Willow: Amazon.ca: Julia Hoban: Books

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Review

'In this novel that is in part a love story, Hoban takes readers on an intense journey that allows them to see a cutter's painful reality' SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL 'Authentically tender. A credible depiction of a grieving girl's struggle toward self-forgiveness' PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Book Description

Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen year- old Willow?s parents died in a horrible car accident. Willow was driving. Now her older brother barely speaks to her, her new classmates know her as the killer orphan girl, and Willow is blocking the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when one boy ?one sensitive, soulful boy?discovers Willow?s secret, it sparks an intense relationship that turns the ?safe? world Willow has created for herself upside down.

Told in an extraordinary fresh voice, Willow is an unforgettable novel about one girl?s struggle to cope with tragedy, and one boy?s refusal to give up on her.

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Sad and Memorable, May 7 2010

By

Kirstie (Alberta) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Willow (Hardcover)

The other reviews on this page sum up the main ideas of this book but I really wanted to review it anyways, so I'll keep this brief. `Willow' made me cry on several occasions and at times I didn't even know why. The honesty in which the author conveys through Willows thoughts is enough to get to anyone. This book really concentrates on the problem of cutting to escape emotional pain by replacing it with physical pain. I think the author does a fabulous job of showing why people really do cut, not the people who do it for attention but the people who actually have a problem.

This novel was amazing and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a more serious read (with some romance- the adorable relationship between Willow and Guy is fantastic) The writing is brilliant, not at all cheesy or unbelievable like some others in this genre that I have read. Buy it, you won't regret it!

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, May 29 2009

By

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Willow (Hardcover)

Willow had a learner's permit. Her parents drank too much wine. The storm was bad. After the accident, Willow is left an orphan, living with her brother, David, his wife, Cathy, and their daughter, Isabelle.

Unable to deal with the intense grief, Willow finds her outlet in a razor. This secret tool helps her handle the pain and keep from being overwhelmed by the fact that she believes her brother no longer loves her and her parents will always be gone.

However, a fellow student at her school, Guy, comes to learn her secret. He promises not to tell anyone else, but he can't walk away and believe she'll be fine. Instead, he stays and takes Willow's pain on, trying to understand and working to heal this girl he is beginning to love.

WILLOW by Julia Hoban is an intense read, but it's not suffocating. Willow has her ups and downs, her problems, her fears. She's like every other person in the world, except her pain threatens to consume her whole if she doesn't get help. This book is about more than Willow's past, though. It's about her future and what will come of her newfound friendship with Guy.

Two lives have been interconnected. Willow needs Guy, but Guy needs Willow, as well. They help each other, they open up to each other, they begin to trust and complete each other.

WILLOW deals with painful topics, and can be hard to read at times, but it's also a very powerful story that is sure to resonate with most who pick it up. I would definitely recommend this one.

Reviewed by: Lauren Ashley

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Handle Like Hendrix reviews Willow, Jun 22 2009

By

C. Dey "HandleLikeHendrix" (Winnipeg, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Willow (Hardcover)

There's nothing I can really say that is bad about this novel. Except maybe that if you like books where alot of action happens, you might be disapointed (and by action I don't mean fighting). Alot of what happens in this novel has to do with family relationships and first love and reactions and coping mechanisms.

But honestly, WILLOW was really good. I felt alot of pressure to give this book a good review because all the reviews I have read about WILLOW have been 100% positive. But I really liked WILLOW. It was hard to read at times because the worst thing that could happen to me would be to lose my parents.

The chapters were really long and usually that would bother me but not with WILLOW. Because I never wanted the scenes to end! Espessially the ones with Guy in them. I even started to like his name as the story progressed.

A concern for alot of people, I'm sure, would be the subject matter. And WILLOW does have graphic, intense scenes but WILLOW is about so much more than a girl who cuts herself because she blames herself for her parents' death.

This book is also about, as I have mentioned, first love and acceptance and supporting the ones you love and how to deal with aftermath.

The characters were all well developed. I thought that characters like Laurie would be stereotypical mean girls. But they weren't. They were totally nice and were including Willow all the time.

I don't think I'm doing this book justice. I just know that I thought of writing a book like WILLOW with a really supportive friend-turned-boyfriend and I was so glad when I heard about WILLOW.

The whole relationship with Willow's brother David was very well written and the last scene with them was very well done.

And Guy was,obviously, amazing. And Willow was a very likeable protagonist.

I loved this book. It's an amazing contribution to YA books. I think everyone who enjoys reading YA should read this book now.

Reviewed by Callie at Handle Like Hendrix

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting read
This book was a great insight in to why some girls feel the need to cut themselves. I felt so bad for Willow and wanted to tell her everything will be OK. Read more

Published 7 months ago by Donna Thiessen

5.0 out of 5 stars Willow....FANTASTIC READ!
A credible and realistic read, Willow grabbed me right from the beginning. Seventeen-year-old Willow is asked by her parents to drive them home during a violent rainstorm after... Read more

Published on April 2 2010 by Louise Jolly