't know why the voice of the main character was so compelling. But she was.
I read the whole book in a little under four hours.
Willow is an extraordinary character. Absolutely real, utterly believable, surprising, refreshing, and strong despite what she does to herself, and despite what has happened to her. That's the amazing thing. Willow is still strong. I would say that you should read the book if only to get to know this character, but there are so many other reasons as well!!
There was humor, there were parts where I had to close the book and cry, and there were parts that were so subtly triumphant that I cheered. All types can appreciate this book, which should become a classic of teen literature. Move over, Speak! Cut, your time is over
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I'm not even sure where to start this review. I've honestly written this review almost five times and haven't been happy with what I've spit out. I'm not sure I can do this book justice. To say that it was spectacular would be an understatement. To say that I had a hard time putting it down, widely understated! Yet, why? Because in all seriousness, reading a story about a `cutter' didn't really appeal to me. I mean sure it sounded interesting, and I've read books about eating disorders, drugs, so why not try cutting.
So I did.
I totally agree with Hoban's choice to write this novel in third person. Had it not been written from Willow's POV, I know I wouldn't have found it as impressive as I did. I needed that insight, I needed to know why someone would do that to their self. And I hate to admit it but I understood, I empathized, I accepted it. Hoban doesn't dance around the fact, there are some shockingly graphic scenes, but instead of grotesque they are honest and revealing.
And it's not only the characterization of Willow that's impressive. It's the disheartening portrayal of Willow's brother David, and her warped sense of his withdrawal. It's the eccentric relationship between Willow and Guy. It's the secondary characters that have some of the smallest parts but remain prominent in your mind. For me I, couldn't stop thinking about the girl at the restaurant.
Willow is about so much more than cutting. It's about love. Not only first love, but the power of redemption that only love can posses.
Still haven't done the book justice, but I'll leave you with this. Yes, cutting is a painful subject to read about. But Willow was skillfully and uniquely told. Essentially the message is uplifting, even the worst of situations can improve.
Glad I did.
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Willow is a real, honest, and emotional book. From the moment you pick the book up, you are invested in Willow and her well-being. Not only is this story about grief and guilt, it is about love and never giving up. It's beautiful.
The characters in Willow are real people with complex emotions and personalities. So many books are just full of stereotypes but Willow is full of character's so lifelike it's hard to believe they aren't actual people. I also really love the world that the author has created for these characters. I couldn't help wishing that I was one of the people hanging out in the library that Willow worked at or enjoying the park or a walk through the city. I wanted to be there in that world.
My only initial concern about reading the book was that it would be sad for me to handle or that the cutting would scare me away. None of those things happened, I think having the deep emotional factor that it has only enhanced the reading experience and made it that much more meaningful. The author's skill is so great that for the first time in my life I feel like I understand the reason that people can do such horrible things to their own body. It's always shocked and saddened me but I had never fully understood it until I heard it through Willow's voice.
I don't want to talk too much about the plot itself because I think this is one that's best discovered as you read, as you let it reveal itself to you. Reading Willow was definitely one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I've had in a long time. Every time I had to put the book down I daydreamed of picking it back up and re-joining Willow's world.
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Willow has been living in a fog for seven months. She performs basic functions--eating communicating, and going to school, but inside she's struggling to deal with a torrent of guilt and pain brought on by the events of a rainy night seven months previously when her parents died in the car she was driving after Willow had lost control of the vehicle.
Isolated and lonely, Willow has turned to her only outlet for her grief--cutting. She manages to keep her growing obsession with the razor blade a secret from everyone--until one day easygoing and hardworking Guy discovers her secret. Rather than look the other way, he becomes determined to help Willow, even though her attitude to him is far from warm. But as time goes by, Willow finds the perhaps a friend is what she needs, and slowly Guy draws her out of her shell. But is Willow strong enough to let go of her only release for her pain, and discover new ways of living?
Willow is a striking and mesmerizing read. What stands out the most is the fact that Hoban focuses just as much on the developing emotions of her characters rather than making the act of cutting the only forefront issue, which gives the book a very sincere and captivating quality. Willow is an intelligent and sensitive character who, though some people may not be able to empathize with on some levels, is a very natural and dynamic character that readers can identify with. The issue of cutting is handled very smoothly and is looked at from both sides, which will placate a diverse group of readers.
Another element of the novel that stands out is the vivid imagery Hoban employs to set the scene of the book without being overly elaborate, creating a tangible universe for her story. The plot flows at a smooth and steady pace that is easy to follow and completely realistic. Willow is a beautifully written story, wrought with grief, pain, hope, and love that is tender without being cheesy, and optimistic without being cliché or improbable. At the close of the novel, Hoban continues in her practice of keeping it real with a step towards healing that isn't highly dramatic, but hopeful and plausible, leaving readers wishing and hoping for the very best, and unwilling to say goodbye to Willow.
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I've been trying to get my hands on this book for such a long time, and with all of the positive buzz going around on this book, I had a feeling I wouldn't regret buying it. And I most definitely didn't. Willow was probably one of the most gut-wrenchingly sad, yet heart-warningly beautiful books I have ever read. Ever.
I've had friends who cut before, so I felt myself sympathizing with Guy a lot. Guy has just earned himself a permanent spot on my favorite fictional character list. He was so real, yet one of those guys that only come around once in a lifetime. He dealt with Willow's problems magnificently, but there were times in which he'd become overwhelmingly angry, which I loved. It's not an easy issue to deal with, especially if it's happening to somebody you care about, and frustration is only natural.
I was also saddened by Willow and David's relationship, but I went through the same waves of emotions that Julia Hoban wrote for her characters. As I read, I went from agreeing with Willow, to scoffing and awing at something David did or said, to wanting to cry when the two finally blew up. The ending didn't leave you satisfied in knowing that the two were back on regular terms, probably because they never would be. It still left you with a little bit of hope, though.
But the ending was perfect. It wasn't a story that fast forwarded to years in the future, displaying the change between characters and resolved issues. It was a step in the right direction for Willow, and then an ending, which I loved very much.
I would probably give this a million stars if I could. It was so raw, and real, and I found myself stopping after chapters just to make the story last at least one more day, because I didn't want it to end. I recommend it to everybody. I absolutely fell in love with it, and I'm almost certain you will too.
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Though Willow and I are very different - I for one thing have never lost my parents...but Willow and I share a thread, something that ties this girl to me, a tie that very few people share - very few that I have found anyway. The tie is called cutting.
I, as I have said before in my review of Break - am a "former" cutter. And this book is everything that I wish I could tell you about what that experience was like for me...I did not want the book to end, the last few pages took me awhile to read, because I could not bare the thought of Willow's story ending...I wanted/want more - what happens to her now?
I had no idea that someone could write so much about how the act of cutting feels, but Hoban did an amazingly beautiful, almost breathtaking job! The amount of research that must have gone into the pages of Willow astounds me. The feelings that she wrote about were so real, and Willow is such an amazing person...so strong, though the way she looks at life sometimes is skewed, it's perfect at the same time.
Willow is about Willow, a girl - simple right? Nope, there's nothing simple about Willow's life - she's lost her parents and she is SURE that it's her fault. You see, they went out to dinner the 3 of them, her parents drank, and though Willow is only 16, and only with a drivers permit, they ask her to drive. It's pouring, and Willow crashes the car...and with that crash her life - the life she has known to this point ends...with that crash, her parents, her house, her friends and even her brother are taken from her. Though only her parents are gone physically - Willow's life is forever changed...
Living with her brother, his wife and there little girl, Willow is numb - she has decided to cut off ties with her old life, close the door to that world, and though cutting she tries to cut off her memories too. Willow starts cutting which allows her some control, control in a world that she feels she has no control. It allows her to feel, when everything else is numb. To her, it's a life line...because if you can't feel anything at all, if your totally numb your dead. In away it's her trying to remind herself that she is in-fact alive, and that when everything else is out of control there's one little thing that she can control.
Enter Guy - a guy who listens - though this may sound strange, it's exactly what Willow needs, he does not try to "fix her" - though he worries and wants to take her pain away. His greatest gift to Willow is his heart, and his ability to listen, not judging. I wish everyone in the world could have a Guy in there life...in there corner, I think everyone deserves one. He's compassionate, he's loving, he's real! His greatest wish is to take Willow's pain away, but he's real enough to know that's not possible...so he listens, trying to understand, and in the end Willow allows him to see the real her. She lets him in, and to Willow's amazement he does not run, he does not tell, he just keeps trying to support her in the only way he knows how...though his love and his ever present faith in her.
Willow changes though out this novel, and the end left me wishing there was more, like I said - a "5 years later" but with stories like these there's often no real "ending" it ended as a new beginning for Willow, for her life with Guy and with her making a commitment to try...that's all anyone can do right? Try? That's what I do, every day...I struggle, every day I try.
Willow is poignant, a novel that got right to my heart...ate away at my soul and made me wish for a Guy - someone who would not be repulsed by my scars...it also gave me hope, it's wonderful to see such novels being written for young adults...I know that cutting, eating disorders, suicide ect. are not pretty subjects...but it's nice to see that someone out there wants to give our teens today a life line saying "your not alone" - though, you feel like you are, your not.
I praise Hoban for her work, her efforts to make this one read I will NEVER forget...It was a hard book for me to read, the feelings it brought to the surface were so real...so raw. But it's really beautiful and it's one book that I think we all should read. It's about facing the reality of life, and learning to accept yourself...it's about looking at someone who's hurting and accepting them as they are, not trying to change them but trying your best to help them.
Bottom Line - Excellent book, amazing characters, hard dark subject that will get you thinking. Willow is a girl I will not soon forget, a girl I think will stay with me forever, silently hoping that even though she's just a character that she's out there, every day living, every day living and every day striving to be happy! Julia Hoban is now happily on my radar, I can't wait to read more from her!
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Plot Sketch: Willow was out to dinner with her parents one night, both antrhopology professors. They had a little too much to drink and asked their sixteen-year-old to drive them home. She agreed, but didn't anticipate how difficult it would be in the torrential rain. She lost control. In the aftermath of this trauma, Willow has moved in with her older brother, his wife, and their baby. She is going to a new school. She's lost contact with all of her old friends because she feels there is no way they could possibly understand her. She's burying her emotions and has turned to cutting to stifle them. That's working out just fine for her until she meets Guy. Guy is in to her, but not her cutting. This is their story.
Verdict: I Heart It. Julia Hoban amazingly weaves an ultimately uplifting story out of dark and depressing content. It's a page turner too. I had to deliberately make myself take breaks to eat. While I was eating, I couldn't help but want to read more. I don't think many people have the talent to write a gripping novel about this type of subject matter. Well done Julia. Willow is important for both adults and teens. The content is on the more mature side, and should definitely be discussed with a parent. No matter what your age, Willow will make an impression. I recommend adding it to your library.
Regarding the cover, some people have said that it doesn't fit the book. I really disagree. I think the cover is the perfect graphical metaphor for Willow's story.
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This was another book that has been receiving so many positive, glowing reviews, one almost has to approach reading it with a healthy amount of skepticism. For me, the skepticism was gone just a few pages into the book and I was swept into the story without ever looking back. I read this book in one sitting this past Sunday, pausing only to grab some dinner, which I ate while reading. I have never read a book about cutting or cutters, nor do I know any cutters in my personal life, so I was not expecting to feel so much connection to the story or the characters. In fact, I originally didn't think I wanted to read this book because I wasn't sure I cared to read about this subject matter. Little did I know...
Julia Hoban's writing doesn't let you stay disconnected from the story--nor do her characters. Honestly, this book is just as amazing as the other reviews out there have portrayed it to be. The story is beautifully written and I found myself tearful (and even laughing at times) on several occasions. One of my favorite scenes (minor SPOILER ALERT--sorry!) is after Guy gives Willow his phone number, asking her to call him if she is getting ready to cut herself again. Although she never thought she would, after a particularly upsetting event with her brother, Willow calls him, unable to speak at all. But Guy knows it's her and simply stays on the line and lets her know that he's there. Guy is a big sweetheart, and while I find it hard to believe there really is a teenage guy (sorry) like him out there, you can't help but love him even if he seems a bit too good to be true.
Willow really is a powerful, moving story and I'm so glad I stepped out of my normal comfort zone to read this book.
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From the moment I began reading the book Willow by Julia Hoban, I was hooked. I couldn't put it down. I was completely taken with the complex character of Willow, a teenage girl, and her heartbreaking story.
All of the characters in Willow are real and complex. While I never understood why anybody would want to cut themselves, Julia Hoban's writing allowed me to completely understand why Willow felt that she needed to cut herself to survive.
Willow is a book about grief, pain, and love. Because of the subject matter it is recommended for ages 14 and up. Not only will teens love this book but adults will also. One warning, once you start reading Willow, you will not be able to stop. It is one of the most engrossing books I have ever read.
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I absolutely loved this book, It however, was quite emotional. Growing up I pretty much was put into a caregiver position for my mother, so I in a way had my own emotional issues I didn't allow myself to face until I got into my late 20's actually. So, in my own private way I connected with her issues. Reading through this book, made me want to actually go and hug the main character Willow. I wanted so badly to be able to help her out, luckily she meets a very strong and mature gentleman, around the same age as her... with the name of Guy... which is why I said Gentleman, which he truly was through out the whole novel.
Guy is the type of person you would want protecting your back and being your best friend, so supportive and kind, loving and caring I fell head over heels for guy's character as he was portrayed as the dream man. Willow finally allowed herself to have feelings and thanks to Guy she lets them out and well I don't want to give away the book but it turns into a beautiful love story.
Julia Hoban, is truly a amazing author. I was completely blown away from page 1, being unable to get enough of the book. I would read a chapter and put it down... a few minutes later I couldn't help but grab it and start reading again. I went on this whole emotional rollercoaster, between Willow and Guy, and Willow's Brother David. This book most definately is a TOP STAR!!! and well worth the money to go pick it up.
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