Tuesday, December 21, 2010

See What I See Review

Author: Gloria Whelan
Release Date: Jan 1, 2011
Pages: 208 (ARC)
Publisher: HarperTeen
Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: For review from publisher

Kate Tapert sees her life in paintings. She makes sense of the world around her by relating it to what she adores—art. Armed with a suitcase, some canvases, and a scholarship to art school in Detroit, Kate is ready to leave home and fully immerse herself in painting. Sounds like heaven. All Kate needs is a place to stay.

That place is the home of her father, famous and reclusive artist Dalton Quinn, a father she hasn't seen or heard from in nearly ten years. When Kate knocks on his door out of the blue, little does she realize what a life-altering move that will turn out to be. But Kate has a dream, and she will work her way into Dalton's life, into his mind, into his heart . . . whether he likes it or not. 
See What I See was a quick read, but I felt like it could've been so much more.

The plot moved along at a good pace and definitely kept me interested, even though I don't know that much about art. (But this book did make me want to learn more about art, mostly so I can go to art school, because it sounds COOL..)

This book lacked the emotional punch I was looking for. While I liked Kate's character a lot, I felt like I there was this barrier keeping me from loving her. Sure, I wanted her to succeed and be happy, but she almost seemed much like a character instead of a person. Also, I kept waiting for some giant, incredibly emotional ending that I just never got.

So while See What I See was definitely enjoyable and I'd probably recommend it, it lacked just a little something for me.

Plot: Well-paced and intriguing.
Characters: I liked them. I didn't love them. (Except her dad. I didn't like him.)
Writing: Very nice
Ending: Expected, but pretty good.
How kid friendly is it? Completely. I don't think there's anything "bad" in this book at all.
Should I read it? Sure, it should only take you a little while.
Overall:
 http://www.mylivesignature.com/signatures/85705/bergquistorama/7a79d124891e43155b9d4b2ccb5c72df.png

3 comments:

  1. I don't see many books about artist. Seems the character would be vivid and interesting. Great review!

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  2. Hope you don't mind newbies dropping by. An aspiring author, I thought I'd come in and see what's what. Fab site, so ya know. :)

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  3. The artist part of this book does make me want to read it. The cover is really cool looking too. Shame it wasn't as great as you'd hope, but thanks for the review!

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