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Told in an arresting, fresh voice, Willow is an unforgettable novel about one girlÆs struggle to cope with tragedy, and one boyÆs refusal to give up on her.
Seven months after killing her parents in a car accident, 16-year-old Willow Randall has moved in with her married older brother's family in New York City, where she grapples with her overwhelming emotions, as well as her brother's silent anguish, by cutting herself with razors. When Guy, a fellow student, learns Willow's secret, they develop a tentative intimacy. The stark clarity of the present tense, third-person narration echoes the numbing effect that Willow achieves through cutting-"Of course any sharp edge could do in a pinch, and Willow has used them all: nail scissors, a steak knife, a man's razor.... But Willow is a purist." Despite explicit descriptions of Willow's wounds, the narrative steers clear of moralization-cutting is characterized as part of Willow's fractured sense of self, rather than part of a larger epidemic. Though Guy mainly serves as a means for Willow to rediscover human connection, and is never as fully realized as she is, his need to understand the girl whose favorite book is Tristes Tropiques but who carries razors in her backpack, is authentically tender. A credible depiction of a grieving girl's struggle toward self-forgiveness. Ages 14-up. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Gr 8 Up
Willow Randall, 17, hides a dark secret from the only family member she has left, her older brother. The survivor of a terrible car accident that killed their parents, she is now in the care of David and his wife. Trapped by the guilt she feels because she was behind the wheel, she doesn't want her brother to find out that she is a cutter. Willow depends on her blades to release the anguish and isolation she feels both at home and at school. David doesn't seem to want to talk about what happened, and, wherever she goes, she feels as if students are whispering about Willow the parent killer. Living a shadowy existence, she is astonished at the turn her world takes when a boy she meets at the library takes the time to understand her agony. In this novel that is in part a love story, Hoban takes readers on an intense journey that allows them to see a cutter's painful reality.-Caryl Soriano, New York Public Library
Anonymous
Posted February 20, 2012
What i look for in abook if for it to give real emotion not just words on a page and thats what i felt. Also this book teaches a bunch and is real touching i wish there was more.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 4, 2010
a must read book for all teens!
2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 25, 2012
It is really hard to put in words how much I like this book and why and what I liked about Willow. One of the first things I liked right off the bat was the cover. At first, I didn't look closely but once I did you could tell it was really imaginative and it represented the novel really nicely. You could tell the cover is a picture of Willow, the main character, cut up (double meaning) and then trying to be put back together, which is what Willow ends up slowly doing with Guy, a boy she meets at the university library where she works at. I also like how this book was written and Hoban's writing style. Written in third person, the book is really eye opening and the way Hoban writes the book gives of raw, deep emotions. This book really shows the emotional turmoil people can experience when a loved one dies and how that effects those around you and yourself. The issue in this book is actually a possibility that a lot of kids and young adults do or think about doing, especially if your in the situation Willow is when her parents die. Throughout this book, Willow herself really develops and grows as a character, and so does Guy once he becomes involved with Willow's life. While this novel does have a complex plot the novel still flows well. The one thing I really like is that while Guy discovers Willow as a cutter, he does not try to immediatley change Willow. The problem does not come with an immediate solution, which is what would exactly happen in real life. Willow does not have the perfect fairytale ending everyone experiences in some examples, such as the Barbie Movies, and that is what I think I like the most about this book becuase it is realistic. It is not a book where you will find this horrible conflict and then Guy comes along and then, just like that-problem solved! I definitley reccommend this book. I only give 5 stars to a book if it changes my perspectice on something, and this is a perfect example of a book that did. Read this now, you will not regret it. And you might be a little more thankful for what you have, whether it is a goldfish or your grandparents.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 16, 2012
So much emotion!
I wanted it to go on forever!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 10, 2011
Thiss story was very insperstional and sweet..
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 5, 2011
First off, I will start this by saying I am a big fan of vampire romance novels, and it is against my norm to step out and try something new. Well, my best friend bought this book and recommended it. I was reluctant because it is different, but I bought it. LOVE IT!!! It sucks you in. So well written, the characters seem so real and Julia Hoban's writing style makes you feel the way Willow feels, makes you understand her. The book just gets better and better as it goes along, and once you hit the end, you will wish it weren't over.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 30, 2011
This novel hs,as personally touched my heart and my surrounding friend's hearts as well. It showed me how I survived my owm problems and my issue of self abuse. Through this story of a sad girl of my age who goes through the pain of a cruel life, it shows me the path to light and that, no matter how hard you got it, you are never alone.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 9, 2011
best book ever
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 8, 2011
I had high hopes for this book going by the overview and the reviews and both let me down. I wanted to like this book, I really did, but the more I read, the more I disliked it. The relationship between Willow and Guy seems off. It is never clear whether they're friends or not and then all of a sudden, they...well, I don't want to give it away for those that might want to read this anyway, but I just thought it was odd. I also didn't like how it ended. It was just too abrupt for me. I expected to turn to the next page and read more, but that didn't happen and I was left asking "That was it?" The author had a great theme going here, and the plot started off good, but somewhere along the line, it fell flat and didn't reach it's full potential.
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 30, 2011
This has to be the best book about cutting I have read so far.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 27, 2011
soooooo good i loved it! ITS A GREAT BOOK!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 15, 2011
its amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 13, 2011
One oh the best books I've red in a really long time. I asure whoever reads this book will fall in love!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 12, 2011
This is a powerful message... A must-read for all teens.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 12, 2011
This book was amazing . It was full of Romance and saddness and compassion. Willow is a wonderful book i recomend it !!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 25, 2010
one if my favorite books, I couldn't put it down. I've read it multiple times
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 28, 2010
willow, love the book never going to give it away. i can read the book like 1000 times and still love the ending ,begining, and everything between!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 6, 2010
I Also Recommend:
After reading about three pages of review on how good this book is, I still don't understand what's so wonderful about it. It was written very mediocrely. First off, Willow was the typical cliche, overdramatic girl who falls in love with a boy too perfect to really exists. I felt no strong connection to any of the characters. It could have been better if it was in first person and you could understand what Willow was thinking, until waiting for the last couple of pages to understand. The transitions where HORRIBLE! One second she's in the park and the next she is on another day making her way to her old house. I'd like to really just jump in the book and kick Willow for being so selfish, redundant, and irksome.
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 13, 2012
Absolutly love this book
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 9, 2012
I loved this book! It was amazing. Highlt suggested!
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Overview
Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen-year- old WillowÆs parents drank too much wine and asked her to drive them home. They never made itùWillow lost control of the car and her parents died in the accident. Now she has left behind her old home, friends, and school, and blocks the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when Willow meets Guy, a boy as sensitive and complicated as she is, she begins an intense, life-changing relationship that turns her world upside down.Told in an arresting, fresh voice, Willow is an unforgettable novel about one girlÆs struggle to cope with tragedy, and one boyÆs refusal to give up on her.