Rating: 
Summary: Pure.
Review: A good example of how someone's problems can be caused by other problems. Rebecca Ray's, Pure, was a bit disturbing in the beginning. But once you get past that and found the girls underlying problem, you couldn't stop reading, just to see what she did next. This book was a fantastic read and I would most likely recommend it. It keeps you wanting to learn more about the girl.
Rating: 
Summary: Astounding
Review: For the first time, I'm rating something so flawed five stars.And with many reasons.Pure is an absolutely phenomenal novel,filled with so much raw emotion.After I finished reading the book, I couldn't stop thinking about it.Rebacca Ray is in every sense of the word brilliant(she was 16 when she wrote this novel).It is so realistically described, that I can practically see,and feel, smell, and just taste every single thing throughout the whole story.When the main character was going through pain, I could almost feel the pain with her, whther it was physical or emotional.I must start by saying that this book is not an easy read.If you plan on buying this book judging it by the cover, well DON'T!IT is not the everday teen novel that it makes itself out to be.It's very graphic,sexually,emotionally,physically, and does not have any boundaries in which it feels the need to stop. Also, the story is not in any case "your girl-next door adolscent gal finding herself type of thang".Unless your everyday girl-next-door lets random guys at school touch her in private places,engages in sexual, abusive relationships with 31 year old men, and cuts her wrists to try and numb the pain.This book is by no means light, and I do not reccomend it to everybody.It's very sad, and depressing.So why did I love this book so much?Well, first of all, it showed that life isn't always bright and cheery.That there aren't always clearings that come after a rough path, sometimes all of life is ...., and things never do get better.It shows ever so graphically what goes in the mind of a cutter, what he/or in this case she feel as they cut a sharp object through their bare flesh.It shows how sometimes instead of coming up, you go down, way down. Yup, that's "Pure" folks, and it ain't Danielle Steel.This book went so deep into me, it cut through me just like the main character cut her own skin. It was so touching.This book,despite all the turmoil, was so touching,maybe in a different way, but it was touching, even though it was ever so sad. So what are the flaws?Well,the writing is a bit choppy,and a lot of things really get you wondering.Like, for example, how any parents, no matter how self-absorbed,clueless, or busy would ever allow their daughter to engage in an obviously sexual relationship with a man of 31.Having him over at their house,inviting him for dinner,acting as if it were just the most normal thing.And plus, her mom was a stay-at home mother, and her father didn't work that much, so they had to notice,right?Also the ending was so dissapointing.There seemed to be no resolution, no answers to all those questions.But, I'll keep those flaws, because they make the book what it is!!Not all books are meant to be the way you want them to be.Not all books are meant to resolve themselves, some books leave questions,leave thoughts flailing around.As for Rebecca Ray, this girl has got it, and I CANNOT wait until her next novel comes out.I hope she'll be around for years to come, because if this was just her first novel, then...Rebecca has her own voice.Just as there are distinctive singers,painters, there are distinctive writers, and Rebecca has her own distinctive voice, give her a few years, and she'll explode.In conclusion, I'd like to say that this book left me feeling so many thing.I'll start off by saying that it took the hell out of me,leaving me on the inside out.It made me feel pity,and sympathy,anger,RAGE,disgust.It made me feel so many things.And while this gem remains flawed, some flaws I'd like to keep.I'll keep'em.This is a beautiful novel.Many wont like it, but it's gotta get to your heart.It's gotta get there one way or another.And it will.
Rating: 
Summary: Not my kind of book.
Review: I am a sixteen year old, who is very pure and innocent. I read this book, feeling that it would captivate my mind. The girl gets a boyfriend, Robin, who contacts her sexually. The girl seems stupid to let this boy, whom she states she doesn't even like finger her and what not. The two soon break up. The girl deals with friend problems. Her friend states that she ignores her too frequently for boys. The girl's father turns violent through the book, verbally. He has a very rigid personality, that turned back his wife and children. He drinks, and what not. The girl soon meets a man Oliver, who says to be 27. The girl is only 14, and doen't seem to think that this is a problem. She sleeps with Oliver, loses her virginity, thinks nothing of it, and he ends up lying of his age. Oliver beats her, and abuses her to get into her body for sex. I thought this book was disgusting, and I could not relate to anything. The girl was oblivious, I just wanted to slap her and tell that she was crazy. The mom was stupid too, making lies to make her daughter feel better about going out with a old man. The book faces every problem imaginable from sex to drinking. It's written at a slow pace, and a little to long for words. The ending was action packed compared to the steady speed that the book had at the beginning. The end was a bit harsh, and ended weird, but I liked it. The book was written well, by a sixteen year old who dropped out of school. I feel bad for this girl, because obviously she has a lot of problems going through in her life. The book also gives bad images into elders minds about teenage girls. We are not all like that, and I am far from it. It was kind of disturbing, and I could only relate to some parts in the novel, because of what my friends have done. I would not reccomend reading this novel, unless you are very bored, or get it for free. There are a lot better of books that can occupy your time pleasently.
Rating:
Summary: A book I will only read once
Review: I bought this book about two years ago after reading the back of the cover and finding it mildly intrusting. It seemed to take me forever to read it and none of the plot or characters grabbed me. It seemed like the author was trying to fit everything she could(warning a odd description of oral sex, abusive boyfriend, sexual confusion, teenage pregnancy). The writing is a bit flat for a young adult. The main character came off stupid and superficial with her worries about everything. I was board about 50 pages in but forced myself to finish it. By the time I finished the book I hated everybody in the story.
Rating:
Summary: Purley the best book I've read!
Review: I loved this book! Although some aspects of the story seemed unbelievable, i found Rebbeca Ray's novel very intriguing. I couldnt help but fall in love with the main character. She wanted to be anything but herself and i found that as something i could relate to. Ray's novel pulls you in within the first chapter of the book and I couldnt seem to put it down. Any girl not really comfortable with themselves can find a little bit of themselves in the narrator. Pure is an excellent book that I think every girl should read!
Rating: 
Summary: Something to Think About
Review: I read this novel when I was 14 years old (I am now 15). When I read it, it surprised me immensely. I was expecting a much cheerier story (judging by the back cover). Normally, I try not to read depressing novels, but for some reason I kept on reading this book even thought it was obviously sad from the very beginning. The girl in this novel is to be pitied, and it is interesting because until I read this novel, I had aways been very skeptical of the reasons behind cutting. Now I finally understand what goes on in a cutter's mind. What really inerested me in this novel, however, was Oliver. I think that up until a certain age (probably around 14), a girl wants to trust adults. Oliver's twisted character opened my eyes a little at just how messed up adults can be. The girl in this novel learned that the hard way by entering into her destructive relationship with Oliver He is a sick man, and she deserves better. She lives in a dark world that she can only mentally/emotionally escape through cutting, and by the end of the novel I found myself hoping that she can climb out of the hole that she and others have dug for her. I can't say that I liked this novel, but I do feel that it is an essential story for all teenage girls to read-if only so that they can see what they DON'T want to become.
Rating: 
Summary: If you like the movie Thirteen
Review: I worked at a bookstore and while straightening up I came across this book. Thought it seemed rather interesting so I bought it. Even with my discount I was still mad that I had wasted my money on this book. I did read it til the end and I do realize that this was her first novel but, when I finished the book I actually closed it, stared at it, and promptly threw it across the room. The characters never seemed to develope and the ending made me angry. I hated how it just ends. It wasn't that it was disturbing what happened in the novel I just kept reading trying to figure out what these characters are all about. I wouldn't read this book again if you paid me. But then again that's my humble opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Could be the end of your innocence!
Review: Like the back of the book states, it's about being 14, your first love, and the end of innocence. This book was not at all what I expected it to be. A reveiw says "Ray brings back all those adolescent happenings you'd rather not remember. But she makes you laugh as you do." I however, found nothing amusing about this novel. It was full of language and vulgar details. Definitely not what an average 14 year old experiences here in America. It made me wonder, if kids this age in London really do all these things openly. It's not like her habits of drinking, smoking, drugs,language, abuse, and promiscuity were hidden from her parents. They knew, but never showed any sense of caring. I would never recommend this book to anyone my age(17) or otherwise. I truly found it quite disturbing. I wish I would not have read it. I just wonder how anyone could hate themselves so much. I also wonder about the author, she left school at 16 to write this! She must have some imagination, or terrible happenings in her life to come up with such a story. I feel somewhat sorry for the mind of Ray. I'm not at all happy about purchasing such a seemingly hateful and depressing book. The look of the cover and reveiws on the back are very misleading, tempting of course. I learned my lesson, don't let your kids read this one. Definitely not appropriate for young adults.
Rating:
Summary: Could be the end of your innocence!
Review: Like the back of the book states, it's about being 14, your first love, and the end of innocence. This book was not at all what I expected it to be. A reveiw says "Ray brings back all those adolescent happenings you'd rather not remember. But she makes you laugh as you do." I however, found nothing amusing about this novel. It was full of language and vulgar details. Definitely not what an average 14 year old experiences here in America. It made me wonder, if kids this age in London really do all these things openly. It's not like her habits of drinking, smoking, drugs,language, abuse, and promiscuity were hidden from her parents. They knew, but never showed any sense of caring. I would never recommend this book to anyone my age(17) or otherwise. I truly found it quite disturbing. I wish I would not have read it. I just wonder how anyone could hate themselves so much. I also wonder about the author, she left school at 16 to write this! She must have some imagination, or terrible happenings in her life to come up with such a story. I feel somewhat sorry for the mind of Ray. I'm not at all happy about purchasing such a seemingly hateful and depressing book. The look of the cover and reveiws on the back are very misleading, tempting of course. I learned my lesson, don't let your kids read this one. Definitely not appropriate for young adults.
Rating:
Summary: great...
Review: ok im pretty confident this is the worst book ever written. i will sum the plot up for you now:____o wait there isnt one unless u call a girl that likes to be abused by herself and guys a plot and to think this was written by a girl who dropped out of high school who woulda guessed? this would have made one hell of a stay in school campaign
|
