THE LOST EPISODES OF BEATIE SCARELI-GINNETTA CORRELI

So I was a little skeptical at first about reading this 'experimental novella'. it was sent to me via computer, it looked unorthodox and the title gave away nothing. i put it on the back burner for a week or so, then one day decided to read at least the first few pages so see if i should put it further on that back burner. it starts by giving very straight forward, short descriptions of the characters. Ginnetta Correli had me at that. I did not stop reading until I got to the end, and at that, when it did end, I kept scrolling down, hoping for more. I wasn't ready for it to end the way it did, I wanted to be in Beatie's world forever so that I could root her on as she went through her life.

as I stated in my review on www.frontstreetreviews.com, this book was short, and to the point, getting right in on the action. Beatie Scareli is a 12 year old girl. She lives with her schizophrenic mother, and her abusive father. He mother is ill to the point of not even being on the same planet as the rest of the world, doesn't take her meds properly, sleeps endlessly, and cannot take care of her own hygiene. She ends up in a mental hospital and Beatie's dad divorces her. She moves in with a man she met in the hospital.
When Beatie goes to visit her mother every week she tries to avoid the boyfriend because he tries to touch her in inappropriate ways and is a raging alcoholic. Her mother is too sick to even notice, except to get jealous that Beatie is getting more sexual attention than she is.
Living at home with her father is not much better. He hits her, ignores her, and eventually even he tries to get inappropriate with her. Beatie doesn't have a chance at hell for a normal life; in fact, all she knows is this life, so it IS normal for her.
The story continues with more instances that make you feel so badly for Beatie. There isn't much detail about minor things, which i think is appropriate in this book. The details would just sugar coat the real purpose of this book. This is a real, raw look at abuse and what an unhealthy family looks like and the damage it can do to a child.
I am definitely saving this on my computer, and will read it again. Hopefully I'll get a copy of the book at some point when it comes out in print!

WOMB CHILD-ALTHEA PASCASCIO

okay, i really don't want this to turn into a political debate any more than it has to, but i fear that it will be inevitable.
"Womb Child" is a pretty short novel. the narrator is a fetus that is inside of his mothers womb. This fetus, before going into the womb, was an angel up in heaven and spent many, many years learning about who it's family is going to be, and what it is destined to be when it is born. When it finally gets a chance to enter into the womb as a fetus, it already has a very intelligent mind from day one.
As the book goes on, the fetus's soon to be parents realize that having a child may not be the best thing right now. They discuss the option of abortion. Because the fetus is so intelligent, it can hear and understand everything the parents are saying. The fetus gets so upset at the prospect of abortion that it purposfully causes it's mother pain by moving all around. The fetus says that it has a destiny and will save lots of lives, and by aborting it we are basically dooming all these people.
When the parents decide not to abort, but decide to give it away for adoption, the fetus becomes upset again. It goes on to say that the fetus was meant to have this specific set up parents and all will be doomed if another family brings it up.

So basically the message behind this book is that it is pure evil to abort or adopt. It is saying that babies have a brain from day one of conception, there is a plan in place from the get go of what they are supposed to do with their lives, and that they are very aware of it. It isn't until the actual birth when they forget that they were an angel.

as i said in my review at www.frontstreetreviews.com, i think that the story was cute, but this author definitly had a political agenda, and for her to say that adopting or aborting, at the appropriate time of course, is pure evil is a little extreme. this puslished book is so that she can send a political message to whoever will read it.

see, i knew this would turn into a political post ;-)

APPLES & ORANGES-MARIE BRENNER

This book took me a little while to get through because it appears to be so jumbled and disorganized. To us, it is, but to the author, Marie Brenner, i'm sure it makes perfect sense. This book is all about her relationship, and sometimes lack of a relationship with her older brother Carl. This book gives us snapshots and tid bits of her time with him.

My formal review is at http://www.frontstreetreviews.com/ if you are interested. What I focused on in my review was the fact that this book, in my opinion, was mostly for the author herself. She wanted to have a written account of her life with her brother and try and answer some questions for herself. I think this was brave of her to do. She questions the relationship they had, thinking maybe it could have been better, etc.

Her brother is diagnosed with cancer, and in the end it steals his life. This book shows how these two siblings rekindled their sibling relationship with the little time they had left. I think that this book allows us to imagine a lot of what happened in between the bouncing around of memories. We weren't there to experience it with them, so we are left to our imagination. I think by writing this book it helped to convince Marie Brenner that she was a good sister, and did have a special relationship with Carl. I commend her on this.

This is a good read for anyone who knows what a relationship is like with a sibling. It is not easy, but at the same time it is one of the most rewarding things in life.