Friday, April 8, 2011

Leftovers by Laura Wiess: A Review

Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads


Blair and Ardith are best friends who have committed an unforgivable act in the name of love and justice. But in order to understand what could drive two young women to such extreme measures, first you'll have to understand why. You'll have to listen as they describe parents who are alternately absent and smothering, classmates who mock and shun anyone different, and young men who are allowed to hurt and dominate without consequence. You will have to learn what it's like to be a teenage girl who locks her bedroom door at night, who has been written off by the adults around her as damaged goods. A girl who has no one to trust except the one person she's forbidden to see. You'll have to understand what it's really like to be forgotten and abandoned in America today.




Are you ready?







So first and foremost let me start by saying, this is a product of Because Great Said So. Since I have no real idea what I am doing, I can't seem to figure out how to post this to that page as a New Post, without adding it to, or erasing the old post.
*shakes fist at computer*
You may have one this time, but don't get all cocky, I will conquer you!!
Yep yep thats right I talk to my computer, who in the past two days as gone from my bff, to Lex Luther status. (you know evil, twisted, and uber aggravating, but you still love him)
Oh crap! There I go off the deep end again. Here take this life vest.....sorry about that;)
So without further ado lets move one shall we?
 
When Greta told me I needed to read this, I jumped at it. As per usual I am so SO SO glad I did. But lets get something straight. When Greta tells me to read something, I do it, and then I usually feel a little dirty afterwards. *waggles eyebrows* If ya know what I mean. This book also left me feeling a bit dirty, but
NOT NOT NOT
in the way that you think. I feel worn raw by the sheer truth in all this.
 
Laura Wiess takes us on a journey into the lifes of teenagers Blair and Ardith. She takes you to a place that is dark, yet you still are able to find disturbing humour. This book is an unspoken truth of our youth. A big lump usual found hidden under the rug, now lies scattered across the floor for all the world to see....
 
Blair and Aridith are bff's. The bond that makes their friendship stronger, also seems to the misery that pulls them apart. Blair is the rich kid, who's parents believe that appearances are EVERYTHING. Blair is just an appearance, not a loved daughter as she should be, do not confuse the two. Blair spends most her time all alone in her big cold house, unless of course Ardith rescues her from her solitude.
 
Aridith is the girl from the wrong side of the tracks.Also not to be confused with the bad seed, because she is anything but. She spends all of her time at school working hard to get away from the stain on society, that is her family. While at home the parties are endless, the pervs know no boundaries, and the' keg squats in the corner, like the resident trolll. Aridith knows a world where little girls sleep with padlocks on the inside of their bedroom door, because you never know when being his daughter will stop being enough to keep his hands at bay. Ardith keeps Blair away from her stained home life at all cost, but when Christmas rolls around, and Blair is left alone, you can't leave the drunken house so you invite her over. Nothing was the same after that. Life's were changed, friendships strained, and consequences must be paid.
Revenge is a dish best served cold, because as you will see, sometimes in order to pay the piper others will have to be sacrificed.....
"You've both outgrown the girls you were defending, and the ones that stand in their place are now armed with powerful, adult-sanctioned weapons. Tomorrow. The end will mark the beginning.
 
I know I'm leaving you hanging, but I mean isn't that kinda the point?! But before I go I will give you a glimpse into this story with a quote from Ardith that just really stuck with me, in a so true, haunting kind of way.
"Time is not your friend. It doesn't care if you live fast or die slow, if you aren't or if you aren't. It was here before you arrived and will go on after you leave. Time doesn't care who wins or who loses, if your life span is empty, honorable or shameful. Time is indifferent. It simply doesn't give a shit."
 
Overall I give this 4 out of 5!!

2 comments:

  1. I'm glad you liked it! You wanted something about sneaking out and booze lolz. That seemed like a perfect win for you. Did you like how each girl had their own voice in the story? I thought that was pretty neat.

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  2. Yea I really did like it. When you said there was booze and sneaking out, i was thinking it was gonna be a little different. I dunno what exactly, but this was heavy, and heart breaking, in a way you can't even cry about bc it is such as harsh reality.

    I uber loved getting inside each girls head. I do have to admit I was a little confused by the writing style in the beginning, until i realized what Laura was doing. She wasn't simply telling you a story, she was making you live it. I loved that you didn't just learn what they did, but why they did. What their actual thought process was, that drove their actions.
    I'm sure if you could have hooked up a computer to my brain when i was that age it would have been much of the same. lol

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