Petite La Fleur

He had lived his entire life in this house, but he was standing in a hallway he had never seen before. Jeffery Meadows, age 13, could not understand where this hallway had come from, nor where it lead. Taking a step forward, the floor boards began to eerily creek. He was young enough to believe this is where the bogy monster hops from around the corner to snatch up the innocent child but he was old enough to hope there was no such thing as monsters. Another step, another creek. Slowly but surely, Jefferey made his way down the mysterious hallway to the very end where he was met with another intersecting, unknown hallway with open doors down each end. The floors and walls were covered with peeling, tacky, floral wallpaper. Jeffery had three options: 1. Turn right. 2. Turn left. 3. Turn back. Opting for the second choice, Jeffery felt compelled to turn down the left side which seemed to end with a door whereas the right side seemed everlasting. Keeping one foot in front of th...

I wish I'd listened when my brother told me to run. He told me to get out while I could. Look where I am now. It's not half bad, I guess. After all, I had flipped the coin. I was undecided about walking away and the coin said to stay with Louis. Perhaps I shouldn't flip the coin about such a minuscule matter but regardless, here I am in the Versailles Palace. Is it really that bad of a deal? "There you are Maddy," he wrapped his warm arm around my waist as his lips brushed my left cheek,. "I've been looking for you everywhere, my dear. Maman would like to introduce you to some important people." "Oh Louis, must I? I have a headache right now. I don't want to seem rude but I'm still on American time. Maybe another time? I'd much rather leave." I couldn't stand Louis' mother, she was dreadful and rude and everything my family makes fun of French older women to be. Maybe the coin was wrong this one time but I just cou...

The invitation came on April 18, the wedding was June 25. Of course. She wanted a summer wedding. He probably objected, he never did want to marry after all. But I guess if there was ever a time to get married, it'd be in the summer. Or was it spring? Who knows. I went through the motions; bought a sapphire blue dress, new shoes, and overpriced manicure plus pedicure. Oh and suppressed every thought inside me that it would be completely inappropriate to attend. He did not want to invite me, she thought it was a formality since I had seen her at the bridal store. Aware they were dating, sure. Aware they were serious, oblivious. I tried to run out, I really did. If it weren't for Annalee in the dressing room, I would have most certainly bolted. But why bother? I may as well inspect. Her glossy blonde hair seemed to illuminate the shop, her pale blue eyes sparkled like diamonds in her reflection. She stood petite and slender in a fitting, elaborate white princess g...

Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos My rating: 4.8 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary:   “I hate myself but I love Walt Whitman, the kook. Always positive. I need to be more positive, so I wake myself up every morning with a song of myself.”   Sixteen-year-old James Whitman has been yawping (à la Whitman) at his abusive father ever since he kicked his beloved older sister, Jorie, out of the house. James’s painful struggle with anxiety and depression—along with his ongoing quest to understand what led to his self-destructive sister’s exile—make for a heart-rending read, but his wild, exuberant Whitmanization of the world and keen sense of humor keep this emotionally charged debut novel buoyant. This. Is. Probably. The. Best. Young. Adult. Novel. I. Have. Ever. Read. In. My. Life. Unique. Interesting. Different. Adorable. Heartbreaking. Shattering. Raw.  All of these adjectives are an understatement in  comparison  to the beautiful narrative Evan R...

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh My Rating: 5 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary: A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past. The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realiz...

Thoughts on the novel thus far: While I have read the novel before, I find myself having new perspectives of each character; to include Elizabeth having more bark this read around, as well as Mrs. Bennet being far more embarrasing and single minded than previously. Similarly, I find Mr. Darcy to be just as charming and Mr. Bennet just as witty as before. The quick wit and humor of all the characters is just as brilliant and entertaining as ever. Chapter 17 Is this declaration that "there was truth in his looks," based on reason or feeling? I believe the declaration that Elizabeth makes about Mr. Wickham speaking of Mr. Darcy, “there was truth in his looks” is purely based on feeling primarily because Elizabeth already ahs preconcieved notions of who Mr. Darcy supposeably is. However, feelings are beginning to blossom within Elizabeth and Darcy towards each other, thus, I believe that Elizabeth is trying to find a reason not to like him; ironically, all th...

The opening night of The Taming of The Shrew on April 6, 2016 at the Roxy Theatre, was a play I will never forget. The leads playing Petruchio and Katherina, Jonathan Whitney and Margaret Eilertson, were phenomenal at portraying character transformation as well as creating depth to the characters beyond an act. However, the rest of the cast was equally brilliant in the portrayal of their roles and emphasizing Shakespeare’s wit and humor with every delivery of every line. The set remained a simple backdrop of columns to resemble the home of Baptista and his daughters, Katherina and Bianca; whereas when the travels of Katherina and Petruchio occurred, there was a fabric backdrop of various places and landmarks. While the theme of the play was obviously rather crude in that a man should have the capability to “tame” his woman/wife, the humor and mocking of this social mentality was the message depicted through Shakespeare’s words and the actor’s portrayal.  An overall wonderful...

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys My Rating: 4.6 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary:  Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions. Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously--and at great risk--documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love...

Brooklyn  by Colm Tolbin My Rating: 3.9 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary:  Eilis Lacey has come of age in small-town Ireland in the hard years following World War Two. When an Irish priest from Brooklyn offers to sponsor Eilis in America, she decides she must go, leaving her fragile mother and her charismatic sister behind. Eilis finds work in a department store on Fulton Street, and when she least expects it, finds love. Tony, who loves the Dodgers and his big Italian family, slowly wins her over with patient charm. But just as Eilis begins to fall in love, devastating news from Ireland threatens the promise of her future. First, I must admit this is the first  immigration  story I have read, I believe the (if not one of the) first post-World War II  novels  I have read, and the first Irish character I have ever read about.  Thus, this was an overall new experience for me. Of course I am  accustomed  to World War II novels as well...

Cresta McGowan, while being an English high school teacher, is also a literary review blogger and writer. Writing opinions about Young Adult novels to Classic Literature, she varies in her reading habits, hence, giving well rounded reviews. Although she has given up blogging at the moment, due to lack of time, the posts throughout the past six years have developed a well read blog. Most posts are at minimum a paragraph or two per book review, while some run much longer. The variation in genres is a refreshing and interesting aspect of McGowan’s blog, appealing to several audiences. Thus, while McGowan holds various opinions on books regarding liking or disliking them, she also gives consistent information throughout her reviews. For example, she has a series throughout her blog called “Back on the Shelf”, and reviews several books she has read or is currently reading. Similarly, she reviews books individually to include stand alones as well as those within a series. Two reviews I...

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary: Katherine V thought boys were gross Katherine X just wanted to be friends Katherine XVIII dumped him in an e-mail K-19 broke his heart When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun--but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously la...

The Raven Boys  by Maggie Stiefvater My Rating: 4.3 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary:   Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them--until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.  His name is Gansey, a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.  But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.  For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn't believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. But...

In The Shadow of Blackbirds  by Cat Winters My Rating: 5 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary:   In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her? Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time. Yet another Battle of the Books novels reaches a high rating! This interesting historical fiction novel featuring the ma...

A Clockwork Orange  by Anthony Burgess My Rating: 4 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary:   A vicious fifteen-year-old "droog" is the central character of this 1963 classic, whose stark terror was captured in Stanley Kubrick's magnificent film of the same title.  In Anthony Burgess's nightmare vision of the future, where criminals take over after dark, the story is told by the central character, Alex, who talks in a brutal invented slang that brilliantly renders his and his friends' social pathology.  A Clockwork Orange  is a frightening fable about good and evil, and the meaning of human freedom. When the state undertakes to reform Alex—to "redeem" him—the novel asks, "At what cost?" I'm fairly certain this is the most terrifying novel I have ever read in my life.  The story follows a teenage criminal, Alex, along the terrors he commits as his group's leader - until he is finally caught. In this horrific dystopian novel where crimes...

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer My Rating: 5 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary:   Jonathan Safran Foer spent much of his teenage and college years oscillating between carnivore and vegetarian. As he became a husband and a father, he kept returning to two questions: Why do we eat animals? And would we eat them if we knew how they got on our dinner plates? Brilliantly synthesizing philosophy, literature, science, and his own undercover detective work, Eating Animals explores the many fictions we use to justify our eating habits-from folklore to pop culture to family traditions and national myth-and how such tales justify a brutal ignorance. Marked by Foer's profound moral ferocity and unvarying generosity, as well as the vibrant style and creativity that made his previous books, Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, huge bestsellers, Eating Animals is a celebration and a reckoning, a story about the stories we've told--and the stories we n...

    Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert                                                       My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Goodreads Summary:  When Emma Rouault marries Charles Bovary she imagines she will pass into the life of luxury and passion that she reads about in sentimental novels and women's magazines. But Charles is a dull country doctor, and provincial life is very different from the romantic excitement for which she yearns. In her quest to realize her dreams she takes a lover, and begins a devastating spiral into deceit and despair. I remember trying to read this book a few years ago and being completely and utterly bored the entire first chapter; so much so that I didn't even have the courage to pick up the book to finish it. However, this time around, the picked it up to due another book The Censorship Effect: Baudela...

Rapture Practice : A True Story About Growing Up Gay In An Evangelical Family by Aaron Hartzler My Rating: 4 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary:   What happens when the person you’re becoming isn’t the one your family wants you to be?   When Aaron Hartzler was little, he couldn’t wait for the The Rapture: that moment when Jesus would come down from the clouds to whisk him and his family up to heaven. But as he turns sixteen, Aaron grows more curious about all the things his family forsakes for the Lord. He begins to realize he doesn’t want Jesus to come back just yet—not before he has his first kiss, sees his first movie, or stars in the school play. Whether he’s sneaking out, making out, or playing hymns with a hangover, Aaron learns a few lessons that can’t be found in the Bible. He discovers that the girl of your dreams can just as easily be the boy of your dreams, and the tricky part about believing is that no one can do it for you. In this funny and heartfelt coming-of-a...