Elsewhere
by Gabrielle Zevin
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Book Reviews of Elsewhere
Book Review: Too juvenile
Summary: 3 Stars
A rather disappointing book. Having read and liked Zevin's "Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac," I expected "Elsewhere" to be a book of the same high quality. No luck.
"Elsewhere" is not strictly a bad book. It has a very great premise - what happens when you die? In the book you move to Elsewhere where you age back (instead of getting older you get younger) while growing up mentally, until you become a baby and then you are send back to earth to live another life. The book is about coming to terms with your death, about enjoying your life no matter what strange form it is in.
Yes, the book has plenty of great ideas, but they are wrapped up in a very dull and childish plot with a lot of teenage whining. Even the "romance" rings false - you basically have a 35-year old man (in a body of a 17-old boy) fall in love with a 15-year old girl. There are talking dogs and mermaids and Elsewhere itself is a rather boring utopia-like place. Ultimately the story is just extremely juvenile. I think if you take out references of sexuality from "Elsewhere" it will make a great read for 10-year olds (to spark that conversation about afterlife), but as a young adult novel it falls short.
Book Review: Heaven Sent
Summary: 4 Stars
"Elsewhere" starts rather jarringly from the perspective of the beloved pet of our heroine as we watch this pet mourn the untimely death of the book's said heroine, Liz. I wasn't too sure where the book would go from there and that's sort of the way the rest of the book feels.
From the opening, the perspective of the book switches from Liz's dog to the world as seen through Liz's eyes, a world that is complicated, jarring, surprising, enchanting and unexpectedly more awesome than the reader can imagine. A world with hints of the past (of lives lived, loves lost) but with its own fascinating infrastructure and unexpected twists and turns.
Between Earth and Hell, it seems, is a place called Elsewhere, a vivid, fascinating Heaven-like world drawn vividly from the imagination of author Gabrielle Zevin in a haunting, heartfelt novel that leaves you hungering for more and thoroughly in love with a cast of characters as diverse as ever pulled together an deft novelist, by fate...or in this case, death.
"Elsewhere" never quite stops feeling like a dream, as Liz says frequently, or a fairytale. And like a dream, it haunts you long after the fairytale is over.
Book Review: Learn about life through death
Summary: 5 Stars
A young adult book that teaches how to get the most out of life, through the experience of death. In this interpretation of the afterlife, known as Elsewhere, there is little mention and no influence of a Supreme Being. Death is just another version of life, but one lived backwards. This is a fantasy book of "what if" that will resonate with teenagers, who question the purpose of everything. They won't come out of the book with a lot of answers, but a lot of possibilites. Most importantly, they will gain an appreciation of every day, even the mundane details and activities. The main character is a 15 year old who, upon waking up on her way to Elsewhere, struggles mightily against the notion of her new life in Death. Eventually, a caring grandmother who she never new in Life, helps her overcome the difficult transitional period and she finds a new life in Elsewhere. This is a brilliantly written, complex story involving many challenging concepts: a life lived backward on a different time line from other characters; afterlife; rebirth; teen-age rebellion; teen romance... This would be a great book for a teenage book club as it would easily lead to powerful discussions.Book Review: Elsewhere
Summary: 5 Stars
Lizzie Hall is fifteen and preparing to get her driver's license and help her friend pick out a dress for the prom. All of these plans change in the blink of an eye. Suddenly Lizzie wakes up on a ship called the SS Nile. She and her roommate Thandi, dressed in white pajama's leave the room to find food and explore. Unlike Thandi it takes Liz a while to realize that she, like everyone else on this ship is dead. When the ship finally stops she finds herself in a place called Elsewhere and on the dock is her Grandmother Betty.
Liz tries all kinds of things to find out who she is in this strange place. Just when she thinks she has it figured out and has found someone to love, her luck changes again.
This was an absolutely delightful read. You see the rebellious teenager unwilling to change at first and then you see the teenager who has decided to give her time in elsewhere her best. She finds talents she never knew she had and uses them to help others. This was a fun read. I found myself giggling out loud at times. This book definitely gets a 5 out of 5 for being easy, delightful and fun.
Book Review: Elsewhere- definitely not nowhere
Summary: 4 Stars
When sixteen year old, Liz, finds herself on a cruise ship headed for who-knows-where, it takes her a bit of time to realize that she's dead. When the ship docks, Liz quickly learns that she is in "Elsewhere," the unlikely final destination for the deceased.
Elsewhere looks a lot like any other place; there are streets filled with cars and people who go to and from "work" on a daily basis. But Elsewhere isn't like any other place, for one big reason: instead of getting older with every year that passes, inhabitants of Elsewhere, every year, get younger.
Although Liz comes to terms with her sudden death, she takes for granted the fact that, despite initial appearances, her new life is filled with possibility and promise. When Liz finally learns that, in reality, "any life is one worth living," her own time in Elsewhere is also coming to an end.
Elsewhere is a great life and death story, with a fresh, fascinating twist to the forever-old question, "what happens to us when we die?"
-Reviewed by Jill MacKenzie