Violet & Claire by Francesca Lia Block Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Violet & Claire
Book Review: Mezmerizing and Impossible to Put Down
Summary: 5 Stars
Violet & Claire became my all-time favorite book before I was even finished reading it. It's easy to connect with, which I did, on a very deep level. It was like this book was the story of my life, and the absolute description of me--I'm just like Claire, with a Violety edge. I also happen to be a very huge Toriphile (a follower of Tori Amos) and I was so excited when I saw the excerpts from the song Bells for Her! The first part of the book is narrated by Violet. She talks about her passion for screenwriting, and about her life. She's dark, cynical, sarcastic, and different from other people, therefore rejected by all her peers. Then she meets Claire. The second part of the book is narrated by Claire, who is sparkly, poetic, pure, innocent, and honest. She not only believes in faeries, she believes she is a faerie. The third part of the book is narrated in the third person, both Violet and Claire. This book is the story of how their friendship was strong enough to overcome anything.
The two girls are almost metaphorical, the two sides of every girl. Every girl has an innocent side and a dark side. Violet is the dark, and Claire is the light.
Violet & Claire is classified as Young Adult, and I was a little put off by that at first, but I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't belong there. There was some sex in it, along with bad language, and a few drug issues. In my opinion, that only serves to make the book more realistic, but if you're thinking of getting this book for a younger kid, definitely think twice-- it really should go in the adult section.
In short, I would recommend this book to the teenage girl or woman who is not weak at heart.
Book Review: Not Her Best Work
Summary: 3 Stars
I haven't know about FLB for very long. In fact, I have only two of her books including Violet And Claire. I needed a book for school and bought the Hanged Man and I was hooked on FLB's work. A few weeks later I bought Violet and Claire. I must admit, I was very disappointed. The ending seemed like it was rushed and I was fuming when I reached the last pages of the book. It felt incomplete, like their was more to the story. The book was great up until the end and would've been fine narrated just by Violet or in third peron. Claire's part of the story was very short and we don't get to know much about her. (IE. The boys trying to shoot her with the shotgun.) All I have to say is that if you're buying one of FLB's books for the first time, don't buy Violet and Claire because you'll never look at her name again.Book Review: Not Just Kid Stuff
Summary: 5 Stars
Dynamite comes in a small package--you can read "Violet and Claire" in an evening. A fusion of art forms: the realism of a novel, the mythical feeling of a fairy tale, and the lyricism of poetry. Exquisitely written in a style that is full-formed sensual yet economical, it tells the yin-yang story of two alienated high school girls who find each other, "like shadow and light. . .Dawn and Midnight." Insightful. Poetic and sensuous images. Marketers might pigeonhole this is a teenage fiction, but the quality of of the writing transcends pigeonholes.Book Review: Not as good the second time around..
Summary: 3 Stars
I loved this book when I first read it but reading it again this year dissapointed me. First off, I get tired of Francesca always using these magical fae girls in every single one of her novels. It gets tiring quite fast. I mean, I adore a sort of alternative vibe running around in her novels but the adoration of Tori Amos (who I do love by the way) and being into zines and things of like is not really realistic. In a lot of ways; her novels aren't really showing teenagers as they are.
But, I do enjoy how she writes as whole and that her works are always clever to a degree. But when I read it once more; I thought that this book wasn't as magical as I percieved. I seriously wanted to bash Claire with her faerie wand and push Violet from her Hummer while it was moving. The main characters grated me that badly.
Read Echo or Girl Goddess #9, way better books.
Book Review: One of the better books i have read this year!
Summary: 4 Stars
If I could give this book four and a half stars, I would. The way Block uses movie script format to tell the story in Part 1 then going to regular format in Parts 2 & 3 is unique. I must say though, it took me a long time to start this book and get into it. To me, it had a very hard, and some-what boring beginning. But I am glad I continued reading it. The characters are portrayed very well, in both realistic and fantasy ways. And they are not hard to relate to. The plot line is strong and it holds up all through the book. I recommend this book to older, more mature readers, as younger/immature crowds may not see the book in its true light.