I Was a Teenage Fairy

Rating:
Summary: Interesting writer and style..probably not her best.
Review: I am liking this author a great deal, and think she has some extremely important lessons to teach young adults. She incorporates a number of relevant themes - like love, the notion of beauty, acceptance and homosexuality into her work, but does so in an innovative and interesting manner which reeks of the stylisms of Magic Realism.

Her most famous work is undoubtedly the Weetzie Bat series, and I would be inclined to say that these are also her best, along with 'Violet and Claire'.

Whilst I find her all her works short and enjoyable, I do not think this particular work is best reflective of her talents, and whilst I would recommend it, 'Dangerous Angels' is probably a better introduction.

Whilst the author incorporates the same elements in this work, the characters feel a little undeveloped and the reasonings are not always clear.

I must admit, while I like Fransesca's books a great deal, I find her topic matter somewhat repetitive and some of the examples she sets a little unsuitable.

The characters are always young, smokers, having sex and the author continously emphasises how thin they are, in this novel clearly equating small size with beauty.

If anything, my main criticism is that the author never breaks away from these sterotypes, and it would be nice to see a little evolving on the part of this clearly slinster-cool writer.

Rating:
Summary: Magical, mesmerizing, leaves you spellbound....
Review: I've heard so much of Francesca Lia Block and this is the first book I bought which was written by her. Her writing style is beautiful and unique. Tt makes you want to just go on reading and not stop. "I Was a Teenage Fairy" tells a story about a girl who, with the help of her fairy friend, Mab, explore the wide world out there and overcome obstacles in life.

However, I found the book to be slightly confusing at times. Block used a lot of "metaphorical" language and it sometimes seemed as if the story line was not clear enough. I didn't quite like the ending because I found it too "rushy". Everything just ended with a woosh, like when someone talks without pausing to breathe. One thing that bothered me was that there was no specific "ending" to the relationship between Barbie and her mother. Instead, it focused more on the "transformation" of Barbie to Selena Moon. Overall, it's still a good book and will leave you feeling all magical inside.

Rating:
Summary: Lia Block uses great suspense and realism
Review: Francesca Lia Block in I Was A Teenage Fairy exhibits great suspense and realism throughout the novel. Mab, a fairy, introduces the element of fantasy, which inevitably leaves the reader hanging on to their seats grasping for more. With this fairy, Lia Block uses realism along with fantasy to create a familiar atmosphere. Her tremendous talent to bring out teen realism, makes the reader understand that the problems they are facing are the same all teens are going through. Lia Block can be considered a rebel for exploring the real issues of teens.
Perhaps the greatest example of Lia Block's talent is her use of fantasy in a dark world. She express a childhood activity of make-believe in a teenage life. " Maybe Mab was real. Maybe she was the fury, the courage, the sex. Whatever Mab had been, now, joined with her tiny winged red-haired biscuit, Mab was the love, flying through night like an errant star that had longed to be know, even briefly, what made planet Earth's children weep and sing." (Pg. 186, I Was A Teenage Fairy) It is through the fairy that the protagonist Barbie Marks can find herself and her true identity in the world. In her fantastic use of description, Lia Block brings the fantasy to life.
Hence the fantasy mixed with realism is what gives the story character. Mab, the fantasy, and Barbie the realism, come together to help each other in their journeys of self- discovery and acceptance. "Barbie was no longer afraid of anything. It was like that thing Mab had said about belief. The belief is sometimes the biggest part of it all. You can choose to believe in your published book being held in the loving hands of strangers, your name tattooed forever on the heart of the one you adore: you can choose to believe in tiny red-haired pesky piskies- all the things "they" may tell you not to believe in. But who are they anyway? What do they know? What makes them any more real? And now, Barbie realized , I am telling Mab to believe. I am telling Belief herself to believe." (Pg 179, I Was A Teenage Fairy) They bring out the truth in each other as they begin to understand, who they are is who they are. With this friendship, Lia Block captures the essence of childhood in a teenage world.
Furthermore I Was A Teenage Fairy reflects the inner truth of issues all teens are forced to deal with. Parents, money, drugs, alcohol, and sex are clear in the life of a normal teen, however society has chose to ignore what is really going on in hopes that they aren't present. Lia Block helps to clarify to all teens that the problems they are facing, are normal, and that it is ok to hold on to childhood imagination. She has become the light in an otherwise dark life in which some teens live in. They live in embarrassment and fear as the feel they are alone in the choices they make. Through this novel the reader is shown that the greatest asset of life is the uniqueness of your spirit and how each problem faced can be considered normal.

Rating:
Summary: I love this book
Review: Mab is the best fairy ever created in a story. She is strong willed and very funny. She has an attitude to match her ego. Mab is a unique and refreshing change to your average fairy.

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Book, Written!
Review: If you love fairies or magical tales, this is amazing tale for you! This is wonderful tale for ALL teenagers! I DEFINATLY recommend this book to ALL teenagers!

Rating:
Summary: SUPERB!!!
Review: This is very edgy, and goes well with the rest of the Block collection. This is one of my favorite books, and I will keep it FOREVER. Her seductive, healing writing, leads you into the lives of Mab, and Barbie. Offering a very blunt, depressing look at a teenage girls life, this book doesn't just leave you feeling miserable. The end is cleared up with a healing, empowering discovery, that is NOT cheesy. In fact, it leaves you questioning the entire story. Did Barbie go crazy and invent this perfect world she finds herself in...or is it true? The surrealism perfectly melds with the hard-core reality of the book, and you MUST HAVE IT, I guarantee it.

Rating:
Summary: beautiful
Review: I really don't agree with the review of this book that says it has no substance. I thought this was a beautiful book and it stays with me even now. Block has a habit of painting delicious pictures with her writing, and I found myself smelling, tasting, feeling everything she described. She does describe places in a way that makes you crave the air there, and I would read this book if only for the artsy writing. Block's writing is very unique, and it may be a style that not everyone would appreciate...but it is undeniably descriptive and I think it's beautiful. But beyond that, this just a good story that will draw you in and show you beautiful things. I definently recommend this to anyone who had read and enjoyed Block's other books, and to the openminded people who have not.

Rating:
Summary: Grim's Fairy Tale Classic
Review: This was a masterfully created novel by young adult author Francesca Lia Block. While some might be skeptical that a plot involving fairies and such 'para-realities' would hold the interest of teenage readers, Block is so adept and powerful in her style, she writes with an almost clairvoyant knowledge about what or who (as characters) will capture the love and loyalty of young readers everywhere.

'I Was a Teenage Fairy' tells the story of the young Barbie Marks growing up in the star-struck California world. Ever since she could remember, Barbie's mother has been determined to make her into a successful fashion model, even if she has to destroy Barbie to do it. Of course, the situation only worsens as Barbie's photographer turns out to be a child-molester who sexually abuses her when he steps away from the camera's lens. Broken in spirit and despondent, it is only when Barbie meets Mab, a pinky-sized, smart-talking fairy with a passion for "biscuit-hunting" who nudges and cajoles Barbie through life with her warmth, wit, and love, that she can endure.

As she grows older, Barbie moves on and becomes fairly successful, being invited out to parties at the houses of famous Hollywood actors, including Todd, a chic yet compassionate party-leader, who is attracted to Barbie's delicate soul, and his roommate/admirer, Griffin Tyler. It is through her interactions with the two of them, and the gentle persistence of Mab, that Barbie manages to reconcile and bring justice to the pain which has marred her past, as well as to grow and expand and become more than what meets the eye on the glossy pages of a fashion magazine.

This novel, with its flint-edged lyrical prose, yet dazzling enchantment, is provocative and thoughtful enough to impress the most prolific literary critic, while gripping enough to hold the attention of the most lacking reader. Block deals well with the subject of sexual abuse for teens in that she does not deal graphically with specific episodes. Instead, she simply provides implied aftershock and the main character's discomfiture as key-indicators, thus more characteristic of the way many teens feel after such an incident. She also points out that abuse never begins with one person but is simply a vicious cycle, which a person who has enough stamina can terminate. Even the very title 'I Was a Teenage Fairy' leaves a melodramatic impact on a person, making them feel as though they have heard the story from the point of Mab far in the future, after a maximum resolution. There is little to disappoint in this work of fiction, with its inspiring conclusion, except for the fact that it does indeed have an ending. Yet will leave readers mesmerized and revisiting the days of their youth when fairies did exist.

Rating:
Summary: best book ever
Review: this is one of the best pieces of writing i have ever read in my life. the description is fabulous and every word written sounds like a song. its beautiful and fantastic and undescribable how wonderful this writing is. read this book now if u appreciate good descriptive writing.

Rating:
Summary: Teenage Fairy's Postmodern Fairy Tale Shimmers Like L.A.
Review: This is the first book of Block's I'd ever read and really enjoyed it. Although in the ending, the conflicts in the story were resolved a little too smoothly to be realistic, it is a fairy tale, so one has to expect that. It didn't suprise me that the author wrote for Spin, because at times the book assumed the same tone as the magazine. The writing style is very distinctive and entertaining. The story is a pretty uplifting one. In the course of the book, the author makes some very revealing insights. I can't believe I'd never heard of her before.