October 7, 2010

Fixing Delilah - Sarah Ockler






Young Adult
Fixing DelilahPages: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: December 1, 2010

Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.

She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.

Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?

Rich with emotion, Sarah Ockler delivers a powerful story of family, love, and self-discovery.

This book captures with incredible accuracy the essence of a conflicted family, where grief and secrets have always been present. Yet it has so much more. The sweet and sad relationship between Delilah and Patrick melted my heart. The thought of being separated from your childhood summer friend for so long and keeping those memories was such a sweet concept that it could only compare to the loveliness of Sarah's first book, Twenty Boy Summer. Now, in Fixing Delilah she portrays so many issues in one story that make the story unbelievably powerful.

The writing was exquisite and the characters were richly explored. I loved how Delilah's family was female only. I also loved the way the book was decorated, it has leaves and decorations at the beginning of each chapter that beautified my reading, as if it needed more charm than just Ockler's heart-filled words. This coming-of age story about finding yourself and discovering the beauty of imperfect families will stay in my mind for a long time. I have no doubts that I will love whatever Sarah Ockler writes after these two masterpieces.

This is of of 2010's contemporary must-reads.


10 comments:

  1. This sounds lovely and adorable. Definitely want to read this one!

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  2. Sarah Ockler <3 I loved Twenty Boy Summer. And I'm going to keep a very sharp eye on this on the day of its release. I really want to read it! Your beautiful review has kept me excited just now. Yay! :)

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  3. Lovely review! I want to read both Fixing Delilah and Twenty Boy summer. I've heard nothing but good things about Sarah Ockler's writing.

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  4. I loved Twenty Boy Summer and I was wondering how her second book would be. (I always fear that sophomore slump as they call it.) But I'm so glad you loved it because that means I'm going to love it!

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  5. This one sounds fantastic! As soon as it comes up on BookDepository in paperback format I'm totally buying!

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  6. Thank you, Sab H! I'm so glad you enjoyed Fixing Delilah!

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  7. I loved Twenty Boy Summer and am very excited about this one. I believe I'm getting it for Christmas, so I'm going to have to be patient ;)

    Great review, and so glad it lived up to expectations!

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  8. This one sounds great, thanks for the review.

    Have a great weekend!
    Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog

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  9. I finished this book last night. I'm so glad you liked it as much as I did. I highlighted so many passages; Sarah Ockler is a master of imagery. This is so realistic that the reader sympathizes with Delilah through the whole book.

    I can't wait for Ockler's next book!

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