Helpful Score: 1
I really liked this book! It is written from three different perspectives which makes it very interesting. When I read the first chapter from the unborn child's perspective it was so sweet and unexpected I wanted to cry!
An intense story of one woman who alienates herself, a teen that needs help and a baby who brings them together. Awesome read
This was a wonderful little book; unusual, terribly flawed characters. I only wish it was longer because I wanted to know what happened to everyone!
Different, i think i kind of liked it.
Was a tough read...not bad, but emotional. I would compare this in tissue levels to The Lovely Bones. :) Excellent book though, and I look forward to more from this author.
I loved the book. I especially liked the story being told from the 3 different characters. It made the book very interesting and I couldn't put it down.
Addonizio writes with sultry candor about womanhood under duress in her celebrated poetry, collected most recently in What Is This Thing Called Love? (2004). She now extends her provocative inquiry with verve and creative license in her first novel. Diana loves her job at a Long Beach baby store, but she is beginning to detect the contamination that haunts her. A former child pageant star pushed mercilessly by her man-crazy, alcoholic mother, Diana is a compulsive washer. Her obsessive behavior has driven away her husband, and she can't imagine how she can possibly give shelter to Jamie, a 17-year-old unwed mother, and her newborn, Stella, who desperately need a place to stay because Jamie's mother insists that she give Stella up for adoption. Addonizio writes with mesmerizing realism about Diana's efforts to conquer her neurosis and Jaime's conflicted motherhood, then turns to tongue-in-cheek fantasy to convey Stella's predicament as an old soul trapped in an infant's helpless body. The result is a funny, insightful, and diverting tale of high anxiety, rocky mother-daughter relationships, and the tyranny of the body.
Wonderfully readable fare tossing surprising characters together and reminding us of teh power of compassion in human growth, no matter at what juncture of teh journey we find ourselves. Satisfying.
This book sucked me right in! It tells the story through the 3 main characters, but does so in a way that you can understand. Each character adds their own specific pov to the overall story.
I recommend this one. It is not deep, but it is. An easy read that makes you think.
I recommend this one. It is not deep, but it is. An easy read that makes you think.
Too depressing. Also, I am not into the new age thing...the unborn baby speaks as if reincarnated.
My rating of 3 stars is an average of the ratings I would give each of three narrators of the book, who tell the story in alternating chapters.
Diana, dealing with her OCD without her medication after her husband's departure, I would give 5 stars. I thought her p.o.v. was very realistic and found her to be a mostly sympathetic character.
Jamie, a pregnant recent high school graduate, who hates people but loves fashion, I would give 3 stars. Her character didn't entirely make sense to me, partially because certain aspects of her personality didn't go together and partially because I wanted to slap her. But in the end, I have to admit that she's probably a pretty realistic depiction of a certain type of teenage girl.
The first-person narrative of Stella, Jamie's unborn and then newly born baby, I absolutely hated. One star is being generous. If the whole book had been told from her p.o.v., I wouldn't have made it through the first chapter. Apparently, Addonizio thought the baby had something to contribute to the story, but I found it to be hokey, new-agey, and just plain ridiculous. The idea that she picked Jamie to be her mother was laughable. I especially hated the revelation that she was somehow connected to another character in a past life.
If Addonizio had written this novel alternating between Diana & Jamie, I probably would have given it 4 stars.
Diana, dealing with her OCD without her medication after her husband's departure, I would give 5 stars. I thought her p.o.v. was very realistic and found her to be a mostly sympathetic character.
Jamie, a pregnant recent high school graduate, who hates people but loves fashion, I would give 3 stars. Her character didn't entirely make sense to me, partially because certain aspects of her personality didn't go together and partially because I wanted to slap her. But in the end, I have to admit that she's probably a pretty realistic depiction of a certain type of teenage girl.
The first-person narrative of Stella, Jamie's unborn and then newly born baby, I absolutely hated. One star is being generous. If the whole book had been told from her p.o.v., I wouldn't have made it through the first chapter. Apparently, Addonizio thought the baby had something to contribute to the story, but I found it to be hokey, new-agey, and just plain ridiculous. The idea that she picked Jamie to be her mother was laughable. I especially hated the revelation that she was somehow connected to another character in a past life.
If Addonizio had written this novel alternating between Diana & Jamie, I probably would have given it 4 stars.
I bought this book one day because it was on clearance at Waldenbooks. It sounded interesting, and was cheap, so I figured, why not? I really enjoyed it! It's a fairly quick, easy read. The way the characters' lives all connect is really neat. Give it a chance!
Good read that went by quickly. Book had few surprises!
Little Beauties is told from the perspective of three characters. The first is Diana. Diana is a mid-thirty year old who was recently seperated (not by her choice)from her husband. Diana's OCD controls her life. Jamie is the pregnant teenager who is unhappy about her current situation. Diana and Jamie cross paths and eventually their lives become involved. The third perspective is Stella, Jamie's unborn baby.
The book is a quick read
The book is a quick read
