Beachmont Letters

Rating:
Summary: Scars of Pain -- a review by Megan
Review: Eleanor Driscoll has to go through all of her high school years with scars on her face from a fire that she and her father got caught in. Now she has to ignore people laughing at her and gossiping about her as she walks by. She has a penpal who doesn't know about her face, but that's the only friend she has. Then she meets Clarisse, who see farther than her scars.

I usually have trouble reading for a long time so I can finish the book, but with this book I was able to concentrate and really focus on what I was reading. Every chapter was a cliffhanger. The way Eleanor took all the gossip and laughing surprised me. She just kept going and tried to make friends. At the beginning it didn't make sense, but I just comfortably fell into the book when I found out how Eleanor reacted, and when I felt all the sensitivity and pressure in this girl's life. I think Cathleen Twomey wrote this with all her heart, and tried to relate the joy and pain of the life of a teenaged girl.

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: Twomey effortlessly brings the reader into Eleanor's world with her beautiful writing. Eleanor is easy to identify with. Anyone who's ever felt different will feel Eleanor's pain and cheer for her she struggles with herself and the world around her. The storyline is engaging as Eleanor's secret and real lives intersect. This is a powerful story about facing adversity and human nature.