Wintergirls: Summary and book reviews of Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, plus links to an excerpt from Wintergirls and a biography of Laurie Halse Anderson.
Wintergirls
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Hardcover: Mar 2009,
288 pages.
Paperback: Mar 2010,
288 pages.
“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls. “Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another. I am that girl. I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through. I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.
Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit.
In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the multiple-award-winning Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia’s descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery.
BOOK REVIEWS
BookBrowse
The "place" author Laurie Halse Anderson takes us is not an exotic setting in a distant world, but instead deep into the mind of young Lia, who suffers from an eating disorder. Lia's first-person narration is so authentic it is hard to believe it's fiction and not an actual memoir... Lia and Cassie's story opens the door to discussions of issues all teens struggle with: finding their identity, belonging and making wise choices. (Reviewed by Vy Armour). Full Review (1171 words).
Media Reviews
Publishers Weekly
As difficult as reading this novel can be, it is more difficult to put down. Ages 12-up.
BCCB
Starred Review. Readers will be absorbed by this gripping tale
Booklist
Starred Review. Anderson illuminates a dark but utterly realistic world...this is necessary reading.
Kirkus Reviews
Starred Review. Due to the author's and the subject's popularity, this should be a much-discussed book, which rises far above the standard problem novel.
School Library Journal
Starred Review. The intensity of emotion and vivid language here are more reminiscent of Anderson's Speak than any of her other works ... an almost poetic stream of consciousness in [a] startlingly crisp and pitch-perfect first-person narrative.
Sun Sentinel - Margaret Cardillo
[A] beautiful, heart-wrenching and important novel.
The New York Times
a fearless, riveting account of a young woman in the grip of a deadly illness.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by McKenna AMAZING! I fell in love with this book from the beginning. Its relatable, plus if you love edgy stories with a bit of mystery, its the book for you that you will want to read over and over.
Rated of 5
by SeanLeah 5 doesn't describe how great this book is! My cousin recommended this book to me because she thought of me when she read it because I actually relate to the main character in this story, perhaps that's why I liked it so much but I would for sure recommend it to anyone!
War, natural disaster, reckless gods and the recognition of impermanence in the world are just some of the threads that AS Byatt weaves into this most timely of books. Linguistically stunning and imaginatively abundant, this is a landmark.
A beguiling, imaginative, inspiring story about the bigness of being alive as an individual, as a member of a tribe, and as a participant in history, exploring how we use storytelling to survive and shape our own truths.
Brilliantly evoking the long-vanished world of masters and servants, Margaret Powell's classic memoir of her time in service is the remarkable true story of an indomitable woman who, though she served in the great houses of England, never stopped aiming high.
Vivid, daring, and unforgettable, The Printmaker's Daughter shines fresh light on art, loyalty, and the tender and indelible bond between a father and daughter.
I read The Healing in two sittings it is a fascinating story of plantation life at the beginning of the Civil War. Granada, a slave newborn child...
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(1171 words).
Publishers Weekly
of 5
by McKenna
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