Lucy's Reviews > Hope Was Here

it was so awsome the obstacles she had, yet she was able to overcome them!

"the food was hood and hot." that about sums up the story. I agree, I have no idea what age group this is for. If I had to guess: high school or early college for pure entertainment. Age aside, I'm sure it's popular with the waitressing crowd.

bookclub selection for group of retired teachers, publishers, and grandmoms. verdict...feel good book rated PG-13 (contains violence). three stars for the young adult audience.

Funny that we seem to be comming from the same perspective - but with entirely different conclusions. Perhaps you can see my review of the same book. It has gone to the top of my list of books that get beyond stereotypes and allow people and circumstances to be good, bad and otherwise. Beyond the content - having been a waitress I loved the metaphors - serving people as love in all it's messiness....

p.s. Even the title.. Hope Was Here is embedded in the story and has numerous meanings. This book would be a first pick for a book club/reading group for women and girls of all ages...at least over 13.

I realize I am significantly late to the party on your review, but it *is* currently the first review shown, so I hope you'll excuse me. I also thought your review was interesting because you didn't seem to want to dislike the book, and because you pointed out several things that I actually love about the book.

I love Hope's fear of abandonment, for example. I think it adds a great amount of dimension to her character, and provides some interesting insight into why she wants to fit in with her surroundings. I also don't think it was totally random that she joined GT's campaign. She's invited by Braverman, and since he's one of the only people in her age group she knows, and since she's been wanting to make friends in her new town, she agrees to come. If she waits for school to start, she'd be waiting all summer, only interacting with people at the diner. I didn't think that was odd at all. You've never gone to a meeting or met up with a group of people you only tangentially know and then been sucked into the thing(s) they love? I have. More than once.

I also don't think the abandonment issues are over the heads of elementary-aged readers. It feels condescending to say that a fourth or fifth grader couldn't relate to Hope because of that, or wouldn't understand it. Of course people that young understand abandonment and feeling like you're unloved. Also, Bauer wrote this book before "Young Adult" became a widespread thing, so she was writing for an audience that could have been anywhere from 8 to 18. The fact that she can write for so broad an age range while still writing a compelling book laced with hope, love, laughter, bitterness, and healing is pretty amazing.

I'm interested by your statement that the message seems "dangerously oversimplified." What message? That hope is invaluable? That life is worth fighting for, even if you lose the battle? And how and why is it "dangerous"? I'm curious what you mean, and what message you think is so dangerous to be teaching kids.

I also thought it was interesting you focused in on the politics plotline when, for my money at least (and I did read this book for the first time in high school, however many years ago, and acknowledge that might color my views on the book now) the story is about family, keeping hope and faith alive even in dire circumstances, and perseverance. Sure, the physical climax of the book centers around GT's race for mayor, but the emotional climax is centered on the relationship between Hope and GT.

Anyway, I'd be super curious to discuss this further with you, if you're interested, but don't feel like you have to comment or PM me if you don't want to. Have a great day!

Who did you expect the audience to be? I found this book in the YA section at the library. Quit being a bully (your words, not mine) and cut her some slack. Did it occur to you that other people might enjoy the book you hate so much? Even the kids who get bullied at the playground have someone who likes them.

Agreed! My MS and 9er students will probably enjoy it as an easy choice read, but a Newberry?

Lindsay, good grief -- attacking someone for an honest opinion because not everyone agrees with it, in order to say that one shouldn't share one's honest opinion because there are people who disagree with it. I found the review quite sympathetic, which is why the reviewer started out by indicating that it was an opinion that might be disagreed with, in order to soften the blow. Lindsay makes it sound like the review was angry and thoughtless! Anyway, the fact that it pits a liberal in a positive light and a conservative in the negative is prime evidence for why it was selected for the Newbery honor.

"She most certainly didn't write it for a 32 year-old moderate"

Well... It's a Newberry winner so that should be your first indication that it's for children.

I can personally vouch for it not being "too mature" since I read it when I was 11 years old and absolutely none of it went over my head. I related to Hope a lot when I read this so I don't think her mentality is "far-older-than-actual-sixteen" since I was much younger than that. I don't know what adolescents and teens you're spending time with but I definitely think they deserve more credit than you're giving them.

I suspect it earned a Newberry for Joan's ability to convey complicated life experiences in a way that is digestible for adolescents.