Alison CherryCritiques
Auteur de Red
Critiques
Fittingly, I read it on a plane after attending a conference for work. I identified the most with Phoebe, really hope that I am not a Soleil.
really fun narratives involving very different worlds colliding (percussion band, taxidermy, and various fandoms), by three funny and talented authors working together. It was hard to put this one down.
Red was without a doubt one of the most superficial books I’ve ever read! I think the story is supposed to be somewhat of a satire, but it never really succeeds.
Felicity is an absolute drag as a main character. How can I sympathize with a character, when I believe her to be such a push-over and beyond stupid? She does nothing because she wants to. It’s all because she’s forced to do it; the pageant, the thing with the boyfriend, the routine, the rebellion – none of it is her, it’s all being forced on her some way or the other.
The story generally lacks interesting characters. I liked Jonathan, Ivy and Mrs. Kellogg, but that was about it. The rest are stereotypes and they seem like dolls instead of living characters – they lack development and they are ALL very unlikeable.
The story is so shallow and boring and utterly unbelievable. And entire city where red heads are treated as royalty and everybody else has to bow down to them? Come on, every adult with another hair color would move away from that city, not stay there to be bullied and let their kids be bullied! Unfortunately, I can’t even get worked up about that because I really don’t care! I don’t care about the characters, the horrible ending, or the shitty town. I just don’t care.
The ending ruined what little affection I had for the book. Felicity learns NOTHING from what she has been going through. The only thing I really liked about this book was the writing – it was easy to understand and I read the book quite fast. Red is one of those books you will forget the minute you finish it – and you will be thankful for it!
This is a heart- felt story about families and finding who you are. The title is recommended for readers in grades 4-6. This would also be a safe choice for a younger student who is reading above their reading level as the content would be appropriate for any reader.
Would you live in a town where it was only thought that red heads were the social upper class and all other hair colors being second class citizens?
Well I guess I’d try till they told me “hey you’re a strawberry blonde, you don’t count” then I’d say forget that.
Of course this is just a book and it makes a fun read, because honestly if this was a real town you’d hear racism screamed by every brunette, blonde or towhead. In the book Felicity has a secret that she’s been keeping in order to make her a social upper class citizen, egads… she is actually a strawberry. The book does deal with how others see you, are they really looking at you or just seeing the shell? Felicity has a lot to deal with, blackmail, self centered mother and fair weather friends.
Oh the woes of being a……... ahem … Red head.
This summer Brooklyn is attending the Allerhale Playhouse as an intern. Her parents, uncle and their friends were all once interns there. There she is supposed to get her first chance to really perform on stage, so she is totally upset that the only acting role she has is in an experimental piece which will be performed in an ancillary theater. She can’t bear to tell her parents since her mother has made it clear that she hates such productions, so she lies and says she is in Bye Bye Birdie.
Brooklyn’s roommate is the gorgeous, talented, Zoe, and she’s surprised when Zoe wants to be her friend. (She’s keeping her parent’s notoriety a secret because she wants to be befriended for herself, not her parents.) Her relationship with Zoe soon becomes something more than mere friendship. Brooklyn has had a boyfriend or two but never a girlfriend (although she knows her parents would be OK with that kind of relationship). This relationship brings up a lot of diverging feelings, which she deals with throughout the book.
Look Both Ways by Alison Cherry is a charming book. Brooklyn and Zoe are both great characters and you can feel the emotions they each exhibit. The remainder of the Shepard family and friends are just how you would envision a theatrical group, boisterous, emotive, and loving. I’m not sure the ending is how we would imagine it from the beginning of the book, but it is realistic and satisfying.
All in all, Look Both Ways is a rewarding read in every respect.
The protagonist makes you want to root for her, but in the end i couldn't. Although i suppose it's realistic for a lot of people, Brooklyn never stopped believing she could lie her way out of her problems. If the point of this work was to illustrate how little that's actually helpful then great. However, the didactic falls short in that Brooklyn never really learns from her mistakes or grows up in anything like a transformative way, in essence telling the reader it's okay to be shallow and spineless.
I really liked Zoe and although she's supposed to be painted as someone who doesn't understand that Brooklyn is asexual, that character flaw falls flat--someone who believes in polyamory and has been success with it, believes in always putting their partner's needs first (and also is well-versed in a multiplicity of relationships).
In much the same way, Brooklyn herself makes a similarly bizarre copout. Everything about her character makes her seem asexual (and i suppose growing up in such a sex-positive culture could have that effect), but the author decides instead that Brooklyn would be totally fine getting physical with a guy... Which is frankly too difficult to swallow based on her upbringing. Her character demonstrates an intellectual maturity that ought to be able to recognize by the end that she's asexual. If that's true, it would be impossible for her to believe getting physical with a guy would be in any way easier.
Couple this with the fact that her mother, who's painted as being someone who can't understand her daughter's needs at all, is the one pushing for her to be gay. The surreality of a straight parent actually hoping their child turns out gay is also very difficult to imagine. The only explanation for this character's motivations that makes much sense would be if the author wanted to paint her as pushing a "radical leftist agenda" or some such conservative rhetoric.
Thus, these characters are grievously flawed... but not in a way that's actually believable? I kept expecting to hear that their lack of sleep and proper nutrition was starving their brains. I can't in good conscience recommend this piece.
Well, this was cute but predictable...
I have to say, reading this book was fun. It was a light, beachy kind of read. For Real was cliche at some parts, but it had a nice message about sisterhood and the lies of the media.
The characters were one-dimensional (view spoiler). Some characters were there but weren't characterized at all. Literally, Isis and some of the competitors served no purpose. It would've been interesting to hear their stories.
I liked that the book focused (sometimes) on Claire and Miranda's relationship. Claire and Miranda's relationship seemed forced at times - why did Claire idolize Miranda so much? Claire was really obsessed with Miranda. However, I liked that they fought and learned from each other.
I wish this book had not included a half-hearted attempt at romance. Claire was really stupid and was basically in love with Will from day one. I really hated Will the whole time. She was too naive to see how much he lied and was all over other girls and assumed she was special. No, Claire, you're in a competition, please remember that.
The plot moved a little too quickly - there wasn't any build or tension, mainly because the show was bad. Most of the challenges were pretty uninteresting. Around the World in 80 Dates was basically a bad combination of Amazing Race and Bachelor in Paradise.
Still, if you're in the mood to read a fun but predictable romance, For Real is a good book for you.
Felicity is a popular pageant contestant, but she harbors a dark and terrible secret--she dyes her hair red. In Scarletville, redheads are the only people that matter. Felicity is on the cusp of achieving her mother's greatest dream: being crowned Miss Scarlet. But then a classmate discovers her secret and begins blackmailing her. The blackmail starts small and escalates, and Felicity feels increasingly trapped. She can't tell her friends what's going on, and her boyfriend is a lunkhead. Her only solace is in her new friend, the arty and sensitive Jonathan.
Hamhanded attempt at creating an analogy for prejudice that just didn't work for me. Very juvenile writing style, forgettable characters, and no plot to speak of. Luckily, it's so lightweight that I only wasted an hour getting through it.
Claire always feels that her older sister takes care of her by talking for her and assuming that she needs help. Now that older sister Miranda dumps her boyfriend and needs a friend, Claire feels that she can help. Claire comes up with revenge--if she and Miranda can get on the same reality show, they can win and keep the ex-boyfriend from winning! Miranda agrees to go on the audition and they are accepted!
Once they arrive in LA, they learn that the reality show isn't as advertised. They thought it was a travel competition, like Amazing Race, dashing around the world doing challenges and advancing as long as they don't come in last. When they arrive, they learn it's a travel race in 80 dates. They have to change partners and do dating things with other males who also signed up. Miranda is furious because her ex-boyfriend is there and she doesn't want to be his partner or any other male's partner. Claire is nervous because she's never had a boyfriend and doesn't want to be on national television dating.
If you need some down-time and don't want to think for a couple of hours, here's an escape. Otherwise, the plot suddenly ends, the surprises are not surprises, and the plot is cliched.
I was a little apprehensive about the way the book starts out because I wasn't sure how graphic the scene with Miranda catching Samir cheating was going to be but Alison Cherry managed to write in a way that she didn't need to be graphic for you to get the point. From that point the book to a really interesting turn when they decided to go on the reality show. I'm a reality TV nut so I personally enjoyed the fact that Claire watched MacGyver Survivor, Speed Breed, and Obstacle Kitchen. I also loved that she was willing to step out of her comfort zone just to support her sister.
Without spoiling the book, the reality show race was humorous and entertaining all the way to the very end. I was really impressed that Claire manages to learn several lessons along the way about herself and others and manages to bloom into a confident, capable young woman. The bond that she shares with her sister, Miranda, definitely gets tested throughout the show but Claire proves to the the shows producers and everyone else that she is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to her sister. The sacrifices they make for each other shows how much they care for and truly love each other and this story quickly goes from being a story about revenge to being a story about the bond between sisters.
I loved Alison Cherry's writing style and her sense of humor. I was also very impressed that she managed to keep this book truly aimed at pre-teens instead of slipping in adult content. It was refreshing to read a pre-teen novel that wasn't full of foul-mouthed, disrespectful brats. I will definitely be recommending this to moms of pre-teens; as well as anyone else who is interested in a lighthearted, humorous story about what it means to love your sister even when she's acting like a complete jerk.
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
In the spirit of full disclosure, I didn’t care for Cherry’s debut novel, Red. I’d had high expectations and they crash landed. After that, I wasn’t planning on trying her sophomore effort unless some trusted reviewers enjoyed it. Then one day I got an itchy request finger, but I didn’t expect much to come of it since RH usually doesn’t approve (or deny) my NG requests; they sit there until the title disappears. This time, though, approval. What have I gotten myself into? I wondered. Turns out the answer to that was a whole lot of fun. Cherry’s For Real is funny, fast-paced, and full of joy for anyone who enjoys reality television.
Actually, I don’t like reality television. I know what I just said, and I stand by it, but also it might be worth a shot for certain people who don’t care for it. Personally, it’s mostly not my thing. That said, I do know just how addictive it can be, because the couple times I watched a reality show I ended up watching the full season. I’d turn on the TV, watch part of an episode and get sucked into the all day marathon. Much as I can spout off about the manufactured drama and all of that, they can be very entertaining. What I do unabashedly love are books about reality television. As a teen, there were a smattering of chick lit novels with that premise that I loved and earlier this year Something Real impressed me greatly. For Real centers on a different kind of reality show than those, but it was just as delightfully silly while also being surprisingly meaningful.
My favorite thing about For Real is the humor that comes through sometimes. Cherry has this ability to embrace the silly that I admire. Her invented reality TV shows are complete gold. An example is Obstacle Kitchen, where chefs have to compete to make the best dish while also dodging obstacles.The show that Miranda and Claire go on in search of vengeance is a perfect example as well. The challenges ought to be too strange for me to believe that they would be aired on television, and yet I could totally imagine this airing.
There’s also the Limerick Game that Miranda and Claire play. Cherry’s humor really gets a chance to shine with these. They’re just the right amount of quirky and they made me smile every time they came up. Here’s an example:
“There once was a stripper named Troy,
Who acted quite dumb as a ploy.
He took off his pants,
Did a butt-shaking dance,
And said, ‘Viewers, I hope you enjoy!’
These are so cute and funny and bantery. It’s also such a great bonding device for Claire and Miranda. They’ve done it throughout their childhoods and it comes out when they’re getting along well.
For Real focuses primarily on the relationship between Claire and her sister Miranda. There’s a little bit of romance, but it’s mostly family. If you asked Claire and Miranda at the beginning of the book, as someone does, they would tell you that they have a great relationship. Under the pressure of reality television, it soon becomes clear that they have serious issues with one another. What’s nice is that the drama isn’t entirely manufactured. The show brings up cracks that were hiding under the surface and forces the sisters to recognize them and deal with them.
Let’s rewind a bit and talk about Claire on her own. Claire’s sometimes tough to take. I ought to have loved her immediately, because she’s a pop culture fanatic and can’t handle crowds. However, be warned that Claire can be a bit tough to take. She’s so judgmental that it made me uncomfortable and I’m one of the most judgmental people I know. It’s all made more annoying when Claire’s whole thing is that she wants people (especially Miranda) to look beneath her shy exterior and see how amazing she is, though she herself judges everyone else off their surface level. The thing is, though, that Claire gets better as the novel goes along.
The reality show is ridiculous, but it forces her to do things that she wouldn’t ordinarily do. She has to get outside of her comfort zone. It’s painful at times, but she survives and comes through the experience much stronger than she was before. Perhaps more important, Claire gets stuck talking to people she ordinarily would not give the time of day. I’ve been there myself and had these revelations. There’s nothing like getting to know real people better than from a distance to clear up those initial prejudices. When Troy, a male stripper, called her out for being rude and judgmental, I had the feeling that Claire would actually be learning and changing. She does, and I think her emotional arc is really solid. I also really liked the way her romance was handled.
This is why I like giving authors second chances. Even if Red wasn’t your thing, you might like For Real. I’m definitely planning on checking out whatever Cherry’s third book is.
The summary of this book sounds a bit preposterous, right? I mean, it’s compelling. But it takes quite a bit of suspension of disbelief to buy into the story from the very beginning. . . until you change the plot and replace all the hair stuff with weight stuff–you know, girls trying to fit it, be thin, hide their ultimate shame(maybe they’ve had surgery, or something), and it sounds much more closer to home than it first appears.
Red is. . . a very interesting book. The plot is simple: Felicity’s social reputation revolves around her keeping her strawberry blonde hair a secret, going to great lengths to appear as a natural redhead, until someone starts blackmailing her. She starts jumping through hoops, just to make sure no one learns about her secret.
It’s easier to root for Felicity. The cover gave me the impression that she might not be the, nicest, shall we say, character, but I was wrong. I have nothing against not-nice characters, but Felicity was kind and constantly in a struggle about her secret. Cherry’s characterization was really spot on. Her characters grew and adapted over the course of the novel, and everyone had motives that were well-reasoned and compelling. Even when I found myself not liking certain characters, I totally got where they were coming from. Felicity is an easy narrator to like–she’s actively sweet and goes out of her way to be nice to people. I get tired of the same old “nice and simple” narrators of YA, but while Felicity is a nice and kind person, she doesn’t feel like a stereotype. Her character traits are backed up by her actions.
The plot of Red is where things get complicated, despite the simplicity of the actual plot, because I’m just not sure how to review it. It’s rare to find a book that has such satirical elements in it, especially in YA. How do I even review said book? So I will say that this book did a good job of pointing out societal flaws that are as relevant to our world as they are to the world in which Scarletville inhabits. The complete inanity of the fact that this societal class is built around HAIR COLOR is completely played up and pointed out for all it’s worth–which is a good thing, and the thing I think really sells the idea behind the book.
On a simpler level, the plot of Red IS pretty fun. It’s typical contemporary YA about finding yourself, but the unique setting makes it seem less cliche and more adventurous than normal. Felicity struggles with a lot of things that other narrators in YA deal with, but her story never felt like a cliche to me. I really appreciated the intricacies of this book. It’s the type of book that can lead to a discussion or critical thinking if you want it to, but it can also be read for fun, without putting either choice down or hitting you over the head with it’s message(surprisingly, actually. The summary made me think everything could potentially be wrapped up in a nice little bow at the end, which it’s not).
As you can see, this myriad of potential reading’s is what left me confused when starting this review–there are just so many ways to read this book. While I think it’s a good thing, I strongly think this will not be a book for many readers. It’s the type of book you have to really be intrigued by to like or enjoy. It’s not fast-paced, it doesn’t have lyrical writing, and some of the secondary characters are, at times, quite annoying. Yet, at the same time, this book is unique and original in a genre that doesn’t always feel that way. On some level, it feels a bit ground-breaking, as cliche as that is. I don’t mean it’s the best book written in this genre, or even the best book written this year or this month, but it’s. . . Original. Completely, utterly, original. It’s the kind of book that someone, along the publishing route, KNEW they were taking a chance on and hoping it would pay off. In my opinion, it did, but I don’t expect to see this one loved as broadly as many other books.
Final Impression: When I finished this book, I knew I liked it quite a bit. I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads, and decided to go from there. This is not a book I would recommend to everyone, but it is well-done. It’s different, and that’s a bit scary from a reading point of view, but the way the story invites a layered reading really worked for me. It was weird at times, especially plot-wise, but it was a worthy read.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Alison Cherry’s Red was among my most-anticipated books of 2013. The concept sounded hilarious and Alison’s tweets and blog posts always made me laugh. How could this possibly go wrong? Clearly, I need to stop thinking this way, because while Red was certainly a quick read, but sadly not a good one.
Read the full review at A Reader of Fictions.
Fun concept: Red hair sanctuary where those not blessed with the MC1R gene are second class citizens. At the center is Felicity, slated to win the Miss Scarlet pageant--but horror of horrors! Her hair color is fake!
I'd consider it a light read, though it does touch on issues like social hierarchy and prejudice, as well as morality (and Machiavellian attitudes) and honesty. Cherry does a good job of bringing the reader into Felicity's emotions. Enjoyable.
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**On to the SPOILERS! Do NOT read this section if you have not read the book yet!**
Characters I loved: Felicity's twin brothers, Ivy (Felicity's best friend), Jonathan, Rose, and Gabby's little sister (whose name I don't remember right now). Felicity's brothers are just so cute and adorable; I believe the twins are 4 or 5 years old. They added a lot to the humor of the book and I loved all the scenes with them. Ivy is spunky and doesn't take crap from anyone, which is what I loved about her. She isn't afraid to be herself and tell the rest of the world "screw you, I like the way I am". I really wished Felicity were a lot more like Ivy (though she found the courage to be herself by the end of the book). During the whole time Gabby was blackmailing Felicity, I was really hoping she'd at least open up to her friends, I knew there was a chance Haley might not accept her but I knew for sure Ivy would stick by her and I wished she would have at least told Ivy, at least she would have one person in her corner supporting her cause her mom sure wasn't any help. Jonathan who also is an artist like Felicity (but a brunette) was an amazing character. How Felicity was blind to how amazing and how perfect Jonathan was for her, is beyond me. He understood better than her boyfriend who she's been with for over a year. He, unlike Brent (Felicity's boyfriend who looked at her with disgust when he found out about her real hair color), still liked Felicity and supported her and recognized her qualities and actually accepted her for who she is. Rose is Felicity's stylist and despite being Gabby's mom, she has always been very supportive and encouraging of Felicity and Gabby's little sister just adores Felicity and looks up to her. The note that Gabby’s sister sent to Felicity before the pageant was so cute and adorable. I can't believe that Felicity had actually planned on ratting out Rose and her family to the mayor just because of Gabby. I knew she wanted to get an upper hand on Gabby but to do that to someone who has always been so supportive of her just to get back at Gabby is just wrong.
Characters I didn’t like: I could NOT stand Felicity’s mom, Ginger. She is so selfish and self-centered, she doesn’t care about Felicity’s happiness or what’s best for her she just wants to relive her golden years through Felicity. What’s worse is she teaches the wrong message, instead of teaching her kids to be proud of who they are, the message she sends is, hide who you really are and pretend to be something you’re not. You’re not good enough just being you and no one will like you or even notice you unless you pretend to be someone else. At the end of the story we find out that Ginger isn’t even a real redhead and she’s been hiding her secret for over forty years, even from her kids (though this still doesn’t make me sympathize with her). But if Ginger isn’t a real redhead and she knew how prejudice this town was against non-redheads, why wouldn’t she just leave and move somewhere else? Somewhere she would be accepted for being herself and she wouldn’t have to lie. I was also a bit surprised by Ginger’s reaction to the blackmail situation, though now thinking about it I don’t know why I was surprise considering the type of person Ginger is. However, I thought once she found out about the blackmail she would try to come up with a plan to stop Gabby but she just told Felicity to play into what she wants, “don’t antagonize her” is what she tells Felicity. I really wanted to punch her several times throughout the book or at the very least yell at her and say, “lady what the hell is wrong with you? Get your head out of your butt and start supporting your daughter!” I would hate to have a mom like Ginger.
At times I didn’t like Felicity’s character either, she kind of annoyed me. She was too overdramatic and obsessed about her hair cared way too much about what other people thought. She let others tell her what to do and couldn’t stand her ground and be her own person (until the end). Brent was the typical shallow dumb jock who was only interested in Felicity because of her hair color. He wasn’t a very well developed character and other than the fact that Felicity needed a redhead boyfriend, I have no idea what she saw in him.
Gabby, I could explain why I hate Gabby but if you read the book it’s easy to see why. It’s easy to see why all of the characters listed above are either great or terrible.
Few last points: I really like how the romance between Felicity and Jonathan developed in this book. It was slow and natural and felt real, not like the instant “passionate, madly in love” relationships you see in a lot of fantasy/paranormal and sci-fi books where the characters fall so deep for each other within a matter of days that they develop a completely unhealthy codependent relationship. I also liked that there wasn’t a love triangle in this book. Yes, I know there was the whole Felicity, Brent, Jonathan thing going on but Felicity’s relationship with Brent was a very shallow one that was mainly based on their status as redheads, it wasn’t an actual real relationship, which is why I don’t consider there to be a love triangle between them. More authors need to learn to write about relationships in a real way like this book. Even though the fantasy or sci-fi world they created isn’t real doesn’t mean the relationship between the characters have to be unrealistic as well.
I also would have liked to known what happened between Haley and Felicity. Did Haley ever forgive Felicity? Did they become friends again or is Haley more of a shallow character than I thought? I wish I would have known what happened with them.