Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
by Gabrielle Zevin
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Book Reviews of Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
Book Review: She does reality well, too.
Summary: 5 Stars
I read Zevin's _Elsewhere_ at the urging of my (then) 12 year-old niece and was a little surprised to like it as much as I did. I generally love YA novels, but the premise put me off until I'd let it suck me in. I'd worried about icky sweetness, but I could have saved my energy. It's off-center and very good.
I happened across _Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac_ about six months later, and I just loved it. Zevin does reality even better than she does the unreality of _Elsewhere_. Well, I assume it's reality. I find good parents and functional, if broken, families to carry a fantasy air for me, but these felt like they could exist, fairly near our planet, too. Beyond the loving parents, though, it's the portrayals of the teenage amnesiac and her peers that sold me on the book. I knew a James once, although it was an even messier situation and lacked a happy ending. I'm pretty sure Naomi's walked this earth, too, or does in some quantum variant, along with Will. They're smart, creative, energetic, good kids who are the objects on which life practices its blows. Their responses range from errors to misunderstandings to loving connection. They're people living a story and people you want to follow through that story. I liked them.
Thanks to Zevin for this good read. I'm definitely passing it on to my (now) 13 year old (going on l7 year old) niece. Good stuff.
Book Review: Falls Just Short of Five Stars
Summary: 4 Stars
**SPOILERS**
I loved this book. It was the first time in a LONG while that I sat through and read a book in one sitting, and I loved every moment. The writing was very realistic and engaging, and to think, it's all about the most overused dramatic ingredient ever--amnesia. I love that Zevin twisted something as cliche as amnesia and turned it into such an interesting story. A teenager with amnesia, trying to live two lives. Brilliant! All the characters were fully engaging, funny, and spectacularly well-developed. In my mind, while reading, the characters were absolutely real. No matter if some of the plot, some of the situations they put themselves in weren't the most believable, but the fact that THEY were doing it made it all realistic. My one complaint is Naomi's constant barrage of boys. The big revelation about Will was beautiful and explained SO much; it was one of those big OH! moments you so rarely find in books anymore. Beyond that though, Ace (the one flat character in the book) and James (interesting character who goes nowhere) seemed to ruin the story--the focus should have been on the relationship between Naomi and Will all along, and a more conclusive ending for these two would have been nice as well. 4.5/5
Book Review: Trusting who you are
Summary: 4 Stars
Trusting who you are
The book Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin was an inspiring story about a girl named Naomi who suffers from Amnesia after falling down a flight of stairs. Naomi and her best friend, Will work for the school yearbook, and enjoy it a lot. Naomi is popular, and dating a good-looking boy named Ace. After being rushed to the Hospital, she wakes up several days later to realize that she doesn't remember anything after the 6th grade. When she has to go back to school, it is hard for her to fit in and try to be the Naomi everyone knows.
I enjoyed this book very much and would recommend it to teenagers. It's romantic, funny, sad, and makes you think. I liked how Naomi had to go through a lot and make hard decisions that I think a lot of teens face. Everything bad that happens to Naomi makes her stronger and a better person. I think it sends an important message to kids to stay true to yourself and don't just do things to be "popular." The book really makes you care about Naomi and you can't help but read on. It shows that something bad might happen in your life, but once you get out of it, you may be better off. That's why I enjoyed this book so much.
Book Review: Won't be able to forget this one!
Summary: 5 Stars
Have you ever wanted to just forget the past, start clean? Or reinvent yourself? This is what happens to Naomi when she falls down the steps at her high school. She doesn't remember her friends, her boyfriend, basically the last four years of her life. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin is a truly entertaining and moving story. It's shocking the things that Naomi forgets and then has to learn all over again. Secrets about her family, secrets about her friends. It all becomes a little easier after she meets James, a lost soul like herself. But James has some big secrets in his past too. Secrets big enough to keep them apart. And what about Will, Naomi's best friend? What is he hiding? Read to find out!
I really enjoyed this book. I had been wanting to read it forever and it was worth the wait. Naomi is a sympathetic character but not perfect. I like characters that are flawed. It is true to real life. Naomi doesn't make the best decisions but that is also true to real life. I also love Will, her best friend. The supporting characters, including James, add a lot of depth and emotion to the story. It wouldn't be the same book without them.
Book Review: Angieville: MEMOIRS OF A TEENAGE AMNESIAC
Summary: 3 Stars
Everyone went nuts over Zevin's first novel Elsewhere. So naturally I stayed away and waited for her second. I was not disappointed. Naomi falls down the stairs, bumps her head, and loses the last four years. Unfortunately the last four years include her parents' divorce, her insipid tennis star boyfriend Ace, and her best friend and yearbook co-editor Will "Coach" Landsman. Zevin's writing maintains a cheerfully slower pace than so many of her contemporaries, and I liked Naomi's voice. She begins by telling us, "Above all, mine is a love story. And like most love stories, this one involves chance, gravity, a dash of head trauma." Good start. Naomi doesn't rush things trying to find out about her past. She slips back into her life as unobtrusively as is humanly possible when everyone around you knows all about you but you don't know the first thing about them. She gives poor Ace a fighting chance even though he's mind-numbingly boring. She falls in love with James because she wants to and because he needs her. Best of all she remembers Will and something she knew all along. Well done, girl.