AppId is over the quota
Fiction/Young Adult
Reckless Perfection
Laura Francois
2009
Legacy Book Publishing
235 pages
Reckless Perfection is the debut novel of Laura Francois. It is the story of four high school girls from Roctown High in New Jersey who are involved in complicated, adult-like relationships with the opposite sex. All four of the girls also deal with volatile family relationships. Francois' story offers a window of insight into the lives of teens that is both entertaining and intriguing.
Fifteen-year-old Mercedez lives with her father and pregnant stepmother. While adjusting to her new family life, and dealing with her mother's chronic illness, Mercedez ends her relationship with her longtime boyfriend, Julio. When seventeen-year-old Robbie comes into her life, Mercedez experiences the dark side of an intimate relationship.
Julia and her twin brother, Julio, live with their mother in a two bedroom house while their musician father focuses on his career. Julia is an exemplary student and a musician in her own right, but she still struggles with the feelings she has for her ex-boyfriend.
Angela is a bad girl trying to go straight. She has a history of drug and alcohol abuse and promiscuity. A violent incident with her only friend leads to a change in perspective for Angela that puts her back on the right track.
Amanda is from a wealthy family, but transfers to Roctown High after being expelled from her private high school. She becomes involved with Julio, but the friendship that continues to connect him to Mercedez causes Amanda to become jealous and insecure.
The portrait of modern teen life that Francois paints in this tale of multicultural characters is filled with the adult themes of sex, drugs, and domestic violence. Some of the characters in this story are so independent, that it is easy to forget that this is a novel for young adults. There are many positive interactions between the teens and their friends and families; however the most memorable incidents are those in which the girls find themselves in situations that even adults have a hard time navigating. This book is best suited for older teens (fifteen-years-old and up) due to the adult themes.
Francois shows promise as a storyteller. She manages the cast of characters well, keeping the plot of each girl's story moving forward with unexpected twists that hold the reader's attention. Her writing technique needs refinement; hopefully the sequel to Reckless Perfection will show that the author has matured in her craft.
Reckless Perfectiondoes what good fiction should do: it entertains and educates.
Melissa Brown Levine
for
Independent Professional Book Reviewers
Melissa Brown Levine is a writer, book reviewer and manuscript consultant. She is the author of "I Need to Make Promises: A Novella and Stories." Read an excerpt at http://www.melissabrownlevine.com/.
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น