Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, but obviously by a very young writer
Review: I enjoyed this novel a great deal. It was entertaining and engrossing, sometimes erotic. As a teenager myself (16) I can relate less to the turbulant sex-and-drug-drenched world the author depicts, and more to her style of writing. Bett Williams is obviously an extremely talented writer (some selections of her prose are astoundingly poignant) but she also shares the self-absorbed dramatization of everything in her writing that is characteristic of youth. Each "gothic" character was depicted as achingly beautiful, each description of each outfit and eyeliner described as if it were art in it's highest form, each syllable uttered by each character took on almost too much meaning. While suitable for perhaps the description of Jessica because the main character is so obsessed with her, it becomes almost tiring to keep reading about these 'profoundly' beautiful people. And cynic that I am, I never imagine them in my head as quite as beautiful or romantic as Williams probably would like me to; instead I imagine that they like to think of themselves in such a way. The book gets better farther along, and I was surprised to find a great deal of depth in Skye by the end. (Who's very name smacks of a teenager's main character) However, with mention of Doc Martins and goths, it will not be long before this book will become extremely dated and almost cringely-embarrassing to read. (it's never fun to read how self-important we are in our youth) However, read it. It's enjoyable and entertaining, and although it doesn't reach the level of depth I think it strove for, I am positive that Bett Williams is capable of such a novel in the future.-Liz
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I really liked this book, it is the kind of book you love when you are 15. I think that if I had read it at that age I would have liked it even more than the catcher in the rye.
This book is about a young girl who deals with her crazy mother and absent father trying to figure it out how things work for her. Meanwhile she falls in love with a girl. They have an interesting twisted relationship. But do not think this book is about getting to know your sexuality or coming out of the closet because it is not. It is about being a teenager, dealing with your problems and human relationships.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting and depressing story
Review: I thought the book was very well-done, descriptive and easy to read. I found myself glued to the story, not wanting it to end. I also think it was true to life in many ways, and the author caught the pain and confusion of someone trapped in their own head. I recommend it!!
Rating: 
Summary: RINGS TRUE
Review: I'm 42 years old and wouldn't know a rave if it slammed me, but just about everything in this book rings true to me. I congratulate the author.
Rating:
Summary: fantastic, well controlled writing
Review: Most coming of age stories are huge yawns. In GWB right when you think you have the plot nailed the author redirects you, along with your assumptions. And the surprise drives the plot deeper into you. I might be way more attached to this book because I live in Santa Barbara but I think it is not a book rooted to its setting. I found the prose powerful enough that I didn't want to put the book down but I also didn't want it to end. The characters are developed and at first hit me as being way too mature for their supposed ages but maybe I have been living inside too long. I have to say Williams' writing shines in this book. She writes precise but loose and flowing, it rings with wonderful imagery, insights and postmodern poetic language. The biggest compliment I can give about this book is the range of emotions I felt reading it: anxious, annoyed, strengthened, made compassionate, defiant, liberated. It had an enormous palette of emotions which Williams handles deftly, without degrading into gross sentimentality and hedonistic suffereing that so often coming of age novels have to rely on to make up for the author's lack of skill and self esteem. The angst is genuine and not empty and at all like "Our Noise", or most other psuedo gen-x baloney. Read it. Buy it for your daughters, give it to your mom.
Rating:
Summary: somewhere between volleyballs and candelabras
Review: Smart, witty, true-to-life (in the southern California sense, at least) tale of a girl dealing with life as she finishes high school. More than a few interesting items on her plate--a mentally unstable mother, an emotionally unavailable father, new friendships, and her own struggles to find and understand love with the girls she is drawn to. I like that this isn't your overt 'gay' novel, as it stands on its own as a very believable account of what any young adult could experience in today's hormonal adolescence. A bit self-absorbed, but weren't we all?
Rating:
Summary: somewhere between volleyballs and candelabras
Review: Smart, witty, true-to-life (in the southern California sense, at least) tale of a girl dealing with life as she finishes high school. More than a few interesting items on her plate--a mentally unstable mother, an emotionally unavailable father, new friendships, and her own struggles to find and understand love with the girls she is drawn to. I like that this isn't your overt 'gay' novel, as it stands on its own as a very believable account of what any young adult could experience in today's hormonal adolescence. A bit self-absorbed, but weren't we all?
Rating:
Summary: Damn good book!
Review: The best writing seems like it was almost effortless... that's certainly the case here. The book reads so smoothly and so quickly, it feels as though it was written in one night. Skye, a fifteen year-old girl who's dealing with a ton of stuff all at once, is a great character. She's tough enough to earn our admiration, but human enough to make you wince every time something bad happens to her. Through her, the book deals with issues of self-mutilation, discovering one's own sexuality, New Age cultism, drugs, friendship, sex, and all the usual highlights of being 15. This is no After School Special, though, and the book does not preach to the reader or try to force all-encompassing conclusions upon complex issues. The author is confident enough (and wise enough) to let the reader reach his/her own conclusions. She also avoids the "easy epiphany" pitfall. This book has no easy answers. More than anything, though, this is a fun book. That's largely because Skye, though fallible, is such a likable character. I would recommend this book especially for anyone in junior high school or high school, although it's perfectly suitable for adults as well. Writers like Judy Bloom, though wonderful in their own way, fail to address truly contemporary themes for teenagers. This book fills that void. Final comment: I very much appreciated that the whole homosexual/heterosexual thing was addressed so realistically. There may be some people for whom it's a simple yes/no dichotomy, but most people I knew back in high school weren't nearly so one-way-or-the-other. It's nice to read a book about a lesbian who doesn't think of herself as "a lesbian" but rather as herself. She's Skye. Who she sleeps with (or wants to sleep with) is only one small part of who she is. Really, really good stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Satisfying in every way!
Review: This book is goooooooood!! If you are having any doubts on the quality or the price, or whatever... put them aside! You must buy this book. I have not been that engrossed in a book in a long time. At first glance or to read about it, you might think that this book is for young adults or teens. The actual content of the book goes way beyond any young adult category. This is a book that is suitable for teens, but yet is packed with maturity and content for adults. I am 22 and I enjoyed every last word. You will not regret this book!
Rating:
Summary: Satisfying in every way!
Review: This book is goooooooood!! If you are having any doubts on the quality or the price, or whatever... put them aside! You must buy this book. I have not been that engrossed in a book in a long time. At first glance or to read about it, you might think that this book is for young adults or teens. The actual content of the book goes way beyond any young adult category. This is a book that is suitable for teens, but yet is packed with maturity and content for adults. I am 22 and I enjoyed every last word. You will not regret this book!
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