Saturday, October 17, 2009

157 - Mathilda Savitch; Victor Lodato





Mathilda Savitch is a story about a preteen girl who is trying to understand the death of her 16 year old sister Helene. One year earlier Helene fell from a train platform, and life is no where near back to normal. Mathilda's mother has turned to booze, her father appears neglectful, and no one is paying any attention to poor Mathilda.

The story is narrated by Mathilda, and in my opinion, it is because of this that this story worked for me. Mathida deals with her grief by trying to get her parents to react. She is confused and angry and she acts out in inappropriate ways such as cutting off her hair. Determined to find out why her sister died, she spends time in her sister's "untouched room", reads and tries to decode some old letters, and taps in to Helene's email account. She pretty much tries to become her sister, by dressing like her and contacting her old boyfriends etc.

The novel not only explores the issues one deals with when grieving the death of a loved one, but it also explores other serious issues such as renewed terrorism attacks, racism, and war. Despite the overuse of cliches, the author does a good job with a tough storyline, by providing the reader with good insight into why Matilda acted the way she did.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this story, but in the end I was glad I decided to read it. RECOMMENDED

                                                                                                                            
(Amazon Vine)

13 comments:

  1. Good review, just enough info to make a decision but not too much to spoil the story. I love your new thank you pic!

    Have a great week and happy reading.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This sounds like a poignant tale of grief and loss, told in a way that feels real.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really enjoyed what your wrote about this one. I'm intrigued!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This sounds like a good novel on a tough topic. I hadn't heard of this author before, so I appreciated your review.

    Sue

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've just read this one as well and enjoyed it quite a bit. I liked Mathilda and she could be funny and touching even while being so confused and bratty.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It sounds as if it has a happy ending, which is good. Whew!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Terrific review! This book sounds intriguing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looks like a good book.

    Thanks for commenting on my review. Like you and your husband, I'm Christian and my husband is Jewish, and that's why the book appealed to me too :) It's a quick read.

    Have a great weekend, and may you get lots of reading in!

    ReplyDelete
  9. nice review, and thanks for stopping by today. It's always nice to meet someone new.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sounds like I would enjoy this. Great review! I am adding it to my list.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Glad to see you recommend this one. I've got it on my tbr shelf so it's always good to know others liked it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. This sounds like a good novel, and I enjoyed your review. And have I mentioned that I LOVE that "review copy" graphic?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great review! I think I'd like this book, and I really like that you didn't give any spoilers. Just enough to get me hooked! I am glad you enjoyed the book so much.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to visit and double thanks for any comments. If you ask a question in your comments, I will try to reply to it here, or by email if your settings allow me to do so. Thanks again for visiting.