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emma's Reviews > Keeping the Moon
Keeping the Moon
by
by
emma's review
bookshelves: contemporary, ya, 2-and-a-half-stars, reviewed, eh, reread
Apr 26, 2015
bookshelves: contemporary, ya, 2-and-a-half-stars, reviewed, eh, reread
Read 2 times. Last read May 19, 2018 to May 20, 2018.
not my favorite sarah dessen.
this goes for a good message of, like, self-esteem and all, but MAN does it get into a good deal of fat-shaming and slut-shaming and girl-hate and just really horrendous unjustified nonsensical bullying along the way.
also, every single background character in this book is a goddamn villain out to get at least one of the main characters. and that's just unreal.
i do like the theme of "the only thing it takes to be a beautiful girl is decide you're one" because, um, extremely true as hell. and i think dessen was going for something good here. did she get there? questionable.
bottom line: mehhhhhh. but the sarah dessen reread extravaganza will continue!!!
this goes for a good message of, like, self-esteem and all, but MAN does it get into a good deal of fat-shaming and slut-shaming and girl-hate and just really horrendous unjustified nonsensical bullying along the way.
also, every single background character in this book is a goddamn villain out to get at least one of the main characters. and that's just unreal.
i do like the theme of "the only thing it takes to be a beautiful girl is decide you're one" because, um, extremely true as hell. and i think dessen was going for something good here. did she get there? questionable.
bottom line: mehhhhhh. but the sarah dessen reread extravaganza will continue!!!
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
April 26, 2015
– Shelved
May 19, 2018
–
Started Reading
May 20, 2018
–
Finished Reading
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by
lucky little cat
(new)
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rated it 4 stars
May 20, 2018 07:33AM
emma, another fabulous review! I read this when it came out in 1999, & back then this was basically a pioneering book. I think your criticisms are absolutely accurate. But there was nothing like this book then, & Dessen would undoubtedly write differently if she were writing it now. Maybe best to view this one as a cultural artifact!
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villanous background characters are so anoying. i have read so many book with evil backgrond characters that i get paranoid. *Character meets new person
me: KILL THEM BEFORE THEY KILL YOU!!!
Well, heck. Now I have to reread it to see how flawed it is from a 2018 perspective.
Tucker wrote: "villanous background characters are so anoying. i have read so many book with evil backgrond characters that i get paranoid. *Character meets new person
me: KILL THEM BEFORE THEY KILL YOU!!!"
they're especially annoying in realistic fiction, when it's like...this is a high school student. everything is fine. chill out
lucky little cat wrote: "emma, another fabulous review! I read this when it came out in 1999, & back then this was basically a pioneering book. I think your criticisms are absolutely accurate. But there was nothing like th..."lucky little cat wrote: "Well, heck. Now I have to reread it to see how flawed it is from a 2018 perspective."
it's definitely not that bad, could have aged much worse, but in the harsh harsh light of 2018 it's not my ideal
"they're especially annoying in realistic fiction when"I know right?
Tucker wrote: ""they're especially annoying in realistic fiction when"I know right?"
lol
Hunh. I don't remember the Mean Girl motif being especially out of line in this one (and this book does predate Mean Girls the movie by five years).I do remember it's one of the few from back then that featured the women-helping-women message. And I liked how Isabel could be helpful while still being super-surly to a girl she deemed socially clueless. À la alpha girls of all eras.
lucky little cat wrote: "Hunh. I don't remember the Mean Girl motif being especially out of line in this one (and this book does predate Mean Girls the movie by five years).I do remember it's one of the few from back the..."
there's another Mean Girl (caroline) plus some Mean Local Women and that trope just always rubs me the wrong way
I totally forgot to mention this in my review, I was focused on the age gap between the MCs, but I’m so glad you mentioned this because I felt so gross reading those fatphobic comments!
Ashley wrote: "I totally forgot to mention this in my review, I was focused on the age gap between the MCs, but I’m so glad you mentioned this because I felt so gross reading those fatphobic comments!"yes!!!! much to be uncomfy about
