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Lang Leav’s Debut Novel Shines with Breathtaking Detail and Poetic Brilliance

May 19, 2017

 

Lang Leav is the author of several bestselling books of prose and poetry – Love & Misadventures, Lullabies, Memories, and The Universe of Us. The literary world fell for her beautiful words – as did the hearts of millions of readers worldwide. Leav has announced the publication of her very first debut novel, Sad Girls, which will be released on May 30th online and in bookstores. (You can pre-order it now on Amazon).

Lang Leav’s poetry is insightful, beautiful, and distinct. I was extremely eager to find out how her detailed usage of language and sentimental style of prose would translate into a novel. I also wondered if her words – when written in a novel – would resonate with me the same way her poetry did. I wasn’t sure quite what to expect, but I knew I had to find out.

“Ana was the original sad girl. She held the unofficial title long before her death. We all
became sad girls after that.”sad girls

When high-school senior Ana commits suicide, her death leaves an impact on the entire community, particularly one group of her classmates – Audrey, Lucy and Candela. Because Audrey had spread a terrible rumor about Ana, Audrey feels guilty, and ultimately, responsible for Ana’s death.

Stricken with feelings of grief and severe panic, Audrey experiences anxiety-driven symptoms and behavior. Nobody knows her secret, and she knows she must never make it known – not to her family, not to her best friends, and not to her sweet but terribly boring boyfriend, Duck.

When Audrey begins spending time with Ana’s ex boyfriend, Rad, everyone in town has something to say. As their friendship grows, Audrey latches on to the strong connection and the ease it brings to her seemingly out-of-control life. While Ana’s death always lingers in the back of Audrey’s mind, her worries are easily forgotten when she’s with Rad. They spend hours simply engaging in conversation, and Audrey is inspired by him, his mysteriousness, his passion for writing, and his way of seeing the world.

Despite these feelings, Audrey cannot bear the thought of being responsible for hurting her boyfriend. After they have both graduated high school, she cuts ties with Rad and they agree to never speak to one another again. Audrey finishes school and begins working for a magazine, and soon crosses path with Rad, who has become a bestselling author. To Audrey, their encounter doesn’t feel coincidental – it feels like fate.

Sad Girls is a beautiful and heartbreaking coming-of-age story about experiencing love.

“Your first love isn’t the first person you give your heart to – it’s the person that breaks it,” Leav writes. Audrey’s love for Rad is strong, but she deals with many conflicting emotions, including her desire to explore and live life on her own.

Beneath the surface, the novel has a deeper message. Audrey soon realizes that she isn’t the only one hiding a dark secret, and that nothing is what it seems. Everyone has a different way of coping with life in light of Ana’s death – some characters in the novel struggling with drug and alcohol abuse.

Sad Girls was everything I had hoped it would be – and so much more. Lang’s writing shines in a way that is beautifully vivid and poetic without being overly descriptive. The plot is fast-paced and engaging. At the end of the novel, Leav presents one extremely shocking twist that left me speechless.

I found Audrey’s character likable, and her struggles very relatable. Each of the characters are anything but perfect, and that’s what made this novel so real to me. Dealing with topics such as anxiety, depression, and suicide, the novel is especially relevant in this day and age.

For years, I have enjoyed her poetry, and I am pleased that she has taken her writing one step further with the publication of her first novel.  I cannot wait to see what she releases next!
langLang Leav
is an international best-selling author and social media sensation. She is the winner of a Qantas Spirit of Youth Award and coveted Churchill Fellowship. Her books continue to top bestseller charts in bookstores worldwide and Lullabies, was the 2014 winner of the Goodreads Choice award for poetry.

Lang has been featured in various publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Straits Times, The Guardian and The New York Times. She currently resides in New Zealand with her partner and fellow author Michael Faudet.

 

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Exit West Imparts a Beautiful Truth : “We Are All Migrants Through Time”

April 10, 2017

“In a city swollen by refugees but still mostly at peace, or at least not openly at war, a young man met a young woman in a classroom and did not speak to her. For many days.”

Exit West explores the difficulties a country and its inhabitants face when confronted with conflict. The novel takes place in present day in an unidentified city – its name is never revealed to the reader. What the reader does know is that this city  has been taken over by anti-government militants, and acts of violence are being committed each and every day. At the beginning of the story, residents are, for the most part, still able to go about their day. And that’s exactly how Nadia meets Saaed – while attending an evening class for business school.

9780735212176Nadia is bold and independent which contrasts Saeed’s subdued demeanor. Despite their differences, the two are inexplicably drawn to one another. 

“Saaed was certain he was in love. Nadia was not certain what exactly she was feeling, but she knew it had force.” The two spend more time together even as the city around them falls apart – food is rationed, neighborhoods are bombed, and airstrikes are launched. Curfews are enforced and phone service and internet connection are suspended. These circumstances place significant barriers on Nadia and Saaed’s relationship, but they continue to see each other as much as they can. 

As conditions worsen, Saeed and Nadia search for ways to flee their city. Rumors circulate about mysterious doors that are able to transport people to faraway places where they can seek safety, shelter, and new lives. It soon becomes clear that these doors do exist, and Saeed and Nadia make arrangements prepare for their departure. 

Nadia and Saeed exit their city through one of the doors, leaving everything that they know behind and looking forward to new opportunity, frightened but hopeful. They find themselves on a Greek island with many other refugees. In time, they grow restless and seek a new location.  They go door-to-door throughout Europe and North America until they have found the place they can finally call home. Throughout this journey, Nadia and Saeed learn more about each other, but mainly make discoveries about themselves.

Through his beautifully crafted words, Hamid makes a relevant statement about our current world,  reflecting the harsh realities of a country in conflict and inhabitants that are desperate to escape. As Donald Trump reveals his plan to ban refugee admission into the U.S., this novel emulates the struggles people face when they make the decision to leave their home country. Last year, 10,000 Syrians fled to the US in order to escape the civil war in their country. These refugees are human beings with hopes, fears, dreams, and potential. Exit West challenges the way many people think regarding immigration policies and emphasizes the value of human life.

Hamid’s decision to leave Nadia and Saeed’s home country unnamed makes the story even more powerful and shows that any town, city, or country can be suddenly disrupted and torn apart by war.

The magical realism of the doors was not overbearing so the story still felt mostly real, but it was an important part of the story that was so vaguely described. Many aspects of the story lacked substance and could have benefited from greater lengths of detail, characterization and dialogue. 

Hamid’s style of writing is vague in detail at times but remains extremely poetic and symbolic. As he writes about the changes in the world around them, he also displays the changes in Nadia and Saeed’s relationship. “All over the world people were slipping away from where they had been, from once fertile plains cracking with dryness, from seaside villages gasping beneath tidal surges, from overcrowded cities and murderous battlefields, and slipping away from other people too, people they had in some cases loved, as Nadia was slipping away from Saeed, and Saeed from Nadia.”

Exit West wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, but it was something more. Hamid’s novel is sad, honest, hopeful, but most of all, relevant to our time. This book is extremely powerful, forcing readers to reexamine the state of the world we live in and the  issues that impact us the most, while reminding us that we are all connected as members of the human race.

mohsin-hamid-c-jillian-edelstein-jpg-20170227Mohsin Hamid is the author of four novels, Moth Smoke, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, and Exit West, and a book of essays, Discontent and Its Civilizations.His writing has been featured on bestseller lists, adapted for the cinema, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, selected as winner or finalist of twenty awards, and translated into thirty-five languages.Born in Lahore, he has spent about half his life there and much of the rest in London, New York, and California.

 

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Benjamin Ludwig’s Debut Novel Stuns with Authenticity & Purpose

March 30, 2017

On May 2nd, New Hampshire author Benjamin Ludwig will be releasing his very first novel, Ginny Moon. Selected as a B&N Summer 2017 Discover Great New Writers book, this highly anticipated read is about to take the literary world by storm in more ways than one.

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The story is told from the entertaining and captivating perspective of an autistic teenage girl. Taken away from her abusive mother at the age of nine, Ginny is now a foster child. She has finally found her “forever home” – a place where she is safe and taken care of properly by Brian and Maura, her “forever mom and dad.”

Much to this dismay of her foster parents, Ginny makes continuous efforts to contact her birth mother. She is concerned about “Baby Doll”, her baby sister that she left behind. Because if she isn’t, then who is taking care of her baby doll? In order to save her baby doll, Ginny devises a heroic plan of escape. She will do whatever it takes to see to the well-being of her sister, even if it means leaving her forever family behind.

“It’s like I left the original me behind when I came to live with my new Forever Parents. With Brian and Maura Moon. My name is Ginny Moon now but there are still parts of the original me left.” Ginny’s adjustment to her new life reflects her struggle for acceptance and understanding ; a battle that readers can truly resonate and emphasize with.

In Ginny Moon, Ludwig makes a statement about the longevity of family and the power of love. The novel carefully portrays some of the challenges involved with raising an autistic child. In this experience, Brian and Maura certainly made some mistakes. But they were able to grow from these mistakes, taking the time to better understand Ginny’s world and the heartbreaking childhood that shaped her.

The protagonist’s literal mindset as well as the motivations behind her actions are often difficult for her parents, teachers, and peers to decipher and can lead to moments of frustration. However, it is clear that Ginny has nothing but pure intentions in her heart. As the novel progressed, I was able to better understand her character and what caused her to think and act in certain ways. It was an incredibly eye-opening experience.

Ludwig has crafted a truly authentic voice that demands to be heard. Despite the saddening circumstances, Ginny’s perspective is not at all despairing or overly emotional but uplifting, humorous, and beautiful. I found myself completely engaged throughout the novel and pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the experience. There’s no doubt about it, Ginny Moon will become your favorite literary character.

Ginny Moon is a novel that I continue to reflect upon. Extraordinarily unforgettable, you will remember Ginny’s story long after you have finished reading.

BEN-photo

A life-long teacher of English and writing, Benjamin Ludwig lives in New Hampshire with his family. He holds an MAT in English Education and an MFA in Writing.  Shortly after he and his wife married they became foster parents and adopted a teenager with autism. Ginny Moon is his first novel, which was inspired in part by his conversations with other parents at Special Olympics basketball practices. Please visit Benjamin Ludwig’s website for more information.

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Photo of me, Lisa Allard, a beauty and book blogger.

​​Hello, beautiful!
And welcome to my blog. I'm Lisa and I don't go anywhere without a book — or my favorite lipstick. I love wellness, fitness — and most of all, expressing myself through my writing.

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