livingonavenueq:

The Time It Takes to Fall by Margaret Lazarus Dean (2007)

I’ve been wanting to read this book ever since ate Titit gave it a really good review in her 120books blog. But even with the positive review, I stopped myself from expecting too much because I might get disappointed. Well, I wasn’t.

Dolores, the main character, is a 13-year-old fascinated with space flight and wants to be an Astronaut when she gets older. Having a dad working at NASA and living in Florida, where space shuttles getting whisked off to space is as common as breakfast, Dolores feeds her obsession by taking notes of the details of each launch. Then, things start getting messy and the Challenger Disaster happens.

Dolores isn’t your perfect, goody-two-shoes space geek. No, she’s a teenager who longs for friendship but also popularity. She’s smart but rebellious, observant but a little naive. Though it was difficult for me to connect to her desire to befriend the popular kids in her class, I loved how honest she was about herself, her family, everything.

Also, I think the ending was perfect. Not cheesy, not dramatic. It was very… normal. Instead of making a big deal out if all, Dean decides to end the story simply. And though I like extravagance, I think that was the best choice. Because even though the story lingers on long after you finish the book, the reader gets to move on, just like the characters did, just like life does.