Hannah Harringtons debut novel, Saving June, was my delightful surprise of 2011, so I had high expectations for her sophomore novel, SPEECHLESS. And while I didnt like SPEECHLESS as much as I did Saving June, it was still an uplifting and quick YA contemporary read.
SPEECHLESS strength lies in its treatment of its protagonist, Chelsea. There is no doubt that Chelsea is a mean girl at the beginning of the book, so caught up in the dangerous thriller of being the first to find and spread gossip, and yet we readers undoubtedly see the potential she has in her for good. And yeah, okay, this is kind of the way that protagonists have to bethey have to arouse our empathy in order for us to want to invest in their journeybut Chelsea is, really, likable. She has a very relatable reaction to her changing social position at her high school, but she has an inner strength that we can admire: this is not a girl who will dissolve into a spineless, quivering, tearful mess in the face of extreme challenges.
That being said, the predictability of the rest of the story made this only a mediocre read for me. SPEECHLESS follows a very basic YA contemporary story format, complete with a budding romance that readers can call from the love interests first appearance on the page. While Chelseas situation is no doubt cringe-inducingshes forced to suffer at the hands of some truly heartless school bulliesits all written about in a very straightforward manner, so that you can anticipate everything thats about to happen. While I dont always require oodles of surprises and utter originality in my reads, the elements of this book just all felt verysafe to me, and thus ultimately forgettable.
SPEECHLESS reformed protagonist, golden-hearted supporting characters, and predictably sweet romance are nothing new in this genre, but sometimes thats the kind of read you seek. If so, you cant go wrong with Hannah Harringtons well-intentioned books.
SPEECHLESS strength lies in its treatment of its protagonist, Chelsea. There is no doubt that Chelsea is a mean girl at the beginning of the book, so caught up in the dangerous thriller of being the first to find and spread gossip, and yet we readers undoubtedly see the potential she has in her for good. And yeah, okay, this is kind of the way that protagonists have to bethey have to arouse our empathy in order for us to want to invest in their journeybut Chelsea is, really, likable. She has a very relatable reaction to her changing social position at her high school, but she has an inner strength that we can admire: this is not a girl who will dissolve into a spineless, quivering, tearful mess in the face of extreme challenges.
That being said, the predictability of the rest of the story made this only a mediocre read for me. SPEECHLESS follows a very basic YA contemporary story format, complete with a budding romance that readers can call from the love interests first appearance on the page. While Chelseas situation is no doubt cringe-inducingshes forced to suffer at the hands of some truly heartless school bulliesits all written about in a very straightforward manner, so that you can anticipate everything thats about to happen. While I dont always require oodles of surprises and utter originality in my reads, the elements of this book just all felt verysafe to me, and thus ultimately forgettable.
SPEECHLESS reformed protagonist, golden-hearted supporting characters, and predictably sweet romance are nothing new in this genre, but sometimes thats the kind of read you seek. If so, you cant go wrong with Hannah Harringtons well-intentioned books.
