| Product: |
Speak softly, she can hear - Pam Lewis |
| Date: |
11.06.06 (114 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: great characters, unique storline, well written
Disadvantages: first 20 - 25 pages are too graphic
Carole, a studious, shy and overweight girl and her very much opposite glamorous friend, Naomi, find themselves months before graduation from a fancy Manhattan high school with only one dilemma: They are still virgins. The girls make a pact to lose their virginity before heading to college. Eddie Lindbaeck, a good-looking and charming rebel, is more than happy to assist the girls with their ambitions.
During a school trip to Vermont, in a run-down cabin in the woods, Eddie begins to fulfill the girls' task. But the seemingly wonderful experience quickly turns into a nightmare when Carole discovers that Eddie and perhaps even Naomi are not what they appear to be. As Carole's special night gets disrupted by too much alcohol and the intrusion by a strange women, which sets off a series of unfortunate events, Carole, Naomi and Eddie find themselves sharing a dark secret that must be safeguarded at all costs.
Carole and Naomi try to put the night behind them and lead normal lives. Whilst Naomi manages to marry a rich husband, Carole finds that her only way out may be running away from the past and to leave behind everyone that she loves.
It is difficult for me to admit that this book is probably one of the best books I have read in a long time. The storyline is absolutely shocking, it is depressing and heartbreaking. But even though it is far from a happy read, the reader will appreciate what a brilliant piece of writing this book is, that so clearly manages to get into the characters' minds and convey the distress and the fear of the dark secret coming out on every single page.
When I started reading the book, I initially wanted to put it down. I struggled with the first 20 to 25 pages, simply because they were disgustingly graphic, making me wonder how on earth anyone, other than a person with a very sick mind, would be able to write such prose. It is well worth suffering through these pages, though, as the book instantly becomes a page turner once the graphic sequence comes to an end.
The characters are brilliantly portrayed, the main character, Carole, instantly loveable. I rarely found myself empathising this much with any character. Although she has a few annoying traits, for example, being extremely gullible and shortsighted, on a whole it is very possible to understand where she is coming from and to understand the choices she has to make throughout her life. The shock to the reader as to how one single person an experience s much misfortune, is, however, at times very hard to digest.
Pam Lewis' writing is beautiful, very picturesque. I found reading the book was almost like watching a movie. On occasion I struggle to picture scenes and characters when I read books - I never had this problem with this storyline. It is simply one of those stories that you can get lost in and forget everything that is happening around you.
Although this might be a turn-off to some people, I think the story also holds a number of moral lessons. One very clear message that appears from the outset is that it is better to resolve issues as they arise rather than trying to cover them up, as they may come back to haunt you for an entire life time. The importance of friendship and family and making the most of these relationships is certainly also a theme carries on throughout the story. Most importantly, however, I learned that things are not always as bad as they seem.
The 345 pages are divided into 21 chapters - some of which are fairly long. I found it very difficult to interrupt my reading, and I'd strongly recommend reading the book only if you think you'll be able to finish it in 2-3 days. I also would recommend finishing a chapter, rather than interrupting it in the middle. It is therefore less of a read for your commute to work and more of a read to take along on holiday or for a weekend afternoon.
***Further details***
Price: £7.99 (Paperback) - but available used from Amazon for as little as 25 pence
Pages: 345
Headline Book Publishing
Please note that some editions have actually got more pages. Mine ws a first edition paperback.
Summary: A memorable and different kind of read.
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