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Feathered
Afterward, Terri will tell everyone that, from the beginning, she knew something terrible was going to happen on spring break. Something bad was going to happen. She knew. It was supposed to be the perfect vacation: hot guys, impeccable tans, and no parents. But for two high school seniors, an innocent car ride will drive them into the heart of their worst nightmare. Feathered is a provocative and eerie tale that flies readers from safe, predictable suburbia to the sun-kissed beaches of Cancún, Mexico, and into mysterious Mayan ruins, where ancient myths flirt dangerously with present realities.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published April 8, 2008
13 people are currently reading
569 people want to read
About the author
Laura Kasischke
45 books408 followersLaura Kasischke is an American fiction writer and American poet with poetry awards and multiple well reviewed works of fiction. Her work has received the Juniper Prize, the Alice Fay di Castagnola Award from the Poetry Society of America, the Pushcart Prize, the Elmer Holmes Bobst Award for Emerging Writers, and the Beatrice Hawley Award. She is the recipient of two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as several Pushcart Prizes.
Her novel The Life Before Her Eyes is the basis for the film of the same name, directed by Vadim Perelman, and starring Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood. Kasischke's work is particularly well-received in France, where she is widely read in translation. Her novel A moi pour toujours (Be Mine) was published by Christian Bourgois, and was a national best seller.
Kasischke attended the University of Michigan and Columbia University. She is also currently a Professor of English Language and of the Residential College at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She lives in Chelsea, Michigan, with her husband and son.
Her novel The Life Before Her Eyes is the basis for the film of the same name, directed by Vadim Perelman, and starring Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood. Kasischke's work is particularly well-received in France, where she is widely read in translation. Her novel A moi pour toujours (Be Mine) was published by Christian Bourgois, and was a national best seller.
Kasischke attended the University of Michigan and Columbia University. She is also currently a Professor of English Language and of the Residential College at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She lives in Chelsea, Michigan, with her husband and son.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
May 5, 2025
Three Midwestern girls go on a spring break trip to Cancun. Predictably, bad things happen to them. And despite the bit on the cover about "mysterious Mayan ruins, where ancient myths flirt dangerously with present realities," the bad things have nothing to do with time travel, human sacrifice, or Quetzalcoatl.
Is it possible that there are people in this day and age who don't know it is a bad idea for cute, scantily clad girls to accept rides from drunken strangers? If you know such a person, by all means buy them this book. Or if you yourself are the type of person who likes to slip teen-age girls roofies and rape them, and also enjoy MFA-workshop-type prose, you may also find something in this book. Otherwise, skip it and get something by Francesca Lia Block, who does the young-girl-trauma-fragmented-writing things better.
Is it possible that there are people in this day and age who don't know it is a bad idea for cute, scantily clad girls to accept rides from drunken strangers? If you know such a person, by all means buy them this book. Or if you yourself are the type of person who likes to slip teen-age girls roofies and rape them, and also enjoy MFA-workshop-type prose, you may also find something in this book. Otherwise, skip it and get something by Francesca Lia Block, who does the young-girl-trauma-fragmented-writing things better.
August 15, 2008
Considering what a short easy read this was, I really had to struggle to finish reading it.
Told in the alternating voices of Anne and Michelle, the story starts out just before the pair, along with their friend Terri, leaves from Illinois to Cancun on spring break. Michelle's single mother cautions them against the typical dangers of spring break (boys and drinking), as well as encourages them to explore the history of the nearby Mayan temples.
Terri immediately heads off on her own, making friends with other spring breakers. After a day of soaking up the resort culture, Michelle and Anne decided to have a drink in the hotel bar. While there they meet Ander, a father-type stranger who offers to take Michelle and Anne on an early morning trip to the nearby temple of Chichen Itza and teach them about the local history and ancient myths.
Michelle seems spellbound by Ander, and has every intention of going with him. Anne is slightly more cautious, but knowing that she cannot leave Michelle alone, goes along with them.
Once at the temple, Ander explains to them the ancient myth of the Plumed Serpent, and the sacrifices the ancient Mayans would make to the quetzalcoatl. While Michelle continues to be intrigued, Anne decides that she doesn't really like the feeling she gets from Ander, and the pair should look to separate from him as soon as possible. Lucky for them, there is a group of college guys from the resort who, on their way to another party, have stopped to explore the temple.
This is where the story kind of loses its way. Ander comes across as a slightly creepy man whose ominous descriptions of the Mayan ruins hints heavily that this will be a mythological horror story.
The appearance of the college guys seems out of place, breaking up the story and sending it into another direction than what was originally set up. The intent was to combine ancient myths with modern day horrors; however the result left both sides of the plot undeveloped. This would have been a much stronger book if the story stayed focused in one direction.
Told in the alternating voices of Anne and Michelle, the story starts out just before the pair, along with their friend Terri, leaves from Illinois to Cancun on spring break. Michelle's single mother cautions them against the typical dangers of spring break (boys and drinking), as well as encourages them to explore the history of the nearby Mayan temples.
Terri immediately heads off on her own, making friends with other spring breakers. After a day of soaking up the resort culture, Michelle and Anne decided to have a drink in the hotel bar. While there they meet Ander, a father-type stranger who offers to take Michelle and Anne on an early morning trip to the nearby temple of Chichen Itza and teach them about the local history and ancient myths.
Michelle seems spellbound by Ander, and has every intention of going with him. Anne is slightly more cautious, but knowing that she cannot leave Michelle alone, goes along with them.
Once at the temple, Ander explains to them the ancient myth of the Plumed Serpent, and the sacrifices the ancient Mayans would make to the quetzalcoatl. While Michelle continues to be intrigued, Anne decides that she doesn't really like the feeling she gets from Ander, and the pair should look to separate from him as soon as possible. Lucky for them, there is a group of college guys from the resort who, on their way to another party, have stopped to explore the temple.
This is where the story kind of loses its way. Ander comes across as a slightly creepy man whose ominous descriptions of the Mayan ruins hints heavily that this will be a mythological horror story.
The appearance of the college guys seems out of place, breaking up the story and sending it into another direction than what was originally set up. The intent was to combine ancient myths with modern day horrors; however the result left both sides of the plot undeveloped. This would have been a much stronger book if the story stayed focused in one direction.
July 20, 2014
Oh, this book. THIS BOOK. I loved it for the first two-thirds or maybe even three-fourths, and then it did a bunch of things I did not like. And I'm not just saying this because what I wanted to happen didn't happen -- I don't even know what I wanted to happen -- but because the things that did happen are cheap and easy and maybe a little offensive, too.
Things I did like in this book:
a.) Kasischke's writing style. Flowery but precise, effectively evoking place and feeling without the pretension of other "literary" writers who shall not be named here.
b.) The place. I can't think of another piece of YA fiction -- or even adult fiction -- that is centered around Chichen Itza or Mayan civilization in general. If you can, please rec that shit to me. I've always been obsessed with this subject, to the point that a horribly taught Mesoamerican archaeology course in college and my parents not wanting to go see Chichen Itza even though we were RIGHT THERE IN MEXICO LIKE AN HOUR AWAY and it was the first time my teenage self ever wanted to voluntarily see something historical, has not deterred me. Which brings me to the thing I liked best about the book...
c.) For about the middle third of the book, it explores the Michelle character's preoccupation with history, her own and also the history of Chichen Itza. And it transforms her. I guarantee that some people will be annoyed by this plot point, because it romanticizes (exoticizes?) Mayan culture, but I love the idea of a character being drawn to a culture and a history inexplicably. It's a real thing that happens, and is barely ever written about. I would rather read this plot than any true romance.
Which leads me to the elements of the book that I didn't like. Namely, that this romantic fascination with Mayan history crosses over into some cringeworthy "noble savage" territory when Michelle, the American girl left in the jungle naked to die, is lifted up and carried away by some living Mayans with "painted faces" (lol, really?), who then care for her until she is found by her mother. She becomes "wild" to the point that she actually forgets who she is. I considered that maybe she just had a bout of traumatic amnesia from what the boys did to her, but it wouldn't have lasted months and wouldn't have been almost complete amnesia. Crash and burn, book. Crash and burn.
In addition to this major quibble, after Michelle disappears and Anne returns to America, the book's hazy, transient tone becomes practical and moralizing. "Look, Michelle is all over CNN and NBC and Vogue, this is why you must be careful on spring break, ladies." Kasischke already makes the point that strangers are not to be trusted when Anne's distrust of strangers and Michelle's distrust of men in general are ignored to go with the Illinois boys, and bad things happen as a result. Must we really bring Nancy Grace into this too? (She's not name dropped in the book, but you know she'd be all over this if it were a real life case.)
All in all, Feathered probably deserves less than three stars. But I enjoyed so much of it for the three reasons listed above that I don't have the heart to be objective.
Things I did like in this book:
a.) Kasischke's writing style. Flowery but precise, effectively evoking place and feeling without the pretension of other "literary" writers who shall not be named here.
b.) The place. I can't think of another piece of YA fiction -- or even adult fiction -- that is centered around Chichen Itza or Mayan civilization in general. If you can, please rec that shit to me. I've always been obsessed with this subject, to the point that a horribly taught Mesoamerican archaeology course in college and my parents not wanting to go see Chichen Itza even though we were RIGHT THERE IN MEXICO LIKE AN HOUR AWAY and it was the first time my teenage self ever wanted to voluntarily see something historical, has not deterred me. Which brings me to the thing I liked best about the book...
c.) For about the middle third of the book, it explores the Michelle character's preoccupation with history, her own and also the history of Chichen Itza. And it transforms her. I guarantee that some people will be annoyed by this plot point, because it romanticizes (exoticizes?) Mayan culture, but I love the idea of a character being drawn to a culture and a history inexplicably. It's a real thing that happens, and is barely ever written about. I would rather read this plot than any true romance.
Which leads me to the elements of the book that I didn't like. Namely, that this romantic fascination with Mayan history crosses over into some cringeworthy "noble savage" territory when Michelle, the American girl left in the jungle naked to die, is lifted up and carried away by some living Mayans with "painted faces" (lol, really?), who then care for her until she is found by her mother. She becomes "wild" to the point that she actually forgets who she is. I considered that maybe she just had a bout of traumatic amnesia from what the boys did to her, but it wouldn't have lasted months and wouldn't have been almost complete amnesia. Crash and burn, book. Crash and burn.
In addition to this major quibble, after Michelle disappears and Anne returns to America, the book's hazy, transient tone becomes practical and moralizing. "Look, Michelle is all over CNN and NBC and Vogue, this is why you must be careful on spring break, ladies." Kasischke already makes the point that strangers are not to be trusted when Anne's distrust of strangers and Michelle's distrust of men in general are ignored to go with the Illinois boys, and bad things happen as a result. Must we really bring Nancy Grace into this too? (She's not name dropped in the book, but you know she'd be all over this if it were a real life case.)
All in all, Feathered probably deserves less than three stars. But I enjoyed so much of it for the three reasons listed above that I don't have the heart to be objective.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2009
I was expecting more of a suspenceful mystery from what the description said in the front flap, but the action didn't start as soon as I would have liked and I felt that instead of an adventure, it was a morality tale of what not to do while on spring break. The history of Mexico would have been an interesting topic to address in a story like this, but I don't think this book managed to address the history or the suspence adequately.
January 20, 2024
Une bonne lecture qui me laisse sur ma faim.
J'ai bien aimé le message de cette histoire mais l'exécution pour le transmettre beaucoup moins.
Court roman qui fait passer le temps mais pas essentiel à lire
J'ai bien aimé le message de cette histoire mais l'exécution pour le transmettre beaucoup moins.
Court roman qui fait passer le temps mais pas essentiel à lire
November 22, 2022
4,5/5 wow ?????? la tension qui avait dans l’air c’est juste incroyable, je ressentais la peur et l’angoisse, jusqu’au dernier mot.
Je n’ai pas mis 5/5 parce que c’est mon premier livre de l’autrice et je lui laisse donc des chances de m’épater encore + !!!
Je n’ai pas mis 5/5 parce que c’est mon premier livre de l’autrice et je lui laisse donc des chances de m’épater encore + !!!
August 17, 2022
review to come
July 13, 2023
Je pensais qu'il allait m'effrayer. Mais il m'a fait pleurer.
February 12, 2011
I'll get straight to the point:
I JUST DISLIKED THIS BOOK.
I didn't really hate it, but I didn't like it either.
The main problem for me was the inconsistency of this novel and how everything was kinda random and, well, weird. Here are my detailed explanations:
1) It was WEIRD. I understand the author's motives of wanting to make Michelle fantasize and have this "blank expression" while she is imagining herself in her own world, but it was just odd. Nothing in the story really related and I felt that the bit where Anne and Michelle were kidnapped by three boys were just RANDOM. Having them be kidnapped and almost raped does not relate to anything.
2) This book hardly has any meaning to it. What is the message of this novel? The theme? The life lesson is to stay away from foreign countries so you won't get raped? Lovely lesson.
3) Although this novel wasn't boring or dull, I just disliked the plot. I felt that the story wasn't going to go anywhere, so I basically just skimmed through the last 50 pages. I was slightly and pleasantly surprised that Michelle was found, but nothing else really took me into interest of surprise.
4) At first as I was reading this, I wasn't really bothered by this detail, but I'll mention it anyhow. Well, I don't think it makes sense for the plot of this story to say that Terri "knew" that something bad would happen. First off, she was hardly mentioned in the novel in the first place. She was only there as a minor character who flirted with boys. Second, there was not a moment that hinted that Terri was concerned about Anne and Michelle. Terri was, yet again, just this random character that was created. It felt that A LOT of things were unnecessary in this novel.
5) Oh yeah. This book was also repetitious. In Michelle's perspective, the narrator (it was in third person limited) kept mentioning how Michelle was having the "adventure" of her life and blah blah blah. Okay, I GET IT. She has a huge adventure going for her. Oh, speaking of perspectives, did anyone notice how the perspectives kept shifting? Not just between Michelle and Anne. It was like first person for Anne and then third person limited for Anne? Like why is the author so inconsistent?
However, I give this star one star for its pretty interesting cover. The cover was the only thing that led me to read this awful written novel. I just honestly didn't feel much of a plot or message or even a purpose of this novel. I can tell that the author's ideas and intentions were good, but they did not come through well. However, the idea of three girls going to Cancun is interesting. If the author, perhaps, made the story more consistent and meaningful (and possibly less confusing), then maybe I would like it. Otherwise, for the meantime, this book did not speak to me at all.
I JUST DISLIKED THIS BOOK.
I didn't really hate it, but I didn't like it either.
The main problem for me was the inconsistency of this novel and how everything was kinda random and, well, weird. Here are my detailed explanations:
1) It was WEIRD. I understand the author's motives of wanting to make Michelle fantasize and have this "blank expression" while she is imagining herself in her own world, but it was just odd. Nothing in the story really related and I felt that the bit where Anne and Michelle were kidnapped by three boys were just RANDOM. Having them be kidnapped and almost raped does not relate to anything.
2) This book hardly has any meaning to it. What is the message of this novel? The theme? The life lesson is to stay away from foreign countries so you won't get raped? Lovely lesson.
3) Although this novel wasn't boring or dull, I just disliked the plot. I felt that the story wasn't going to go anywhere, so I basically just skimmed through the last 50 pages. I was slightly and pleasantly surprised that Michelle was found, but nothing else really took me into interest of surprise.
4) At first as I was reading this, I wasn't really bothered by this detail, but I'll mention it anyhow. Well, I don't think it makes sense for the plot of this story to say that Terri "knew" that something bad would happen. First off, she was hardly mentioned in the novel in the first place. She was only there as a minor character who flirted with boys. Second, there was not a moment that hinted that Terri was concerned about Anne and Michelle. Terri was, yet again, just this random character that was created. It felt that A LOT of things were unnecessary in this novel.
5) Oh yeah. This book was also repetitious. In Michelle's perspective, the narrator (it was in third person limited) kept mentioning how Michelle was having the "adventure" of her life and blah blah blah. Okay, I GET IT. She has a huge adventure going for her. Oh, speaking of perspectives, did anyone notice how the perspectives kept shifting? Not just between Michelle and Anne. It was like first person for Anne and then third person limited for Anne? Like why is the author so inconsistent?
However, I give this star one star for its pretty interesting cover. The cover was the only thing that led me to read this awful written novel. I just honestly didn't feel much of a plot or message or even a purpose of this novel. I can tell that the author's ideas and intentions were good, but they did not come through well. However, the idea of three girls going to Cancun is interesting. If the author, perhaps, made the story more consistent and meaningful (and possibly less confusing), then maybe I would like it. Otherwise, for the meantime, this book did not speak to me at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2008
What can I say about this one but that it was predictable except for when it wasn't? It is the story of three girls--three teens--who go to Mexico for spring break their senior year of high school. They expect to have fun; they expect to flirt--and perhaps even more--with strangers; they expect to drink a lot. But what these girls didn't expect, didn't plan for, was the possibility that one of them wouldn't be coming back...
Michelle, Anne, and Terri. I'm going to be honest. Terri doesn't really fit into this story. She's a third wheel. A character that isn't a part of the action. Anne and Michelle have always, always been best friends. Terri is an add-on, a girl who hangs out with them sometimes. But she's not part of the inner circle. The book is told alternately by Michelle and Anne. Anne's narrative is first person. Michelle's narrative is third person.
Two of these girls make foolish decisions and risk their lives. (It's not Terri. As I said, she's not in the story much at all.) One of them will pay for this foolishness more than the other. Though neither will be the same ever again.
The book was okay. I wasn't horribly wowed. And I wasn't that surprised on the path this plot took...chapter after chapter...it went all as I expected or predicted...but then there is the ending. And the ending just didn't work for me.
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
November 21, 2010
Three friends travel to Cancun for Spring Break, and the unthinkable happens.
This was a good story that seemed all too real. I noticed that it was published after Natalee Holloway's disappearance, and the story was eerily similar.
Two of the three girls decide to tour the Mayan Ruins with an older man, who is not a certified Tour Guide. Their friend stays behind at the hotel to party with some other kids that she has met. What transpires is a nightmare that is all too real.
The book kept me guessing right up until the end - it did not disappoint. Great read!
This was a good story that seemed all too real. I noticed that it was published after Natalee Holloway's disappearance, and the story was eerily similar.
Two of the three girls decide to tour the Mayan Ruins with an older man, who is not a certified Tour Guide. Their friend stays behind at the hotel to party with some other kids that she has met. What transpires is a nightmare that is all too real.
The book kept me guessing right up until the end - it did not disappoint. Great read!
June 21, 2008
A novel about spring break in Cancun would not usually rank high on my reading list, but the "mysterious Mayan ruins, where ancient myths flirt dangerously with present realities" intrigued me. Michigan author, poetic language, alternating points of view and tenses, a shocker of a plot twist, and a truly bizarre ending... You just have to read it to understand.
August 3, 2011
Poetic and suspenseful, Kasischke's novel is the stuff of young women and parents' nightmares everywhere. Three high school senior girls travel to Cancun on spring break. In their hedonistic hotel and the eerie ruins of Chichen Itza, danger and exploitation pursue and threaten them, but evil ultimately surprises them in the most unlikely of places.
June 13, 2014
The entire review I just typed disappeared, so I will make this short and sweet... a cautionary tale about the dangers of the familiar, the risks we as women face....as well as a bored and jealous best friend. Also, a good portrayal of the longing a fatherless girl faces and how it affects her decision making. So much more to this short book.
November 20, 2015
Captivating from the beginning.
June 11, 2017
This is the third book I've read by this author. I so enjoyed The Raising that I immediately set out to read all of her books. It seems I'm set up to be disappointed.
Feathered isn't a bad story, but it's not very good either. Three girls go out on a Spring Break to Mexico, and terror ensues. Michelle and Anne take a ride from a seemingly well-meaning middle-aged man to go see Chichen Itza. I trusted him at first, but when Anne started to get nervous, so did I. When the boys showed up, I was even relieved like Anne was... but I also could feel in my gut that these were the bad guys instead. It was here that finally- finally!- the story picked up.
The way the story depicts the things that go through a girls mind in these situations was accurate, and the realism of the drugging was well done. It's sad us girls have to live in a world like this. However, I hated that the author kept switching from third person to first person when she wrote, and the whole topic of the Mayan beliefs and sacrifices was all very confusing. The book boasts that we enter a dark world of Mayan traditions, but instead it's just fluff. It had no real meaning or interconnectedness to the actual story. I was also a bit confused by the ending. Was Michelle with a well-meaning group of Mayans who were keeping her safe? Or was she kidnapped and raped and turned into a slave until she escaped?
All in all, it was an okay book that was a quick read.
Feathered isn't a bad story, but it's not very good either. Three girls go out on a Spring Break to Mexico, and terror ensues. Michelle and Anne take a ride from a seemingly well-meaning middle-aged man to go see Chichen Itza. I trusted him at first, but when Anne started to get nervous, so did I. When the boys showed up, I was even relieved like Anne was... but I also could feel in my gut that these were the bad guys instead. It was here that finally- finally!- the story picked up.
The way the story depicts the things that go through a girls mind in these situations was accurate, and the realism of the drugging was well done. It's sad us girls have to live in a world like this. However, I hated that the author kept switching from third person to first person when she wrote, and the whole topic of the Mayan beliefs and sacrifices was all very confusing. The book boasts that we enter a dark world of Mayan traditions, but instead it's just fluff. It had no real meaning or interconnectedness to the actual story. I was also a bit confused by the ending. Was Michelle with a well-meaning group of Mayans who were keeping her safe? Or was she kidnapped and raped and turned into a slave until she escaped?
All in all, it was an okay book that was a quick read.
May 10, 2023
J’ai trouvé ce roman dans une boîte à livres. La couverture couverte de plumes vertes et brillantes m’a attirée comme un aimant. Le résumé a fini de me convaincre: de jeunes touristes américaines qui embarquent avec un inconnu pour visiter un temple maya ? Voilà qui était prometteur.
On vous l’a assez répété si vous êtes une femme, une fille: faites attention. Votre vie, depuis votre plus jeune âge, est faites d’injonctions à la prudence. Méfiez-vous des inconnus, des véhicules suspects, des ruelles sombres, des rames de métro désertes, des boissons laissées sans surveillance, des passages souterrains mal éclairés… Marchez vite d’un pas décidé, ne flânez pas, ne regardez pas les hommes dans les yeux, soyez accompagnée c’est mieux. Vous rêvez d’aventure? A vos risques et périls et il ne faudra pas vous plaindre. C’est aux femmes d’avoir peur et de faire attention.
Justement, Anne, Michelle et Terri sont en terminale et rêvent d’aventures. Après des années d’une existence prudente dans l’Illinois, elles ont envie de cocktails, d’histoires d’une nuit et de journées à la plage sans crème solaire. Bien mal leur en prend…
J’ai aimé ce roman court et bien rythmé. Je sais qu’il a déçu certain·e·s qui attendaient un thriller haletant. Pour moi, il s’agit plus d’une réflexion sur la liberté et la prise de risques, assortie de descriptions hypnotisantes de la jungle mexicaine et des rituels mayas. Je regrette seulement son côté un peu inabouti, j’aurais aimé que l’autrice approfondisse le propos féministe qui sous-tend son roman.
On vous l’a assez répété si vous êtes une femme, une fille: faites attention. Votre vie, depuis votre plus jeune âge, est faites d’injonctions à la prudence. Méfiez-vous des inconnus, des véhicules suspects, des ruelles sombres, des rames de métro désertes, des boissons laissées sans surveillance, des passages souterrains mal éclairés… Marchez vite d’un pas décidé, ne flânez pas, ne regardez pas les hommes dans les yeux, soyez accompagnée c’est mieux. Vous rêvez d’aventure? A vos risques et périls et il ne faudra pas vous plaindre. C’est aux femmes d’avoir peur et de faire attention.
Justement, Anne, Michelle et Terri sont en terminale et rêvent d’aventures. Après des années d’une existence prudente dans l’Illinois, elles ont envie de cocktails, d’histoires d’une nuit et de journées à la plage sans crème solaire. Bien mal leur en prend…
J’ai aimé ce roman court et bien rythmé. Je sais qu’il a déçu certain·e·s qui attendaient un thriller haletant. Pour moi, il s’agit plus d’une réflexion sur la liberté et la prise de risques, assortie de descriptions hypnotisantes de la jungle mexicaine et des rituels mayas. Je regrette seulement son côté un peu inabouti, j’aurais aimé que l’autrice approfondisse le propos féministe qui sous-tend son roman.
July 29, 2020
4/5
Cette auteure possède vraiment une patte unique pour décrire la beauté, la singularité de petits instants et en même temps instiller un sentiment d'urgence. Vous l'aurez compris, j'ai adoré ce roman, lu en 1 journée. On pourrait croire que l'histoire n'a rien d'incroyable mais celle de ces filles mélangée à celle des Mayas, ce récit initiatique et poétique, et cette fin sublime valent le détour !
Cette auteure possède vraiment une patte unique pour décrire la beauté, la singularité de petits instants et en même temps instiller un sentiment d'urgence. Vous l'aurez compris, j'ai adoré ce roman, lu en 1 journée. On pourrait croire que l'histoire n'a rien d'incroyable mais celle de ces filles mélangée à celle des Mayas, ce récit initiatique et poétique, et cette fin sublime valent le détour !
August 30, 2020
Un récit dont l’intérêt réside surtout dans la dimension fantastique ou onirique. Hors de cette zone d’incertitude, ce récit sur des adolescentes sublimes à qui tout réussit et qui vont passer leurs vacances de printemps au Mexique a assez peu d’intérêt existentiel, humains ou littéraire.
J’en retire principalement que ce n’est pas malin de monter dans la voiture d’un inconnu, ce dont je le doutais et ce que les héroïnes elles-mêmes savaient depuis le départ... Un enseignement un peu maigre
J’en retire principalement que ce n’est pas malin de monter dans la voiture d’un inconnu, ce dont je le doutais et ce que les héroïnes elles-mêmes savaient depuis le départ... Un enseignement un peu maigre
November 20, 2017
I hate that this novel is set in Mexico, even though I understand why. And to her credit, the writer uses magical realism to great effect in heightening the madness of the characters' experience.
A heart-breaker of a friendship story.
A heart-breaker of a friendship story.
July 18, 2019
I gave this book a 3 stars because it took awhile for the book to get started. I admit the twist was really good. I expected the guy that Michelle trusted to be the bad guy but it turned out the guys that Anne trusted was the bad ones. Also, the ending kinda left us on a cliffhanger when Michelle asked Anne where has she been.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2024
Il y a des livres qu’on sait qu’on aimera quel que soit le sujet. Et, ce livre en fait partie.
D’ailleurs, je n’ai pas trouvé le sujet du livre « passionnant ». En fait, je m’attendais à tout autre chose.
Mais, j’ai adoré l’écriture de l’autrice. Un talent indéniable.
D’ailleurs, je n’ai pas trouvé le sujet du livre « passionnant ». En fait, je m’attendais à tout autre chose.
Mais, j’ai adoré l’écriture de l’autrice. Un talent indéniable.
September 16, 2017
I'm not sure what to think about the story itself, but the writing was very lyrical.
December 3, 2017
It was a really slow book and it didn't sound good. In other words it was really boring and confusing. I believe it could have been written better.
May 21, 2018
Anne réussit à s’enfuir, mais Michelle sera retrouvée 8 mois plus tard, l’esprit habité par la légende du quetzacoalt
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2021
Good
January 30, 2023
Wow! A book that I read when I was fifteen is actually good!
January 8, 2012
Reactions:
At the start, I expected a supernatural story with maybe a love adventure with a Mayan god ... After all, it's in the air with all the romances about Greek gods and it could have been moose. So even when I was expecting something terrible, I thought of a great happy end.ing Indeed, I read a surprising, intense and touching ending.
I did not expect that Laura Kasischke addresses in her novel a real trauma in a manner as poignant as well as being suggestive. A story full of realistic details would have made the reading difficult or unbearable.
It is a beautiful book about the excesses of youth who travel on Spring Break holidays. It is not a customs in France and high-schoolers or students don't take those breaks but some of them can go on Ibiza for the vacation and the result will be the same: too much celebration like an uncontrolled orgie. This does not mean that in Europe the dangers are not there, because everything can also degenerate to a party close to your house ...
But it is true that Spring Break is a cultural event in US and I was a witness in Miami. It's particularly full of drinks and bikinis and most of the time a great deal of fun...
It is true that the author could warn the readers against the evils of abuse of any kind: alcohol, drugs and meetings of strangers more directly. She wrote it openly through the advice given by Anne and Michelle's mothers. But as we all know, parents speeches are not always taken seriously. Laura Kasischke has redoubled its efforts while sprinkling the book with scenes where young people had high-risk behavior and lacked of common sense..
But it is the identification with the characters that the reader follow through this adventure that had the most impact. My guts were twisted, I feel a ball in my throat at the scene of the Jeep and Michelle who it out of Anna's reach. Worse, the return of Anna to school... She is the one who supports the weight of the disappearance of her friend. She is a victim too in this tragic adventure.
The author could have finished her story in a more hardcore way. But as it is with ads about the dangers of drinking and driving and the gory details you can watch on car accidents, I do not know if the impact would have been stronger. Here the reader's imagination is activated and it is us who make our own movie of the atrocities that have occurred to Michelle. An initiative that has worked wonderfully well for me...
« Feathered », a book that will not leave you indifferent!
Read more about this book: http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.co...
Lucie
At the start, I expected a supernatural story with maybe a love adventure with a Mayan god ... After all, it's in the air with all the romances about Greek gods and it could have been moose. So even when I was expecting something terrible, I thought of a great happy end.ing Indeed, I read a surprising, intense and touching ending.
I did not expect that Laura Kasischke addresses in her novel a real trauma in a manner as poignant as well as being suggestive. A story full of realistic details would have made the reading difficult or unbearable.
It is a beautiful book about the excesses of youth who travel on Spring Break holidays. It is not a customs in France and high-schoolers or students don't take those breaks but some of them can go on Ibiza for the vacation and the result will be the same: too much celebration like an uncontrolled orgie. This does not mean that in Europe the dangers are not there, because everything can also degenerate to a party close to your house ...
But it is true that Spring Break is a cultural event in US and I was a witness in Miami. It's particularly full of drinks and bikinis and most of the time a great deal of fun...
It is true that the author could warn the readers against the evils of abuse of any kind: alcohol, drugs and meetings of strangers more directly. She wrote it openly through the advice given by Anne and Michelle's mothers. But as we all know, parents speeches are not always taken seriously. Laura Kasischke has redoubled its efforts while sprinkling the book with scenes where young people had high-risk behavior and lacked of common sense..
But it is the identification with the characters that the reader follow through this adventure that had the most impact. My guts were twisted, I feel a ball in my throat at the scene of the Jeep and Michelle who it out of Anna's reach. Worse, the return of Anna to school... She is the one who supports the weight of the disappearance of her friend. She is a victim too in this tragic adventure.
The author could have finished her story in a more hardcore way. But as it is with ads about the dangers of drinking and driving and the gory details you can watch on car accidents, I do not know if the impact would have been stronger. Here the reader's imagination is activated and it is us who make our own movie of the atrocities that have occurred to Michelle. An initiative that has worked wonderfully well for me...
« Feathered », a book that will not leave you indifferent!
Read more about this book: http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.co...
Lucie
February 16, 2011
"Feathered"
Laura Kasischke
Harper-Collins, 2008
Enter the world of Spring Break:
Teenagers and College Students running around, partying, drinking, laying on the beach and swimming in the pool. In "Feathered" by Laura Kasischke, we follow the lives of three high school graduates on their first Spring Break trip without adults or supervision.
First there is Anne, the typical ball of sunshine in her parents' eyes, who does well in school and has deserved this trip to Cancun. Then there is the timid Michelle, who knows she's a "test-tube" baby with no real father and has grown up somewhat neurotic because of it. Finally, there is Terri, the boy crazy blond who is listless and carefree. The three friends venture on a journey to a foreign country, far from Glendale, and have no idea that they're trip is not just about fun and boys, but real life comes at them at a higher cost than they could have ever imagined.
The chapters sort of serve as small vignette's, and go back and forth between Anne and Michelle. While Anne speaks in first person, Michelle's chapters are written in third. Both Anne and Michelle revert to flashbacks of their younger selves, although Anne's are more playful, while Michelle's are darker and strike the reader as foreshadowing. One must read the book in order to truly understand this.
I gave this review three stars because, while I feel the detail and imagery is beautiful and exquisite, I feel that the beginning of the story and instances throughout aren't original. The characters are somewhat complex, but nothing that an audience hasn't read about before, especially to the avid reader. The tone jumps back and forth as the chapters explore what happens to these girls through two different characters. While the characters feel as free as birds-- and there is much attention paid to with feathers throughout the story-- I feel more like it turns into a Lifetime movie. This is a good novel for a person looking for that type of entertainment, but hardly keeps the attention of a fantasy reader.
Laura Kasischke
Harper-Collins, 2008
Enter the world of Spring Break:
Teenagers and College Students running around, partying, drinking, laying on the beach and swimming in the pool. In "Feathered" by Laura Kasischke, we follow the lives of three high school graduates on their first Spring Break trip without adults or supervision.
First there is Anne, the typical ball of sunshine in her parents' eyes, who does well in school and has deserved this trip to Cancun. Then there is the timid Michelle, who knows she's a "test-tube" baby with no real father and has grown up somewhat neurotic because of it. Finally, there is Terri, the boy crazy blond who is listless and carefree. The three friends venture on a journey to a foreign country, far from Glendale, and have no idea that they're trip is not just about fun and boys, but real life comes at them at a higher cost than they could have ever imagined.
The chapters sort of serve as small vignette's, and go back and forth between Anne and Michelle. While Anne speaks in first person, Michelle's chapters are written in third. Both Anne and Michelle revert to flashbacks of their younger selves, although Anne's are more playful, while Michelle's are darker and strike the reader as foreshadowing. One must read the book in order to truly understand this.
I gave this review three stars because, while I feel the detail and imagery is beautiful and exquisite, I feel that the beginning of the story and instances throughout aren't original. The characters are somewhat complex, but nothing that an audience hasn't read about before, especially to the avid reader. The tone jumps back and forth as the chapters explore what happens to these girls through two different characters. While the characters feel as free as birds-- and there is much attention paid to with feathers throughout the story-- I feel more like it turns into a Lifetime movie. This is a good novel for a person looking for that type of entertainment, but hardly keeps the attention of a fantasy reader.
October 31, 2022
Un roman qui commence comme une chick lit et prend rapidement une tournure beaucoup moins festive... Quand les adolescentes délaissent les beuveries puériles sur la plage pour s'aventurer dans la jungle à la découverte des vestiges d'une civilisation ancienne, ce qui devait être des vacances se transforme en parcours initiatique périlleux, du genre duquel on ne ressort pas indemne. Ce qui se passe au Mexique ne reste pas toujours au Mexique!
Le sujet principal du roman est la culture du viol perçue du point de vue des jeunes filles, forcées de sacrifier leur liberté au nom de la prudence, à cause d'une menace intangible mais toujours présente. De qui se méfier? À qui faire confiance? C'est un apprentissage qui, malheureusement, doit souvent se faire à la dure... Le décalage entre la superficialité insouciante de la jeunesse américaine et le cadre dans lequel l'histoire se déroule est frappant. La beauté de la jungle sauvage primitive et l'évocation de mystérieux mythes anciens contrastent fortement avec la futilité du party perpétuel que constituent les resorts tout-inclus!
La traduction m'a un peu agacée au début, mais j'ai vite passé outre. L'écriture est sauvée par de très belles descriptions des paysages. L'adolescence, les relations mères-filles, l'amitié et, surtout, la difficulté de gagner son indépendance, sont aussi très bien représentées. L'histoire est simple, mais captivante, avec un brin de suspense et un petit côté "réalisme magique". Le symbolisme manque peut-être un peu de subtilité, mais cela ne m'a pas empêchée de l'apprécier. Le premier envol qui se transforme en chute libre, l'autel du sacrifice qui n'est pas toujours où l'on croit et les autres thèmes sont pertinents et bien exploités. Finalement, j'ai bien aimé cette lecture, de laquelle je n'attendais pourtant pas grand-chose...
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Le sujet principal du roman est la culture du viol perçue du point de vue des jeunes filles, forcées de sacrifier leur liberté au nom de la prudence, à cause d'une menace intangible mais toujours présente. De qui se méfier? À qui faire confiance? C'est un apprentissage qui, malheureusement, doit souvent se faire à la dure... Le décalage entre la superficialité insouciante de la jeunesse américaine et le cadre dans lequel l'histoire se déroule est frappant. La beauté de la jungle sauvage primitive et l'évocation de mystérieux mythes anciens contrastent fortement avec la futilité du party perpétuel que constituent les resorts tout-inclus!
La traduction m'a un peu agacée au début, mais j'ai vite passé outre. L'écriture est sauvée par de très belles descriptions des paysages. L'adolescence, les relations mères-filles, l'amitié et, surtout, la difficulté de gagner son indépendance, sont aussi très bien représentées. L'histoire est simple, mais captivante, avec un brin de suspense et un petit côté "réalisme magique". Le symbolisme manque peut-être un peu de subtilité, mais cela ne m'a pas empêchée de l'apprécier. Le premier envol qui se transforme en chute libre, l'autel du sacrifice qui n'est pas toujours où l'on croit et les autres thèmes sont pertinents et bien exploités. Finalement, j'ai bien aimé cette lecture, de laquelle je n'attendais pourtant pas grand-chose...
Visitez mon blog : https://chroniquesbookaddict.wixsite....
Suivez-moi sur Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Les-chroniqu...
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