Speak (Platinum Edition) by Laurie Halse Anderson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Speak (Platinum Edition)
Book Review: A Great Read
Summary: 5 Stars
This was a really great read. Melinda's voice compelled me to listen. Listen to her story. Learn how she lives.
This book covered a year in Melinda's life in under 200 pages. You don't get a day by day description of her life. This sparse writing worked well because you know that, for the most part, her life is monotonous, one day being the exact same as the last.
I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book. Thankfully, I was surprised in a good way. It's a lot deeper than I had imagined. While she battles her demons, Melinda walks anonymous among her schoolmates and family. I wanted to scream at them. Couldn't they see what she was going through? The pain she endures?
This was a fabulous read. You should definitely pick it up
Book Review: A Very Good Read
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fiction book but it reads like a non-fiction book. It is about Melinda who starts her freshman year in High School as an outcast. It has to do with a terrible incident that occurred just before school started. She does not speak much, if at all, at school--hence the title of the book. Her observations about High School are dead on! There was a lot of hype about this book and now I see why. This is a great book for teens, but I think anybody would enjoy it. You get into it quick and I had a hard time putting it down. At less than 200 pages, it is a quick read. Well worth reading for sure! The ending is AWESOME!Book Review: A character who truly comes to life, scars and all
Summary: 5 Stars
A couple of weeks ago, I read You, a YA novel that, for all its compelling thoughts and voice, got so involved in having a clever plot that it forgot that the best thing about "slice of life" books is when they remain grounded in everyday life. I mention that to say that Speak, by contrast, is the sort of YA book that manages, miraculously, to do almost everything right. Speak is the story of Melinda Sordino, a young girl who starts her freshman year of high school abandoned by her friends, misunderstood by her parents, and slowly withdrawing into a near-mute state. The reasons for this remain murky for some time, although Anderson foreshadows it well and deals with the nature of Melinda's crisis well. There's a lot here that I loved, but what Anderson really creates is a rich, thoughtful character whose psychology and scars seem genuine, not forced, and one whose story truly feels believable and relatable. The book stumbles at a few points - there's some heavy-handed symbolism, the art teacher is a bit absurd, and the climax is a bit silly. But they're all minor, forgivable points when woven into such a rich characterization. By the time you finish the book, you truly feel as if you know Melinda well, and she feels like someone who could easily be around you at any time. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical going in, but I really loved Speak a lot, and I totally understand the push to include it in English classes - and agree with it 100%.Book Review: A good book to read
Summary: 4 Stars
I enjoyed reading Speak. It's about a girl named Melinda Sordino, who struggles through ninth grade as an outcast who everyone hates after calling the cops at a party for reasons no one knew, except for her (that will be revealed throughout the story). Every student hated her, that is all except Heather, a new kid from Ohio, and David Petrakis, Melinda's biology lab partner and a very free minded student. Every teacher she had was her worst except for Mr. Freeman, her art teacher, the only one she could turn to who always encouraged her to express herself through her art topic: trees. Her parents tried to get her to open up but she refuses, for she doesn't want to tell the truth of what happened the night of the party as it affects her grades and soon her attendance. This book has many exciting parts and I recommend it for all realistic fiction fans.Book Review: A horrible event dealt with using lyrical prose, humor, and deep honesty
Summary: 5 Stars
I didn't think I would like this book, given the basis for what Melinda goes through over the course of her freshman year in high school. However, it is not so much about what happened to her to her, as what happens afterward and how she deals with it, and then how she finally deals with the initial assault. This is all set in the atmosphere of high school - a stressful atmosphere that most of us can relate to - at atmosphere full of vivid characters that will bring you back to those stressful days of young adulthood.
The main character is whitty and smart in spite of the horror that happened to her, the verbage Anderson uses is funny and lyrical. This is a great book that earned keeper status on my shelf.