 The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr (website | twitter)
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Little, Brown
Pages: 320
Target audience: Young Adult
Keywords: teen proteges, young pianists, parental pressure, older crushes
Format read: ARC provided by Publisher. (Thanks!)
Summary: After completely abandoning piano and not playing for eight months, Lucy begins pondering if she wants to play again and how her family would accept her decision (especially since she doesn’t want to be pushed into the professional circuit again.) It doesn’t hurt that her little brother’s new piano teacher is encouraging her to play.
Eight months ago, Lucy walked away from her future career as a concert pianist.
She hasn’t touched a piano since the day she walked off the stage in Prague. Her decision has caused tons of family strife; there’s so much tension between she and her grandfather now and all the focus has been placed on her 10-year-old brother, Gus, and his future career. Her parents refuse to acknowledge too much pressure was put on Lucy and her successes. Lucy fears that Gus will soon hate playing, too, because of all the rigorous training and must-win attitude he must face adapt.
After the sudden death of Gus’ old piano teacher, young, unconventional Will replaces her. In addition to making waves by changing Gus’s training schedule, Will also begins to question Lucy about her leave from playing. Does she still want to play? Does she ever play for fun?
Eventually Lucy begins to form answers to those questions. She’s not sure how to deal with the answers (or how her family would respond to what she wants to do).
Long gone are the days of Lucy’s private tutors and jet setting around the world to perform; she’s back to a “normal” schedule at San Francisco’s second best private school. Her best friends, Carson and Reyna, listen to their fair share of Lucy’s dramatic family stories, while encouraging her to stay out of trouble. You see, Lucy was forced to mature so quickly that she tends to gravitate toward crushing on older men. (Reyna’s not so much a fan of this because her parents are in the middle of a gruesome divorce thanks to her dad’s scandalous affairs with pretty, younger women.)
A lot can happen when you form an unorthodox relationship with your little brother’s piano teacher.
As you guys probably are aware by now, Sara Zarr is one of my favorite authors in the whole wide world. The Lucy Variations is another strong representation of her amazing talent. There were rich family dynamics — a grandfather who is extremely wealthy but continues to live in the family mansion with Lucy’s family, parents that orbit around their children’s careers and fear speaking against Grandpa’s demands, an adorable, loveable younger brother that you will want to pull into a big bear hug, and Martin, their amazing chef/butler that has seen Lucy grow up and always offers insightful advice.
And then there’s what I felt was most interesting, especially as I think about what kind of parent I want to be: the immense pressure this family put on their children to excel and have the rest of their lives perfectly planned out. I know a lot of parents who push their kids into just about every sport or have them practicing with coaches one-on-one so their kids can be The Best. Realistically, the chance to have an athletic professional career (or a musical one) is microscopic. Lucy’s childhood was completely stripped away from her.
This led to her making some questionable decisions and crushing on some guys that really left me feeling a bit squirmy at times. (Though, yes, I definitely remember thinking about what would happen if I ever met Justin Timberlake and how our age difference wouldn’t matter. Cause, um, you know — that would be the only questionable difference between us, right?) Lucy’s very real but very flawed — she loves her younger brother and wants to protect him, but does some pretty selfish things that are understandable though she has no foresight to see how they’ll (negatively) impact the future.
While How to Save a Life still clings to the gold as my favorite Sara Zarr book, The Lucy Variations comes in a very close second place. Sara’s writing is effortless; I could swim in her words forever and ever. And hopefully you guys will want to, too, if I continue singing her praises.
Goodreads | Amazon
Posted inMagan,Reviews,Reviews by Magan,Young Adult ReviewsTags: book about crushing on an older guy,books about grandparents,Books about Musical Geniuses,Books About Overbearing Parents,books about piano players,books to own,concert pianist,Little Brown,NetGalley,sara zarr,the lucy variations by sara zarr
So I kind of cheated for today’s Top Ten Tuesday. I only chose nine books. This is so incredibly OCD of me, but when I was doing the layout, I did a grid that only had room for 9 books. I’m a bit neurotic and couldn’t force myself to squeeze in a tenth book. Oops?
This week’s topic for Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and The Bookish) is Top Ten Favorite Books I Read Pre-Blogging.
- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls — *gasp* I KNOW! You guys don’t see me read a lot of adult fiction (much less memoirs), but ohmygosh this book is so flipping fantastic. I had a very deep emotional connection to this one.
- The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart — I also don’t read TONS of middle grade books, but this serious is so fantastic. It’s about kid geniuses who need good homes and they’re always trying to solve a mystery.
- Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin — By now I’m sure we’ve all seen the movie, but I was a major chick lit girl back in the day.
- North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley — This was shortly before I became a blogger (but still a rec from Estelle) and … wow. Gorgeous writing. Lovely story.
- The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta — All hail Melina Marchetta. By far my favorite of her books. Love, love, love.
- Hourglass by Myra McEntire — Time travel? What? In addition to that and the steamy tension between the characters, this is a total win.
- Perfect Fifths (Jessica Darling #5) by Megan McCafferty — Yes, I chose the FIFTH book and not the first. It’s my favorite. What’s yours?
- Love Story by Jennifer Echols — I’m kind of in the minority, I think, for loving this book the way I do. There’s not a perfect ending, but boy do I like the open-endedness.
- Staying at Daisy’s by Jill Mansell — And one more chick lit book for you guys. Jill is hilarious. Her characters are always in some undeniably terrible point in their lives. I need to read another of her books ASAP.
(Okay, so what would my tenth pick really be? The entire Harry Potter series. Ooops — I just cheated again. That makes 16 books. )
♦
Don’t forget to check out the fabulous list over at The Broke and the Bookish!
What were your favorite books pre-blogging?
Posted inMagan,Memes by Magan,Top Ten Tuesday,Weekly MemesTags: emily giffin,favorite books pre-blogging,jeannette walls,Jennifer Echols,jill mansel,Justina Chen,Justina Chen Headley,Magan,Megan McCafferty,Melina Marchetta,Myra McEntire,top ten tuesday,trenton lee stewart
.jpg) The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher ( web | tweet )
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 304 pages
Target audience: Mature young adult
Keywords: bullying, suicide, friendships
Format read: ARC from NetGalley via Publisher. (Thanks!)
Summary: When Angie’s best friend commits suicide, she launches into a full-on investigation to find out who continues to tarnish Lizzie’s reputation with the proclamation of SLUT written on her locker and her old journal entries showing up all over school. Angie faces tough truths about her friendship (that wasn’t so solid during Lizzie’s last days) and the downward spiral of hatred at her high school.
Whoa. Chelsea Pitcher has painted such a dark and unforgiving portrait of high school that had me thanking my lucky stars I would never have to go back.
Angie is determined to figure out who continues to tarnish the reputation of her ex-best friend Lizzie who just committed suicide because it would take a person with a pretty sick sense of humor to do that, right? The S-Word begins on shaky footing because there is just so much that is unknown, including how Angie really feels about her friend’s death. Her attitude was a little too distanced to me, the setting a little too film noir, and without a firm grasp on my narrator, I found myself sluggishly making my way through the earlier chapters of the book.
When I least expected it though, as Angie continued to dig deeper into the lives of her high school peers, I was truly swept up into the intertwining storylines, childhood tragedies that had yet to heal, and the secrets uncovered that carefully tied the everything (and everyone) together. While I’m not sure all the intersected plotlines were entirely necessary, you could see that Pitcher put a lot of care into crafting her writing, creating such a complex and multi-arced story. She even folds in some of Lizzie’s journal entries; the insight they provided and Lizzie’s voice in general were a highlight for my own reading experience and gave me some time to breathe as the story grew more and more unfortunate and out of control.
The biggest takeaway from The S-Word is how much we just may not know about the people who are the closest to us and how much trust and bravery is required to truly be yourself (especially in such a toxic environment). The experiences we bury away, the secrets we keep may cause a domino effect of events we can’t even begin to fathom.
Despite the book’s summary, I wasn’t expecting something quite so dark and full of tangled, tangled webs. But I do applaud Pitcher’s complex storytelling, as well as her cast of diverse characters (why oh why is this so uncommon), a unique (tension-filled) romance, and ability to embed some serious surprises.
Goodreads | Buy on Amazon
 Hey, hey friends! Happy Sunday! Thanks for stopping by for today’s Shelve It! It’s been a while since I’ve splurged on books. Have you seen all the amazing deals for the kindle and nook? Holy moly — so many good books are half off or cheaper right now. Take advantage of this, guys! Estelle and I definitely have.
Since all my books are for my kindle, no vlog for this Shelve It. I’m pretty sure that would be boring with nothing to physically show you. (Right?)
Books Purchased for my Kindle:
Just for Now by Abbi Glines — $0.99 — (Goodreads | Amazon)
Being Friends With Boys by Terra Elan McVoy — $2.99 — (Goodreads | Amazon | Estelle’s Review)
Going Bovine by Libba Bray — $3.99 — (Goodreads | Amazon)
(I believe the Amazon sales last through the end of April. The 50% off sale at Barnes and Noble only lasts through this weekend. Please note that I think Amazon has decided to match the prices on the B&N sales.)
I also purchased What We Lost by Sara Zarr. (Goodreads | Amazon) It was originally titled Once Was Lost, but it received a shiny new cover and a new title. What are your thoughts? I love both covers, actually, but do admit the new one is a bit more eye-catching. This is my only Zarr book left to read, guys. Ahhh!
Books Received from Publishers (over the last few weeks):
The Symptoms of My Insanity by Mindy Raf (Goodreads | Amazon) — April 18, 2013
manicpixiedreamgirl by Tom Leveen (Goodreads | Amazon) — April 23, 2013
The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles (Goodreads | Amazon) — April 25, 2013
The Originals by Cat Patrick (Goodreads | Amazon) — May 7, 2013
Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown (Goodreads | Amazon) — May 21, 2013
You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle (Goodreads | Amazon) — June 4, 2013
Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols (Goodreads | Amazon) — July 16, 2013
* * *
Blog Happenings:
+ A review of Last Cut by Wren Handman
+ A review + Q&A With Jessica Verdi, Author of My Life After Now
+ A review of Golden by Jessi Kirby
+ A review of Someday, Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham
+ The debut of our new feature, Nailed It, and a GIVEAWAY of one Julep nail polish. (ONE day left to enter!)
+ A review of Heist Society by Ally Carter
* * *
I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend! Thanks for stopping by for Shelve It.
What books did you buy or receive for review this week?
Posted inMagan,Memes by Magan,Shelve It,Week in Review,Weekly MemesTags: Abbi Glines,Beth Reekles,Cat Patrick,Jennifer Brown,Jennifer Castle,Jennifer Echols,Libba Bray,Magan,mindy raf,sara zarr,shelve it,shelve it meme,Terra Elan McVoy,Tom Leveen
Last Cut by Wren Handman
Publication Date: Republished April 1, 2013
Publisher: James Lorimer
Pages: 143
Targeted audience: Young adult
Keywords: high school, acting, secrets
Format read: ARC from NetGalley via Publisher.
Summary: Desperate to have a legitimate acting job to put on her resume, Caitlin lies about her age in order to obtain a role — creating a domino effect of made up stories to keep the charade going.
If you’ve been reading here for awhile, you may have noticed I’m not exactly the type of reader to miss out on a title just because the author or the publishing company isn’t familiar to me.
Even the three reviews of Goodreads (poor ones) did not dissuade me from reading Last Cut. I thought it might be Don’t Tell Mom the Baby-sitter’s Dead-esque — a schemer who might mean well but you know her actions will only blow up in her face. Or to take it down a notch, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, where a character has to keep up with a double life of sorts.
Well.
Last Cut was neither of those. I’m sorry to say. The writing wasn’t terrible; I actually liked the dialogue (the author is a playwright so that may have helped) and even though the premise didn’t grow to be as meaty as it could have been, I thought the story was entertaining enough.
Girl lies, cuts herself off from friends and family, faces unknown challenges in a job she always wanted, and BOOM because of one split second decision everything goes nuts.
Totally reasonable right? Until the ending that kept me whispering obscenities into the night as my husband was sleeping and my cat was laying on my legs. I’ve reached the end of books before where I wanted more for one reason or another. Sometimes it’s because I’m selfish and don’t want to say goodbye. Other times, it’s because there is one plotline that doesn’t seem to have reached any kind of conclusion.
Friends, I was livid and flabbergasted by how the ending cut off, and how I was frantically clicking the button on my Nook for pages that I knew were not there. Funnily enough, the publisher boasts their collection of “books for reluctant readers.” If this is what reluctant readers are picking up, I’m not feeling too confident about their growing love of books.
This easily could have been a fast-paced, fun read with lessons thrown in there. A girl discovers her strength! The self-awareness we sometimes lack and how it affects our relationships with friends and family. A ridiculous slasher flick in the background.
With some tweaking and some sort of understood obligation to give readers a book these deserve to spend their time reading, I probably would have liked this. Instead, I felt the author showed little respect for this main character and the reader. We both deserved more.
This leads me to the question: for you as a reader and/or a reviewer, do you shy away from lesser known books published by lesser known publishers for the chance of a blunder like this one?
Goodreads | Amazon
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I’m also a fan of Love Story so I’m glad to see it on your list. And I’ve been meaning to read The Piper’s Son forever!
by Magan
May 2013 Young Adult Book Releases - [...] | Amazon | Magan’s Review [...]
Magan - Lori — YOU HAVE TO READ MORE SARA ZARR!
The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr - HOBBITSIES - [...] Books Rather Be Reading Girl to the [...]
Lori (@Loriimagination) - The only Zarr book I’ve read is How to Save a Life and I really need to fix that. This one sounds so, so great.
VeganYANerds - I am so glad you loved this as I’ve read a few reviews that mention it not being Sara’s usual brilliance. Lucy’s life sounds complicated and I feel sorry for her lack of a normal childhood.
I’ve been saving How To Save A Life, but I think I should read it asap!
Alexa Y. - I very much want to read this book, because I feel like I could find it easy to relate to on so many levels. I haven’t read any Sara Zarr yet, but I will remedy that, I promise!
shoesforall - Your review has made me even more excited to read this book. I can’t wait for May!
Cynthia - Yes, yes I want to swim in Sara Zarr’s word again!! Will definitely get this one, I love her writing and it sounds like a great story.
Andrea @Cozy Up With A Good Read - I don’t read many contemporary YA novels and I wasn’t absolutely certain about this one, but it sounds amazing. I love that the family is such a large part of the book and I’m interested in everything that Lucy learns about herself throughout the book. It sounds like Sara Zarr has a way with words and I will definitely check out this book (and HOW TO SAVE A LIFE). Thanks for the beautiful review!
Rachel - I tend to avoid books that involve piano because I played it for many years when I was younger and prefer not to remember that period of my life, but I can totally relate to Lucy so I might actually read this one. I didn’t really like How to Save a Life (I think it was me and not the book), but I’m willing to give Zarr another chance because I know a lot of people love her books.
Bookworm1858 - I used to study piano (but with zero intention of ever doing anything professionally) so I always like books with music in them and this sounds really cool and dramatic. I liked Once Was Lost a lot so I hope to like this one as well.
Rachel @ hello, chelly. - I really want to read this one! I can already tell that I’ll be able to relate.. my parents put a lot of pressure on me to play the piano while I was growing up. Basically forced me to take lessons until I was about 16. Funny thing is, I only started to love it AFTER I was finally able to quit haha. So I’m definitely interested to hear Lucy’s side of things. Anyway, awesome review
Anna - GAHHH! I have a galley of this one, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t get it to load on my Kindle! Can’t wait to read it.
Maria - I can’t wait to read this book! (I have too of course. A whole month?! Gah!!!) But I still have Once was lost/What we lost left, which is good because I don’t want to be out of Sara Zarr books to read. Her writing is beautiful.