The Girl Without Anyone (Bookray)

Registered by Nik-The-Stik of London, Ontario Canada on 6/2/2004
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9 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by Nik-The-Stik from London, Ontario Canada on Wednesday, June 2, 2004
TBR

(Advanced Reading Copy edition)

Came across this little novel in the bookshop today and it really intrigued me. The plot/concept/character sound interesting; and it's by a young Vancouver author, to boot! Perhaps if it's as good a story as it looks, I will think about turning into my 1st bookray/ring :)

Journal Entry 2 by Nik-The-Stik from London, Ontario Canada on Thursday, June 10, 2004
Hmmmmm - as I'm writing this, I honestly can't decide on a rating quite yet.... This has to be one of those rare times where I've come away from a book without being completely sure what I've made of it. And yet that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's a quick read - 1 day, more or less really. More of a really long short story/vignettes is how I'd decribe it. In a way, I came away wanting a bit more character work/description, but really, in its own way, it was also endearing enough as is. I'd definitley say it's worth a read - especially as a nice little diversion in between longer novels. And I guess I'm partial to it as well, since it was written by a fellow Canadian :) It was enjoyable.


from the back cover:

"The Girl Without Anyone is the story of Leah, a girl standing on the edge -- between girl & woman, between self and self-loathing, and between reaching out for love and recoiling in painful rejection. These eight stories reveal Leah in all her sometimes funny, sometimes poignant insecurities. A girl growing up dysfunctional in the suburbs......"

"In prose that is spare and compelling, The Girl Without Anyone is a book that is often disturbing in its unflinchingly honest portrayal of a girl's universal search for love and acceptance. At the same time, it's a touchingly sensitive and often funny look at a young woman and her family, who, despite their failings, continue to have hope that love will triumph....
A remarkable first book of fiction from a new and gifted writer."

Journal Entry 3 by Nik-The-Stik from London, Ontario Canada on Thursday, June 10, 2004
I am turning this into my first Bookray! (int'l)

The usual Bookray process applies here. All I request is that you add a journal entry when you receive the book, and then another after you have read it -- with your thoughts on it, hopefully -- letting us know that it has/when it has been posted to the next person on the list (who you will PM, of course, for their shipping details when you are ready to post it on). Thanks everyone! :)

Below is a list of participants in current shipping order (eff as of June 12):

Brujula, EUR (prefer to ship EUR)
MyopicMeringue, UK (prefer EUR)
Suzy26, EUR (ship anywhere)
cyrclark, CAN (prefer to ship CAN/US)
tyvmdear, CAN (ship CAN/US)
lemondrop622, USA (ship anywhere)
Megi53, USA (ship anywhere)
lv2crop, USA (ship anywhere, if needed) *now in possession of
maria8487, USA

Journal Entry 4 by Nik-The-Stik from London, Ontario Canada on Monday, June 14, 2004
Will be mailing to Brujula, in Europe, on June 15th! :)

Journal Entry 5 by Nik-The-Stik from London, Ontario Canada on Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Dropped in the mailbox this morning! Fare thee well, little book! :)

Journal Entry 6 by Brujula from Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais France on Sunday, June 27, 2004
Waiting for me to come back from vacation!

Journal Entry 7 by Brujula from Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais France on Monday, July 19, 2004
I have mixed feelings about this book. It's characters are completely alien to me. Leah isn't really "likeable". These short stories leave me a little despaired (can you say that?)

Thank you for sharing this book, Nik-The-Stik. It was an interesting reading.

Well... on to the next reader! I'm shipping the book to MyopicMeringue today.


Journal Entry 8 by MyopicMeringue on Friday, July 30, 2004
I received this in the post yesterday. Looks really interesting. I'm afraid I won't be able to read it straight away though - I received three other bookring books all in the last week! But I'll try and read them all as quickly as I can! :-)

Journal Entry 9 by MyopicMeringue on Friday, September 10, 2004
I read this today. It's a very quick read. It comprises of a few brief glimpses into the life of a girl growing up. I loved its utter lack of sentimentality - all the hardness, self-centredness and cruelty of youth are shown as they are, as well as the vulnerability and insecurity. I found it an insightful look into the passage of adolescence, although Leah's character didn't quite convince me. Her lack of a sense of self is too extreme, and clashes with her very insightful ability to define and analyse her own insecurities and needs.

I believe this book would have been more successful if it weren't written in the first person - then the author could give the psychological explanations herself without having to put them in the mouth of a teenager who couldn't possibly understand them. Furthermore, the depiction of Leah's lack of a sense of self would be easier to accept from a third person narrator because such a device creates distance anyway, and we could assume there was more about the character that we weren't being told. But I would be interested to read more by this author as she develops her writing style - I really liked the sparseness and brutal honesty of her style.

I will send this book on to Suzy26 once she sends me her address.

Journal Entry 10 by MyopicMeringue on Monday, September 13, 2004
Posted to Suzy26 today.

Journal Entry 11 by Suzy26 from Delft, Zuid-Holland Netherlands on Friday, September 24, 2004
Found this book in my mailbox today. Looks interesting. Thanks Nik-The-Stik for ringing it and MyopicMeringue for sending it to me.

Journal Entry 12 by Suzy26 from Delft, Zuid-Holland Netherlands on Sunday, September 26, 2004
Reading this novel was a very strange experience. It felt like being under water and seeing a story being played out in the distance. The main character (Leah) is not likeable at all and a lot of the things she does goes unexplained. The people around her are cold, mean and cruel and Leah herself isnot much better. The atmosphere itself is recognizable. We have all gone through some desolate and lonely periods in our adolescence and the problems of broken families are all too familiar, alas, but this story was really too detached, too stand-offish to my liking, too much was left hanging in the air. It made me feel depressed.

I am passing this novel on to the next on the list.

Journal Entry 13 by CityofLakesGirl from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Canada on Sunday, October 10, 2004
I'm slacking!
I actually got this in the mail Wednesday-but forgot to journal it!
Ooops!
Thanks for the postcard Suzy ;)

Journal Entry 14 by CityofLakesGirl from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Canada on Thursday, October 14, 2004
I really liked this book, but was hoping for some some of the chapters to be stretched out a little bit more.
I sat down and read it in a few hours.
Overall a good read, I was just hoping for a little bit more.
Hope to get in the mail this week.

Journal Entry 15 by CityofLakesGirl at -- By mail in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Canada on Thursday, November 11, 2004
Released on Saturday, November 13, 2004 at about 2:00:00 PM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at Released by mail in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Canada.

RELEASE NOTES:

Going in the mail Saturday-sorry for the delay!

Journal Entry 16 by tyvmdear from Thompson, Manitoba Canada on Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Received today.
I have one bookring ahead of this one.
Will get to as soon as possible and pass it on.
Thanks for including me in this ray.

**UPDATE** Decemeber 4th,2004

Started reading today.

Journal Entry 17 by tyvmdear from Thompson, Manitoba Canada on Thursday, December 9, 2004
Finished reading early this morning.
This is the first advanced reading copy that I have read. It was a little hard to read at first but then I just automatically fixed the mistakes as I read.
A nice little novel, written by a Canadian and set in the Toronto, Ontario area.
Its about a girl named "Leah" and her struggle with being a teenager and coming of age.
She is a little self centered and wants all of the love and attention of her mother, father and stepfather.
Thank you for sharing this book with me.

I will get in the mail tomorrow to lemondrop622, as I already have an address.

Journal Entry 18 by tyvmdear from Thompson, Manitoba Canada on Friday, December 10, 2004
Put in the mail to lemondrop622 this morning.

Journal Entry 19 by lemondrop622 from Englewood, Colorado USA on Monday, December 20, 2004
Thanks tyvmdear! This arrived in the mail today. I think I'll finish this book soon since it's not too long and I have more free time.

Journal Entry 20 by lemondrop622 from Englewood, Colorado USA on Friday, January 7, 2005
I liked the format of different short stories from Leah's life growing up, but it left some questions unanswered. Some of the stories were strange. It made me think about teenagers who have a hard time during their adolescence years, with feelings of loneliness and confusion. Overall, I thought it was an okay book. Thanks Nik-The-Stik for starting this ray!

Tomorrow the book will start its journey to visit Megi53.

Journal Entry 21 by Megi53 from Danville, Virginia USA on Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Arrived today -- looks like a fun, fast read.

Journal Entry 22 by Megi53 from Danville, Virginia USA on Monday, January 17, 2005
There were hardly any typos in this ARC. Maybe 5, tops. Kelli Deeth is a fine writer, too. She created such a realistic character in Leah. I enjoyed all of the book, and particularly appreciated Leah's struggle to find a good career after she left school. Her dream of becoming a singer was very poignant.

I was hoping my 18 year old daughter (Twixxy) would be able to read this book, but this is exam week for her, so I'm mailing it on to lv2crop tomorrow afternoon.

Journal Entry 23 by Megi53 from Danville, Virginia USA on Friday, February 4, 2005
I paid for delivery confirmation when I mailed this on Jan. 18 and I was beginning to worry about whether or not it had arrived. This is what the usps.gov site reported:

You entered 0304 1560 0001 3645 0264

Your item was delivered at 10:40 am on January 24, 2005 in CRYSTAL LAKE, IL 60014.

Journal Entry 24 by Nik-The-Stik from London, Ontario Canada on Monday, February 7, 2005
Thanks so much for checking up on the book, Megi53 - that was really thoughtful of you :)

Perhaps I will wait just a bit longer, and then contact lv2crop to check whether she is able to do a quick journal-entry, confirming that she has the book in her possession now.

Looks like it is almost at the last leg of its little journey too! :) I hope to see it continue onwards in some form or another afterwards, as well :) Thanks to all of you for being a part of it!

Journal Entry 25 by lv2crop on Friday, February 11, 2005
I'm here I'm here!!!!!! SORRY!!!!I forgot to journal when I got the book! I am finished and have sent Maria a message to send it on to her!

It was a very quick read! & I haven't read all of the journal entries, but I actually liked it written in the first person. I have a adolescence approaching daughter, so while Leah was not a very strong self character, I think she is/was the way a lot of adolescent girls are today unfortunately. Thanks for a quick easy, not too heavy read. This is my first time participating in a book ray....sorry if I goofed you all up !!!!

Journal Entry 26 by lv2crop on Monday, March 7, 2005
On it's way to Maria tomorrow 3/11/95

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