This was fabulous. At first glance it may seem like just another teen aged girls book, and in some ways it was, but trust me, its different in many ways too. Laurie Halse Anderson did a wonderful job at making the characters real, the plot unexpected and tear-jerking. It has some symbolism that is easy to detect but adds quite a bit to the story. I recommend this novel more to girls than boys but, a guy still might be able to enjoy it!
P.S. Don't worry, this book isn't just about girls who stress over how their hair looks and if their 'totally secret crush' will notice them at the school dance (which, we all know, they probably will...I'd like to read a story where the boy doesn't notice the girl and it ends tragically..haha).
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125,013 Literary Works • 672,844 Reviews
I read this book a few months ago and thought it was pretty good. The plot was definitely sad, but like mentioned, that's what makes it different from all the other "teen girl" books out there. And I like how the mystery wasn't revealed right away and the author kept you guessing as to why people were treating the main character so badly. I'd definitely reccommend "Speak" to any teenage girl.
I was a little ticked that everything turned out exactly the way I'd thought it would from the back of the book, but it's still good.
Yeah, I really enjoyed [i]Speak,[/i] too... I loved Melinda's sarcastic humor. (That was her name, right?)
It may have been aimed at teen girls, but I definitely wouldn't call it "chick lit," or at least not your typical, superficial kind with lots of silly boy drama. Guys might enjoy it, I'm not sure... They might not be able to empathize with Melinda as well as girls but I could be wrong.
I also enjoyed Speak, but I think there may already be a review post for it? I just remember seeing it a long time ago.
Yeah, I agree. I haven't read Speak for a while, but every time I do, I'm glad I did.
I also like the way it deals with a lot of stuff that most YA authors wouldn't even touch on... and it does so in a non-graphic but not fade-to-black or "talk down to them and get all preachy-like" sort of way.