レビュー要約

• Its frank treatment of love and wavering self-awareness is widely appreciated. The vivid dialogue and zine atmosphere capture adolescent awkwardness especially well.

レビュー

• I read this novel for #yearofya July chat of unique novels (Thursday July 27 at 8PM EST)and this book uses zine entries, poetry, letters, and songs to tell the story of John Galardi who has used his zine, Bananafish to write about his horrible home life since his parents divorce 6 years ago. He uses the pen name Giovanni and really likes one zine by Marisol who is Puerto Rican, Cuban and a lesbian. John also likes another zine by this girl, Diane Tree. John also has just 1 friend, Brian, who is really nice but annoys John, but then again, everyone annoys John and this is all because of his parents divorce and subsequent lonely life. So in short, John has a real negative attitude about everyone and everything. He hates himself and pours his sarcasm and biting humor into his zine, but when he meets Marisol, everything changes. This book reminded me of Beast by Brie Spangler, tore at my heart but loved the male main characters because they are nice deep feeling guys uncertain about so many things, especially themselves. I have always loved Ellen Wittlinger & I am sorry it took me so long to read this book! It is a brave story of friendship, hard love, and for John, hard family.

• I got this book from a library, but I love it so much that I feel the need to own it. I have had similar experiences with my own 'hard love', so it hits pretty close to home. After I read it, I just felt like it was something that I had needed to read. It taught me something. Sure, it isn't a perfect novel or even a classic like The Great Gatsby, but it gave me something that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. I really don't understand the complaints of other reviewers who say that these are not 'real' or 'normal' teenagers. These kinds of problems are real and I see them reflected in my friends all the time. "Hard Love" just seems like a book that needed to be written. I'm lucky that I read it (I picked it up on a whim) and I think that anyone who has struggled with unrequited love needs to read it, too.

• Bought this because I read it back In high school and it’s been my favorite book ever since

• Rare among Young Adult fiction—or just about any fiction, for that matter—*Hard Love* tells the story of a friendship between a presumptively heterosexual teenage boy, John, and a lesbian teenager, Marisol. Despite the somewhat predictable trajectory of the narrative (to no one’s surprise but his own, John falls in love with Marisol), the novel navigates the murky waters of unrequited love beneath the broken bridge of incompatible sexual orientations in a way that both reaffirms young adult sexual identity and convincingly reflects the bittersweet experience of teenage romance. John, who is somewhat of a social misfit, is trying his best to cope with his parents’ divorce and the overall disillusionment that most adolescents endure. He turns to zines for creativity and comfort. (The novel is set in the 1990s, so the focus on zines—which now seem quaint—is historically accurate. The noticeable absence of cell phones in the story also feels odd, considering their central role in contemporary teen culture.) John becomes enamored of a zine called Escape Velocity and vows to meet its author, Marisol. He greets her with his own zine, Bananafish, and the two become fast but unlikely friends. Literacy—and the developmental power of writing and reading—help shape John’s identity throughout the course of the novel. He even adopts a nom de plume (Gio) as he tries to envision himself as a writer, friend, neglected son (like many teenagers, John has some major beefs with both of his parents), would-be romantic partner, and—most traumatic of all—prom attendee. Although Wittlinger might lay it on a bit thick with these teens’ devotion to zines, the emotions she portrays are always genuine and credible. She successfully depicts her characters as thoughtful, reflective, autonomous teens who are well aware of the challenges they face.

• This book's primary appeal was working through an imperfect family, a lonely existence and growing up. HARD LOVE spoke to healing, self-discovery,reconciliation and love not always the way we want. The author's development of Gio(John) from an untouchable(emotionally/physically) to a touchable human being was an amazing journey. It was like a caterpillar transforming into a winged butterfly. Also, the character of Marisol(the self- identified lesbian) was a significant catalyst to Gio's breaking emotional barriers and a strong, steady , self- confident individual. The dance between friendship and deeper affection was definitely at play. At times there was blurring of boundaries. However, there was no deceit but only misunderstanding of intentions. There was a "coming out" for John not as a gay guy but as an alive human being . This work did flow, kept your interest and had a redeeming quality. I'd rate this as a 3.5.

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