Rating: 
Summary: Cracked Updike meets Salinger meets Springsteen
Review: As far as narratives go, this is one of the finest works I've read in recent years. Vangie is a sharply characterized protagonist, and Gibbon's prose recalls Updike as smoothly as her dialogue recalls Salinger. This book portrays a fractured couple in rural Pennsylvania in the early 1980s trying to live out the American dream in a town shattered by unemployment, poverty and drugs.Fans of "A Girl Walking Backwards" will definitely see similarities, but the prose and narrative stands out here. Recommended soundtrack: "The River" - Bruce Springsteen, "Bat Out Of Hell" - Meatloaf, "Heaven Tonight" - Cheap Trick, "Late For The Sky" - Jackson Browne. Readers may want to be aware of the frank sexual depiction that even gives Updike a run for his money.
Rating: 
Summary: Over-rated tripe
Review: I read this book after reading all the glowing reviews here and couldn't believe how much I hated it. It was long and dull, repetitive and predictable, and it went NOWHERE. It was depressing and not in the way that I like. I actually hated the characters and felt a sort of repulsed pity for them...Their upbringing is NO excuse, either. There are millions of people who had similar backgrounds to this and still managed to become intelligent, sensitive people who are aware of the world around them and have many interests other than sex and drugs. To be fair, the story and characters do contain an unfortunate realism but...I sure don't want to spend my time reading about them. The narrative however flows nicely, the author's very talented...
Rating:
Summary: Edgy book not for the faint of heart!
Review: I truly enjoyed this book. Seldom do I read a book that I never want to end and this is certainly that kind of book. Some of the lines in the story are still stuck in my head and it's been a while since I read it. It's certainly a rated R book, so if you're more of a PG-13 kinda person, you may want to skip this one!
Rating:
Summary: Not for puritans
Review: My hardcover copy, incidentally, has a much more sedate dust jacket(designed by Michael Ian Kaye) than the paperback.It's the sort of book you have to flip through to find the non-dirty bits. The elements of a plot come briefly in between prolonged and graphic (and well-written) descriptions of sexual acts. In fact I think the real plot is the old basic story of the woman who sacrifices all for the sake of love with a worthless man. In the older stories this was romantic love; here it is physical desire. Vangie (the narrator) and Del have nothing else in their young lives (except alcohol and drugs). No parents are functioning. When they are not in jail or rehab they are waitresses of factory workers. In the end Vangie survives and leaves Del and we have a feeling she may be going on to a better life (she is still in her teens). Meanwhile her best friend June fares even worse with her boy friend Ray. That affair ends in shocking violence which is the spur to Vangie's escape.
Come to think of it, puritans might find a moral in this, but they would not have read so far.
Rating:
Summary: Truthful
Review: Swimming Sweet Arrow is the story of Vangie, an eighteen year old girl who claims right from the start that neither of her parents ever wanted her. She lives by herself in a rundown apartment that her father occasionally visits and works on a chicken farm with her boyfriend, Del and her best friend, June. As the novel progresses, Vangie frequently examines her life and where its heading. Sometimes, she feels dependant on the people she's close to, and other times, she can't wait for them to leave her alone. Her boyfriend has gotten into trouble with his constant drinking, and is admitted to a rehab. He emerges a changed person and tries to change Vangie, too. However, his change is temporary, and it isn't long before he falls back into his old lifestyle. Vangie's friend June becomes involved in a twisted love triangle between two brothers, which is ultimately headed for disaster. When Vangie gets a job picking pears at an orchard, she starts to realize that there is a lot more out there for her, and sets out to change things for herself. The ending of the book left me with a sense of hope for her, and I knew that she was going to be okay.
Maureen Gibbon's examination of youth in this novel is explicit, harsh and truthful. She holds nothing back, even those innermost thoughts that all teenage girls have. Vangie is someone that exists inside each of us, a strong, sympathetic voice who never stays quiet for long, and is forver trying to be heard.
Rating:
Summary: the real deal
Review: Swimming Sweet Arrow turned out to be an excellent book. It has some extremely rough material that is definately directed towards a mature audience, and some might find the raw sexual content and dramatic issues hard to swallow, but others might appreciate the gutwrenching honesty this book has. Maureen Gibbon did not try to candy coat anything about this young girl's coming of age story, she told it how it was. I like the fact that someone can write fiction that isn't so narrow minded even if it deals with telling a story that some might be too uptight to handle. It was VERY VERY well written.
Rating: 
Summary: So this is me?
Review: This book had me hooked from the second I read an excerpt. I finished it in one sitting. I loved how it was so candid and open, even about things that most authors shy away from. I had known ahead of time that this book could be considered "explicit" and it was, but not in a crude way. The protagonist, Vangie, is so easy to relate to, and the issues dealt with in the book aren't foreign concepts to most people. This book is very bold, and it has a gripping story. I know I'll read it again and again
Rating: 
Summary: Total Trash
Review: This book is basically hardcore porn in writing. There is no plot or story line just sex on every page. It is trashy and depicts sex in the most untasteful manner.
Rating:
Summary: Innocents
Review: This book was amazing!! I honestly could not put this book down.. I really got into this book and for anyone that is considering this book i strongly recommend it! Cathy Coote is truly a wonderful writer.. 2 thumbs up!
Rating:
Summary: Read in one sitting
Review: This book was unlike anything I have ever read. This book's focus is the sexual experiences between Vangie and her boyfriend Del. I really enjoyed this book the only complaints I have are the ending, I wish there was more resolution, or some kind of understanding of what happened to Vangie. Also I wish there could have been more characters integrated into the story. This book is perfect for women in the high school age braket.All and all I would reccomed this book, one of the better ones that I have read in a while. Can't wait to read her next novel.
| 
