|
It felt more like reading historical literature than contemporary fiction, despite its 21st century setting.* Point 2: James and Helen (once she gets a body) are bunnies. Along the way, however, they make decisions that greatly affect the lives of their respective hosts.MY THOUGHTS:I went into this book believing it was a straightforward romance, but when I closed it, I realized it was more about how actions can affect others.Using prose and pacing customary in historical literature, Helen brings us through the story, explaining what it feels like to be Light, how it feels to find love with James, and her struggle with doing the right thing as opposed to following her desires when it comes to the lives of Billy and Jenny, their host bodies.The latter became the undercurrent to the story: how James and Helen's actions were affecting the lives of Billy and Jenny. And Jenny needed to confront her parents--more specifically, her mother--and let them know who she was as a person rather than shrinking away into oblivion.At the end of the book, there are plenty of strings untied, which can be frustrating, but makes for interesting discussion. In essence, James and Helen needed to do what Billy and Jenny could not.Although Billy's story was cut off due to perspective, it's relatively simple to assume that he needed to confront his brother and father in order to move forward in his life. After the final page is closed, a lot of questions about the meaning of life and death are still lingering in the air, unanswered.SHORT SYNOPSIS:Helen has died, but her spirit remains. I mean they like to get down and dirty.
A lot. And passionately.* Point 3: More questions than answers. THREE QUICK POINTS:* Point 1: Classic voice wrapped in a contemporary setting. However, it's important that the reader enjoys classic literature on some level; otherwise the motility could seem sluggish. Both with physical bodies, they proceed to live the lives of their hosts, though they have none of their memories.Through these physical bodies, both James and Helen are able to figure out what happened to them and ultimately move on. Inadvertently, both James and Helen needed to help their hosts, whose souls had vacated their bodies beforehand, in order to free themselves and bring their hosts back to their rightful homes. It helps, too, if one is in the right state of mind before reading.NB: There is some explicit sexual content, though tasteful, and some mature subjects such as drug/alcohol abuse.
To sustain her existence, she clings to living hosts.Through her current host, a modern high school English professor, she meets James. And I don't mean cute. For instance, in the case of Billy and Jenny, they seem to be in one fine mess, however, another way of looking at it would be that Billy and Jenny were drawn together for a deeper reason and they would continue forward, helping each other and possibly finding lasting love.Finally, there's plenty of allegory to decipher which brings up questions about the meaning of life and death and even God. She calls her incorporeal self Light. He is also Light, but inhabiting the body of Billy Blake.As James and Helen come to know each other, their desire to connect on a physical level grows and they decide Helen needs a body. It's a great book to pick up for book clubs as there are likely to be many conflicting opinions. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under 16, or at least, anyone who is not mature enough to handle such content.
Helen is a ghost destined to exist alone. After talking to the boy, she realizes that have more in common than she first knew and this takes her on a journey that she could never have imagined.I found this book interesting enough to keep my attention but honestly didn't get **can't put it down** good feelings about it until the very end. For reasons unknown to her since she cannot remember her previous life, she is required to go from host to host to keep from going back to the horrible place she came from. Everything changes when a guy in her host's English class actually looks at her, this has never happened to her since she has been a ghost. The story is good and fairly interesting but the plot seem thin and meandering, I wasn't sure where it was going. I will say I was a little surprised at how things turned out in the end, but it was a nice, satisfying ending that made this a better read than I thought it would be about half way through.The cover is nice and spooky so of course I liked that, ha ha, and there are some critical moments of the book that center around bathtubs so it is appropriate also.
And I felt compelled to write a review right after while all the emotions are still fresh in my mind. It's just beautiful. If they did, it would be a terrible mistake. The heroine, Helen, is so complex, yet completely relateable in all of her ghostly glory. I wouldn't be surprised if people sort of classified A Certain Slant of Light as just one of the many fantasy YA novels that are romance and were made solely to capitalize on the success of Twilight. They might dismiss it because of that. I just finished reading this book, literally, like a minute ago. There's a poetic flow to it that just leaves you engrossed with not only the plot, but with the language.
So, people shouldn't dismiss this book just because it's YA. And that's something that sets it apart from the those other fluffy YA novels (Twilight, Evermore, etc). Not only is it an amazing YA book, but an amazing book, period. And fluff is good sometimes, yes, but sometimes you need to something a little more meaty and that's what this is. I have to say that this is what every fantasy romance novel (especially ones that are classified as Young Adult) should strive to be. The romance in this was really sweet, but what really had me hooked, was Helen's backstory.
This shouldn't even be classified with those other YA novels, not because they're necessarily bad, but because those are more or less fluff. The writing in A Certain Slant of Light is simply superb. Her attachment to her various hosts, her love of reading, her desire to escape the hell she was sometimes plunged into, but her utter fear at actually finding out what happened to her was compelling. One that I believe everyone would enjoy if not for the plot, then for the tremendous and beautiful writing.
This novel has such a great twist on reality. Please don't be mislead. At first glance this book looks like some depressing suicide story. And you'll love the end. This book is VERY well written. I felt longing and sorrow and love in this book. 5 stars and anyone who says differently is crazy. :)
"Someone was looking at me, a disturbing sensation if you're dead."Helen has been dead for over one hundred years, existing as a spirit, haunting a succession of hosts who do not know she is there. A boy, ordinary in every other respect, looks at her in the class of the high school English teacher she is haunting - looks at her and sees her. Although she does not remember why she has been denied ascension to heaven, Helen is sure she did something horribly wrong in her life; something she cannot remember, something she is afraid to try to recall. And so she stays on earth, surrounded by people and yet alone.And then one day, out of nowhere, it happens. For the first time in 130 years, Helen can be with someone who knows she is there, someone who can not only see her, but who can hear her as well. Although one is flesh and one is spirit, these two are truly soul mates and they will take extraordinary measures in order to be together.
|
