Review: Scribbler of Dreams by Mary E. Pearson

Scribbler of Dreams
by Mary E. Pearson
Published: October 2002
Publisher: Harcourt Paperbacks
Available: Amazon

Synopsis:

Romeo and Juliet had the right idea. About dating the enemy that is. They were true to their hearts.

Kaitlin Malone know what it's like to date the enemy. She was raised to hate the Crutchfields, and absolutely does - until she meets Bram Crutchfield. It turns out he's a great guy - one she could talk to, share things with...even love. But when Kaitlin gives her heart to Bram, her world spins out of control. Soon the Crutchfields are her friends and she's a traitor to her own family.

To make things worse ,Bram was raised to hate the Malones,especially Kaitlin's father - who murdered Bram's dad. Bram doesn't know Kaitlin is a Malone. If he did he would hate her, too.

What's a star-crossed lover to do?

Review:
This was a filler pick for me when I needed to buy something for a few bucks to make my free shipping on Amazon. I thought it sounded like a sweet romance and would be a nice change from the other books I've been reading lately. It wasn't until I wrote the author's name in this blog post that I realized why it sounded familiar. Mary E. Pearson also wrote The Adoration of Jenna Fox, one of the first YA books I read and reviewed for my blog.

Scribbler of Dreams is not a futuristic or sci-fi story along the veins of Adoration, instead it is much more grounded in the realities of a typical romance novel. Not that that is a bad thing. It was exactly what I was looking for and Pearson delivered nicely. Girl meets boy, falls in love, but they are torn apart by deception, in this case the deception is due to their warring families, a la Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. As a Shakespeare lover I can't say I hate the story, and Pearson resists following too closely.

The only part that bothered me was the insta-love (and yes, I know this does follow R&J), but I found in today's world it just wasn't as believable. Kaitlin feel for Bram before even speaking to him, and within a few pages she was in love and willing to defy her family for a boy who believes she is someone else. Someone who's father hadn't killed his own. **Not a spoiler, as it's clearly on the back cover** I understood her deception initially, but the further along it went the more frustrating it became. Luckily it's a quick read at only 223 pages in pocketbook size, so I didn't have time to get really annoyed.

If you're looking for a sweet romance with some tear jerking scenes this is a quick and easy read.

Blog Tour ~ Defy the Stars by Stephanie Parent *Review

I am thrilled to be part of the Defy the Stars Blog Tour by Stephanie Parent! Defy the Stars is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's classic Romeo and Juliet. After checking out the review and entering the giveaways, click on the tour banner to check out more stops along the tour!

Defy the Stars
by Stephanie Parent
Published: July 30, 2012
Available: Amazon

Synopsis:
Julia Cape: A dedicated classical piano student just trying to get through her last semester of high school while waiting to hear from music conservatories.

Reed MacAllister: A slacker more likely to be found by the stoners’ tree than in class.

Julia and Reed might have graduated high school without ever speaking to each other…until, during a class discussion of Romeo and Juliet, Julia scoffs at the play’s theme of love at first sight, and Reed responds by arguing that feelings don’t always have to make sense. Julia tries to shake off Reed’s comment and forget about this boy who hangs with the stoner crowd—and who happens to have breathtaking blue eyes—but fate seems to bring the two together again and again. After they share an impulsive, passionate kiss, neither one can deny the chemistry between them. Yet as Julia gets closer to Reed, she also finds herself drawn into his dark world of drugs and violence. Then a horrific tragedy forces Julia’s and Reed’s families even farther apart…and Julia must decide whether she’s willing to give up everything for love.

Defy the Stars is written in an edgy free-verse style that will appeal to fans of Ellen Hopkins and Lisa Schroeder; however, the writing is accessible enough to speak to non-verse fans as well. The novel’s combination of steamy romance and raw emotion will appeal to fans of Gayle Forman, Simone Elkeles, Jennifer Echols, and Tammara Webber. With a story, language and form that both pay homage to and subvert Shakespeare’s play, Defy the Stars is much more than just another Romeo and Juliet story.

Review:

As I started reading Defy the Stars, I found myself completely torn. On one hand I love anything Shakespeare (yes, even the cheesy 10 Things I Hate About You), and Romeo and Juliet is one of my favorites. On the other hand is that I hate sad endings and Defy the Stars starts off letting you know this will be a sad ending, which really shouldn't be a surprise considering it's a retelling of one of the saddest love stories ever told.

So, where did that leave me? Well, I went in cautiously. I tried not to let myself care about Julia and Reed, to realize that I knew exactly where their story was going so that I wouldn't feel let down. And for a while it worked, I picked apart things about them I didn't like, how quickly their relationship developed, how cliche the characters were, but by the end I cried. I can't say I was a big fan of Julia. She was so easy to jump into danger again and again, I just wanted to smack her, especially since she does it simply because she likes a guy. Reed, however, felt like a much more powerful character. He has deep problems that even at the end I didn't feel were ever truly revealed. I really wanted to know more about him, and while his storyline was realistic for his character, it was also very sad. Ultimately it was Reed's character that kept me reading, and hoping that maybe this reimaging of Romeo and Juliet would have a happy ending.

I didn't quite getting the happy ending I wanted, not surprising considering Parent let's us know that right up front in the prologue. But neither did the ending go exactly the way I was expecting. While Parent stayed true to some aspects of Shakespeare's original tale, she does make it her own. Despite finding the ending sad and hopeless, there was just a touch of light at the end, something to make the reader think that maybe all hope is not lost, and that the experiences we have that seem so unsurvivable can make us stronger.

The writing style was definitely different as it is set up as verse, and while there were times I could fall into the rhythm of it, other times I would stumble over a word that didn't follow the regular soft-hard pattern of the syllables and it pulled me out of the story. After a while, though, I found myself focusing more on the characters, and simply reading the story as regular prose.

I would recommend Defy the Stars to lovers of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and anyone who loves a romance with a good cry at the end.

About the Author:
Stephanie Parent is a YA author repped by Brenda Bowen of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. She is a graduate of the Master of Professional Writing program at USC and attended the Baltimore School for the Arts as a piano major.
http://www.stephanieparent.blogspot.com

Giveaway Info:
1st prize: $30 gift card from Amazon and a e-book copy of Defy the Stars.
2nd place: 4 e-book copies of Defy the Stars.
Additional Prize: A query letter critique by Stephanie Parent.
All giveaways are open internationally!
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Review: Shakespeare on Toast by Ben Crystal

Shakespeare on Toast
by Ben Crystal
Published: 2008
Publisher: Totem Books
Available: Amazon

Synopsis:

Who's afraid of William Shakespeare? Just about everyone. He wrote too much and what he did write is inaccessible and elitist. Right? Wrong. "Shakespeare on Toast" knocks the stuffing from the staid old myth of Shakespeare, revealing the man and his plays for what they really are: modern, thrilling and uplifting drama. Actor and author Ben Crystal brings the bright words and colourful characters of the world's greatest hack writer brilliantly to life, handing over the key to Shakespeare's plays, unlocking the so-called difficult bits and, astonishingly, finding Shakespeare's own voice amid the poetry.Told in five fascinating Acts, "Shakespeare on Toast" sweeps the cobwebs from the Bard - from his language, his life, his time - revealing both the man and his work to be relevant, accessible and full of beans. This is a book for everyone, whether you're reading Shakespeare for the first time, occasionally find him troublesome, think you know him backwards, or have never set foot near one of his plays but have always wanted to ...It's quick, easy and good for you. Just like beans on toast.

Review:
When I was in junior high I took a Shakespeare class from my favorite teacher ever. Mr. Stefan was not only a teacher, he was also an actor in the local theater production that year of Fiddler on the Roof. Why am I writing about him in my review? Well, Crystal points out something that I had never considered about Shakespeare, and it's something that I think Mr. Stefan would have 100% agreed with - Shakespeare is meant to be heard and seen, not read. The experience of being in a Shakespearean theater such as The Globe, seeing the actors use minimal props, and understanding the subtle references in the slight changing of word usage from thou to you or in moving from prose to verse, can never be fully appreciated by simply silently reading one of Shakespeare's plays.

Mr. Stefan's Shakespeare class was not about reading Shakespeare (which we didn't even do!). It was about watching his plays being performed on the screen - whether big budget or film student versions, and most importantly learning about his life and times. Crystal's idea is that Shakespeare shouldn't be read like a novel, or even a modern play, simply because what Shakespeare needed to accomplish in his writing was more in direction to the actors on how to perform than to a reader on how to enjoy. Maybe that's why whenever I read Shakespeare I can't help but read it aloud, and yes, I do use a cheesy accent that I'm sure would horrify my Welsh and British relatives.

I had never considered how important all of these pieces were until I started reading Shakespeare on Toast. Crystal manages to point out how easy Shakespeare is to understand when you put him in context. Knowing who he was writing for, how his work was being presented, and most importantly the cultural influences he was under, makes certain things much easier to relate to. I have to admit there were certain things I had never even thought of, such as Shakespeare's use of the iambic pentameter, yet when it was explained in the book, I quickly found myself testing it out on random selections of Shakespeare.

Now that I've finished Shakespeare on Toast, I am feeling an overwhelming urge to read, ad watch, some Shakespeare. My husband on the other hand is rolling his eyes at my continued efforts to make him discuss The Bard :)

Shakespeare on Toast is a great book for anyone struggling with understanding works by Shakespeare, or just a general obsession with him!

Thank you, Mr. Stefan

As part of my reading goal this year I've decided to read the complete works of William Shakespeare, so today I pulled off my slightly dusty copy of an anthology of his works. That's when I remembered what, or I guess it's really who, showed me how to love Shakespeare - Mr. Stefan.

In junior high I was not the drama-type at all, I was more interested in art you hung on the wall. It was ninth grade before I entered Mr. Stefan's classroom. Not that I hadn't heard stories about him and his room from my older sister, but until I entered his class I didn't get it. But that first day of Shakespeare class I had an eye-opening. Mainly because what she told me was true - the potty pass was indeed a toilet seat hanging by the door. If anyone was ever forced to use it, I don't know since I have no recollection of anyone in my class attempting to leave.

Mr. Stefan didn't have the best teaching techniques - we sat for hours that year listening to videos and filling in the blanks about life in the Elizabethan era, and watching movies based on Shakespeare's plays (sadly Leo's version of Romeo and Juliet hadn't been released, yet).  But what he lacked in teaching skills he made up for in personality.

The year I took his class (1993) was the same year he starred in a local production of Fiddler on the Roof. His beard was a magical thing. He was no ordinary teacher - he was an actor, a singer - someone who knew theatre and lived it. I can still see him standing on stage, with that magical beard and I knew if he loved Shakespeare so would I.

Almost four years later, I had an opportunity to spend a few months in the UK and took the train to Stratford-upon-Avon. I toured Shakespeare's reconstructed home, walked the same sidewalks he once tread and saw a production of The Merchant of Venice at The Royal Shakespeare Company.

There's a reason it's taken me so long to break open the anthology and it has to do with the question of "Will I like it?". Part of me thinks that if I don't I'll lose just a bit of the sweetness to my memories of Mr. Stefan. But I read a blog post today by Nathan Bransford (click here) that got me thinking of how to approach this without losing anything. Don't ask "Will I like it?" but  "Did the author accomplish what he set out to do?".

So, thank you Mr. Stefan for standing at the back of the class and pressing play on those videos, for growing that beard and for showing me how to love Shakespeare (even if I'll never completely understand it). RIP 

On my iPod:

Rasputin by Boney M