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Jilly-Bean #1
Jilly-Bean
Temperatures are rising and superstition reigns supreme!
Eighteen year old Jillian Crossland has her life planned out. Or so she thinks!
Despite her better judgement, a séance one evening sets a blueprint for disaster when fate steps in and shakes up her plans and her life!
Jilly-Bean is a novel that explores contemporary life in the throes of global warming and on the edge of madness.
Eighteen year old Jillian Crossland has her life planned out. Or so she thinks!
Despite her better judgement, a séance one evening sets a blueprint for disaster when fate steps in and shakes up her plans and her life!
Jilly-Bean is a novel that explores contemporary life in the throes of global warming and on the edge of madness.
- GenresYoung Adult
208 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 2012
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August 3, 2012This book was won through a LibraryThing giveaway.
Have you ever read a book and wondered what in the fuck did I just read? Welcome to JillyBean. It's a quick read—it just took me the last 3 or so hours to read it, but I'm still confused as to what the book is about.
I was excited to read this book, because it takes place near where I grew up. It's probably weird to say, but I love seeing places I know in books. Kingston! Highway 60! Campbellford! I've been to those places! Just look at the notepad I used to take notes for the book:
[image error]
Yes, I am a nerd, in case you were wondering.
I had hoped we would see more of Kingston, since I went to college there, but it ended up being almost entirely in Toronto.
We start off by meeting Jilly, a recent graduate from high school. The story is set in 2001, for some reason, and this is where we encounter our first problem. This might be nitpicky, but Jilly just graduated from grade 12. She will be attending Queen's University in the fall. No. In 2001, OAC (grade 13) still existed in Ontario. It wasn't phased out until 2003. While it was possible to "fast-track" and graduate a year early, no way were you getting into University, especially Queen's, without OAC courses.
Jilly arrives home from house-hunting in Kingston, and a hot guy at Union Station almost steals her cab. After leaving the train station, she gives a $10 bill to a homeless guy. So… not exactly a starving college student, are we? She then arrives home, to her parents' 1/2 acre lot in the middle of Toronto. Are you freaking kidding me? She probably could've given the homeless guy a yacht. Her father is a stock trader, or some such, so they're loaded, obvs.
Also, her father's name is Geordie.
[image error]
Just sayin'.
Anyway. Jilly goes off to her job interview at a hospital. Along the way she runs into Andrew Waits and they go for coffee. It's not entirely clear who this person is at first, we later find out that they've been friends since Kindergarten. She continues to her job interview and returns home, where she runs into her father, brother Adam and Olivia, Adam's girlfriend. Apparently, Jilly's mother is at her sister-in-law's house, where they are going to be holding a good old-fashioned séance. Adam snaps, "Dad, I wish you wouldn't call it 'religion'. There is nothing religious about sitting around a table and talking to dead relatives. Pagan superstition, that's what I'd call it."
This is a confusing part. Adam seems very intolerant of other religious views, calling them superstitions. Where's that coming from? Jilly says her father was a Catholic who ceased going to church many years ago, but she and her brother both went to church and Sunday school, and viewed it as an inconvenience "something they were forced to do, rather than an expression of any fervent belief in God". So if mom's a pagan, and dad doesn't go to church—who's stealing these kids and trundling them off to church every Sunday morning? I don't get it.
The four of them drive out to Uncle Phil's house.
[image error]
There's some awkward conversation with… family members? I'm not entirely sure who all of these people are. "Our Lord Jesus Christ" was mentioned a couple of times. It makes you wonder, if these people are so horned up for Jesus and think this "black magic" is bullshit, why would they bother attending a séance in the first place? Madame Zelda shows up and then the magic is a-flowin', and it's windy, and the table lifts off the ground. Mr. Mueller gets the vapours, and passes out. They thought he was dead, but he's not. After the hullabaloo has settled down, Madame Zelda informs everyone just before she leaves that "A curse has been unleashed!" Gulp!
Mr. Mueller falls down the stairs in the middle of the night and dies two nights later from blunt force trauma to his head. Some say it's murder, some say it wasn't. In his will, Mr. Mueller requested that he be cremated and his ashes be put into a helium balloon and released over Algonquin Park, presumably because he hates woodland creatures, especially when they're not choking to death on pieces of balloon. I understand where he's coming from, because I've requested that my loved ones use my urn to bludgeon a family of pandas to death. Mr. Mueller's family is not only willing to comply with his wishes, but they go above and beyond, releasing 23 additional coloured balloons, because fuck turtles.
This is another point that made me wonder what the hell is with the religious beliefs in this family. For some reason, Jilly saw the box containing Mr. Mueller's corpse roll into the crematorium incinerator (WHY!?) and the narrative reads, "Somehow it didn't seem right. How could Mrs. Mueller and friends grieve and find comfort and solace in ashes that had settled onto the ground or were floating in the air? How would his soul ever be saved? Was there any hope for him in the afterlife?" She also asked her mother, "Shouldn't Mr. Mueller have had a proper burial?"
Her mother answers, "Honey, his atoms are in the air." How sheltered is Jilly that she's never encountered any beliefs other than her own? AND WHERE ARE THESE BELIEFS COMING FROM? I don't get it.
The family drives four hours to release Mr. Mueller's Fleet of Death to the sky. Madame Zelda shows up at the ceremony at the cliff in the Park somehow, and instead of joining the family, she perches on a rock and looks down at them. As you do. They have trouble with the ashes of course, and some of them end up on people, but People for the Terrible Treatment of Animals president John Mueller is finally sent on his way. May he suffocate every duck.
At this point, the book takes a strange turn. I thought I had suddenly switched to reading Sweet Valley High.
Jilly and her friends go to a graduation party at the University of Toronto, where they have the worst DJs in the world. You know how crazy those kids from the early 2000s were for INXS! They were all, "Backstreet who-now? Give us more Michael Hutchence!"
Who else is at the party but Hot-Almost-Cab-Stealing-Guy! He seems to like Jilly, and they end up hitting it off. They date for a while, then when she confesses her love for him and he doesn't reciprocate, she freaks the fuck out. She leaves the party they were at in tears, and refuses to answer his phone calls at home. He then dates Sarah, the Alpha bitch from high school, and one of Jilly's best friends, Annie. Of course exclusively dating high school girls when you're 26 and a doctor is perfectly normal. Someone alert Chris Hansen!
Jilly meets Matt (the hot pedophile) for a meal and asks where she went wrong, and why don't you love me OH GOD PLEASE LOVE ME. And he's all, maybe you should go talk to someone, like a counsellor or a priest. Priest? Now, it's clear she was overreacting because she was 18 and he was her first boyfriend—lord knows I've done it after a few breakups myself—but is an exorcism really in order? He pays for the meal, and she tells him that they were fated to be together and throws herself into his arms. Get over it, looney tunes.
The ending is just so rushed, and I don't understand what was happening. Even the revised ending that the author sent doesn't make sense. Um, ok?
There are some problems with the text:
It's a bass guitar, not a base guitar
Campbell-Ford should be Campbellford. Campbell Ford is a Ford dealership in Ottawa.
Google Maps was launched in 2005, so she didn't print out directions from there. However, MapQuest did exist then, so maybe that site could be used instead.
This is a personal pet peeve of mine, but it really bothers me when company names are spelled incorrectly. You might think I'm a corporate whore, but it's just irritating and pulls me out of the narrative unnecessarily. McDonald's, twice in the book, is referred to as Macdonald's. This is the kind of mistake that shouldn't be made in professional publishing.
Some of the text is clunky: "At last, the train wheezed as it made its way slowly into Union Station; the anxious passengers waited eagerly to escape the confined hot space and proceed to their destinations. Hurriedly they retrieved their luggage from the overhead compartments, struggling and pushing to be the first off the train."
Wowee, that's a lot of adverbs. Two points:
1. We're Canadian, which means we're second only to the Brits when it comes to queuing. There's no struggling and pushing on a Via train. Everyone files off in an orderly manner, row by row, and the worst that happens is that someone might give you the stink-eye if you block the aisle and make other passengers wait.
2. This writing could be cleaned up a lot: "At last, the wheezing train pulled into Union Station. The passengers were eager to get off the hot, crowded train. They scrambled to gather their luggage from the overhead compartments."
So the book is about… challenging your beliefs, I guess. And global warming was mentioned a few times, but I have no idea why. The book had a few interesting ideas, but none of them were followed up in any way. What happened to the dirtbag who hit on Jilly on the train? What happened to everyone else who had attended the séance? These are never explored. Unfortunately, I can't recommend this book.
Have you ever read a book and wondered what in the fuck did I just read? Welcome to JillyBean. It's a quick read—it just took me the last 3 or so hours to read it, but I'm still confused as to what the book is about.
I was excited to read this book, because it takes place near where I grew up. It's probably weird to say, but I love seeing places I know in books. Kingston! Highway 60! Campbellford! I've been to those places! Just look at the notepad I used to take notes for the book:
[image error]
Yes, I am a nerd, in case you were wondering.
I had hoped we would see more of Kingston, since I went to college there, but it ended up being almost entirely in Toronto.
We start off by meeting Jilly, a recent graduate from high school. The story is set in 2001, for some reason, and this is where we encounter our first problem. This might be nitpicky, but Jilly just graduated from grade 12. She will be attending Queen's University in the fall. No. In 2001, OAC (grade 13) still existed in Ontario. It wasn't phased out until 2003. While it was possible to "fast-track" and graduate a year early, no way were you getting into University, especially Queen's, without OAC courses.
Jilly arrives home from house-hunting in Kingston, and a hot guy at Union Station almost steals her cab. After leaving the train station, she gives a $10 bill to a homeless guy. So… not exactly a starving college student, are we? She then arrives home, to her parents' 1/2 acre lot in the middle of Toronto. Are you freaking kidding me? She probably could've given the homeless guy a yacht. Her father is a stock trader, or some such, so they're loaded, obvs.
Also, her father's name is Geordie.
[image error]
Just sayin'.
Anyway. Jilly goes off to her job interview at a hospital. Along the way she runs into Andrew Waits and they go for coffee. It's not entirely clear who this person is at first, we later find out that they've been friends since Kindergarten. She continues to her job interview and returns home, where she runs into her father, brother Adam and Olivia, Adam's girlfriend. Apparently, Jilly's mother is at her sister-in-law's house, where they are going to be holding a good old-fashioned séance. Adam snaps, "Dad, I wish you wouldn't call it 'religion'. There is nothing religious about sitting around a table and talking to dead relatives. Pagan superstition, that's what I'd call it."
This is a confusing part. Adam seems very intolerant of other religious views, calling them superstitions. Where's that coming from? Jilly says her father was a Catholic who ceased going to church many years ago, but she and her brother both went to church and Sunday school, and viewed it as an inconvenience "something they were forced to do, rather than an expression of any fervent belief in God". So if mom's a pagan, and dad doesn't go to church—who's stealing these kids and trundling them off to church every Sunday morning? I don't get it.
The four of them drive out to Uncle Phil's house.
[image error]
There's some awkward conversation with… family members? I'm not entirely sure who all of these people are. "Our Lord Jesus Christ" was mentioned a couple of times. It makes you wonder, if these people are so horned up for Jesus and think this "black magic" is bullshit, why would they bother attending a séance in the first place? Madame Zelda shows up and then the magic is a-flowin', and it's windy, and the table lifts off the ground. Mr. Mueller gets the vapours, and passes out. They thought he was dead, but he's not. After the hullabaloo has settled down, Madame Zelda informs everyone just before she leaves that "A curse has been unleashed!" Gulp!
Mr. Mueller falls down the stairs in the middle of the night and dies two nights later from blunt force trauma to his head. Some say it's murder, some say it wasn't. In his will, Mr. Mueller requested that he be cremated and his ashes be put into a helium balloon and released over Algonquin Park, presumably because he hates woodland creatures, especially when they're not choking to death on pieces of balloon. I understand where he's coming from, because I've requested that my loved ones use my urn to bludgeon a family of pandas to death. Mr. Mueller's family is not only willing to comply with his wishes, but they go above and beyond, releasing 23 additional coloured balloons, because fuck turtles.
This is another point that made me wonder what the hell is with the religious beliefs in this family. For some reason, Jilly saw the box containing Mr. Mueller's corpse roll into the crematorium incinerator (WHY!?) and the narrative reads, "Somehow it didn't seem right. How could Mrs. Mueller and friends grieve and find comfort and solace in ashes that had settled onto the ground or were floating in the air? How would his soul ever be saved? Was there any hope for him in the afterlife?" She also asked her mother, "Shouldn't Mr. Mueller have had a proper burial?"
Her mother answers, "Honey, his atoms are in the air." How sheltered is Jilly that she's never encountered any beliefs other than her own? AND WHERE ARE THESE BELIEFS COMING FROM? I don't get it.
The family drives four hours to release Mr. Mueller's Fleet of Death to the sky. Madame Zelda shows up at the ceremony at the cliff in the Park somehow, and instead of joining the family, she perches on a rock and looks down at them. As you do. They have trouble with the ashes of course, and some of them end up on people, but People for the Terrible Treatment of Animals president John Mueller is finally sent on his way. May he suffocate every duck.
At this point, the book takes a strange turn. I thought I had suddenly switched to reading Sweet Valley High.
Jilly and her friends go to a graduation party at the University of Toronto, where they have the worst DJs in the world. You know how crazy those kids from the early 2000s were for INXS! They were all, "Backstreet who-now? Give us more Michael Hutchence!"
Who else is at the party but Hot-Almost-Cab-Stealing-Guy! He seems to like Jilly, and they end up hitting it off. They date for a while, then when she confesses her love for him and he doesn't reciprocate, she freaks the fuck out. She leaves the party they were at in tears, and refuses to answer his phone calls at home. He then dates Sarah, the Alpha bitch from high school, and one of Jilly's best friends, Annie. Of course exclusively dating high school girls when you're 26 and a doctor is perfectly normal. Someone alert Chris Hansen!
Jilly meets Matt (the hot pedophile) for a meal and asks where she went wrong, and why don't you love me OH GOD PLEASE LOVE ME. And he's all, maybe you should go talk to someone, like a counsellor or a priest. Priest? Now, it's clear she was overreacting because she was 18 and he was her first boyfriend—lord knows I've done it after a few breakups myself—but is an exorcism really in order? He pays for the meal, and she tells him that they were fated to be together and throws herself into his arms. Get over it, looney tunes.
The ending is just so rushed, and I don't understand what was happening. Even the revised ending that the author sent doesn't make sense. Um, ok?
There are some problems with the text:
It's a bass guitar, not a base guitar
Campbell-Ford should be Campbellford. Campbell Ford is a Ford dealership in Ottawa.
Google Maps was launched in 2005, so she didn't print out directions from there. However, MapQuest did exist then, so maybe that site could be used instead.
This is a personal pet peeve of mine, but it really bothers me when company names are spelled incorrectly. You might think I'm a corporate whore, but it's just irritating and pulls me out of the narrative unnecessarily. McDonald's, twice in the book, is referred to as Macdonald's. This is the kind of mistake that shouldn't be made in professional publishing.
Some of the text is clunky: "At last, the train wheezed as it made its way slowly into Union Station; the anxious passengers waited eagerly to escape the confined hot space and proceed to their destinations. Hurriedly they retrieved their luggage from the overhead compartments, struggling and pushing to be the first off the train."
Wowee, that's a lot of adverbs. Two points:
1. We're Canadian, which means we're second only to the Brits when it comes to queuing. There's no struggling and pushing on a Via train. Everyone files off in an orderly manner, row by row, and the worst that happens is that someone might give you the stink-eye if you block the aisle and make other passengers wait.
2. This writing could be cleaned up a lot: "At last, the wheezing train pulled into Union Station. The passengers were eager to get off the hot, crowded train. They scrambled to gather their luggage from the overhead compartments."
So the book is about… challenging your beliefs, I guess. And global warming was mentioned a few times, but I have no idea why. The book had a few interesting ideas, but none of them were followed up in any way. What happened to the dirtbag who hit on Jilly on the train? What happened to everyone else who had attended the séance? These are never explored. Unfortunately, I can't recommend this book.
July 6, 2012
I wasn't sure what this novel was about from the synopsis and having read it I'm still none the wiser. To be honest, I found it a challenge to finish it. But I did! The writing isn't at all bad - although extremely descriptive and the author uses the exclamation mark too often in my view - but the story telling (???). Not much happens until a third of the way in, i.e. the seance, and I struggled to see the relevance of some of what came before that. OK, I got the significance of the part about the teenagers on the beach but not the encounter with the older man on the train or the job interview which went on for ages. I thought they would tie in later but they didn't. Things take off when Jillian meets Matt at the graduation party but it takes a while to get to that point. Also, I didn't feel like it was taking place in the 21st century, e.g Jillian acts like a teenager of the 1940s or maybe 50s. And the global warming? Where does that come in to the story? Perhaps it went over my head. Not great but not terrible either.
June 6
I'm adding an extra 1/2 point for the revised ending. : )
June 6
I'm adding an extra 1/2 point for the revised ending. : )
August 8, 2012
Synopsis
Temperatures are rising and superstition reigns supreme! Eighteen year old Jillian Crossland has her life planned out. Or so she thinks. Despite her better judgment, a séance one evening sets a blueprint for disaster when fate steps in and shakes up her plans and her life. Jilly-Bean is a novel that explores fears and superstitions as it relates to beliefs, religion and love. Book One in the Jilly-Bean Series.
My thoughts
Séances, coming of age, the discovery of love, spells and omens…all of these elements should make for an enjoyable and intriguing story but unfortunately these ingredients were not well developed into a compelling plot that piqued this reader’s interest in turning the pages (or in my case, touching my Kindle’s touch screen). As part of an international romance book club on GoodReads, I volunteered to review this book and committed to finishing it. The story was relatively interesting in the first third of the book, but right when I expected a plot crescendo or a climatic event, none appeared. This is a process novel whereby we simply read about the life and (rather mundane) events in the main character’s life. Like I said, there was a great deal of potential, the elements were there, but they were not utilized in an effective manner to draw the reader into the story. There were sub-stories that were not directly related to the main story, which took away from the main story, which was the coming of age of Jilly-Bean. There was far too much time spent on developing those sub-stories that did not really bear fruit at the end, nor contribute any meaningful elements to the overall plot of this book (again, there was a general lack of plot).
The ‘love story’, if you can call it that, did not touch me in any way. I did not ‘feel’ the connection between Matt and Jilly-Bean and found that their breakup was more indicative of normal teenage experiences than of any superstitious undercurrent that the author attempted to unsuccessfully develop. I seemed to be reading, reading and reading hoping that the book and story would redeem itself somewhere down the line, that something would happen, that there would be a climax to what the author had set up. Once I reached 90% ‘read’ on my Kindle, I realized that either the author waited far too long to get to the climax of the story or that there just would not be a climax…and unfortunately, the latter was true. Not only was the love story and superstitious elements of the story developed rather superficially, there was no clear plot to the story and no meaningful and/or rewarding ending to the story. I realize this is the first book of the series and if the author is waiting on book 2 to introduce an actual plot, then that is far too late to have piqued my interest in picking up any other books in this series.
On a positive note, the book was well-written, although I did run into several typos along the way. The language was complex, the imagery was lovely, and the descriptions of context and backgrounds was very well done. I did detect a timeline issue, and it was difficult for me to follow the timeline the author set up in the book, as it seemed to be rather discordant and did not clearly flow (I couldn’t quite decide whether or not this was a ‘flashback’ technique employed by the author or simply a lack of clarity on the story’s timeline).
This book may be interesting to very young adults/older children, but I would not recommend it for anyone over the age of 16 and certainly would not recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good momentum and plot construction.
Temperatures are rising and superstition reigns supreme! Eighteen year old Jillian Crossland has her life planned out. Or so she thinks. Despite her better judgment, a séance one evening sets a blueprint for disaster when fate steps in and shakes up her plans and her life. Jilly-Bean is a novel that explores fears and superstitions as it relates to beliefs, religion and love. Book One in the Jilly-Bean Series.
My thoughts
Séances, coming of age, the discovery of love, spells and omens…all of these elements should make for an enjoyable and intriguing story but unfortunately these ingredients were not well developed into a compelling plot that piqued this reader’s interest in turning the pages (or in my case, touching my Kindle’s touch screen). As part of an international romance book club on GoodReads, I volunteered to review this book and committed to finishing it. The story was relatively interesting in the first third of the book, but right when I expected a plot crescendo or a climatic event, none appeared. This is a process novel whereby we simply read about the life and (rather mundane) events in the main character’s life. Like I said, there was a great deal of potential, the elements were there, but they were not utilized in an effective manner to draw the reader into the story. There were sub-stories that were not directly related to the main story, which took away from the main story, which was the coming of age of Jilly-Bean. There was far too much time spent on developing those sub-stories that did not really bear fruit at the end, nor contribute any meaningful elements to the overall plot of this book (again, there was a general lack of plot).
The ‘love story’, if you can call it that, did not touch me in any way. I did not ‘feel’ the connection between Matt and Jilly-Bean and found that their breakup was more indicative of normal teenage experiences than of any superstitious undercurrent that the author attempted to unsuccessfully develop. I seemed to be reading, reading and reading hoping that the book and story would redeem itself somewhere down the line, that something would happen, that there would be a climax to what the author had set up. Once I reached 90% ‘read’ on my Kindle, I realized that either the author waited far too long to get to the climax of the story or that there just would not be a climax…and unfortunately, the latter was true. Not only was the love story and superstitious elements of the story developed rather superficially, there was no clear plot to the story and no meaningful and/or rewarding ending to the story. I realize this is the first book of the series and if the author is waiting on book 2 to introduce an actual plot, then that is far too late to have piqued my interest in picking up any other books in this series.
On a positive note, the book was well-written, although I did run into several typos along the way. The language was complex, the imagery was lovely, and the descriptions of context and backgrounds was very well done. I did detect a timeline issue, and it was difficult for me to follow the timeline the author set up in the book, as it seemed to be rather discordant and did not clearly flow (I couldn’t quite decide whether or not this was a ‘flashback’ technique employed by the author or simply a lack of clarity on the story’s timeline).
This book may be interesting to very young adults/older children, but I would not recommend it for anyone over the age of 16 and certainly would not recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good momentum and plot construction.
October 2, 2012
I signed up to receive a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through Goodreads.
I really wanted to like this book, and there were definitely parts I enjoyed reading. I was really freaked out by the seance, but I love to be scared and it was one of my favorite scenes of the entire book.
I never really connected with Jillian's character. She seemed to lose her common sense once she met Matt and became paranoid about whether he was in love with her or not though they hadn't been dating very long. There wasn't any rooting value for their relationship to work, but what he ended up doing to her was really awful of him at the same time, which I could then empathize with her.
Some parts of the plot didn't make sense to me. Descriptions of the scenery went on way too long as well as the ordinary tasks Jillian set out to complete. I had a difficult time reading through those sections with interest.
On the positive side, as I mentioned before, I loved the seance scenes, and overall the book was well written. I think if there had been more focus on the seance and paranormal occurrences, I would have definitely been infatuated with this story.
I really wanted to like this book, and there were definitely parts I enjoyed reading. I was really freaked out by the seance, but I love to be scared and it was one of my favorite scenes of the entire book.
I never really connected with Jillian's character. She seemed to lose her common sense once she met Matt and became paranoid about whether he was in love with her or not though they hadn't been dating very long. There wasn't any rooting value for their relationship to work, but what he ended up doing to her was really awful of him at the same time, which I could then empathize with her.
Some parts of the plot didn't make sense to me. Descriptions of the scenery went on way too long as well as the ordinary tasks Jillian set out to complete. I had a difficult time reading through those sections with interest.
On the positive side, as I mentioned before, I loved the seance scenes, and overall the book was well written. I think if there had been more focus on the seance and paranormal occurrences, I would have definitely been infatuated with this story.
July 10, 2012
3.5 stars
To begin, I'd like to thank the author Celia for sending me a copy of her book to read and review. When I first saw the cover for "Jilly-Bean" it put a smile on my face, there's something I really like about it, probably the hair:) The story in itself is nothing like what I would normally read and there are certain parts that are actually quite literary rather than your average young adult popular fiction. The author has a knack for describing details and different characters that is quite unique, and she clearly has a way with words. It's not the kind of addictive book that will keep you reading up into the early hours, yet it has thought provoking moments that for me made reading it worthwhile. I think that this is more of a coming of age tale about a young adult for adults instead of for younger readers. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future as her writing style progresses and evolves and perhaps becomes more plot orientated, as she has a wonderful ability to bring settings to life through her writing.
To begin, I'd like to thank the author Celia for sending me a copy of her book to read and review. When I first saw the cover for "Jilly-Bean" it put a smile on my face, there's something I really like about it, probably the hair:) The story in itself is nothing like what I would normally read and there are certain parts that are actually quite literary rather than your average young adult popular fiction. The author has a knack for describing details and different characters that is quite unique, and she clearly has a way with words. It's not the kind of addictive book that will keep you reading up into the early hours, yet it has thought provoking moments that for me made reading it worthwhile. I think that this is more of a coming of age tale about a young adult for adults instead of for younger readers. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future as her writing style progresses and evolves and perhaps becomes more plot orientated, as she has a wonderful ability to bring settings to life through her writing.
September 7, 2012
A rite of passage of a teenage girl
The first thoughts of this indie published book is for the charm it holds and the dexterousness of the descriptions. The girl can write - evident in the flow of the story and definitely the descriptions of what's around Jelly-Bean, someone going through post-high school stage of life.
About half way through the imagination is taken by the potential of the plot's path. It touches on being a ghost story, a murder mystery, a love story? But the women spirited away with the superstitions arising from a seance brings thoughts of the three witches of Macbeth.But it is a rite of passage of a teenage girl, Jillian Crossland, that takes the reader through the beauties of Canada.
As this book is entitled Jilly-Bean #1, I am sure we can expect more of the adventures of Jilly-Bean, and who can help but think, good luck to her!
The first thoughts of this indie published book is for the charm it holds and the dexterousness of the descriptions. The girl can write - evident in the flow of the story and definitely the descriptions of what's around Jelly-Bean, someone going through post-high school stage of life.
About half way through the imagination is taken by the potential of the plot's path. It touches on being a ghost story, a murder mystery, a love story? But the women spirited away with the superstitions arising from a seance brings thoughts of the three witches of Macbeth.But it is a rite of passage of a teenage girl, Jillian Crossland, that takes the reader through the beauties of Canada.
As this book is entitled Jilly-Bean #1, I am sure we can expect more of the adventures of Jilly-Bean, and who can help but think, good luck to her!
September 5, 2012
Not my usual cup of tea. Honestly, I don't usually go for literary comedy, and I don't feel that I was the right target audience for this book. Still the character of Jilly-Bean (as her friends refer to her) was very sweet. The author does a good job of playing up her melodramatic style and teenage need to angst and dwell while managing to retain the character's naiveté. One particular scene, at what should have been a somber funeral, made me laugh as did the scenes with the psychic.
The author does have a tendency to head-hop, which can be distracting, but for the most part she maintains a consistent point-of-view. I also felt the cliff-hanger at the end was too abrupt. However, the prose is well written and has a certain bit of flair. The author shows much promise.
The author does have a tendency to head-hop, which can be distracting, but for the most part she maintains a consistent point-of-view. I also felt the cliff-hanger at the end was too abrupt. However, the prose is well written and has a certain bit of flair. The author shows much promise.
September 12, 2012
I received this book in exchange for a review as part of a First Reads Giveaway.
I enjoyed this book. It was quick, smooth, enjoyable reading. For a fictionalized portrayal of magic, I thought that the reactions of the characters were realistic and the overall stance of the novel was balanced. The setting was lovingly described. I wished that there was more - more richness for each character, more story development. I sometimes felt like Jilly Bean was doing what someone would do, rather than what Jilly Bean would do.
Despite feeling like this was an excellent and detailed proposal for a novel, rather than the novel itself, I must give it a 4 because it made me want to keep reading and I really enjoyed the story. This series has potential to be fantastic.
I enjoyed this book. It was quick, smooth, enjoyable reading. For a fictionalized portrayal of magic, I thought that the reactions of the characters were realistic and the overall stance of the novel was balanced. The setting was lovingly described. I wished that there was more - more richness for each character, more story development. I sometimes felt like Jilly Bean was doing what someone would do, rather than what Jilly Bean would do.
Despite feeling like this was an excellent and detailed proposal for a novel, rather than the novel itself, I must give it a 4 because it made me want to keep reading and I really enjoyed the story. This series has potential to be fantastic.
July 4, 2012
I read this book that was gifted to me by the author for an honest review. I liked this book when I first started reading it. I wasnt sure where the story was going but found myself liking Jilly. She seemed to have a good head on her shoulders and had a plan for her future. All that changes when she meets Matt. He is a doctor that we come to find out, is in love with himself and uncappable of commitment! Just when the book is starting to pick up, it ends. I finished going "huh what the heck just happened". It leaves many unanswered questions and while the writing was good I wish Celia would have ended it differently.
August 8, 2012
I am a big supporter of SPA (Self Published Authors). I've read many indie or self-published books. I must say that I am very impressed with the editing on this book. I found only one typo in the entire story!
The author has a very unique flare, her words are so easy to read - I can't believe I finished this book in one night. (a little sleepy-eyed...)
Jilly-Bean reminds me of the teenage angst that struck home with a resounding boom in so many hearts. I'm looking forward to seeing if Celia Vogel will, like Mrs. Meyer, find a place among the YA crowd.
One bit of warning, this first book is a bit of a cliffhanger - more of a warm-up to the next book. I hope it will be out soon!
The author has a very unique flare, her words are so easy to read - I can't believe I finished this book in one night. (a little sleepy-eyed...)
Jilly-Bean reminds me of the teenage angst that struck home with a resounding boom in so many hearts. I'm looking forward to seeing if Celia Vogel will, like Mrs. Meyer, find a place among the YA crowd.
One bit of warning, this first book is a bit of a cliffhanger - more of a warm-up to the next book. I hope it will be out soon!
July 4, 2012
First of all, I love that my hometown is mentioned in this book. I live in Kingston, Ontario home of Queens University and it was exciting to hear of the surrounding cities. That being said, this was a hard book to read. I can't usually put books down when I start reading, but this book had the opposite effect on me. The descriptive words were awesome, but the descriptions were too drawn out, I found my mind wandering during some of them. The dialogue is not very realistic. I don't know of anyone who talked the way most of the characters did in this book.
September 5, 2012
Wow, does Celia Vogel know how to write! Jilly-Bean is an ambitious, exciting and well-plotted debut in the YA genre. Tackling such diverse subjects as teen angst and romance, the loneliness of leaving home, and even talking to the dead, this book takes some serious twists and turns and engages the reader with richly described settings (Lake Ontario was my favorite, having grown up there.) The author demonstrates prowess with word choice and the exquisitely dramatic time that is young adulthood. I'm eagerly awaiting the rest of the series by this new and worthy writer.
August 30, 2012
Jillian has just graduated high school and is started her first summer before she is off to college. Never having a boyfriend she is entranced when she meets intern Matt Barnes all the while not realizing she is being loved by Andrew who she has known most of her life. Disjointed narrative makes this a hard read but if you like gothic romance, even though it is set in the present, then this book will appeal. Good Job
September 21, 2012
I really liked this book! Going into it I expected it to be strictly about romance (which was fine with me as I love that stuff) but the book takes twists and turns dealing with the supernatural and you never really know what to expect when you turn the page, which is a good thing.
I also found the author's use of detail to be very rich and added to the story. As one reviewer noted, it does end on a serious cliffhanger but I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series
I also found the author's use of detail to be very rich and added to the story. As one reviewer noted, it does end on a serious cliffhanger but I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series
June 24, 2012
An intriguing coming-of-age story about a teenage girl's first painful forays into romance. An eerie séance provides dark undertones, whilst overarching concerns about climate change add resonance to the author's evocative rendering of the idyllic Canadian locations. Vivid sensory descriptions are scattered throughout the occasionally loose prose.
July 8, 2012
I found it confusing. Where does all the stuff in the beginning tie into the story? Why is it in the book if it is not important? I just kept waiting for it to come together and it really didn't. It was like the author had too many ideas and tried to put them all in one book. But they just don't fit together.
July 16, 2012
Celia Vogel is a very talented writer, very eloquent and descriptive. That being said, I did find the story of Jilly Bean a trifle confusing. The subject matter seemed to vary throughout the book, and I couldn't figure out how it correlated, or which story line I was following. I do look forward to reading the rest of the series, but I hope they'll offer some more clarification.
July 12, 2012
The synopsis was the best part of this book. There is puppy love, loss of said love, and a young teen not dealing with life. The story is disjointed, set in sadness and despair. I do not recommend reading "JillyBean".
August 5, 2012
Celia Vogel has created a wonderful world in her novel, Jilly-Bean. I found the writing style both beautiful and lyrical. The story is more character than plot-driven. It's one of the better novels I've read in recent memory.
August 29, 2012
Never mind. Just couldn't get into it. Sorry.
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