Books - Sarah Dessen Discussion Thread #1 - Page 11

withlove23x · 08-23-2008, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by letxmexfade (View Post)

I absolutely recommend This Lullaby. It's my favorite book of all time.

That book is definitely one of my faves as well!
It was amazing (:
I love Sarah Dessen, great author.

SillyLittleBlindGirl · 08-24-2008, 11:47 AM

Just Listen has to be my favourite book by her; it's just fantastic. Whenever I talk to people about her books though, This Lullaby almost always comes out as their favourite.

I can completely get why, but I think the focus on music in JL really did something to me.

MBfan19 · 08-24-2008, 09:06 PM

I actually really enjoyed Just Listen. I love how all of the characters in Dessen's novel develop from the beginning to the end.

courtneybangelcakes · 08-25-2008, 02:10 PM

Dreamland is my favorite stand alone book I have ever read.

I love book series, but Dreamland changed my life.

basketmaker · 08-25-2008, 06:03 PM

Dreamland was amazing. Definately a life changing book. For me, it was Lock and Key.

Reflecting_Light · 08-29-2008, 06:23 PM

I just finished This Lullaby, and I really enjoyed it. I loved Dexter!

I'm planning on reading Just Listen next.

courtneybangelcakes · 09-06-2008, 08:50 PM

I am planning on reading The Truth About Forever and This Lullaby next.

turambar · 09-11-2008, 02:36 PM

So I'm a little disappointed in myself. I'm usually more on top of these things, but only in my second reading of Lock & Key did I notice another reference to previous characters in her books (I'd thought I'd found all of them), and it bugs because it's so glaring and obvious.

Mallory, Owen's adorably nutty sister from Just Listen appears on pg. 388 I think. She, along with her little group of followers want to buy the key necklace that was so popular by the end. I really can't believe I missed that. The over-co ordination description of her outfit should have given it away immediately and then the reference to the twins, the chubby blonde one and most importantly, her whole celebrity/fashion spiel. I thought it was also cute how Dessen threw in the, "my brother's girlfriend" line to let you know that yes, Owen and Annabel are together.

**+supernova+** · 09-11-2008, 05:09 PM

I just finished reading "Just Listen" a few days ago and I LOVED IT! "The Truth About Forever" was always my favorite SD book, but I think this might have surpassed that. It's just awesome.

Ooo so they did do a passing mention of O/A in "Lock and Key"! See, I read that one first before "Just Listen" and I was going to go back and look...so thank you. I thought it was really cute how they had Remy/Dexter pop up and then a passing mention of Macy/Wes from "The Truth About Forever". I love how she does these little shoutouts for the fans.

Pickle-weasel! · 09-14-2008, 12:28 PM

I don't know if anyone else knows this, but Sarah Dessen is going to have a new book coming out in June 2009 called Along for the Ride.

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Penguin Young Readers Group, longtime publisher of bestselling YA author Sarah Dessen, has acquired Dessen's latest novel, Along for the Ride. Regina Hayes, president and publisher of Viking Children’s Books, did the deal with Leigh Feldman of Darhansoff, Verrill, Feldman Literary Agents; Hayes will edit the novel as well. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. In Along for the Ride, which is scheduled to pub in June 2009, an 18-year-old high school graduate befriends a fellow insomniac, and together they explore their small town by night.

Link to original article

Luna8 · 09-14-2008, 03:07 PM

Thanks for bringing that over.

I've known for several days now; Sarah Dessen wrote about this on her LiveJournal. I was very excited when I read about it. Along for the Ride sounds awesome.

Pickle-weasel! · 09-14-2008, 06:00 PM

Yep, that's how I found out about it too, but I wasn't sure if people over here knew about that, so I figured I'd post it, I just forgot to do it sooner

hunee · 09-14-2008, 07:22 PM

finished just listen this morning (thanks susan

)... was overall a great read, i liked it!... i was telling a friend how if i could, id buy the rights and make it a movie or tv show

... i really dug the plot, or owen anyway... he's a great character... but i didnt like the two last chapters... like at all... i felt everything was tied up into a nice little bow and there was really no true conclusion to any of the story lines

the thing that bothered me most was the rape reveal... yes, i get that owen is annabels friend and he is the one that brought her around, but her families reaction/portrayal was shoved to the side for it imo... and after the courtroom, id imagine annabel would be distraught and in no mood to eat... instead thats whats suggested?! wth... oh and emily apologizing to annabel... i know one could argue from both povs, but at the same time, id rather think emily would be pissed at annabel because she could have said something a long time ago preventing her rape... maybe thats just up to the reader to conclude... but after all of it, basically we got a cliche of an ending that just seemed to neat and clean for my taste... plus on one hand, i love the idea of owen and annabel together, but romance kills, so... it would be horrible if that ruins their awesome friendship

**+supernova+** · 09-14-2008, 10:06 PM

L!

I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

About the ending, I know you wanted it to be more unresolved, but that's just how Sarah Dessen writes all her novels. Since she doesn't believe in sequels, there's always a clear-cut ending. However, because all her books take place around the same town, other characters crossover sometimes. That's just how it is.

turambar · 09-18-2008, 01:00 PM

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i felt everything was tied up into a nice little bow and there was really no true conclusion to any of the story lines

I disagree heavily with that. While you could argue that the situations were resolved neatly (I disagree), I don't believe there was no real conclusion to any of the storylines. In the case of Whitney, you saw her struggle throughout the book and her reading her story for Annabel and Kristen was the first major step to her recovery.

In the end, we're not told that she's magically perfect and fine but instead that she's finally becoming whole again. I didn't see that as unrealistic or not concluded considering when the story started we're told she'd been hospitalized almost a year ago. So her recovery was slow and gradual.

Annabel's major problem of being afraid to say how she felt and talk about what was going on inside her, again that was a gradual growth in the story that didn't just magically happen. Obviously it seemed like everything changed once she spoke about the attempted rape but that's because that was the biggest thing she was holding inside, the thing that was making her unable to talk about the other smaller things, like that she didn't want to model anymore.

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the thing that bothered me most was the rape reveal... yes, i get that owen is annabels friend and he is the one that brought her around, but her families reaction/portrayal was shoved to the side for it imo...

I disagree with that too. I thought her family's reaction was focused on nicely and was very significant. I don't see how they were shoved aside for Owen's reaction. All he did was tell her he was sorry, which meant a lot to her sure and tell her that she needed to talk to the lawyer. I liked that every family member's reaction was mentioned and it stayed true to the characters. Her dad, like every father would be, was angry and trying to control that.

Kristen cried because she'd always been the loud, dramatic one but the focus on Whitney and the mother was key because Whitney is described as the one holding it together the most and she's the one you'd figure would be the weakest considering her problems and the mother who Annabel was always afraid to tell horrible things because she thought she wouldn't be able to handle it, was strong for both herself and Annabel.

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and after the courtroom, id imagine annabel would be distraught and in no mood to eat... instead thats whats suggested?! wth...

I got the sense that once Annabel was done testifying, it was the last big step for her in finally letting the whole situation go and moving on. It's described in the book that the whole experience was cathartic for her. She was no longer struggling with this huge secret, it was in the hands of the law and it was done. Really I didn't see what was so odd about that. To me Annabel's issue in the book wasn't so much the physical aspect of what Will did to her. That was horrible but she'd mostly let that go, it was the shame and hurt because she wasn't telling anyone that she was truly dealing with. Once she spoke out, she let that go too...

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oh and emily apologizing to annabel... i know one could argue from both povs, but at the same time, id rather think emily would be pissed at annabel because she could have said something a long time ago preventing her rape... maybe thats just up to the reader to conclude...

Fair point but with that mindset it feels like blame the victim and not accused. Neither Emily or Annabel did anything wrong but I always got the sense that Emily apologized to Annabel for one, going along with Sophie in the namecalling and accusations against Annabel now knowing exactly what she'd been through and two, because she knew exactly what she'd been through. Meaning it was an "I'm sorry" you had to go through that because I'm going through it and I know exactly how horrible and painful it is.

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but after all of it, basically we got a cliche of an ending that just seemed to neat and clean for my taste... plus on one hand, i love the idea of owen and annabel together, but romance kills, so... it would be horrible if that ruins their awesome friendship

I guess I just don't see that. Maybe it was cliche but ultimately in this case I was fine with it. When the reader first meets Annabel, that poor girl is like a walking zombie, a shell and her home life is like one big fragile mirror about to break. In the end, things are not perfect. Her sister is still and always would be struggling with her illness, she'll always be affected in some small way by what happened to her but ultimately she's happy.

I don't see anything wrong with ending the story like that and as for her relationship with Owen, it's fiction and the book was final so I think we're just supposed to suspend disbelief and accept that they went on to having a great relationship. Plus we're given a hint of that fact in Lock & Key.