Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Bleed - Laurie Faria Stolarz - 2006


Title:
Bleed
Author: Laurie Faria Stolarz
Year: 2006
Date Read: 1-26-2011
Overall: * * (2/5)

GoodReads Blurb: Over the course of a single summer day, ten teenagers in Salem, Massachusetts, will discover important truths about themselves and each other.
There is Nicole, whose decision to betray her best friend will shock everyone, most of all herself; Kelly, who meets the convicted felon she has been writing to for years; Maria, whose definition of a true friend is someone who will cut her. Then there is Sadie, a chubby eleven-year-old whose mother forces her to wear a “please don’t feed me” sign stapled to her shirt; while Joy, a fifteen-year-old waitress hoping for true intimacy narrowly escapes a very dark fate. Derik discovers that his usual good looks and charm won’t help him hold onto the girl he wants, while nineteen-year-old drifter, Mearl, is desperately looking for a place to call home. Sean is torn between his loyalty to his girlfriend and the possibility of finding something more with her friend, while Ginger’s single-minded pursuit to bring down her nemesis only proves that they may be more alike than she thought.
Seamlessly woven together, this incredibly powerful and compelling collection of stories chronicles the very real trials of today’s teen experience.

Plot: * * (...Was there one?)
Characters: * * (Undeveloped)
Style: * *

My Review: I really was not a fan of this book. I felt like there might be more than one chapter from each person's perspective. Instead, it was a bunch of short stories, that sort of intertwined, but didn't really. They weren't long enough to have any message or conclusion. Really, each of the character's was just a tidbit crazy, and they all kind of needed a reality check. I think if this book had a little more depth and a little more of a plot line and an end point, it could have been really interesting. I was curious about how each character would end up. Instead, their stories are just left off in the middle. I'm assuming Stolarz wanted to leave her readers with questions, but I really didn't gain a connection to any character with the exception of 11 year old Sadie. I would not recommend this book to others. I will stick with the Touch series though, because those books have good strong characters and plot lines.

To Buy: Amazon

Currently Reading:
For School: Forever by Judy Blume, Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
Other: XVI by Julia Karr

Book Read in 2011: 9

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