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The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond
Lexie Diamond loves her computer. She loves to surf the Web more than anything else--and to the exclusion of a social life. Beyond being just a computer geek, Lexie has developed a unique philosophy that the essential truth about life is found on the Internet, which she navigates with the expertise and finesse of a true believer.
Then a tragic accident rocks Lexie's cyber-driven world and forces her to navigate the real world after all. With the aid of an unexpected ally--her first actual friend--not only is Lexie drawn into a mystery surrounding the accident, but she discovers more magic in the Web than she ever dreamed possible.
Along the way Lexie's beliefs are challenged, her family is turned upside down, and her future is threatened. In this visionary tour de force by a promising new novelist, Lexie must decide what is real and what is virtual: Her life depends on it.
- GenresYoung Adult
320 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2007
1 person is currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Foyt
8 books69 followersVictoria Foyt's debut novel, The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond, a young adult fantasy
mystery thriller (HarperCollins) was Recommended by The Center for Children's Books, and received a five-star, must read rating from Teens Read Too: “Foyt has created a compelling character and an electrifying story that will hold readers until the last page.”
Victoria co-wrote and starred in several acclaimed feature films, including "Going Shopping" with Rob Morrow, "Déjà Vu" with Vanessa Redgrave, "Last Summer in the Hamptons" with Melissa Leo, and "Babyfever" with Eric Roberts.
Victoria has appeared on news outlets such as Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, E! Entertainment, HBO, CNN-TV, Showbiz Today, ABC Radio, Turner TV Entertainment Report, TNT Rough Cuts, and Westwood One Radio, and has received extensive coverage on Siskel & Ebert.
She also has been featured in Vogue Magazine, O at Home, Elle Magazine, Movieline, Venice Magazine, Avenue Magazine, Night Magazine, Moviemaker Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, La Opinion, Miami New Times, Dramalogue, and Backstage West, among others.
Born and raised in Coral Gables, Florida, Victoria attended the University of Miami, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in French and Spanish and German. She currently resides in Santa Monica, California. She loves reading--at least two or three books a month--movies, tennis, swimming, hiking, and lots of dark chocolate.
mystery thriller (HarperCollins) was Recommended by The Center for Children's Books, and received a five-star, must read rating from Teens Read Too: “Foyt has created a compelling character and an electrifying story that will hold readers until the last page.”
Victoria co-wrote and starred in several acclaimed feature films, including "Going Shopping" with Rob Morrow, "Déjà Vu" with Vanessa Redgrave, "Last Summer in the Hamptons" with Melissa Leo, and "Babyfever" with Eric Roberts.
Victoria has appeared on news outlets such as Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, E! Entertainment, HBO, CNN-TV, Showbiz Today, ABC Radio, Turner TV Entertainment Report, TNT Rough Cuts, and Westwood One Radio, and has received extensive coverage on Siskel & Ebert.
She also has been featured in Vogue Magazine, O at Home, Elle Magazine, Movieline, Venice Magazine, Avenue Magazine, Night Magazine, Moviemaker Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, La Opinion, Miami New Times, Dramalogue, and Backstage West, among others.
Born and raised in Coral Gables, Florida, Victoria attended the University of Miami, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in French and Spanish and German. She currently resides in Santa Monica, California. She loves reading--at least two or three books a month--movies, tennis, swimming, hiking, and lots of dark chocolate.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 10, 2011
Victoria Hoyt's assistant was kind enough to pass on a copy of The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond to me recently. Despite coming out in Hardcover in 2007, I'd somehow never run into it before
Lexie is a computer geek, and loves it. Her computer, lovingly called Ajna-Mac, is her portal to a world she identifies with more than the every day one she lives in, so when her mother dies suddenly in a car accident it's Ajna-Mac she turns too. But as Lexie soon learns, life has a way of sweeping you up, even if you're not interested in participating.
It took me a bit of time to adapt and warm to this story, mainly because Lexie thinks and talks in terms of computers and Internet...about everything. Phrases like:
"Since Lexie was so plugged into patterns and sequences, she couldn't avoid the one her grandmother had just presented. Up to now, she hadn't really considered that she might never make it back to home page. If it had been her father speaking, she would have immediately deleted his advice.",
abound through the first part of the story, and I had difficulty relating to them.
But then she starts to make real friends, and she became much less insular and much, much more relatable. Once the story became less about her online world and more about her actual day to day life I became way more involved and found myself enjoying where the story was taking me. More than anything I felt like Lexie became significantly less flat once she was forced to interact with others, but it did make me regret it didn't happen sooner. I imagine the first part of the story would put some readers off, which would be a shame since the last two thirds or so become much less stiff and hit you with several unexpected and fun surprises.
The mystery aspect of the story wasn't a huge shocker, but oddly enough, the non-mystery story line of her online friend webrider was the fun twist and surprise to me. Sadly, after the reveal I wished her emails with webrider had been more prolific, it felt like a part of the story which would have both made Lexie more interesting in the beginning as well as added a bit of fun to the twist at the end, so I regret that relationship wasn't a bigger part of the story.
It's very possible I was simply not the right audience for the computer/Internet obsession of Lexie's, I loath to date myself in this way, but when I was her age, there was no Internet as we know it today. And I freely acknowledge that may have made my life significantly different at 14 then it was. I did however, enjoy her actual story, once it got rolling, so if the constant computer references put you off then hold out. I promise it gets better.
Lexie is a computer geek, and loves it. Her computer, lovingly called Ajna-Mac, is her portal to a world she identifies with more than the every day one she lives in, so when her mother dies suddenly in a car accident it's Ajna-Mac she turns too. But as Lexie soon learns, life has a way of sweeping you up, even if you're not interested in participating.
It took me a bit of time to adapt and warm to this story, mainly because Lexie thinks and talks in terms of computers and Internet...about everything. Phrases like:
"Since Lexie was so plugged into patterns and sequences, she couldn't avoid the one her grandmother had just presented. Up to now, she hadn't really considered that she might never make it back to home page. If it had been her father speaking, she would have immediately deleted his advice.",
abound through the first part of the story, and I had difficulty relating to them.
But then she starts to make real friends, and she became much less insular and much, much more relatable. Once the story became less about her online world and more about her actual day to day life I became way more involved and found myself enjoying where the story was taking me. More than anything I felt like Lexie became significantly less flat once she was forced to interact with others, but it did make me regret it didn't happen sooner. I imagine the first part of the story would put some readers off, which would be a shame since the last two thirds or so become much less stiff and hit you with several unexpected and fun surprises.
The mystery aspect of the story wasn't a huge shocker, but oddly enough, the non-mystery story line of her online friend webrider was the fun twist and surprise to me. Sadly, after the reveal I wished her emails with webrider had been more prolific, it felt like a part of the story which would have both made Lexie more interesting in the beginning as well as added a bit of fun to the twist at the end, so I regret that relationship wasn't a bigger part of the story.
It's very possible I was simply not the right audience for the computer/Internet obsession of Lexie's, I loath to date myself in this way, but when I was her age, there was no Internet as we know it today. And I freely acknowledge that may have made my life significantly different at 14 then it was. I did however, enjoy her actual story, once it got rolling, so if the constant computer references put you off then hold out. I promise it gets better.
November 10, 2012
Reviewed by Mark Frye, author and reviewer for TeensReadToo.com
THE VIRTUAL LIFE OF LEXIE DIAMOND is a suspenseful "whodunit" from actress and screenwriter Victoria Foyt, a first novel that effectively covers a wide gamut of emotional ground.
Fourteen-year-old Lexie copes with alienation at school and her divorced parents' disappointment with her computer-driven life. When her mother is killed in a mysterious car crash, Lexie finds credible evidence of foul play and is forced to adapt, change, and grow as person in order to follow the clues.
Lexie's suspicions grow as her father's fiancé shows her dark side after a series of private confrontations, actions which drive Lexie to make contact with her mother in cyberspace. To further complicate her life, Lexie must learn to trust people in "real time;" both her hunky neighbor and a popular "diva" at school, both of whom wish to be her friend.
Foyt adroitly welds the ether world of cyberspace with many common teen issues in both of Lexie's worlds. Her teen protagonist must use her strengths and weaknesses to solve the mystery of her mother's death and to save her father. As a result, the author has created a compelling character and an electrifying story that will hold younger readers until the last page.
THE VIRTUAL LIFE OF LEXIE DIAMOND is a suspenseful "whodunit" from actress and screenwriter Victoria Foyt, a first novel that effectively covers a wide gamut of emotional ground.
Fourteen-year-old Lexie copes with alienation at school and her divorced parents' disappointment with her computer-driven life. When her mother is killed in a mysterious car crash, Lexie finds credible evidence of foul play and is forced to adapt, change, and grow as person in order to follow the clues.
Lexie's suspicions grow as her father's fiancé shows her dark side after a series of private confrontations, actions which drive Lexie to make contact with her mother in cyberspace. To further complicate her life, Lexie must learn to trust people in "real time;" both her hunky neighbor and a popular "diva" at school, both of whom wish to be her friend.
Foyt adroitly welds the ether world of cyberspace with many common teen issues in both of Lexie's worlds. Her teen protagonist must use her strengths and weaknesses to solve the mystery of her mother's death and to save her father. As a result, the author has created a compelling character and an electrifying story that will hold younger readers until the last page.
December 13, 2011
This is a really sweet book that successfully blends suspense and coming-of-age with fantasy and a meaningful message. The 13-year-old protagonist, Lexie Diamond, struggles with pre-adolescent angst on many levels—she’s coping with the sudden, tragic death (and possibly murder) of her mother, her father’s quickly developing relationship with a woman she can’t stand, and insecurity to the point where she’s isolated herself from her peers, immersing herself in her own bit of cyberspace. Her obsession with her computer world is slightly reminiscent of Holden Caulfield’s travel to the depths of his tortured mind, yet with Lexie, we have hope. We slowly watch as Lexie gains a new zest for life as she searches for the possible culprit behind her mother’s death and learns about judging others too quickly, while cultivating new and unlikely relationships with others her own age. It’s an absolutely great read that will inspire tweens and teens alike, and is even relatable to people past the young adult demographic. An excellent book! I can’t wait to read Victoria Foyt’s next book!
December 13, 2011
Having just finished (and loved!) Foyt's latest young adult novel, Save the Pearls Part One REVEALING EDEN, I decided to pick up her last book, The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond. To say the least, I was really glad that I did!
Lexie is a fourteen year old girl that spends way too much time on the internet, to the point where she has no real friends. This leads her to become quirky and really alienated at school. (Super relatable to a lot of kids these days, I'm sure.)
The reader will also empathize with her struggles at home. Her mother has passed away and Lexie is forced to deal with her father's new fiancé, who just might have had a hand in her mother's untimely death.
Overall, the book is a great read. There's plenty of mystery and suspense to keep you turning those pages!
Perfect for 11 to 15 year olds or (Tweens)
Lexie is a fourteen year old girl that spends way too much time on the internet, to the point where she has no real friends. This leads her to become quirky and really alienated at school. (Super relatable to a lot of kids these days, I'm sure.)
The reader will also empathize with her struggles at home. Her mother has passed away and Lexie is forced to deal with her father's new fiancé, who just might have had a hand in her mother's untimely death.
Overall, the book is a great read. There's plenty of mystery and suspense to keep you turning those pages!
Perfect for 11 to 15 year olds or (Tweens)
December 28, 2011
I had no idea Victoria Foyt was such a novelist... I'm actually a fan of her 1997 flick Déjà vu so when I found out she was an author, I thought I'd show my support and check out one of her books. I started with her newest book Save the Pearls Part 1 REVEALING EDEN and loved her work so much that I decided to read her first book too! I've gotta say, this book was surprisingly good. I love how Victoria Foyt is able to tackle such coming-of-age issues in such a relatable way, since we actually live in a world that is dominated by technology. Her world view is just so skewed that you start to question her sanity even, but you'll have to read the book for yourself to determine what's reality and what's perception.
March 19, 2011
I really enjoyed reading The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond, it was definitely full of surprises and kept me entertained.
January 25, 2008
Cute concept. I liked how she used computer speak.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews