Hardcover: 288 Pages
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
ISBN-10: 067001110X
ASIN: B004R96SCO
My Rating: 4/5
Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia's mother is busy saving other people's lives. Her father is away on business. Her stepmother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia's head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps on going this way-thin, thinner, thinnest-maybe she'll disappear altogether.
'Wintergirls' by Laurie Halse Anderson is completely different from anything that I've read. I have never read anything else by Anderson so I'm not sure if this is normal for her. I can't really compare. For me, 'Wintergirls' was a struggle at times, but amazing at others. I loved her sporadic writing style for Lia. It felt like I really got a look at the destruction within Lia's mind. How torn and damaged she really is. But at times, I felt like Anderson took things a little far.
'Wintergirls' is told through Lia, an extremely troubled girl. Lia has so many problems but most of them stem from her anorexia. The fact that she has a best friend who suffers from bulimia doesn't help. From the very first paragraph in the book, we get an in depth look at how messed up Lia is when we find out about Cassie's death. Best friends for years, yet it doesn't faze her. The whole book is Lia struggling with cutting, anorexia, mental issues, downfalls with her family, and a ton of other problems.
At times while I was reading 'Wintergirls' I thought that Anderson was very vicious with some of the things she said. That she took things too far. But, when I think back now about it being Lia's thought process it makes sense. Being fat is unacceptable in today's society and Lia knows it. Her solution, don't eat. It's sad. 'Wintergirls' was an intense and emotional read for me. I really liked it. After I got used to Anderson's writing style for Lia, I loved it. I love how different it is and how much it allows you to really get in Lia's head. I definitely plan on reading more from Anderson soon!
Thanks for posting this review. I keep picking this book up at the bookstore, but I never buy it. I'm probably going to give it a try now!
ReplyDeleteI have to buy this one, as I think this is a book I'll want to have on my shelf. I've been wondering which book I should start with of hers and this sounds like a good beginning.
ReplyDeleteI have been looking for this sort of books.Really find interesting and insightful.Everything else you describe, makes it seem like a book I'd love.I loved this book for the beauty of the writing.Such a truly powerful book and a beautiful testament to the impact that mere words can have!
ReplyDeleteHigh School Diploma Online
I have read and reviewed this book as well :) I will add your link to my review :)
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