Author: Julie Anne Peters
Series: N/A
Published: 1st September 2007
Length: 160 pages
Warnings: child
abuse, attempted rape
Source: Library
Other info: I
really enjoyed Luna
Summary :I n this honest, emotionally captivating
short story collection, renowned author and National Book Award finalist Julie
Anne Peters offers a stunning portrayal of young women as they navigate the
hurdles of relationships and sexual identity.
From the young lesbian taking her first steps toward coming out to the two strangers who lock eyes across a crowded train, from the transgender teen longing for a sense of self to the girl whose abusive father has turned her to stone, Peters is the master of creating characters whose own vulnerability resonates with readers and stays with them long after the last page is turned.
Grl2grl shows the rawness of teenage emotion as young girls become women and begin to discover the intricacies of love, dating and sexuality.
From the young lesbian taking her first steps toward coming out to the two strangers who lock eyes across a crowded train, from the transgender teen longing for a sense of self to the girl whose abusive father has turned her to stone, Peters is the master of creating characters whose own vulnerability resonates with readers and stays with them long after the last page is turned.
Grl2grl shows the rawness of teenage emotion as young girls become women and begin to discover the intricacies of love, dating and sexuality.
Review: I didn’t
know what to expect from this. I really wasn’t paying attention when I got it
from the library, so was surprised to find it was a collection of short
stories.
Passengers-Tam starts getting to know the person on the
train, and herself.
Can't Stop the Feeling-Mariah working up th courage to go to the GSA. Nice enough characters, open ending as to Mariah's choices later. I liked Lily.
After Alex- The dealing with Alex's break up with Rachel. Not much happened here.
Outside/Inside-Logan selects a card for the girl she likes. Nice little twist. This was a good one.
On the Floor-sporting competition. Not much happened.
Stone Cold Butch-Cammie's abusive father has made her cold. This was emotional.
Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder- a "sex ed" class leads to Aimee chatting to ex-best-friend Peyton, discussing things. Nice reunion. A little emotional.
Boi-the story of Vince, the transgender teen looking for hir sense of self, being looked after by hir brother Kevin, and ze gets attacked. This one was emotional. I got close to Vince in the story.
TIAD tells of two girls on a support forum, Scar_tissu and Black_Venus, who fall in love. This was a nice one.
Two-part Intervention-Kat and Annika, great friends, violinist and cellist, haven't seen eachother for a year. They reunite. Short, happy, nice use of music.
Can't Stop the Feeling-Mariah working up th courage to go to the GSA. Nice enough characters, open ending as to Mariah's choices later. I liked Lily.
After Alex- The dealing with Alex's break up with Rachel. Not much happened here.
Outside/Inside-Logan selects a card for the girl she likes. Nice little twist. This was a good one.
On the Floor-sporting competition. Not much happened.
Stone Cold Butch-Cammie's abusive father has made her cold. This was emotional.
Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder- a "sex ed" class leads to Aimee chatting to ex-best-friend Peyton, discussing things. Nice reunion. A little emotional.
Boi-the story of Vince, the transgender teen looking for hir sense of self, being looked after by hir brother Kevin, and ze gets attacked. This one was emotional. I got close to Vince in the story.
TIAD tells of two girls on a support forum, Scar_tissu and Black_Venus, who fall in love. This was a nice one.
Two-part Intervention-Kat and Annika, great friends, violinist and cellist, haven't seen eachother for a year. They reunite. Short, happy, nice use of music.
Most of these were too short. They all felt like they were
the beginning of something, and were cut off before I could make that much of a connection with the
characters.
That said, there’s some great things in these stories. There’s
a very large range of characters, and I think everyone will see something of
themselves in at least one of them. There’s a lot of issues coming
up-homophobia, transphobia, abuse and so on, which gives the book a rather
depressing, pessimistic feel, but is good in showing how some people cope. The writing was gentle and suited the themes
well.
Overall: Strength 2.5, just about more a 3, tea to a
book with great themes and topics raised, but stories I couldn’t get in to.
Sounds very interesting, but I'm not sure I have the stomach for some of the more violent stories.
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