Grades 6 and up--
I had hoped that Seventeenth Summer would be like a dusty treasure found in an attic that contains lost wisdom of the ages.
Let's just say my hopes were left unmet. As a lover of literature, I hate to say it, but getting through this book was a struggle! I know that this novel was well received when it was released and I am absolutely in awe of a 17-year-old who can write and publish a novel, but I couldn't stand it! When I began reading, I knew there was bound to be more than a bit of teen angst and overly pliable female characters, so I wasn't surprised to read lines like "Friday and Saturday limped on" and "The next day meant nothing, because I didn’t see Jack at all," but I was nonetheless disappointed in the character's lack of agency in the novel. I can't help but to wonder how my perspective would shift if I had read it at the time of publication. Would I be in awe of how openly she spoke of her affection? Would she be more brazen than other girls her age? I can't imagine it, which is a shame. VERDICT: A single edition of this book in a media center or library would do. It would provide a resource of "back in the day" YA literature and be a fascinating historical text for reference in a social studies classroom. For pleasure reading, not so much.
Enjoy the covers through the ages...
I had hoped that Seventeenth Summer would be like a dusty treasure found in an attic that contains lost wisdom of the ages.
Let's just say my hopes were left unmet. As a lover of literature, I hate to say it, but getting through this book was a struggle! I know that this novel was well received when it was released and I am absolutely in awe of a 17-year-old who can write and publish a novel, but I couldn't stand it! When I began reading, I knew there was bound to be more than a bit of teen angst and overly pliable female characters, so I wasn't surprised to read lines like "Friday and Saturday limped on" and "The next day meant nothing, because I didn’t see Jack at all," but I was nonetheless disappointed in the character's lack of agency in the novel. I can't help but to wonder how my perspective would shift if I had read it at the time of publication. Would I be in awe of how openly she spoke of her affection? Would she be more brazen than other girls her age? I can't imagine it, which is a shame. VERDICT: A single edition of this book in a media center or library would do. It would provide a resource of "back in the day" YA literature and be a fascinating historical text for reference in a social studies classroom. For pleasure reading, not so much. Enjoy the covers through the ages...
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