- Shopping Bag ( 0 items )
Other sellers (Hardcover)
-
All (1) from $40.15
-
New (1) from $40.15
Ships from: Phoenix, MD
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Want a NOOK? Explore Now
But working with the Alzheimer's patients has a surprising effect on Sunny. Along with Cole, the grandson of one of the residents, she begins to see that the residents don't have much more choice about their lives than she does: what they eat, how they are treated by staff, even what they watch on television. So Sunny does what she can to make the residents happy—even if she has to sometimes break the rules to do it.
But when tragedy strikes at Paradise, Sunny's left to make the decision about whether or not to honor a promise that Cole made to his grandmother about her life and her death.
Sunny's character is flawed but moral—both brat and saint—and representative of a teen well on her way to becoming a grounded adult, until fate interferes. In Sunny, author Sylvia McNicoll creates a character whose irreverent outlook will appeal to a wide range of teenage readers.
Originally posted on my blog: Perks of Being a Bookworm
3.5 out of 5 stars!
This is a hard review to write, because while on the whole I enjoyed this book I did have a few problems with it. Now it was a very short book, my Adobe Digital Editions displayed a total of 164 pages at the bottom. That's not what I had a problem with. That was fine. But the way it was written kind of gave me whiplash at times. It starts out at the beginning of her trial and then it starts jumping back and forth between the past and her thoughts of what happened at each point, back to the trial and what was being said, who was being questioned, what they were asked etc.
This volunteer work is a graduation requirement and they're supposed to put in 40 hours and keep a journal about they're hours for English class? I don't remember for certain. As evidence for the trial, her journal entries would sort of be the transition between past and present at times. There wasn't ever a smooth transition either, that would have made it okay but it was like Witness A is being asked questions and she's reacting in her head then numerous times she would say something like "..if only they would read more entries in my journal, then they'd understand" and bam you'd have a big bold title DAY 2 - 38 HOURS LEFT or some such and then a short paragraph or two for the entry where she's writing to her teacher. but then it goes right into a flashback with no warning and sometimes at first I couldn't tell if I was still in the journal entry or in the flashback.
I guess I feel like with it being such a short book there was a much bigger opportunity to make this book a bit fuller and ease the headache it causes at times, instead of the constant whiplash from the back and forth between flashbacks. It wouldn't of hurt. And the ending could have been fleshed out dramatically. It just sort of dropped off. And if you're going to stop it right there just like that..we should have at least gotten a epilogue. All this build up and then...nothing.
There were a few other items but I really don't want to give away anything about the plot and/or the characters. But none of this is to be mistaken as I didn't like this book. Because it was a good story. Had it been a bit longer and the ending tweaked just a bit it would have been a great story. It was definitely worth the read. Though Alzheimer's hasn't touched anyone in my life I have known others that it has effected. If to get a better understanding about the people it touches alone it's worth the read. I feel like it does a decent job portraying the patients and some of them are quite endearing.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. When Sunny has to do school ordered volunteer work that benefit's the community she ends up volunteering at Paradise Manor a retirement community. Most of the patients there have Alzheimer's, they are clueless to what is going on around them.
Sunny has some issues with the rules there and what is required of her and tries to have fun with the patients. Even going so far as to streak a patients hair for their birthday at the request of the patient's grandson.
This book is told through a court trial. The young Sunny is on trial for killing a patient. As we go through the trial you can see how her impressions that she voices to people outside of Paradise Manor could come back to bite her in a big way.
We also see Sunny's relationship with her current boyfriend Donovan and a new love interest in Cole one of the resident's grandson. The two connect in a totally different way then her current boyfriend Donovan.
This book showed how sometimes it takes patience to deal with Alzheimer's patients and you may find you have more patience then you thought you w
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.HopeWasHere
Posted April 17, 2013
What caught my eye about this book was the cover and then the title. The young girl's gaze called to me and I found myself drawn in by the look on her face and pink hair. Crush.Candy.Corpse intrigued me in its own right and combined with the short description provided I had to know more. After reading the book I can say that the unique title and cover picture fit the book perfectly and I can't imagine a better match. To me they were both the perfect choice.
Sonja Ehret known as Sunny throughout the book is a seventeen year old girl struggling to figure out what she believes in and who she is, something every young adult and even older adults can relate too. When she meets Cole Demmers, the grandson of one of the resident's parts of Sunny's true personality and character emerge showing her in a different light to readers. She introduced quite a few residents and minor characters that actually made the story better. They provided different types of interactions allowing you to really get to know Sunny and who she was as a person. I enjoyed how Sylvia McNicoll used situations and moments of stress in a way to let readers develop their own feelings about the characters and who they were. Instead of saying Sunny is good or Donovan is bad. McNicoll made the readers judge Sunny, Cole and the rest of the characters based on their actions and not what they were being told to think.
Another aspect that I loved about this book was how McNicoll made the decision to start the story in a courtroom with Sunny facing charges of manslaughter. She proceeds to fill in the blanks using mandatory journal entries from her community service at the nursing home that lead into scenes from the previous year. I worked in an assisted living facility so I found myself locked into the story and remembering all the old people I met during my own experience and remembering how it broke my heart to watch them deteriorate before me and some even pass away. I could sense Sunny's struggle to come to grips with understanding along with trying to help the residents. Her unbreakable desire to make them happy touched my heart in so many ways. Not only do you get to know Sunny through flashbacks but also through the witnesses called to the stands and her friends.
Crush.Candy.Corpse packs a punch. Hands down, this is a book that should be required reading for students. McNicoll weaves such a heart wrenching story that you're forced to contemplate your own beliefs, to question parts of yourself that are easily pushed away and rarely confronted. While reading this book you will have no choice but to think about how you feel about what's happening to Sunny. After all, she could be you. The way the story unfolds introducing different elements and parts of Sunny's character and personality through bits and pieces adds to the total effect. Sunny is not portrayed as perfect by any means and doesn't even walk away from the story a saint. Through the story she even admits that time and time again. But between the covers you grow with her and understand her pain. At the end of the story you won't be the same, it is bound to touch you in some way.
This coming of age story had me entranced from beginning to end. Just when I thought she couldn't cut my soul anymore, she slid the knife in deeper. Sylvia McNicoll uses similes and metaphors throughout the book that add a certain depth along with a "detachment" in the beginning. Who wouldn't want to see the courtroom as something else when you're standing trial for manslaughter and possibly facing your future? Honestly I tried to find something that I could point out and say could possibly have been better. However when I was reading this book my heart was pounding and the only thing that mattered was the next page. I was completely drawn in, not just by Sunny but the unique plot as well. I haven't read another book quite like this. Crush.Candy.Corpse made me question my own feelings about facing death. Even when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. Sylvia McNicoll made all the right choices from beginning to end.
Overview
But working with the Alzheimer's patients has a surprising effect on Sunny. Along with Cole, the grandson of one of the residents, she begins to see that the residents don't have much more choice about their lives than she does: what ...