Thursday, December 30, 2010

The Best and Hardest Thing

The Best and Hardest Thing by Pat Brissom


After having sex to shed her good-girl image, Molly finds out she is pregnant.

My review:

This is a childish book written about adult issues.

The Best and Hardest Thing was written in verse, not my favorite form of YA literature, because I find most authors trap themselves. The emotional journey can be stunted easily in a verse book, this rang very true for Brissom’s writing.

My other major malfunction was that the book lacked motivation. Molly didn’t want to be a good girl, why? Molly thought sex was the answer, why? Molly also has mommy issues that are brought up once and then the theme is cut short, instead of being solidified.

What the book lacked in plot, structure and emotion it did not make up for in poetic brilliance. The poems rhymed. Let’s just say it did not surprise me to see that Brissom had made the leap to YA from children’s picture books.

In conclusion I feel like the author put all her thought into an amazing title and then just flamed out. Too bad, I really love the title.

Notes on the Names: I cannot remember any of them; I had to flip through the book to find Molly’s name. Obviously, this book did not make an impression.

Thoughts on the Cover: It’s an obvious model cover I liked. You know what the book is about, her pregnancy, needless to say, won’t shock you.

3 comments:

Ashley said...

How sad that the book didn't work well.

I like verse novels, but agree that sometimes they hinder rather than advance the novel.

Have you tried Ellen Hopkins? She is definitely someone who has mastered the art of novels in verse. Her stuff is powerful!

Kelsey said...

Thanks for the honest review. Good to know.

Gabrielle Carolina said...

Ashley- I have, Identical is AMAZING and just won an award here on MPB!