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Who Is Evelyn Dae? Volume 1
Evelyn Dae has a secret she wishes she could run away from. Evelyn Dae has a past she cannot remember. Evelyn Dae has a boy she wants to avoid, but can't resist. Who Is Evelyn Dae? Find out in this illustrated tale that mixes her diary sketchbook entries with traditional storytelling.
70 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 22, 2013
3 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Sarah LaFleur
6 books24 followersUntil December 2012, Sarah LaFleur was a working pianist and teacher. In the midst of a career change, she started writing a story. Less than 17 weeks later she completed her first full-length novel currently being shopped around for traditional publication.
Who Is Evelyn Dae? was born when Sarah decided to launch her writing persona (lafleurdeplume) on social media. By early September 2013, she connected with a wonderful community of writers and readers who convinced her to publish the website story as an ebook.
Sarah continues to write, and has several projects in the works including a sequel to her first novel, an adult science fiction book that stands alone, and multiple guest blog spots. She lives in the greater Chicago metropolitan area with her children, cats, and piano.
Who Is Evelyn Dae? was born when Sarah decided to launch her writing persona (lafleurdeplume) on social media. By early September 2013, she connected with a wonderful community of writers and readers who convinced her to publish the website story as an ebook.
Sarah continues to write, and has several projects in the works including a sequel to her first novel, an adult science fiction book that stands alone, and multiple guest blog spots. She lives in the greater Chicago metropolitan area with her children, cats, and piano.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 1, 2013
(Spoilers.)
I came to Young Adult (YA) fiction via the usual route: Stephenie Meyer's series that spawned a new category, "Teen Paranormal Romance." The fuss about this series grabbed my attention. I recall asking several eagerly impatient teenage girls (do I even need to mention gender?) at a bookstore the night the third installment was coming out at midnight. Their palpable excitement piqued my curiosity. I began to read the saga of Bella and Edward.
But my increasing disappointment with the Twilight series grew to tempestuous proportions in the last novel. It's too easy for a writer to give the narrator everything she wants without any sacrifice. Bella's dad would notice that he has a glow-in-the-sun daughter. Worse, these books reveal a writer with little sense of style.
Therefore, I thought I would never read another YA novel. In my local coffeeshop, I tip-toed past Twilight reading teens as if they were rattlesnakes flicking their tongues at unsuspecting mice.
Then I discovered a famous educational institution--Vampire Academy, found enlightenment in the Dark Materials, and reveled in the amazing Harry Potter. Even better, YA emerged into political relevance with Thumped, Eve, and Partials. All these books provide entertainment; some provoke outrage; others promote wonder; each book and series make YA reading fun for me. Given sales numbers many others also find YA terrific waters in which to swim.
Into this popular genre comes Sarah LaFleur with her book, Who is Evelyn Dae? LaFleur's main character, Evelyn, wallows in the usual shoals of teenage angst--uncertain identity, a broken heart, and alienation. In fact, Evelyn begins and ends the book poised on a cliff's edge as she tries to summon the will to let go of earth. YA readers recognize the character's problem: possible depression that leads to a desire for self-slaughter. Even though Evelyn's character is a familiar type the voyage the author pilots her on is not.
LaFleur's narrative strategy plays with time and memory. The book begins with "9:02 am, June 21, 2011," and is further divided into breaks that shift among days, months, and years. Each time shard contains a moment in Evelyn's life as past and present swirl round her feet, blending disturbing memories and her current torments into a pain-filled existence. In this, the story reminds me of Ingmar Bergman's film, Persona, with its dream-like narrative. Additionally, Evelyn's recurring nightmares, written so that they seem real as eating in a Stephen King schoolroom, further anchor the story into Bergman's masterpiece about depression. LeFleur's ability to, as it were, move time, creates a mythic space that surrounds readers like a mist.
Her prose's mystical feel reflects the setting. Much of the action occurs along the shore, that is, the border between land and sea. The shore's edge is a space full of possibilities; it is the stuff of which myths are made. Evelyn lingers in tidal pools, observes seals, and shivers at her fear of water. She shares this space with a foreign exchange student, Oliver. But a previous embarrassing experience with a boy leaves her hesitant and fearful. She invokes "rules" to avoid a relationship with Oliver. Thus the shore symbolizes her attraction and repulsion to water and males. She tells her friends again and again that she neither wants to swim nor date. "The lady protests too much."
Along with LaFleur's ability to craft a narrative that flows through space and time she displays a sophisticated ability to create a character about which readers care. In scene after scene readers experience Evelyn's concerns, fears, and pleasures. In other words, LaFleur shows rather than tells. That's why readers' comments reveal their affection for the character. For some readers Evelyn has become, in that mystical sense familiar to literature lovers, real to them. This phenomenon points to LaFleur: her ability to show Evelyn's feelings means that LaFleur can imagine what her character must be feeling in a situation such as finding out she's adopted. This realization makes it possible for readers to feel empathy with a fictional character. I find myself poised with Evelyn on that cliff's edge looking down at cold dark waters wondering what might be next.
I came to Young Adult (YA) fiction via the usual route: Stephenie Meyer's series that spawned a new category, "Teen Paranormal Romance." The fuss about this series grabbed my attention. I recall asking several eagerly impatient teenage girls (do I even need to mention gender?) at a bookstore the night the third installment was coming out at midnight. Their palpable excitement piqued my curiosity. I began to read the saga of Bella and Edward.
But my increasing disappointment with the Twilight series grew to tempestuous proportions in the last novel. It's too easy for a writer to give the narrator everything she wants without any sacrifice. Bella's dad would notice that he has a glow-in-the-sun daughter. Worse, these books reveal a writer with little sense of style.
Therefore, I thought I would never read another YA novel. In my local coffeeshop, I tip-toed past Twilight reading teens as if they were rattlesnakes flicking their tongues at unsuspecting mice.
Then I discovered a famous educational institution--Vampire Academy, found enlightenment in the Dark Materials, and reveled in the amazing Harry Potter. Even better, YA emerged into political relevance with Thumped, Eve, and Partials. All these books provide entertainment; some provoke outrage; others promote wonder; each book and series make YA reading fun for me. Given sales numbers many others also find YA terrific waters in which to swim.
Into this popular genre comes Sarah LaFleur with her book, Who is Evelyn Dae? LaFleur's main character, Evelyn, wallows in the usual shoals of teenage angst--uncertain identity, a broken heart, and alienation. In fact, Evelyn begins and ends the book poised on a cliff's edge as she tries to summon the will to let go of earth. YA readers recognize the character's problem: possible depression that leads to a desire for self-slaughter. Even though Evelyn's character is a familiar type the voyage the author pilots her on is not.
LaFleur's narrative strategy plays with time and memory. The book begins with "9:02 am, June 21, 2011," and is further divided into breaks that shift among days, months, and years. Each time shard contains a moment in Evelyn's life as past and present swirl round her feet, blending disturbing memories and her current torments into a pain-filled existence. In this, the story reminds me of Ingmar Bergman's film, Persona, with its dream-like narrative. Additionally, Evelyn's recurring nightmares, written so that they seem real as eating in a Stephen King schoolroom, further anchor the story into Bergman's masterpiece about depression. LeFleur's ability to, as it were, move time, creates a mythic space that surrounds readers like a mist.
Her prose's mystical feel reflects the setting. Much of the action occurs along the shore, that is, the border between land and sea. The shore's edge is a space full of possibilities; it is the stuff of which myths are made. Evelyn lingers in tidal pools, observes seals, and shivers at her fear of water. She shares this space with a foreign exchange student, Oliver. But a previous embarrassing experience with a boy leaves her hesitant and fearful. She invokes "rules" to avoid a relationship with Oliver. Thus the shore symbolizes her attraction and repulsion to water and males. She tells her friends again and again that she neither wants to swim nor date. "The lady protests too much."
Along with LaFleur's ability to craft a narrative that flows through space and time she displays a sophisticated ability to create a character about which readers care. In scene after scene readers experience Evelyn's concerns, fears, and pleasures. In other words, LaFleur shows rather than tells. That's why readers' comments reveal their affection for the character. For some readers Evelyn has become, in that mystical sense familiar to literature lovers, real to them. This phenomenon points to LaFleur: her ability to show Evelyn's feelings means that LaFleur can imagine what her character must be feeling in a situation such as finding out she's adopted. This realization makes it possible for readers to feel empathy with a fictional character. I find myself poised with Evelyn on that cliff's edge looking down at cold dark waters wondering what might be next.
December 7, 2013
I'm so excited to offer this first installment featuring Evelyn Dae. I hope all who take the voyage enjoy it as much as I did to create it!
December 21, 2013
I discovered this author when she randomly started following on Twitter a few weeks ago through a fellow writer. My first thought was, "Cool! Another writer I can network with. Maybe I can read he stuff some day." But truthfully, with a busy teaching schedule and a new baby I figured that some day would be maybe this summer if at all. That was until this afternoon when I met my writing buddy for coffee and he raved about this "Who is Evelyn Dae?" novella. Seeing it was free on iBooks, I figured since I haven't read any light YA in a while I would have a little look-see at the Evelyn Dae book. Imagine my chagrin when the clock read 1:02 AM when I finished Volume 1 of this series.
Who is Evelyn Dae? follows some standard conventions of the YA format, as some other reviewers have mentioned, such as teenage angst, first kisses and puppy love awkwardness. Some would say they're cliche, but I argue that these are legitimate issues that form the foundation of the teenage experience. Lafleur does an incredible job through first-person POV to ground Evelyn in that experience in an organic and very human way. The reader cares about the main character. One characteristic Evelyn displays is a bit of a timidity if not wariness with regard to her actual identity. She is reluctant to reveal it to her friends and certainly not to any boys. Similarly, she keeps her cards close to the chest with the reader as well. At the end of Volume 1, we still don't know the answer to the title question of who is Evelyn Dae? I certainly have my guesses but have no idea. I respect the author for her patience in revealing things in her own time.
The story's format deserves comment and I'll touch on it before wrapping up my review. The plot is disjointed. The reader digests the story in 1-2 page increments that bounce between 2008 (Evelyn's freshman year) and 2011 (her junior year). As an aside, I thought the recent dates helped add to Evelyn's character as a modern millennial teen. Anyway, one would think the bouncing forward and backward in time to narrate this story would be difficult to follow, but it isn't an issue. In fact, reconstructing the timeline in your head is part of the fun. Perhaps with a longer, more involved novel this approach would be Ill advised but the simplicity of this story combined with the author's firm grasp of the internal timeline as well as the order in which events are given to the reader make this a non issue. I would even go so far as to say Lafleur had just written a traditionally linear story arc, Who is Evelyn Dae? would be less compelling.
in summary, this is a great read and I'm very glad Volume 2 came out this month. I think Lafleur has a knack for YA and if there is any justice in the world I'll see some of her work in my local bookstore.
Who is Evelyn Dae? follows some standard conventions of the YA format, as some other reviewers have mentioned, such as teenage angst, first kisses and puppy love awkwardness. Some would say they're cliche, but I argue that these are legitimate issues that form the foundation of the teenage experience. Lafleur does an incredible job through first-person POV to ground Evelyn in that experience in an organic and very human way. The reader cares about the main character. One characteristic Evelyn displays is a bit of a timidity if not wariness with regard to her actual identity. She is reluctant to reveal it to her friends and certainly not to any boys. Similarly, she keeps her cards close to the chest with the reader as well. At the end of Volume 1, we still don't know the answer to the title question of who is Evelyn Dae? I certainly have my guesses but have no idea. I respect the author for her patience in revealing things in her own time.
The story's format deserves comment and I'll touch on it before wrapping up my review. The plot is disjointed. The reader digests the story in 1-2 page increments that bounce between 2008 (Evelyn's freshman year) and 2011 (her junior year). As an aside, I thought the recent dates helped add to Evelyn's character as a modern millennial teen. Anyway, one would think the bouncing forward and backward in time to narrate this story would be difficult to follow, but it isn't an issue. In fact, reconstructing the timeline in your head is part of the fun. Perhaps with a longer, more involved novel this approach would be Ill advised but the simplicity of this story combined with the author's firm grasp of the internal timeline as well as the order in which events are given to the reader make this a non issue. I would even go so far as to say Lafleur had just written a traditionally linear story arc, Who is Evelyn Dae? would be less compelling.
in summary, this is a great read and I'm very glad Volume 2 came out this month. I think Lafleur has a knack for YA and if there is any justice in the world I'll see some of her work in my local bookstore.
January 1, 2015
Wow. Just Wow. This story by Sarah LaFleur was amazing!
Let's start with the cover. The art is simple, poignant and eye-catching. Ms. LaFleur's husband, Matt, is the illustrator for Who is Evelyn Dae?, Volume 1 & 2 - and you can understand why he is in demand. Simple speaks to me...and the artwork on the cover is a big reason I picked this story to read.
This is a story about a teenage girl. She writes and draws in her diary and as the story progresses, you get glimpses into her thoughts and heart. When she finds a box under her parent's bed, it begins a mystery that Evelyn is determined to solve. All while not falling in love with the hot exchange student and trying to figure out what the dreams/nightmares mean that she's been having lately.
The story is told by Evelyn through her voice and by using her diary entries and illustrations. I loved the way the story was laid out, with moments of "now" and flashback moments. I admit to crying a little bit when the pieces came together and Evelyn finally remembered her past. I felt Ms. LaFleur did a great job keeping us in suspense throughout the entire story. Unless you skipped ahead and read the ending, you really didn't know "for sure" what Evelyn's final decision was going to be. You knew what you hoped it would be, you knew what it could be...but you weren't really sure until the last page. I LOVE A BOOK LIKE THAT!
I recommend this book to everyone...and I mean everyone! It is a story I will be reading to my children again and again! Well done, Sarah & Matthew LaFleur. Very well done!
Let's start with the cover. The art is simple, poignant and eye-catching. Ms. LaFleur's husband, Matt, is the illustrator for Who is Evelyn Dae?, Volume 1 & 2 - and you can understand why he is in demand. Simple speaks to me...and the artwork on the cover is a big reason I picked this story to read.
This is a story about a teenage girl. She writes and draws in her diary and as the story progresses, you get glimpses into her thoughts and heart. When she finds a box under her parent's bed, it begins a mystery that Evelyn is determined to solve. All while not falling in love with the hot exchange student and trying to figure out what the dreams/nightmares mean that she's been having lately.
The story is told by Evelyn through her voice and by using her diary entries and illustrations. I loved the way the story was laid out, with moments of "now" and flashback moments. I admit to crying a little bit when the pieces came together and Evelyn finally remembered her past. I felt Ms. LaFleur did a great job keeping us in suspense throughout the entire story. Unless you skipped ahead and read the ending, you really didn't know "for sure" what Evelyn's final decision was going to be. You knew what you hoped it would be, you knew what it could be...but you weren't really sure until the last page. I LOVE A BOOK LIKE THAT!
I recommend this book to everyone...and I mean everyone! It is a story I will be reading to my children again and again! Well done, Sarah & Matthew LaFleur. Very well done!
January 12, 2014
This short novella is a true YA. I guess that’s its strength and its weakness. Strength because it will most certainly appeal to the goal audience, and its weakness because adults will see the foolishness of it all. Which will allow them to see the overwhelming amount of sentences beginning with ‘I’.
Yes, it is written in first person POV and however much that works at times in the story, more often it does not and feels very self centred but most of all it reads very limited. But then again isn’t that a true young adult trait, being self centred? Still, even first person doesn’t need that amount of ‘I’.
There are a few typos and some misplaced punctuation, but that doesn’t really matter, since the story is captivating enough. Another gripe is that the story is cut in two while I can’t imagine why because the total is still not a very long one. And I am no fan of ‘forced’ series creating when one book would have been better.
A plus however is the fact that the author used ‘handwritten’ pages with drawings in the book to show the inner workings of the character.
All in all a decent read.
Yes, it is written in first person POV and however much that works at times in the story, more often it does not and feels very self centred but most of all it reads very limited. But then again isn’t that a true young adult trait, being self centred? Still, even first person doesn’t need that amount of ‘I’.
There are a few typos and some misplaced punctuation, but that doesn’t really matter, since the story is captivating enough. Another gripe is that the story is cut in two while I can’t imagine why because the total is still not a very long one. And I am no fan of ‘forced’ series creating when one book would have been better.
A plus however is the fact that the author used ‘handwritten’ pages with drawings in the book to show the inner workings of the character.
All in all a decent read.
January 21, 2014
So I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and read some Young Adult fiction. I'd gotten to know the author via Twitter so decided to pick her book. Without doubt, the major strength of this novella is the characterization. The author has this down to a fine art. You really feel like you're sharing the journey with a main character. The story is interesting and keeps you engaged right through, leaving the reader with enough questions that they'll want to move onto the second novella to find out more.
The author has a writing style that is very fluid. When reading, you won't become bogged down in detail or needless words. The accompanying art within the book adds to the overall experience and is an added bonus.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book, or future works by this talented author. If YA is not your preferred reading genre I'd still urge you to give it a chance, this novella has crossover appeal.
Who is Evelyn Dae? Why not read and find out!
The author has a writing style that is very fluid. When reading, you won't become bogged down in detail or needless words. The accompanying art within the book adds to the overall experience and is an added bonus.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book, or future works by this talented author. If YA is not your preferred reading genre I'd still urge you to give it a chance, this novella has crossover appeal.
Who is Evelyn Dae? Why not read and find out!
October 16, 2013
(Just a note - I do know the author's husband, and peripherally the author herself, but that's all the disclaimer you get. If you're reading this and think I'm unable to be unbiased, too bad.)
I'm a YA fan, and was originally drawn into this by the artwork (since I know the artist) and curious about the story - and I was so pleased the writing held my interest as well.
This is written as journal entries, with artwork (the narrator is an artist) and follows Evelyn Dae as she tries to untangle the mystery of her life. It's not linear, so if that bothers you, this WILL bother you. Each entry skips around within her life, over a period of years. You're putting things together as you read.
I wish this had been a little longer, maybe resolved the cliffhanger - but it's smart, marketing-wise, it didn't.
Nicely done, Sarah (and Matt.) Looking forward to the next one.
I'm a YA fan, and was originally drawn into this by the artwork (since I know the artist) and curious about the story - and I was so pleased the writing held my interest as well.
This is written as journal entries, with artwork (the narrator is an artist) and follows Evelyn Dae as she tries to untangle the mystery of her life. It's not linear, so if that bothers you, this WILL bother you. Each entry skips around within her life, over a period of years. You're putting things together as you read.
I wish this had been a little longer, maybe resolved the cliffhanger - but it's smart, marketing-wise, it didn't.
Nicely done, Sarah (and Matt.) Looking forward to the next one.
December 16, 2013
OMG, I don't know what's going on here but I have my suspicions! The story is told through both illustrated diary entries that are beautifully drawn and first person narrative from Evelyn as she tries to figure out who she is. It does jump back and forth in time quite a lot but by the time I reached the 50% mark I got the hang of it. I blew through volume one in less than a day's worth of reading, and I already have volume two open and ready to go.
LaFleur's storytelling, dialogue, and descriptions are all vivid, visceral, and pull the reader along the story easily. A real treat. And you would never know this was self-published. The editing is perfect!
Very excited to see where it takes me!
LaFleur's storytelling, dialogue, and descriptions are all vivid, visceral, and pull the reader along the story easily. A real treat. And you would never know this was self-published. The editing is perfect!
Very excited to see where it takes me!
October 23, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this novella! I read it in two sittings, and would have done it in one, but my day job got in the day. I am a fan of non-linear story lines if they are done well, and this one was. The switching of scenes and times felt, to me, in the realm of Pulp Fiction (which is a compliment!) Evelyn is someone that I think most of us can relate to, and she was a believable and endearing character. Though the story was short, I am very exited to see where volume two goes. I am ready for my questions to be answered, and for the story to continue with new revelations and honest development as volume one did. Well done Sarah LaFleur; I will gladly read more of your lovely work.
October 9, 2013
This was an OUTSTANDING book. The only infuriating part is the cliffhanger ending but in a good way because you immediately want more of Evelyn Dae's story. Every character feels familiar, real and relatable. Every bit of Evelyn's pain, joy and anguish plots through the pages. Just when you think you know where the story is going, you're taken down an unexpected but riveting path. Can not wait for volume 2.
October 13, 2013
YA is everywhere but I haven't read a whole lot of it. I read Who is Evelyn Dae? knowing it was YA but I got more than I expected. I enjoyed the mysterious dance around Evelyn's identity and that Sarah was able to deftly portray Evelyn's emotions surrounding those missing pieces of her life. Being adopted, I know what having those missing pieces can do to your sense of self, your sense of well-being. All in all, I enjoyed the story (and the artwork) and can't wait for the next piece.
November 27, 2013
This is smartly written with very realistic dialogue, and wonderful character development. La Fleur artfully lets the reader feel the angst of being a teenaged girl that goes beyond being a teenaged girl. If that makes sense if not, this might help any adolescent boy or girl is going to identify with this story. Not many writers achieve that. This in my humble opinion is both a very deep and very sweet story. Be sure to check out the dairy entries and fine illustration work.
October 6, 2013
This story is written in an interesting way. Sarah is a very talented writer and I am anxious to read the next installment of Evelyn Dae. She certainly ended on a cliffhanger. :)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews