The Center of Everything by Laura Moriarty
I am a writer and also a reader who likes stories neatly tied up with a ribbon by the end. This is a bad habit and I really should let it go. Life is unpredictable and is never neat. The Center of Everything left me wanting more. It ended exactly as it should have, like life itself.
Evelyn Bucknow succeeds despite having all the odds stacked against her. She's being raised by a single mother, who has been disowned by her father because of the birth of Evelyn. Evelyn's grandmother, Eileen shows up regularly to try and make peace in the family. Evelyn's mother, Tina wants no part of it. Tina becomes pregnant again and the father of the baby, a married man, disappears.
Evelyn is surrounded by friends who skip school, do drugs and have sex. Her brother is born with special needs. Tina is consumed with his daily care with no time for Evelyn. And yet she manages not to be distracted by all the emotion, heartache and struggle that comes along with being a teenager. Things don't go as she planned most of the time, but Evelyn is resilient to say the least. It's a pleasure to watch Evelyn grow from a little girl to a focused young woman. And it's heartwarming to watch Tina evolve right along side her.
I loved this book. The characters all had unique personalities created through the author's description. Her ability to include all the senses set the stage for rich, real, thought provoking story telling. Don't think this book is serious and sad. Many scenes left me laughing out loud. And I mean belly laughing funny. If a book can make me laugh and cry all at the same time, its worth reading. The Center of Everything is a novel that did just that. And it left me wanting more.
I am a writer and also a reader who likes stories neatly tied up with a ribbon by the end. This is a bad habit and I really should let it go. Life is unpredictable and is never neat. The Center of Everything left me wanting more. It ended exactly as it should have, like life itself.
Evelyn Bucknow succeeds despite having all the odds stacked against her. She's being raised by a single mother, who has been disowned by her father because of the birth of Evelyn. Evelyn's grandmother, Eileen shows up regularly to try and make peace in the family. Evelyn's mother, Tina wants no part of it. Tina becomes pregnant again and the father of the baby, a married man, disappears.
Evelyn is surrounded by friends who skip school, do drugs and have sex. Her brother is born with special needs. Tina is consumed with his daily care with no time for Evelyn. And yet she manages not to be distracted by all the emotion, heartache and struggle that comes along with being a teenager. Things don't go as she planned most of the time, but Evelyn is resilient to say the least. It's a pleasure to watch Evelyn grow from a little girl to a focused young woman. And it's heartwarming to watch Tina evolve right along side her.
I loved this book. The characters all had unique personalities created through the author's description. Her ability to include all the senses set the stage for rich, real, thought provoking story telling. Don't think this book is serious and sad. Many scenes left me laughing out loud. And I mean belly laughing funny. If a book can make me laugh and cry all at the same time, its worth reading. The Center of Everything is a novel that did just that. And it left me wanting more.
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