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The Usual Rules
It's a Tuesday morning in Brooklyn---a perfect September day. Wendy is heading to school, eager to make plans with her best friend, worried about how she looks, mad at her mother for not letting her visit her father in California, impatient with her little brother and with the almost too-loving concern of her jazz musician stepfather. She's out the door to catch the bus. An hour later comes the A plane has crashed into the World Trade Center---her mother's office building.Through the eyes of thirteen-year-old Wendy, we gain entrance to the world rarely shown by those who documented the events of that one terrible a family's slow and terrible realization that Wendy's mother has died, and their struggle to go on with their lives in the face of such a crushing loss.Absent for years, Wendy's real father shows up without warning. He takes her back with him to California, where she re-invents her Wendy now lives more or less on her own in a one-room apartment with a TV set and not much else. Wendy's new circle now includes her father's cactus-grower girlfriend, newly reconnected with the son she gave up for adoption twenty years before; a sad and tender bookstore owner who introduces her to the voice of Anne Frank and to his autistic son; and a homeless skateboarder, on a mission to find his long-lost brother.Over the winter and spring that follow, Wendy moves between the alternately painful and reassuring memories of her mother and the revelations that come with growing to know her real father for the first time. Pulled between her old life in Brooklyn and a new one 3,000 miles away, our heroine is faced with a world where the usual rules no longer apply but eventually discovers a strength and capacity for compassion and survival that she never knew she possessed.At the core of the story is Wendy's deep connection with her little brother, back in New York, who is grieving the loss of their mother without her. This is a story about the ties of siblings, about children who lose their parents, parents who lose their children, and the unexpected ways they sometimes find one another again. Set against the backdrop of global and personal tragedy, and written in a style alternately wry and heartbreaking, The Usual Rules is an unexpectedly hopeful story of healing and forgiveness that will offer readers, young and old alike, a picture of how, out of the rubble, a family rebuilds its life.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 22, 2003
About the author
Joyce Maynard
47 books2,380 followersJoyce Maynard first came to national attention with the publication of her New York Times cover story “An Eighteen-Year-Old Looks Back on Life” in 1973, when she was a freshman at Yale. Since then, she has been a reporter and columnist for The New York Times, a syndicated newspaper columnist whose “Domestic Affairs” column appeared in more than fifty papers nationwide, a regular contributor to NPR. Her writing has also been published in national magazines, including O, The Oprah Magazine; Newsweek; The New York Times Magazine; Forbes; Salon; San Francisco Magazine, USA Weekly; and many more. She has appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, CNN, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Charlie Rose, and on Fresh Air. Essays of hers appear in numerous collections. She has been a fellow at Yaddo, UCross, and The MacDowell Colony, where she wrote her most recently published novel, Labor Day.
The author of many books of fiction and nonfiction, including the novel To Die For (in which she also plays the role of Nicole Kidman’s attorney) and the bestselling memoir, At Home in the World, Maynard makes her home in Mill Valley, California. Her novel, The Usual Rules—a story about surviving loss—has been a favorite of book club audiences of all ages, and was chosen by the American Library Association as one of the ten best books for young readers for 2003.
Joyce Maynard also runs the Lake Atitlan Writing Workshop in Guatemala, founded in 2002.
The author of many books of fiction and nonfiction, including the novel To Die For (in which she also plays the role of Nicole Kidman’s attorney) and the bestselling memoir, At Home in the World, Maynard makes her home in Mill Valley, California. Her novel, The Usual Rules—a story about surviving loss—has been a favorite of book club audiences of all ages, and was chosen by the American Library Association as one of the ten best books for young readers for 2003.
Joyce Maynard also runs the Lake Atitlan Writing Workshop in Guatemala, founded in 2002.
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November 7, 2019
Joyce Maynard is the type of lady I’d love to live next door to. I love her stories. I could grab some kitchen tips, life tips and talk books! I’d love that. This is the second novel of hers that I have come across. The first one being Labor Day. From this you can just tell she’s a baker, always mentioning passionate food stories in both. I chose this one as I wrote to her here on GR, and she suggested this title. Just happened to have this on my shelf, thanks to my love of second hand book shopping.
This quietly and slowly stole its way onto my favourite list as I read along. It was a slow burn, I always wanted to read it but not full of tension like the usual thrillers I read. It was kind of sneaky, but I knew it was going to get better and better. I only noticed about 80 pages or so in that there were no quotation marks, this seemed less formal and a bit hippy-ish, which actually is just about how I imagine Joyce to be?!
As in Labor Day, at the end of the book she gives us a huge insight into the motivation behind writing the book, where she did this and how her own children’s relationships in part formed parts of the motivation. One of the reasons she writes a book like this she explains for a young girl with dreams of being a writer who lives life herself in an very uncertain part of the world. Tid-bits of real life stuff like this always adds an extra rich layer. This book is about loss and re-birth following 911. It was believable, appealing and special.
The author tackles this theme through the surprisingly wise eyes of a 13-year-old girl Wendy, and the way this was laid out to us was extraordinary. Not only is she dealing with indescribable grief, but she’s 13, and we see the gamut of emotions that go along with this. Not being able to say goodbye and tragic last moments of teenage angst being thrust upon her most beloved Mum. How does she cope without saying goodbye? Where is her place in the world now, having not lived with her birth father for more than a decade? What of her gracious step-father and gorgeous young brother she’d do anything for?
I’d love all my reading friends to read this sometime, this author just tells a story so honestly and in a really lovely way. Other funny throw away lines included Jennifer Lopez marrying again, Drew Barrymore divorcing (and has again since the book was printed, love my pop culture references!), and the owner of a small indi bookstore mentioning if Borders doesn't kill him maybe he's got a hope. Has anyone been to a bookstore called Davis in California? This book has ramped up my obsession with New York, I'll go there one day.
She had a saying: Treats make trouble. It was amazing how often that applied.
On her memories of her mum: Floodwaters now. More pictures coming at her than she had time to collect even, they rushed by so quickly. Catch it, catch it. Don’t let that one get away.
The word had an unfriendly, tight fisted sound to it, like a person who’s splitting the cost of a candy bar right down to the penny.
..or maybe not even spikes of green yet, just the barest blush of colour – something had begun to grow back in her.
And that of her lovely red clarinet: That could be true. But think of all the other colors.
I'm not being ultra articulate here, nor did I mean to make this so long. Along with lovable characters (I have to say every single one) the ensemble cast I loved as well. Carolyn, Alan, Tim, Violet. Read it and see for yourself!
This quietly and slowly stole its way onto my favourite list as I read along. It was a slow burn, I always wanted to read it but not full of tension like the usual thrillers I read. It was kind of sneaky, but I knew it was going to get better and better. I only noticed about 80 pages or so in that there were no quotation marks, this seemed less formal and a bit hippy-ish, which actually is just about how I imagine Joyce to be?!
As in Labor Day, at the end of the book she gives us a huge insight into the motivation behind writing the book, where she did this and how her own children’s relationships in part formed parts of the motivation. One of the reasons she writes a book like this she explains for a young girl with dreams of being a writer who lives life herself in an very uncertain part of the world. Tid-bits of real life stuff like this always adds an extra rich layer. This book is about loss and re-birth following 911. It was believable, appealing and special.
The author tackles this theme through the surprisingly wise eyes of a 13-year-old girl Wendy, and the way this was laid out to us was extraordinary. Not only is she dealing with indescribable grief, but she’s 13, and we see the gamut of emotions that go along with this. Not being able to say goodbye and tragic last moments of teenage angst being thrust upon her most beloved Mum. How does she cope without saying goodbye? Where is her place in the world now, having not lived with her birth father for more than a decade? What of her gracious step-father and gorgeous young brother she’d do anything for?
I’d love all my reading friends to read this sometime, this author just tells a story so honestly and in a really lovely way. Other funny throw away lines included Jennifer Lopez marrying again, Drew Barrymore divorcing (and has again since the book was printed, love my pop culture references!), and the owner of a small indi bookstore mentioning if Borders doesn't kill him maybe he's got a hope. Has anyone been to a bookstore called Davis in California? This book has ramped up my obsession with New York, I'll go there one day.
She had a saying: Treats make trouble. It was amazing how often that applied.
On her memories of her mum: Floodwaters now. More pictures coming at her than she had time to collect even, they rushed by so quickly. Catch it, catch it. Don’t let that one get away.
The word had an unfriendly, tight fisted sound to it, like a person who’s splitting the cost of a candy bar right down to the penny.
..or maybe not even spikes of green yet, just the barest blush of colour – something had begun to grow back in her.
And that of her lovely red clarinet: That could be true. But think of all the other colors.
I'm not being ultra articulate here, nor did I mean to make this so long. Along with lovable characters (I have to say every single one) the ensemble cast I loved as well. Carolyn, Alan, Tim, Violet. Read it and see for yourself!
September 16, 2020
If I could give this one more than five stars, I definitely would... Review to come...
Setting: New York City, September 2001
Opening line: “It was a story Wendy knew well, how she got her name.”
At times in my reading life of 45+ years, I have encountered books that are so beautifully written, so meaningful, that reviewing is difficult. “The Usual Rules” was one of those for me; I didn’t feel that my words would do it justice. However, in the hope that others will perhaps be moved to read this, I’ll do my best.
Wendy is a 13 year-old-girl growing up with her family of mom, stepfather, and younger sibling Louie in New York City. Her biological father having left when she was four, the relationship between Wendy and her mother has been one of warmth and closeness. The stepdad Josh is the only father Wendy really remembers, and she and her half- brother adore each other. Until recently... Now, on the cusp of beginning eighth grade, Wendy has begun to feel unexpected annoyance with all of them at times. Especially her mother, who can’t seem to understand why Wendy has become curious about her biological father, and desires contact with him.
Now, on a beautiful Tuesday morning in September, Wendy is waiting with her classmates to be picked up by parents, because two planes have flown into the World Trade Center towers and Manhattan is in chaos. From the moment Josh and Louie appear at the classroom, all their lives are forever altered...
I would recommend this to teachers and parents of young adults who don’t remember that day, so they may come to understand its significance and heartbreak.
Memorable Quotes:
(Pg.231)-“In the old days, Wendy had believed that there was a set of rules your life followed, the main ones being that certain things, like your family and the world you inhabited, were never going to change. Her parents had stood as fixed on the landscape as the lions on either side of the steps to the New York Public Library, or-she might have actually thought about it this way once-the Twin Towers at the base of Manhattan.”
Setting: New York City, September 2001
Opening line: “It was a story Wendy knew well, how she got her name.”
At times in my reading life of 45+ years, I have encountered books that are so beautifully written, so meaningful, that reviewing is difficult. “The Usual Rules” was one of those for me; I didn’t feel that my words would do it justice. However, in the hope that others will perhaps be moved to read this, I’ll do my best.
Wendy is a 13 year-old-girl growing up with her family of mom, stepfather, and younger sibling Louie in New York City. Her biological father having left when she was four, the relationship between Wendy and her mother has been one of warmth and closeness. The stepdad Josh is the only father Wendy really remembers, and she and her half- brother adore each other. Until recently... Now, on the cusp of beginning eighth grade, Wendy has begun to feel unexpected annoyance with all of them at times. Especially her mother, who can’t seem to understand why Wendy has become curious about her biological father, and desires contact with him.
Now, on a beautiful Tuesday morning in September, Wendy is waiting with her classmates to be picked up by parents, because two planes have flown into the World Trade Center towers and Manhattan is in chaos. From the moment Josh and Louie appear at the classroom, all their lives are forever altered...
I would recommend this to teachers and parents of young adults who don’t remember that day, so they may come to understand its significance and heartbreak.
Memorable Quotes:
(Pg.231)-“In the old days, Wendy had believed that there was a set of rules your life followed, the main ones being that certain things, like your family and the world you inhabited, were never going to change. Her parents had stood as fixed on the landscape as the lions on either side of the steps to the New York Public Library, or-she might have actually thought about it this way once-the Twin Towers at the base of Manhattan.”
July 22, 2016
I loved The Usual Rules. I didn't even guess it was a YA novel until I read it somewhere. The novel tells the story of 13-year-old Wendy who lives in Brooklyn with her mother, step-father, and brother, Louie. It also tells one story of the many from 9/11.
Maynard's writing is addictive. Her rendering of 9/11 (a time as a then-Manhattanite I remember vividly) is outstanding. It brought me right back to that day. And her portrait of a 13-year-old going through a tragedy felt very real. Wendy is experiencing all the awkwardness of being 13, not at home in her body or her family or the world when everything around her seems to be destroyed.
In the midst of the tragedy, Wendy's biological father reappears to take her with him to California. Wendy goes, hoping to get as far away as she can from the chaos that is her life. Her experience in California is good reading, although more simplified than her life in New York City. Her father's laxness and Wendy's good luck traveling through her life in a small town in California felt less truthful than the first part but still made for good reading.
As a whole, The Usual Rules is a moving portrait of love, loss, and survival. Maynard captures the stunned state that is grief. Her depiction of 4-year-old Louie, the youngest survivor in the family, is particularly moving and brought me to tears.
I strongly recommend this book as a remembrance of a terrible time and a beautiful portrayal of surviving tremendous loss.
Maynard's writing is addictive. Her rendering of 9/11 (a time as a then-Manhattanite I remember vividly) is outstanding. It brought me right back to that day. And her portrait of a 13-year-old going through a tragedy felt very real. Wendy is experiencing all the awkwardness of being 13, not at home in her body or her family or the world when everything around her seems to be destroyed.
In the midst of the tragedy, Wendy's biological father reappears to take her with him to California. Wendy goes, hoping to get as far away as she can from the chaos that is her life. Her experience in California is good reading, although more simplified than her life in New York City. Her father's laxness and Wendy's good luck traveling through her life in a small town in California felt less truthful than the first part but still made for good reading.
As a whole, The Usual Rules is a moving portrait of love, loss, and survival. Maynard captures the stunned state that is grief. Her depiction of 4-year-old Louie, the youngest survivor in the family, is particularly moving and brought me to tears.
I strongly recommend this book as a remembrance of a terrible time and a beautiful portrayal of surviving tremendous loss.
August 21, 2013
On a sparkling September morning, "Grace", the daughter of my dear friend of many years, joyfully boarded an airplane at Logan Airport in Boston. She was anticipating a trip to California before embarking on a new, exciting phase of her life. Her flight never reached its destination. It senselessly, inconceivably, madly struck the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City. "Grace" was 32 years old. It was September 11, 2001, the day which deeply affected everyone. But what about those who lost loved ones? How does one continue the process of living even the daily routines? How can those of us who are unscathed by personal loss help others who have experienced this devastation?
Joyce Maynard has skillfully presented the emotion and pain in this poignant novel. The entire story relives the experience of a thirteen year old girl, Wendy, whose mother went to her office in the WTC on 9/11 and never returned. Maynard has sensitively portrayed this young girl, her family and friends. The desolation, grief, horror and sense of hopelessness are palpable. She captured the essence of the spirited, lovely mother, the incomprehension of Wendy's 4 year old brother and the deep mourning and disbelief of her step-father.
"In September, everything she loved,- songs on the radio and clothes and flavors of ice cream and leaf piles, roller coasters and skating... had melted away, not gone, maybe but this was almost worse: still there, but robbed of any capacity to give pleasure... like what happens when you mix all the wonderful colors of paint and it turns out that together what they add up to is brown." (p 227)
Wendy's journey to a semblance of healing coincided with her maturation. Along the way she found compassion and support from unexpected sources. One important character was Alan, the owner of a bookshop, who provided her with a willing adult ear, but most of all, books which supplied a form of therapy. She found solace in *"Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" and Frankie in *"Member of the Wedding".
"She lay there for a long time, reading and rereading that part and thinking about what it meant. She knew when she read the words that was how it had been for her after her mother disappeared- waiting for her to come back and coming to the slow, awful realization that she never would..." (p 227)
Initially I was hesitant to read this book. The experience of 9/11, the pain of my friend and the suffering of all of us following this horrifying event seemed sufficient. Joyce Maynard has written a haunting tale, tearful, but not maudlin, expressive and profound.
*Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
The Member of the Wedding
Joyce Maynard has skillfully presented the emotion and pain in this poignant novel. The entire story relives the experience of a thirteen year old girl, Wendy, whose mother went to her office in the WTC on 9/11 and never returned. Maynard has sensitively portrayed this young girl, her family and friends. The desolation, grief, horror and sense of hopelessness are palpable. She captured the essence of the spirited, lovely mother, the incomprehension of Wendy's 4 year old brother and the deep mourning and disbelief of her step-father.
"In September, everything she loved,- songs on the radio and clothes and flavors of ice cream and leaf piles, roller coasters and skating... had melted away, not gone, maybe but this was almost worse: still there, but robbed of any capacity to give pleasure... like what happens when you mix all the wonderful colors of paint and it turns out that together what they add up to is brown." (p 227)
Wendy's journey to a semblance of healing coincided with her maturation. Along the way she found compassion and support from unexpected sources. One important character was Alan, the owner of a bookshop, who provided her with a willing adult ear, but most of all, books which supplied a form of therapy. She found solace in *"Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" and Frankie in *"Member of the Wedding".
"She lay there for a long time, reading and rereading that part and thinking about what it meant. She knew when she read the words that was how it had been for her after her mother disappeared- waiting for her to come back and coming to the slow, awful realization that she never would..." (p 227)
Initially I was hesitant to read this book. The experience of 9/11, the pain of my friend and the suffering of all of us following this horrifying event seemed sufficient. Joyce Maynard has written a haunting tale, tearful, but not maudlin, expressive and profound.
*Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
The Member of the Wedding
February 4, 2014
Is it only me?? Am I the only one who's annoyed and want to shake Wendy, the 13-year-old main character who grieves the loss of her mother who dies in the twin towers on 9-11 within the first few pages of the book?
Yes, yes, it's sad. Yes, yes, tragic in fact. To be honest, my mother died 30 days ago (on January 4, 2014), so I am well aware of grief and mothers dying. I am not heartless.
But I was so very annoyed and frustrated when Wendy left her wonderful step-father and 4-year-old brother to go across the continent to live with her aimless birth father. Yeah, yeah, he turned out to be a good guy deep down, AFTER he was such a selfish loser with her mother, and AFTER he abandoned her and Wendy.
Wendy had an ideal life with her mother and Josh, her step-father. Josh was my favorite character... a cross between Santa Clause and the dad on Roseanne. Maybe not as funny, but just as plump and lovable. AND SHE LEFT HIM!!! What the heck?? Of course I understand she was out of her mind with pain; I've been that way the beginning of January, but still, I didn't walk in front of a Mac truck!! I'm not thirteen, but when I was, I still didn't walk in front of an oncoming four-wheeler, which was in essence what she did. And SHAME on her for leaving her baby brother.
I'm really not a harsh person, but that annoyed me.
Okay, while I'm on a role with harsh... I'm getting a little tired of teenagers screaming and swearing and being hateful at their parents, and parents responding with something like, "I know how hard it is to be a teen, and I still love you and respect your difficult time." Come ON! Maybe Wendy needed a little slap when she yelled "I hate you!" at her parents.
Okay. I'm done.
What I did like about this book was her feelings for her little brother (even tho she abandoned him) (Amy, QUIT!), and her best friend, and especially the sad owner of the book shop who she meets while she's playing hookey in California. I liked Todd. I thought Wendy would get with this lost boy, and was surprised she didn't. I also like Cactus lady; she was neat. But my favorite character was Josh. Every home needs a Josh, someone to cook and play music and be so understanding.
I published a novel last year, where all the characters were adults except for one boy, so I realize how difficult and soul-searching it is to speak through the eyes of a child. Author Joyce Maynard did this so well with her book, Labor Day. I also believe that she captured this girl Wendy pretty well. I am about 10 years older than Wendy's Mom, and still find it alarming how parents allow their kids to mouth off so much. (wow, I sound like an old lady!)
Yes, yes, it's sad. Yes, yes, tragic in fact. To be honest, my mother died 30 days ago (on January 4, 2014), so I am well aware of grief and mothers dying. I am not heartless.
But I was so very annoyed and frustrated when Wendy left her wonderful step-father and 4-year-old brother to go across the continent to live with her aimless birth father. Yeah, yeah, he turned out to be a good guy deep down, AFTER he was such a selfish loser with her mother, and AFTER he abandoned her and Wendy.
Wendy had an ideal life with her mother and Josh, her step-father. Josh was my favorite character... a cross between Santa Clause and the dad on Roseanne. Maybe not as funny, but just as plump and lovable. AND SHE LEFT HIM!!! What the heck?? Of course I understand she was out of her mind with pain; I've been that way the beginning of January, but still, I didn't walk in front of a Mac truck!! I'm not thirteen, but when I was, I still didn't walk in front of an oncoming four-wheeler, which was in essence what she did. And SHAME on her for leaving her baby brother.
I'm really not a harsh person, but that annoyed me.
Okay, while I'm on a role with harsh... I'm getting a little tired of teenagers screaming and swearing and being hateful at their parents, and parents responding with something like, "I know how hard it is to be a teen, and I still love you and respect your difficult time." Come ON! Maybe Wendy needed a little slap when she yelled "I hate you!" at her parents.
Okay. I'm done.
What I did like about this book was her feelings for her little brother (even tho she abandoned him) (Amy, QUIT!), and her best friend, and especially the sad owner of the book shop who she meets while she's playing hookey in California. I liked Todd. I thought Wendy would get with this lost boy, and was surprised she didn't. I also like Cactus lady; she was neat. But my favorite character was Josh. Every home needs a Josh, someone to cook and play music and be so understanding.
I published a novel last year, where all the characters were adults except for one boy, so I realize how difficult and soul-searching it is to speak through the eyes of a child. Author Joyce Maynard did this so well with her book, Labor Day. I also believe that she captured this girl Wendy pretty well. I am about 10 years older than Wendy's Mom, and still find it alarming how parents allow their kids to mouth off so much. (wow, I sound like an old lady!)
September 19, 2009
Sometimes you go back to the same movie over and over again because you have become very emotionally involved in it, or you need the laughs it gives you, or for some other reason. The same with books, and this is one of them for me. Some laughs here--just when you need them. A huge lot of emotional involvement. This was my sixth reading of The Usual Rules.
Joyce Maynard depicts every character, major or minor, with insight and sensitivity. Descriptions, conversations, and narration are consistently realistic. The highs are high; the lows are hard to get past.
This book will haunt you.
Joyce Maynard depicts every character, major or minor, with insight and sensitivity. Descriptions, conversations, and narration are consistently realistic. The highs are high; the lows are hard to get past.
This book will haunt you.
March 21, 2022
So I really like Joyce Maynard's stuff. She walks the edge of real (authentic emotional representation) but also a bit boring (mundane life is not always exciting) and still manages to be read-able in my opinion. I did not realize that this was a 9/11 book when I put it on my to-read, but it has been long enough since I read some of the fiction that came out of the attack that it felt fresh to me.
I really liked Wendy; I liked that she was strong, but also (and in particular right after 9/11) she was apathetic. She did what she was expected to do until she stopped, and then she just did that for a while. This was totally uncharacteristic, but also believable and real given the tragedy and normal human response to shock.
Maynard deals with a few themes within the context of post-9/11: the definitions of family and who we call home; intergenerational trauma and attachment; the amazing resilience of humanity (life goes on, whether we want it to or not); struggles of single parents and the difficult decision of adoption. She does not get preachy, but sometimes things are a bit too convenient (Violet and Carolyn for example are interesting characters, but simply parallels for each other and so highly unlikely that a) Wendy would become friends with Violet--or even be allowed in the maternity ward at the hospital and b) Carolyn's son would appear on the scene at this precise moment in time).
Overall it is a good character study and compelling read about post 9/11 life.
I really liked Wendy; I liked that she was strong, but also (and in particular right after 9/11) she was apathetic. She did what she was expected to do until she stopped, and then she just did that for a while. This was totally uncharacteristic, but also believable and real given the tragedy and normal human response to shock.
Maynard deals with a few themes within the context of post-9/11: the definitions of family and who we call home; intergenerational trauma and attachment; the amazing resilience of humanity (life goes on, whether we want it to or not); struggles of single parents and the difficult decision of adoption. She does not get preachy, but sometimes things are a bit too convenient (Violet and Carolyn for example are interesting characters, but simply parallels for each other and so highly unlikely that a) Wendy would become friends with Violet--or even be allowed in the maternity ward at the hospital and b) Carolyn's son would appear on the scene at this precise moment in time).
Overall it is a good character study and compelling read about post 9/11 life.
November 21, 2016
If the Usual Rules is anything to go by then Joyce Maynard is my kind of author. This moving and heartfelt novel had me tearing up at various times throughout the story. Through Wendy a 13 yr old girl we live through the torture of not knowing the whereabouts of her Mum who was working in the Twin Towers on 9/11. We experienced the gradual and reluctant acceptance that her Mum really would not be coming home. Ever. The Usual Rules takes the reader on the heartbreaking journey through denial, anger, grief and regret experienced by Wendy, by her step dad Josh and 4 year old brother Louie. In the wake of the world changing news that personally shattered their lives nothing feels right anymore. Wendy goes to live with her father in California and although she could so easily have gone off the rails entirely she managed to surround herself with an assorted collection of people, many of whom were in tough places themselves. Through her exposure to these characters and displaying maturity beyond her years (in some ways and immaturity in others) she comes to learn more and more about herself and eventually manages to put her feelings about her own loved ones into perspective.
There was so much to love about this book, from its adorable characters to the important themes it explored. It was a book about families and in particular the impact of relationships between parents and their children and the strength of sibling relationships. It was about the long term impacts of separations within families and it was about dealing with grief. Grief of varying kinds; losses over what might have been, grief over enforced separations, and the overpowering grief resulting from the sudden and unexpected death of a loved one. The writing was insightful and there were many passages that resonated with me. These are a couple of my favourites
And this one from Josh almost a year after losing his wife
It was a tough subject handled with care and attention. A beautiful book by an author I'll be eager to read again.
There was so much to love about this book, from its adorable characters to the important themes it explored. It was a book about families and in particular the impact of relationships between parents and their children and the strength of sibling relationships. It was about the long term impacts of separations within families and it was about dealing with grief. Grief of varying kinds; losses over what might have been, grief over enforced separations, and the overpowering grief resulting from the sudden and unexpected death of a loved one. The writing was insightful and there were many passages that resonated with me. These are a couple of my favourites
The thought came to Wendy that a person didnt just die in a single instant, but gradually, in stages. She had begun to lose her mother that day in September, but it was still happening, a little at a time, as if her mother had been on a little boat that was drifting out to sea, or holding on to a balloon that kept rising until you couldnt see it anymore.
And this one from Josh almost a year after losing his wife
I'm not sure which is harder.....When you feel like you cant go on any more, or when you start to realise you will.
It was a tough subject handled with care and attention. A beautiful book by an author I'll be eager to read again.
April 12, 2009
Once I got used to the lack of quotation marks, I liked this book. The first part, which focused on thirteen year-old Wendy's grief over the loss of her mother in the World Trade Center on September 11, drew me in immediately. I especially liked the chapter in which she finds herself attending the funeral of a firefighter she didn't even know. The second part, in which Wendy abandons her life in New York to live in California with her biological father, didn't quite measure up to the first. Nonetheless, I found the stories of the secondary characters that Wendy meets in California -- Violet, Todd, Carolyn, and Alan and Tim -- almost as interesting as the central story.
October 23, 2022
WOW. Quite possibly the best book I’ve read all year. So many emotions perfectly articulated. A slow and beautiful unfolding that was so satisfying. This book is the kind I hope to write some day!!! I would recommend this one to any girl 8 to 88.
September 27, 2009
This is a Young Adults novel, which I didn't realize when I bought it, but I decided to give it a shot--and I'm glad I did. Unlke other books I've read whose main character is a young person--in this case a thirteen-year-old girl--I found Wendy to be entirely believable, and I really sympathized with her struggles and uncertainties. All of the characters were flawed but in normal, easy-to-relate-to ways, and there was an equal ammount of nobility to them. Just like real life! I especially liked the little literary theme that ran through the book, as Wendy reads Anne Frank The Diary of a Young Girl, The Member of the Wedding, Lord of the Flies, The Butcher Boy, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. This is definitely something I would encourage my stepkids to read.
May 27, 2011
Like most Americans, I remembrt where I was on 9/11 and during the aftermath that followed. I shed many tears and said prayers for the victims and their families, the survivors. While I may have wondered, over the weeks and months that followed, how the survivors were coping, the feelings were absract, in general, relating to no one in particular. Maynard's story of Wendy and her family struck such a serve. My heart just broke for this child and her family. I find it difficult to believe these characters don't exist except in Maynard's imagination as the book was as real to me as any non-fiction book could be. The aftermath of 9/11 was so horrific for all concerned and while we prayed for the victims and the survivors, I never truly tried to imagine what it was like to suddenly be without a mother at the age of 13 and have to watch life go on. There was nothing contrived or phony about the grieving process for any one of the characters. The book was very insightful, raw, true, tender, compassionate, sometimes humorous and should be read by everyone.
January 19, 2012
Outstanding. This is the only fiction novel I know of that has dared to tackle the issue of the September 11 attacks. Joyce Maynard has written a provacotive and surprisingly uplifting story of a thirteen-year-old girl who loses her mother on that awful day. The aftermath of her mother's death leads to chain of events that both strengthens and changes her life forever. Not only does this novel do the victims and their families justice it ranks high among the classic coming of age stories. Highly recommended.
February 24, 2012
A painful but well-written novel from the viewpoint of a 13-yr-old girl whose mother was killed during the attack on 9/11. I felt there was an over abundance of sub-plots, as the author tried to cover all bases by including every issue from blended families to autism to awakening adolescent sexuality to teenage motherhood to an adopted child finding and rejecting his birth-mother, etc. However, as I said, this book was very well-written and provided a credible portrayal of the profound grief that was suffered by all who were personally affected by that terrible event.
September 22, 2021
Joyce Maynard's story of a young girl's and her family's experience going through an unspeakable tragedy was so moving. Maynard"s empathy, understanding, and love shine through every word in this book. I loved this book, just as I have every other book of hers that I have read. She is a luminous writer!
April 22, 2024
Fantastic. 13 year old Wendy is living in New York City with her mom, step-dad, and 5 year old little brother when the twin towers are attacked. Her entire world is suddenly turned upside down as the life she once lived no longer exists. She finds herself moving to California to live with her biological father. There she encounters an intriguing cast of characters all with their own back stories and tales of humanity. This is not just a novel about grief, but about growing up and finding your identity. Joyce Maynard always writes from the heart. You can feel each pulse in every word. The narration of this audio book was the only drawback. Mostly Joyce narrates her own books and it's a shame she did not narrate this one, too. Still, despite the questionable narration the story shone bright.
May 10, 2023
4 Stars- This is a young adult book about a 13 year old girl who lost her mom in 911 and her path to healing. It wasn’t one of my favorite Joyce Maynard books but I enjoyed it.
Read
April 25, 2024DNF
Je m'ennuie alors j'arrête au premier quart. J'adore les autres romans de Joyce Maynard mais celui-là... L'action ne décolle jamais.
Je m'ennuie alors j'arrête au premier quart. J'adore les autres romans de Joyce Maynard mais celui-là... L'action ne décolle jamais.
June 16, 2017
Another top notch Joyce Maynard novel. This one is an easy read and a real page turner. Highly recommended.
October 1, 2017
J'ai adoré la première partie mais j'ai souffert énormément de la seconde où Wendy part chez son père. Trop de longueurs et de digressions.
May 2, 2021
Originally posted on my blog in 2005.
I'm just barely too young to answer the question, "Where were you when JFK was assassinated?" yet I will never forget September 11, 2001 and where I was for as long as I live. Having lived through that terrible day, how could I possibly read a novel that deals with the 9/11 tragedy as seen through the eyes of a thirteen-year-old? Nothing prepared me for the grief and overwhelming sadness in the book, yet I appreciated and admired the work ("enjoy" or "loved" aren't the right words to express my reaction -- how can a novel in which the first 130 pages deals with the raw emotions of 9/11 be something I loved?). Yet, how was it possible that I could not put this book down in spite of its horrific subject matter? Actually, I did have to put it down a couple of times. The writing was so convincing that I found myself re-living that awful day and didn't want to go to sleep feeling so horribly sad. Yet this is so much more than a story about a family who loses a loved one in the tragedy of that day. It's a remarkable coming-of-age story in which Joyce Maynard captures the voice of a strong, young girl trying to put her life back together.
You could say I cut my parenting teeth on Maynard's column (Domestic Pleasures) back in the late 1980s. She's one of those writers I've followed, both in her personal life (used to subscribe to her printed newsletters and now occasionally check out her website) and her novels. While The Usual Rules is a work of fiction, I recognized bits and pieces of her own children in the characters of Wendy and Louie. Louie is a precocious 4-year-old and I could almost get angry at Maynard for using him to tug so hard at my heartstrings.
I found myself marking dozens of pages in The Usual Rules, the voices of each character ringing true. As sad and difficult (at times) as it was to read, this is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It moved me and made me think and made me appreciate my family and life. It will certainly wind up in my Top Ten for 2005. No doubt about it.
Some of my favorite passages:
Wendy was stunned. She didn't know that anything she read in a book could hurt so much. She reread the words, in case she'd got them wrong. It was as if someone she actually knew had died and, just as she would for someone she had known, she felt herself begin to cry.
How can it be, Wendy asked Alan, that you'll be reading this story that's so sad, it almost hurts to look at the words on the page? What happens to the characters practically tears your stomach out - and then the book is over. And the first thing you want to do is find another book like that.
Does God know about this? Louie asked. In the context of the page, this really made me choke up!
Sometimes it was a flash flood. Other times it came on like a slow-building rainstorm, the kind that gives you enough warning you might even have time to get inside before the clouds burst. Once it started, though, there was nothing to do but let the sorrow pound you like the most powerful current, the strongest waterfall. When the sorrow hit, small losses came crashing over you in one suffocating torrent.
Somewhere in the pile under the shards of melted computers and telephones and file cabinets and computer discs and air conditioners and intercom systems and water coolers and Xerox machines and red sandals and every other color sandals and every other kind of shoes, under the shredded remains of business suits and briefcases and raincoats and car keys, gym bags and diaper bags and bag lunches and half-finished books, business cards and charge cards and postcards and anniversary cards and maybe somewhere even a love letter, or one word from one, or maybe just a question mark, some where beneath a million other pieces of paper and metal and plastic and - her brain would settle on this image whether she wanted to or not - pieces of bone, too, flesh and bone, somewhere in there was a scrap of a scrap of a photograph of her own self, under the Christmas tree, smiling, with her baby brother in her arms.
In September, everything she loved - songs on the radio and clothes and flavors of ice cream and types of dogs, leaf piles and roller coasters and skating, and Japanese animation movies and sushi and shopping and the clarinet and splashing in the waves at Nantucket with her brother - had melted away, not gone maybe, but this was almost worse: still there, but robbed of any capacity to give pleasure, like a soup with so many ingredients that, in the end, it tastes of nothing, like what happens when you mix all the wonderful colors of paint and it turns out that together what they add up to is brown.
I'm just barely too young to answer the question, "Where were you when JFK was assassinated?" yet I will never forget September 11, 2001 and where I was for as long as I live. Having lived through that terrible day, how could I possibly read a novel that deals with the 9/11 tragedy as seen through the eyes of a thirteen-year-old? Nothing prepared me for the grief and overwhelming sadness in the book, yet I appreciated and admired the work ("enjoy" or "loved" aren't the right words to express my reaction -- how can a novel in which the first 130 pages deals with the raw emotions of 9/11 be something I loved?). Yet, how was it possible that I could not put this book down in spite of its horrific subject matter? Actually, I did have to put it down a couple of times. The writing was so convincing that I found myself re-living that awful day and didn't want to go to sleep feeling so horribly sad. Yet this is so much more than a story about a family who loses a loved one in the tragedy of that day. It's a remarkable coming-of-age story in which Joyce Maynard captures the voice of a strong, young girl trying to put her life back together.
You could say I cut my parenting teeth on Maynard's column (Domestic Pleasures) back in the late 1980s. She's one of those writers I've followed, both in her personal life (used to subscribe to her printed newsletters and now occasionally check out her website) and her novels. While The Usual Rules is a work of fiction, I recognized bits and pieces of her own children in the characters of Wendy and Louie. Louie is a precocious 4-year-old and I could almost get angry at Maynard for using him to tug so hard at my heartstrings.
I found myself marking dozens of pages in The Usual Rules, the voices of each character ringing true. As sad and difficult (at times) as it was to read, this is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It moved me and made me think and made me appreciate my family and life. It will certainly wind up in my Top Ten for 2005. No doubt about it.
Some of my favorite passages:
Wendy was stunned. She didn't know that anything she read in a book could hurt so much. She reread the words, in case she'd got them wrong. It was as if someone she actually knew had died and, just as she would for someone she had known, she felt herself begin to cry.
How can it be, Wendy asked Alan, that you'll be reading this story that's so sad, it almost hurts to look at the words on the page? What happens to the characters practically tears your stomach out - and then the book is over. And the first thing you want to do is find another book like that.
Does God know about this? Louie asked. In the context of the page, this really made me choke up!
Sometimes it was a flash flood. Other times it came on like a slow-building rainstorm, the kind that gives you enough warning you might even have time to get inside before the clouds burst. Once it started, though, there was nothing to do but let the sorrow pound you like the most powerful current, the strongest waterfall. When the sorrow hit, small losses came crashing over you in one suffocating torrent.
Somewhere in the pile under the shards of melted computers and telephones and file cabinets and computer discs and air conditioners and intercom systems and water coolers and Xerox machines and red sandals and every other color sandals and every other kind of shoes, under the shredded remains of business suits and briefcases and raincoats and car keys, gym bags and diaper bags and bag lunches and half-finished books, business cards and charge cards and postcards and anniversary cards and maybe somewhere even a love letter, or one word from one, or maybe just a question mark, some where beneath a million other pieces of paper and metal and plastic and - her brain would settle on this image whether she wanted to or not - pieces of bone, too, flesh and bone, somewhere in there was a scrap of a scrap of a photograph of her own self, under the Christmas tree, smiling, with her baby brother in her arms.
In September, everything she loved - songs on the radio and clothes and flavors of ice cream and types of dogs, leaf piles and roller coasters and skating, and Japanese animation movies and sushi and shopping and the clarinet and splashing in the waves at Nantucket with her brother - had melted away, not gone maybe, but this was almost worse: still there, but robbed of any capacity to give pleasure, like a soup with so many ingredients that, in the end, it tastes of nothing, like what happens when you mix all the wonderful colors of paint and it turns out that together what they add up to is brown.
February 2, 2014
This was a really rare experience for me. I started this book thinking I would hate it and had a whole nasty rant brewing in my mind (serving as my main incentive for continuing) that went along the lines of 9/11 being the new Holocaust as far as guaranteeing a high GR rating even when the writing is abysmal, and then somewhere along the way this elementary level novel turned on me, in a good way, and I finished it feeling rather in awe.
TUR is about a young girl named Wendy who, on an otherwise ordinary morning of fighting with her mother and giving her nice step dad attitude, soon learns of a terrorist attack on the very towers where her mother works, and proceeds to wait for her to come home, except she never does.
Initially I was annoyed because the sentences are ridiculously simple, there are no quotation marks (I eventually got used to it but really, why?), and Josh the step dad was not only over the top gag with me a spoon nice but his lovey dovey moon eyed relationship with Wendy's mom was rather pukey as well. What annoyed me here was that I always find it not only more accessible but more interesting for there to be tension (you are stuck with your stepdad now and guess what, you DON'T like him or vice versa), and this was something that felt over the top and manipulative (how much more touching will it be NOW). So I definitely take off a star for that, even though I also see why the novel needed at least some of that.
As the novel progressed, I was fairly impressed with its development - while I felt the author's hand too much as far as making Wendy a predictably unreliable thirteen year old narrator (Why can't mom be more like Dad who takes me to Disneyland and doesn't complain about bills all the time kind of a thing), I did appreciate the insight into two flawed parents (though the mom could have been more flawed, the dad perhaps a little less so), and sometimes this book was just heartbreaking and I mean that in the best way. More than anything, though, this book eventually won me over for the sheer sake of it being the most accurate depiction of being thirteen that I have ever seen. In fact, I conveniently forgot what that was like - thank God - and suddenly there was all of it, the mood swings, the intense hatred of all things parent, the constantly being embarrassed, the conviction that NO ONE UNDERSTANDS EVER. Funnily enough, I got this much more than the book's ostensible purpose, which was to have a sort of Anne Frank parallel as far as finding hope in tragedy (yeah, somewhat, but I think this could have been strengthened), but either way, who cares? This moved quickly and far surpassed my expectations.
TUR is about a young girl named Wendy who, on an otherwise ordinary morning of fighting with her mother and giving her nice step dad attitude, soon learns of a terrorist attack on the very towers where her mother works, and proceeds to wait for her to come home, except she never does.
Initially I was annoyed because the sentences are ridiculously simple, there are no quotation marks (I eventually got used to it but really, why?), and Josh the step dad was not only over the top gag with me a spoon nice but his lovey dovey moon eyed relationship with Wendy's mom was rather pukey as well. What annoyed me here was that I always find it not only more accessible but more interesting for there to be tension (you are stuck with your stepdad now and guess what, you DON'T like him or vice versa), and this was something that felt over the top and manipulative (how much more touching will it be NOW). So I definitely take off a star for that, even though I also see why the novel needed at least some of that.
As the novel progressed, I was fairly impressed with its development - while I felt the author's hand too much as far as making Wendy a predictably unreliable thirteen year old narrator (Why can't mom be more like Dad who takes me to Disneyland and doesn't complain about bills all the time kind of a thing), I did appreciate the insight into two flawed parents (though the mom could have been more flawed, the dad perhaps a little less so), and sometimes this book was just heartbreaking and I mean that in the best way. More than anything, though, this book eventually won me over for the sheer sake of it being the most accurate depiction of being thirteen that I have ever seen. In fact, I conveniently forgot what that was like - thank God - and suddenly there was all of it, the mood swings, the intense hatred of all things parent, the constantly being embarrassed, the conviction that NO ONE UNDERSTANDS EVER. Funnily enough, I got this much more than the book's ostensible purpose, which was to have a sort of Anne Frank parallel as far as finding hope in tragedy (yeah, somewhat, but I think this could have been strengthened), but either way, who cares? This moved quickly and far surpassed my expectations.
April 28, 2008
This book was pretty depressing and hard to cope with sometimes. My heart broke for the family multiple times and it was very hard to finish. In the end I was glad I did, but be warned, it was a tough read.
It's about a family (mom, dad, sister, and brother) whose lives were turned upside down on September 11th. The story is told from the perspective of 13 year old Wendy, who's struggling to come to terms with her teenage years. Her parents were divorced when she was younger and her mother has since re-married a wonderful man. She is starting to resent her mother for not letting her visit her father in California, the reader knows it's for her own good, but Wendy only thinks her mother is being mean. As she leaves for school on the morning of 09/11/01 she screams "I hate you!" out of frustration at her mother. Little does Wendy know that in a few hours her mother’s building will be struck in a terrorist attack on the US, and that she will never be able to tell her that she doesn’t mean it, and how much she really loved her.
The story is an emotional rollercoaster. At first the family is in denial and thinks there is still a possibility their mother is alive. It's heartbreaking to hear from a New Yorkers perspective what happened on 09/11. Thousands of families plastered "Missing" posters all over the city. There was no closure for weeks, months, years, for the families of the missing people.
Wendy and her step-dad and little brother Louie are trying to come to terms with their loss when Wendy’s dad shows up one day to take her to California with him. Wendy doesn’t know what to do and decides that California might be a good change of pace. While she’s there she realizes how much she misses her family and friends in New York. On the same hand, she slowly rebuilds her relationship with her father, and makes a few new friends along the way.
Overall a good book, but don’t be surprised if your heart breaks a little too. You will probably also feel like calling your mother to tell her you love her.
It's about a family (mom, dad, sister, and brother) whose lives were turned upside down on September 11th. The story is told from the perspective of 13 year old Wendy, who's struggling to come to terms with her teenage years. Her parents were divorced when she was younger and her mother has since re-married a wonderful man. She is starting to resent her mother for not letting her visit her father in California, the reader knows it's for her own good, but Wendy only thinks her mother is being mean. As she leaves for school on the morning of 09/11/01 she screams "I hate you!" out of frustration at her mother. Little does Wendy know that in a few hours her mother’s building will be struck in a terrorist attack on the US, and that she will never be able to tell her that she doesn’t mean it, and how much she really loved her.
The story is an emotional rollercoaster. At first the family is in denial and thinks there is still a possibility their mother is alive. It's heartbreaking to hear from a New Yorkers perspective what happened on 09/11. Thousands of families plastered "Missing" posters all over the city. There was no closure for weeks, months, years, for the families of the missing people.
Wendy and her step-dad and little brother Louie are trying to come to terms with their loss when Wendy’s dad shows up one day to take her to California with him. Wendy doesn’t know what to do and decides that California might be a good change of pace. While she’s there she realizes how much she misses her family and friends in New York. On the same hand, she slowly rebuilds her relationship with her father, and makes a few new friends along the way.
Overall a good book, but don’t be surprised if your heart breaks a little too. You will probably also feel like calling your mother to tell her you love her.
February 11, 2012
I have never read a book was that amazing from the introduction to the acknowledgments. I remember where I was on September 11, 2001... I was walking out of my dorm, on my way to classes and I noticed people all around me were either crying or screaming looking at the television. I live in the South so even though we were in no immediate threat of danger, the air felt tense and still. I remember someone calling my cell phone saying they bombed the towers and I was like... what towers? I was so clueless, so young and naive. I remember finally watching it on television and calling my mom, the phone quiet with our breathing. I remember a week later, someone posted flyers of the victims all over campus and there was this one picture of this girl, she had the most beautiful smile and I just stood there and cried.
I read books like these because I never want to forget that day and everything it meant to me and millions of other people. Joyce Maynard captured the very essence of the day and put in a novel that was touching, sweet, and painfully honest and heartbreaking.
I read books like these because I never want to forget that day and everything it meant to me and millions of other people. Joyce Maynard captured the very essence of the day and put in a novel that was touching, sweet, and painfully honest and heartbreaking.
October 10, 2016
Joyce Maynard signe ici l'un de ses tous meilleurs romans.
Ce livre est une plongée intéressante au coeur des jours qui ont suivi les attentats du 11 septembre. Pour autant, ce n'est pas du tout une histoire sur le terrorisme. Ce roman est vraiment centré sur Wendy, une adolescente dont la mère est morte pendant l'attaque. La jeune fille, en pleine crise d'ado, doit faire son deuil et reconstruire sa vie. Autour d'elle, les adultes gravitent en essayant de l'aider, mais c'est à elle de trouver son chemin.
Ce roman m'a bouleversé par sa simplicité apparente et son ambition. Il aborde de très nombreux thèmes à commencer par le deuil et la famille. Malgré un point de départ très triste, il est transpercé par une lumière qui redonne espoir en l'humanité. C'est définitivement le livre le plus optimiste de l'auteure. Et pour ceux et celles qui n'ont jamais lu un roman de Joyce Maynard, je vous conseille de commencer par celui-ci car il est tout simplement exceptionnel.
Ce livre est une plongée intéressante au coeur des jours qui ont suivi les attentats du 11 septembre. Pour autant, ce n'est pas du tout une histoire sur le terrorisme. Ce roman est vraiment centré sur Wendy, une adolescente dont la mère est morte pendant l'attaque. La jeune fille, en pleine crise d'ado, doit faire son deuil et reconstruire sa vie. Autour d'elle, les adultes gravitent en essayant de l'aider, mais c'est à elle de trouver son chemin.
Ce roman m'a bouleversé par sa simplicité apparente et son ambition. Il aborde de très nombreux thèmes à commencer par le deuil et la famille. Malgré un point de départ très triste, il est transpercé par une lumière qui redonne espoir en l'humanité. C'est définitivement le livre le plus optimiste de l'auteure. Et pour ceux et celles qui n'ont jamais lu un roman de Joyce Maynard, je vous conseille de commencer par celui-ci car il est tout simplement exceptionnel.
June 23, 2016
Wendy is a 13 year old girl living with her mom, step dad & 4 year old brother Lewis. On 9/11 her mother never game home from her job in the twin towers. Her real Dad lives in California, but she rarely sees her real dad, only when he pops in unannounced. This sounds like a dismal story but its not. Wendy will pull at your heart, and you will root for her!! She goes to California where she meets and moves in with her "real" Dad, she becomes friends with a young woman, very young, who just had a baby, doesn't know how to take care of it, she also becomes friends with Bill, who owns a bookstore and goes to visit his son who is in a home, every week, come rain or come shine.
Its a heartwarming story. I loved it.
Its a heartwarming story. I loved it.
November 12, 2009
I am really enjoying this book. Even though the protagoniost is only 13, this author has a way of making adolescence resonate with adult readers. She did the same with her previous book that I enyoyed, Labor Day. In this one, the young girl in the center of the story loses her mom on September 11. She has a 4 year old brother as well, and this is the first 9/11 novel I've read that explores the issue from the point of view of the children affected. Very moving and gripping so far.
Update: Bravo. Gave this book to my daughter to read, who is just beginning to enjoy the ouvre of teen angst novels. This one is so real though, she is finding it (as I did) both compelling and heartbreaking.
Update: Bravo. Gave this book to my daughter to read, who is just beginning to enjoy the ouvre of teen angst novels. This one is so real though, she is finding it (as I did) both compelling and heartbreaking.
April 21, 2011
Since I don't read jacket covers, this book struck me like a brick when I realized it was set in Park Slope and deals with the day of and aftermath of a family who loses a member on 9/11/01. Nearly 10 years after the event, I was carried along with the author as she describes the insanity and the ordinary of that day and the days and months that follow. Narrated by a 13 year old girl, who is reading A Diary of Anne Frank in school when the World Trade Centers are struck, she takes us on an amazing journey about surviving the seeminly un-survivable.
November 30, 2013
A young girl deals with losing her mother on 9/11. She not only has to cope with the loss, anger, grief and confusion but also with sorting out the whole concept of family. Told from the view of the 13 year old girl, the book doesn't go into long passages of self discover, which is good. Instead we accompany Wendy as she figures out how to get through the days and keep on living. Sometimes she seems to have more street smarts than a 13 year old should, but generally it is believable and an enjoyable read with well developed characters
February 1, 2012
This book is told from the perspective of 13-year-old Wendy, whose mother dies in 9/11. Not only is the narrative voice believable, but the depiction of grief is realistic and extremely well done. In addition to her own mourning, Wendy has a lot to deal with, like figuring out who she is and what she wants. Her journey is heartbreaking yet a testament to the power of the human spirit.
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