It's the weekend, and its quite grey outside. My husband is outside gardening and i'm catching some rare daytime free minutes to write this review whilst baby is sleeping! Busy as my life is, I am still having time to read which is lovely...
I received an ARC from NetGalley called 'It All Comes Down to This' by Karen English, and here is my unbiased review.
Book details- Format- Ebook, ISBN:9780544839571, To be published- 11 July 2017
Description:
I'm not sure if the author intended this story to pull on the heartstrings, but I couldn't help but have a little cry at the end of it. Possibly it is a cry for having to leave Sophie to continue her life and not know what happens to her next , or maybe its a cry for Sophie, knowing I leave her to continue her struggles with the prejudice she receives. Who knows, but I'm crying just the same, which is wonderful! I love a book that makes me cry..
I really warmed to Sophie as a character. The author writes in first person, so we understand everything that Sophie is feeling and thinking. Set in 1965, I briefly studied this period of the black civil rights movement in America, so I can understand this period of prejudice history. Sophie takes lots of hits and scrapes, and it made me so sad that she 'accepts' this as normal and is constantly up against it, living in a mostly white neighbourhood. I find myself keep thinking, 'Why!' every time some new slight against her is raised, 'But she is such a good girl!'. Echoed in Mrs Baylor's observation, which also made me blub!
Sophie tries so hard in everything she does -writing, school, friendship. She puts a lot into her relationships especially with her sister Lily, and her only friend Jennifer. She has a thick shell and takes all the knocks along the way, which sometimes boil over into a little release of a cry, before she gets back up and goes on again. There is romance but seen through Sophie's eyes, her troubled sisters relationship with her boyfriend. Sophie lives her life somewhat vicariously through her sister, especially in that of relationships, where she herself, rarely speaks to any boys.
I really enjoyed this book, it fired up so much emotion in me. It made me cross at peoples off handed remarks to Sophie, and made me want to give this girl a big hug. This is a 'coming of age' story, which young adults will love. An excellent novel for parents to share with their children, as there is lots to talk about with them here. I was literally hooked from the first page and I knew I would like this book. The author has a way of inserting you into Sophie's life straight away and sweeping you away immersed until the end. The characters are fantastic, and you really feel you know each one.
I would like to know what happens next to Sophie, but I feel this book works very well as a single book. One which could be read many times..
Rating- five out of five
Target audience- Young adult- 11-15 years
I received an ARC from NetGalley called 'It All Comes Down to This' by Karen English, and here is my unbiased review.
Book details- Format- Ebook, ISBN:9780544839571, To be published- 11 July 2017
Description:
It’s 1965, Los Angeles. All twelve-year-old Sophie wants to do is write her book, star in the community play, and hang out with her friend Jennifer. But she’s the new black kid in a nearly all-white neighborhood; her beloved sister, Lily, is going away to college soon; and her parents’ marriage is rocky. There’s also her family’s new, disapproving housekeeper to deal with. When riots erupt in nearby Watts and a friend is unfairly arrested, Sophie learns that life—and her own place in it—is even more complicated than she’d once thought. Leavened with gentle humor, this story is perfect for fans of Rita Williams-Garcia.
Review:I'm not sure if the author intended this story to pull on the heartstrings, but I couldn't help but have a little cry at the end of it. Possibly it is a cry for having to leave Sophie to continue her life and not know what happens to her next , or maybe its a cry for Sophie, knowing I leave her to continue her struggles with the prejudice she receives. Who knows, but I'm crying just the same, which is wonderful! I love a book that makes me cry..
I really warmed to Sophie as a character. The author writes in first person, so we understand everything that Sophie is feeling and thinking. Set in 1965, I briefly studied this period of the black civil rights movement in America, so I can understand this period of prejudice history. Sophie takes lots of hits and scrapes, and it made me so sad that she 'accepts' this as normal and is constantly up against it, living in a mostly white neighbourhood. I find myself keep thinking, 'Why!' every time some new slight against her is raised, 'But she is such a good girl!'. Echoed in Mrs Baylor's observation, which also made me blub!
Sophie tries so hard in everything she does -writing, school, friendship. She puts a lot into her relationships especially with her sister Lily, and her only friend Jennifer. She has a thick shell and takes all the knocks along the way, which sometimes boil over into a little release of a cry, before she gets back up and goes on again. There is romance but seen through Sophie's eyes, her troubled sisters relationship with her boyfriend. Sophie lives her life somewhat vicariously through her sister, especially in that of relationships, where she herself, rarely speaks to any boys.
I really enjoyed this book, it fired up so much emotion in me. It made me cross at peoples off handed remarks to Sophie, and made me want to give this girl a big hug. This is a 'coming of age' story, which young adults will love. An excellent novel for parents to share with their children, as there is lots to talk about with them here. I was literally hooked from the first page and I knew I would like this book. The author has a way of inserting you into Sophie's life straight away and sweeping you away immersed until the end. The characters are fantastic, and you really feel you know each one.
I would like to know what happens next to Sophie, but I feel this book works very well as a single book. One which could be read many times..
Rating- five out of five
Target audience- Young adult- 11-15 years
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