The Virgin Suicides

[nevermore]

Only because I know Dawny just finished it, and only because I know some other girls on this forum have read the book at my recommendation.

For those of you peeking in who haven't read the book, The Virgin Suicides (http://www.amazon.com/Virgin-Suicides-Novel-Jeffrey-Eugenides/dp/0312428812/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273557406&sr=8-2) is the story of 5 sisters who live with one very, very overprotective mother, who ultimately throws the girls in lockdown after one of them breaks curfew.

The Virgin Suicides tells the story of what happens to these five girls, as narrated by the boys in the neighborhood, who are in love with the Lisbon sisters. And how it destroyed the boys for life.

It's very sad, very beautifully written, and very, very thought-provoking.

So if you've read it, I'm eager to hear your opinions. If you've seen the movie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbz4-du3Ayg), we can discuss that, too. Personally, I don't think there's anybody on earth who could have played Lux Lisbon better than Kirsten Dunst, but I've always rather hated the girl who played Therese... other than her though, I love the movie to bits and pieces. And the book makes me cry like, every single time I read it.

What about you?

[You stupid boy]

I think it sounds interesting and I'm keeping an eye out for it. But, is it really just about what the title implies? Or is the title a metaphor?

[nevermore]

Metaphor...ish... The sisters come from a devoutly catholic family, and the first sister to go was found clutching a Virgin Mary prayer card. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_card) But at the same time, one of the sisters went through a major loss of innocence while trying to cope with losing her sister. The overall theme is suicide, though, and how it affects more than just the person who kills themselves--when one person takes their life, they take a little bit of their loved ones with them.

I put a link to the movie trailer in my first post, too. :)

But yes, it's one of those books that falls right in the middle of being YA and being adult fiction (at the library I worked at, we got sick of arguing and finally put one copy in each section, haha). I'd recommend it for the older end of our teen group. It has a lot of mature subject matter, in many senses of the word--from suicide and depression to the startling detail that's sometimes given about the girls' deaths, to the losing of one's innocence. I'd say read the first page or two on amazon--it will give you the best feel for the book's content. It's heavy, but it's also very beautifully and poetically written, for how serious the subject matter gets sometimes. In my opinion, it's a very accurate portrayal of a group of girls who are dealing with severe depression while trying to get on with life, and boys who are confused but desperately want to help.

[Midnight]

This sounds like a well written book and I am defiantly looking for something new to read. I know it is in the YA catigory but do you think that it would be ok for 16 year old to read or should I wait a couple of years?

[nevermore]

I never base who's ready for what book based on age. I was reading all sorts of YA books (Perks of Being a Wallflower, Mists of Avalon, etc) that contained mature subject matter by the time I was 15, and my parents were fine like that. Some of my friends' parents, on the other hand, would have hit the roof. I know of one girl whose mom only let her read books with characters as old as she was, so she had to wait to read a Harry Potter book each year until she turned 17 (I still think that was pure insanity...).

I'd say read the first few pages off of Amazon to see what you think of it (the scene opens with Cecilia Lisbon found dying, so you'll get the picture very quickly). In addition to that, there's also a bit of "mature" content that comes up a few times later in the book, too. I've come across far more graphic YA material in my years working at the library, however it's not a book for little kids, so from there, I find that what's inappropriate varies from person to person.

A crapload of girls on UE read it and loved it (some as young as 14 or 15, others in their late teens and early twenties), and girls were always checking it out from the library and my friend (who is an English teacher) is forever loaning her copy out to students in her class. The best advice I can give is to read the sample pages off Amazon to better decide if it's something you (or your parents) would be comfortable reading.

[Kingdom Hearts]

I will have to look it up Thank You so much Nevie :) I'm always looking for goood books to read :)

[nevermore]

Er... I take back what I said about age and books. I think you'd definitely be too young for this one. Wait until you're in high school.

If you're looking for some good books to get into though, I believe I recommended Unfortunate Events ages ago...

[Kingdom Hearts]

XD Some how i kind of new in the back of my head you were going to say that. And i tyed reading UE but i got kind of bored... *goes book hunting* :)