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An arresting story about starting over after a friend’s suicide, froma breakthrough new voice in YA fiction
dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can’t.
Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself
A Discussion Guide to Hold Still by Nina LaCour (Easy Print Version)
"Dear Caitlin, there are so many things I want so badly to tell you but I just can't." Hold Still is about the journey of a girl recovering the loss of her best friend in the wake of her suicide. Hold Still is written true, and in such a way that the characters lived both on the pages and off. Unlike most novels, Ingrid's journal entries seemed real and full of the emotion she had while writing. I loved the way descriptions were used-"I just stood there with my eyes closed, feeling the movement of all the people around me, the vibration of the bass rise through the floor to my throat, while something inside me broke and came back together,"- it felt like I was standing right next to Caitlin and sharing her pain. Would I recommend this book? Yes, my review does no justice for Hold Still, just believe me that you have to read it! For more book reviews, check out my blog at thehardcoverreader(dot)blogspot(dot)com
11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Aug 06 00:00:00 EDT 2011
What an amazingly written, incredibly sad, emotionally beautiful story. I absolutely loved this book. I could not put this down & definitely recommend it to anyone of any age. It is geared for young adults but I'm 35 & really latched onto the characters. So well written. I cannot say enough great things about this book, highly recommended. ~Hippie Chick~
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Sep 05 00:00:00 EDT 2009
In Los Cerros, CA it's the first day of Caitlin's junior year at Vista High. In familiar first-day fashion "all the girls are squealing and hugging as if it's been years since they've laid eyes on each other. The guys are slamming their hands down on one another's backs which I guess is supposed to mean something nice." But, for Caitlin, the world is no longer familiar. Ingrid, her best friend, the one with whom Caitlin was so close they were often mistaken for sisters, committed suicide at the end of their sophomore year, leaving Caitlin to drift among her classmates as the other half to a whole that no longer exists.
With Caitlin's vividly rendered voice as our guide, Nina LaCour's Hold Still takes the reader on the journey of a young woman struggling to deal with an unimaginable loss. Yet LaCour does not leave Caitlin to wander alone. Caitlin finds Ingrid's journal tucked beneath her bed.
"Here's how I feel: People take one another for granted . . . You never look up, in a moment that feels like every moment of your life, and think, Soon this will be over. But I understand more now. About the way life works. I know that when I finish reading Ingrid's journal, there won't be anything new between us ever again.
"So when I get home, I lock my room door even though I'm the only one home, take Ingrid's journal out, and just hold it for a little while. I look at the drawing on the first page again. And then I put the journal back. I'm going to try and make her last."
Through the intense rush of her handwritten entries and wistful beauty of her drawings (lettering and art by the talented Mia Nolting), Ingrid is resurrected. As they are doled out, Caitlin and the reader explore the depths of her passions and despair, her flashes of quick dark humor, the enormity of the absence Ingrid left behind. The entries are the srong running stitch keeping the novel bound at its seams. They are also Caitlin's means of redemption, her eventual path back to herself.
The strength of LaCour's writing is evident throughout. The protagonist's voices are so perfectly sixteen. For young readers, I imagine they will be instantly familiar--the endless, eyerolling exasperation with adults who just don't get it; the desperate search for confirmation and approval; the wonder of life expanding before their eyes with each new person, thought, and experience.
And for readers for whom high school is merely a stack of dusty yearbooks on some forgotten shelf, it is an opportunity to re-enter this world of firsts.
Crushes, loves, the wonder of first hearing a song that truly speaks to you, and especially first friends:
"I walked out, feeling how straight my hair was, how great my pants fit, how nice my bracelets sounded. I bent down and I drank the cold drinking-fountain water and I felt like, This is it. My life is starting. And when I got back to my seat there was a new note that said, I'm Ingrid.
"I'm Caitlin, I wrote back.
"And then we were friends. It was that easy."
With Hold Still, LaCour has written a book that is beautiful and true, peopled by characters who live and breathe both on the page and off. On the day I received my copy in the mail, I was up until the small hours finishing it and, even now, days later, I've often caught myself thinking about what Caitlin or Ingrid would make of something; how swiftly they would roll their eyes at one of my lame grown-up remarks; what wonder they would
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I found this book to be both touching and painful at the same time -- but in a good way! Hold Still chronicles the journey of a teen girl as she deals with the emotional rollercoaster that follows the loss of her best friend. I read it over the course of two days and couldn't put it down.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sun Jan 16 00:00:00 EST 2011
this book breaks your heart and puts it back together again this book is soooo heart felt and deep this book will make u cry and laugh all at the same time it takes u on a journey of a girl who lost her best friend and she finds out how emotionally sick she was and things she never knew about her and helps her learn things about her self that she never knew. this book is amazing for someone who has lost a dear friend it shows true heart and soul. the langauge and the sexiulity is not very good for younger than a mature 13 year old i would not consider reading this if cant handle mature adult things but this book is amazing with an amazing story behind it. it just makes u want to live life to the fullest and dont back cuz u never know it will be your last days!!!!
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Aug 08 00:00:00 EDT 2011
This book made me cry. it was so well written. I really loved it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.A horrendously beautiful book! As lame and overused as the statement is, I simply couldn't put it down. Has exactly the right mix of all the emotions, and you can't help but hurt right along side Caitlin and feel a giddy triumph at her accomplishments. This is the kind of book that when you finish the final word, all you can feel is this deep-rooted sense of joy about life.
Well, that's what I felt anyway. Absolutely gorgeous book!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Caitlin had a best friend named Ingrid. They used to hang out all of the time and they knew each other so well until Ingrid started acting weird. And then all of a sudden Ingrid was gone forever and Caitlin was left to ask the question, why? Then one day Caitlin finds Ingrid's secret journal under her bed and it explains so much she never knew. It is a great story about a girl who has to keep going even after her best friend comitted suicide. But along the way she meets more friends, get a boyfriend, and discovers herself (and a lot about Ingrid) through photography.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This story is beautiful and fun at the same time as being utterly heartbreaking. The title girl, Caitlin is trying to cope with the death of her best friend Ingrid who committed suicide. During the healing process Caitlin finds Ingrid's journal and begins reading it on her path towards filling the huge hole Ingrid has left behind. It is an inspirational story about friendship and hope after loss. For anyone who has lost someone or just wants to have a deeper understanding of how death affects the people you leave behind...this is a must read! While I thought the book could have been longer, I do truly feel that Nina LaCour has captivated her new audience with this novel. I highly anticipate her future work as well.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.What I thought...is it one of the most emotional, realistic books, I have ever read. Nina Lacour is one of those authors who takes something really realistic and takes that situation and twists it outside the box, and shows the reader another point of view that we don't really see when thinking of that problem. For example is shows loss, change, and a new beginning. It shows people that life might really suck, but not always and to stick it out.
The story is beautifully written, it shows both Ingrid's and Caitlin personalities through artwork that the book has, and is very affective. It also has Ingrid's journal entries. I promise that this is a tearjerker. An interesting thing that I noticed about the book is the first part (while Caitlin is suffering with depression and loss) is really slow, but once Caitlin begins to make lots of new friendships and is more happier the book goes faster. Which makes it more impacting because usually when you lose someone (according to my mother) your whole life seems to go slower. Another intriguing thing about the book is when you take the book cover off, the actual book is green right! Well on that green book is a bird, and if you read the book you'll know that Ingrid's (the best friend that committed suicide) journal has a bird on it. So it feels like Ingrid's journal, and that is a big part of the story. Also it shows Caitlin sadness and acceptance of loss through seasons in the book. I don't really have much to say, but that I highly recommend this to anyone. It's one of those stories that when read, you know that if something bad is happening in your life it'll be ok. You won't be able to read this one sitting, seeing as at times it's just to hard to read.
What I thought could of been improved..... I thought the ending could of been improved. It wasn't terrible or anything, just not how I imagine it to end. I also would of like to know more of Henry's story. I felt that was kind of cut short.
In All.... A well done book, that is highly recommended to everyone.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.With its fantastic imagery and emotional writing, Hold Still pulls the reader immediately into the fascinating story of Caitlin, whose best friend Ingrid has just committed suicide. I was scared that the book was going to be too similar to Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why, with a character committing suicide and leaving behind some form of communication, but the two were very different. Hannah had a story to tell in Thirteen Reasons Why, whereas it seems as if Ingrid's story has been told, no big secrets to reveal, just a gaping hole left behind, and having to cope with that. The journal is there, but it's its existence rather than the contents that are relied upon as plot material. The story is fully engrossing with its realism, truly being everything one could want out of realistic fiction. In some respects, I suppose the book is a bit predictable in its overarching plot, but is still an engaging read. I'm still not sure if I liked some of the supporting characters. I realize that they were supposed to be signs of Caitlin moving on, but I wished the book focused more on the relationship between Ingrid and Caitlin before bringing new people into it. However, all the characters were molded and characterized really well, so you come to love all of them, even Ingrid who doesn't even exist within the time frame of the book. The ending is perfect, and leaves the reader with much to think about, probably with more than a few tears along the way.
Rating: 4.5/5
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.It seems appropriate to quote my favorite singer when reviewing Nina LaCour's debut novel HOLD STILL because music plays a healing role in the novel and LaCour's writing--like music--is lyrical and haunting. The characters that arise from LaCour's words pulse from the page not as echoes but as the very beat of themselves.
I love Caitlin's lines when she's listening to music in the middle of a dance floor at a wedding and says, "I just stood there with my eyes closed, feeling the movement of all the people around me, the vibration of the bass rise through the floor to my throat, while something inside me broke and came back together." Lines like these made me feel so close to the character. In fact, every character (and it is a WONDERFUL culturally diverse set of characters) feels so real and realized. Not some conceptualized rending of what teenagers are and what they think, hope, and feel. But real young adults whose stories are meaningful, full of love and full of trouble.
The trouble begins with Caitlin receiving devastating news that her best friend Ingrid has committed suicide. Caitlin is stunned, says at receiving the news, "My heart pounds so hard I can feel it in my ears." For the rest of the novel, we see Caitlin struggle with the memories of her friend while trying to build a new life.
Caitlin's struggles will focus readers on asking themselves some important questions: how well do we know our friends, the people who love us? Can we imagine our lives without friends? The answer will be different for every reader but the conclusion that I came to after reading this novel is that with our without the people we love, sometimes the hardest thing to do is to see ourselves with new eyes...as if we're seeing ourselves for the first time.
Caitlin struggles with seeing her life without Ingrid. She's alone. How can she let go when she never got a chance to say goodbye? Indeed, I think this novel challenges the reader to accept what we can and can't change. Caitlin hangs a photograph in her locker, which was taken by her deceased best friend, and she thinks, "It must be the most peaceful picture in the world. It's the setting of a fairy tale, it's somewhere that can't exist anymore."
And the novel goes on and we watch Caitlin through her recovery. The road isn't entirely smooth but through art and music, she discovers herself again; she discovers new friends, new love, new purpose. Finally, she learns to let go. I won't give too much away but the final scenes took my breath away. I cried in two distinct places of the novel but I don't think they need to be stated because part of the joy of reading this book is watching Caitlin arrive to that place of peace.
This is NOT a conventional novel about depression--and I mean that in a good way. Don't expect the pages to answer why some people get so depressed they can't rise out of it. Don't expect the novel to explain the symptoms of depression because they can often go unnoticed (as we see in the novel). Instead, the reader focuses on the lives of these characters and on the healing for the ones left behind Ingrid's suicide.
Focusing on their healing actually brings a wonderful quality to the book, presenting moments when the reader can breathe after tense scenes. Caitlin learns how to enjoy the small things. So yes--there are BIG PAYOFFS for making it through the sad parts of the novel. LaCour will not leave the reader broken. We are
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Mar 17 00:00:00 EDT 2012
This book was awesome i finished it in three days. If you are looking for a great book that will keep you on the edge of your chair stop here because this is the book your looking for. This book made me happy, sad,glad,and mad all at the same time. I really felt i could connect with the main character caitlyn. You will fall in love with this book. So go ahead and start reading. NOW.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sun Dec 25 00:00:00 EST 2011
I loved this book! Every emotion your supposed to feel with a good book I felt. There were some points where I winced and wanted to turn away and other points where I wanted to cry and keep going. Amazibg book for anyone who needs anwsers about the suicidal mind. I would definetly reccomend it.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Nov 30 00:00:00 EST 2011
¿Hold Still¿ is an emotional novel full of sadness, happiness, and a life changing journey for Caitlin that is impossible to forget. The characters and the challenges they face are very realistic. This is one of those books where the reader will have a complete movie going on in their own mind because of the little, but powerful details and descriptions. The whole storyline was remarkably believable, which makes the reader feel connected in some way to the novel. It stresses the importance of love and friendship through hardships, forgiveness, remembering, and moving on. Nina LaCour is a talented author who very well displays the ordeals that Caitlin copes with. Anyone who is willing to read a tragic, yet uplifting story will love and appreciate this book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sun Sep 18 00:00:00 EDT 2011
"Dear Today, I spend all of you pretending I'm ok when I'm not, pretending I'm happy when I'm not, pretending everything to everyone. Love Ingrid"
This line is from the power diary of Ingrid who committed suicide leaving her best friend, Caitlin, with just her dead best friend's diary. Throughout the novel, Caitlin continues to read parts of the diary and begins to find herself in the world. Caitlin eventually found the courage to give others that took part in Ingrid's life, letters in her diary directed to them. After Caitlin gives them their own little part of Ingrid, she goes back to their favorite place to be and watches it as it is destroyed.
This novel was an excellent choice for a teenage girl such as me. I tried to put myself in Ingrid's, Caitlin's, and Dylan's shoes. It made the book just so much better for me. I find that many teenagers read books of suicide, drugs, drinking, and others of this sort. And may I say, this book filled my expectations. I had a three-week period to read this, and I finished it within 5 days. I am definitely interested in finding more books from Nina Lacour.
The book was written wonderfully with a sad storyline that has a girl finding herself in the world. Overall, "Hold still" is a very emotional book about loss, suicide, and depression. To read how Caitlin went on with her life after her best friend died was arresting and to read how strong she became was wonderful. Make sure to have some tissues with you when you read the book. I highly recommend this book to teenage girls still trying to find themselves in the world, or even a 'book-hungry' reading enthusiast. I hope all who read this enjoyed it as much as I did. I give this book four stars.
nh - pd1 - poplit
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Jul 12 00:00:00 EDT 2011
This book was awesome. At the beginning it was a little depressing but as Caaitlin met new people it got a lot more interesting, i reccomend for ages 13-17 or so. I like the way its written, how at first you dont have a clue why she is acting this way but as the story goes on, it all unfolds as well as Caitlin's memories and thoughts about Ingrid
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Jun 27 00:00:00 EDT 2011
Kind of depressing, but still this is my favorite book ever. Kind of inapropro, though. But still reall good. A must read if you don't mind kind of depressing books.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Mar 26 00:00:00 EDT 2011
I read hold still and absolutely loved it! I mean it just shows u what the best friend goes through in such a tragic event. Overall I love Hold Still!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Mar 15 00:00:00 EDT 2011
I read this book earlier this year for a quiz bowl competition my school participates in. The begining starts out slow but not in a how-many-more-pages kind of way that a lot of authors struggle with. Caitlin is such a believable character and the author some make what is, by its self, a depressing situation, and turns it into something hopefull. I absolutley loved the book but I recommend not reading this in public or while wearing mascara that is not water proof ;)
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
An arresting story about starting over after a friend’s suicide, froma breakthrough new voice in YA fiction
dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can’t.
Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best ...