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Vardin Village
Sixteen-year-old, George Vardin, lives in Perfectville, MidAmerica in a crappy, ramshackle cottage. The electricity was shut off weeks ago, the roof is about to implode and the creaky front porch overlooks the ancestral mansion that his father lost because of his drug abuse. George is not sure which is more breathtaking; the view or the irony. George’s life is about to suck even more because school starts next week and he can’t scrape up enough money to pay his cell phone bill let alone the fee to play varsity football.
Uncle Morris shows up from one of his weird international jaunts and offers a creative solution to keep George and his sister together under one roof. It’s a much larger, less leaky roof, with a breathtaking view of the crappy, ramshackle cottage. Crafty Morris reveals a secret tunnel that leads to the mansion and consequently some Vardin family secrets that will make junior year unforgettable.
Reginald, the proper curator of the mansion-turned-museum, has his doubts about the new living arrangement but he also has good reason to befriend George. Morris enlists the aid of a waitress from the diner and a cranky old security guard to make up the proverbial “village” that’s needed to raise a child.
Even a slightly dysfunctional, eccentric village can get the job done unless, of course, a greedy lawyer and his popular quarterback son hate your guts. It seems not all of the villagers are buying into the pesky proverb. It seems some villagers don’t want to raise a child. Some villagers just want to destroy George and shred what’s left of his family name. To stay in Vardin Village, George must follow clues left by his grandfather to unlock the past and preserve his future.
Uncle Morris shows up from one of his weird international jaunts and offers a creative solution to keep George and his sister together under one roof. It’s a much larger, less leaky roof, with a breathtaking view of the crappy, ramshackle cottage. Crafty Morris reveals a secret tunnel that leads to the mansion and consequently some Vardin family secrets that will make junior year unforgettable.
Reginald, the proper curator of the mansion-turned-museum, has his doubts about the new living arrangement but he also has good reason to befriend George. Morris enlists the aid of a waitress from the diner and a cranky old security guard to make up the proverbial “village” that’s needed to raise a child.
Even a slightly dysfunctional, eccentric village can get the job done unless, of course, a greedy lawyer and his popular quarterback son hate your guts. It seems not all of the villagers are buying into the pesky proverb. It seems some villagers don’t want to raise a child. Some villagers just want to destroy George and shred what’s left of his family name. To stay in Vardin Village, George must follow clues left by his grandfather to unlock the past and preserve his future.
- GenresFiction
224 pages, Paperback
First published February 24, 2014
10 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
February 17, 2015
His father has died and his mother is an alcoholic who has abandoned her children, and his serious problems are paying his cell phone bill and the fee* to play varsity football? Really?
*Just out of curiosity, goodreads friends, did your schools charge such a fee? None did when/where I grew up, although a friend from a richy-rich neighborhood (in a different state) tells me his had fees for pretty much everything.
*Just out of curiosity, goodreads friends, did your schools charge such a fee? None did when/where I grew up, although a friend from a richy-rich neighborhood (in a different state) tells me his had fees for pretty much everything.
July 29, 2014
Saw it on a Listopia Summer Reads list and decided to read it despite warnings that it didn't belong there. My suspicions were confirmed not far into the book. The writing was amateurish and more suitable for middle-grade than YA.
The ending was particularly bad. There are cliché endings that can work and there are cliché endings that are hideous no matter who writes them. Vardin Village is an example of a cliché ending written by a terrible author.
In an eye-rolling scene, George, Morris and their Open Casting Call group of friends find George's grandfather's will in a super sekret hiding place and guess what? George's evil uncle, who had claimed the Vardin Village estate and the fortune was a Sneaky Lying Liar and it was really George who inherited with the condition that Morris oversee his inheritance until he turned eighteen. Shocking. And the Open Casting Call of friends all moved in and they lived happily ever after.
End Scene with an eye roll. Pass on this one. Seriously.
The ending was particularly bad. There are cliché endings that can work and there are cliché endings that are hideous no matter who writes them. Vardin Village is an example of a cliché ending written by a terrible author.
In an eye-rolling scene, George, Morris and their Open Casting Call group of friends find George's grandfather's will in a super sekret hiding place and guess what? George's evil uncle, who had claimed the Vardin Village estate and the fortune was a Sneaky Lying Liar and it was really George who inherited with the condition that Morris oversee his inheritance until he turned eighteen. Shocking. And the Open Casting Call of friends all moved in and they lived happily ever after.
End Scene with an eye roll. Pass on this one. Seriously.
atv
July 11, 2014The moral of this story should be "cheaters never prosper".
July 15, 2014
I read up to chapter seven, absolutely determined to figure out why anyone was giving it five stars at all, and I really can't.
It commits probably the worst sin of any book, it's just very very dull. By chapter 7, we've managed to reach the end of the blurb, and I would rather scratch my eyes out than continue reading and figure out what the big "secrets" are. The writing style is very mid-last-century childrens novel, rather than YA, and it reads to me much more middle grade.
The second major sin is the big plot hole: Nobody notices the missing mother. It's such a tiny town, everyone knows everyone's family tree, who is friends with who, but nobody notices two kids left alone without electricity - an unlit house in a residential street in a town this small, where you know people are living? that is not going to go unnoticed. Having the few adults who do find out about the situation simply enable it with a ridiculous plan, would be ridiculous plot hole number two. Suspension of disbelief can only go so far, and the boxcar children already used all mine up on this plot.
Other issues: The paperback formatting is whacko--indents AND spaces between paragraphs--so there's very little text on a page, although admittedly the ebook formatting is okay. CHARACTERS WHO YELL IN ALL CAPS instead of just normal dialog tags showing such.
As for a summer read, given the overly simple style, it took me no time to read as far as I did, and according to the look inside, only 33 chapters (so that was a quarter of the book). I'd probably knock the whole thing off in under an hour, if I actually wanted to finish it.
It commits probably the worst sin of any book, it's just very very dull. By chapter 7, we've managed to reach the end of the blurb, and I would rather scratch my eyes out than continue reading and figure out what the big "secrets" are. The writing style is very mid-last-century childrens novel, rather than YA, and it reads to me much more middle grade.
The second major sin is the big plot hole: Nobody notices the missing mother. It's such a tiny town, everyone knows everyone's family tree, who is friends with who, but nobody notices two kids left alone without electricity - an unlit house in a residential street in a town this small, where you know people are living? that is not going to go unnoticed. Having the few adults who do find out about the situation simply enable it with a ridiculous plan, would be ridiculous plot hole number two. Suspension of disbelief can only go so far, and the boxcar children already used all mine up on this plot.
Other issues: The paperback formatting is whacko--indents AND spaces between paragraphs--so there's very little text on a page, although admittedly the ebook formatting is okay. CHARACTERS WHO YELL IN ALL CAPS instead of just normal dialog tags showing such.
As for a summer read, given the overly simple style, it took me no time to read as far as I did, and according to the look inside, only 33 chapters (so that was a quarter of the book). I'd probably knock the whole thing off in under an hour, if I actually wanted to finish it.
not-my-cup-of-tea
July 30, 2014Pre-read of sample: I'm actually reading through the Kindle sample of this now and I'll give my two cents on this once I finish, but the thing that jumped out at me is that this book really needs a thorough editing. There are many, many issues with it, even from the first several pages.
Post-read of sample: Oh man. So I ended up reading seven chapters of this. I think I'll leave my comments for the review of what I read of this.
Full reflection:
Some of you guys might be wondering what prompted me to pick up this book. Part of it was seeing discussions about it in my friend feed in various communities (namely Goodreads and BookLikes) and I was curious to see if this narrative was any bit as good as it was purported to be from its "marketing." And if you knew what I thought about said "marketing" practices, I'd be on a soapbox tangent that could best be summed up with the phrase "I'm so tired of people not getting how this is wrong." I think others have articulated about the matter better than I could, but I'm going to isolate my comments here specific to the writing.
Seven chapters in (I glanced at the Kindle sample, also ended up finding 7 chapters on Authonomy), I'm not impressed personally. Matter in point, I think it comes across as both lazy writing and editing for the story presented and the respective audience as well. I'd probably read this book to the end if I could to see where it took the narrative, but I don't know if my impressions would change because of the method of presentation given from the get-go. There are a lot of problems with this that can be gleaned from even the initial parts of the story.
First problem: the multitude of characters and their static presentation.
George is the main character of this narrative, but you wouldn't think that with the way it chooses to present the characters in a "head-hopping" fashion with little to no rhyme or reason for it. The first chapter nearly threw me out because I kept trying to find some kind of central focus for conflict or story or some deep POV experiences that would help me understand George at least in some way beyond just the conversation with his friends. Didn't happen.
I read a lot of slice of life narratives (some of my favorite books are in that genre) which delve into the everyday lives of the characters those narratives choose to depict, but usually you get a strong sense of who that central character is, what they're doing and what values they have. You can write a paragraph with a deeper POV set than what Spence did in the first chapter for this book. It kept jumping around, trying to show very static quirks from these characters that were supposed to be funny or defining, but never really got off the ground. It felt cheaply executed and forced.
Second chapter went a little more into George's concerns, but it was still hard to follow because of the way the narratives organized: tells all details, doesn't show, doesn't allow the emotion of the character to come through on its own. It depicts physical reactions, but the reactions feel static with the description, plus the meandering depictions about the environment don't make proper use of place or even George's associations with the other characters. A teen reading this probably would get bored because they would think "I don't see anything in George's experiences that mirror mine," what with ramblings of "moneyed urbanites" (what 16-year-old thinks this?). Into Chapter 3, when it split to Reginald's perspective - that was awkward. I did not care to hear about the construction or history of the mansion interwoven in infodumps in spaces through the narrative - get back to the characters or at least find some way to make it relevant to the characters depicted in a way that streamlines the narrative better. This continues through the rest of the sample of seven chapters as it continues headhopping characters and dumping information not pertinent to the immediate narrative in places. It failed to create a scenario where it's possible to care about the motivations or situations the characters find themselves within.
*sighs* A lot of these problems really boil down to a lack of narrative focus and character vetting. I remember reading through to the miscellaneous cast of characters, but I honestly couldn't care anything about them because they didn't have a pound of flesh or realism to pinch from.
Second major problem: Lack of editing.
If so many people love (or claim to love) the written word, why is it that it's such a labor for people to not want to edit their works the right way? To think that grammar or spelling doesn't matter or somehow can be circumvented or ignored? That to criticize a lack of using it well is somehow "harmful" to the art?
Literacy matters, as does consistency and quality. Doing things the right way MATTER and it shows you care about the work you're presenting. Some mistakes I can overlook, but it gets annoying quickly if it bogs down the narrative I'm reading. I may be something of a grammar stickler (I make mistakes from time to time, I'm not perfect. You may find some in this review as I'm typing. I'll probably go back through this and say "D'oh."), but there were many errors here that I couldn't overlook.
Misplaced commas (or lack of punctuation entirely), run on sentences, dangling phrases, repetitious phrasing, odd uses of passive voice, awkward dialogue tags, uneven formatting with chapter headings - basic things that made the read more cumbersome than it should've been. I could imagine one of my AP teachers in high school drawing big green Xs in places of the narrative here for mistakes. (He actually didn't like using red ink for correcting errors or pointing out things that were problematic. He used to say that green was a more soothing color than red bleeding all over the page. :P)
This is not the kind of work you should be promoting to someone if you're asking them to pay money for it.
Also, judicious use of caps lock is a good thing.
IF YOU ARE USING A CHARACTER WHO SPEAKS IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, IT GIVES THE EFFECT OF SHOUTING, WHICH MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE EFFECT YOU WERE GOING FOR, BUT IT'S REALLY ANNOYING UNLESS YOU HAVE A PURPOSE FOR IT! SOMETIMES SAYING THAT HE SHOUTED OR USING OTHER METHODS TO CONVEY SHOUTING MIGHT WORK BETTER. JUST DEPENDS ON THE GENRE AND HOW FREQUENTLY YOU USE IT.
/done on purpose. Seriously though, it can be annoying to read this and I think for the coach's character in this narrative, it was overkill.
Third problem: lack of research/expansion/exposition based on assumption. One of the things that I noticed when the narrative focused on George's so called hamstring injury (some people wouldn't know what was meant by "hammies") was that it was very vague on the treatment.
RICE method: 20 second search on Google. Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation. Specificity doesn't hurt. Knowing when and where to use it shows you know your subject matter.
Some people don't know Chipotle is a restaurant. We all don't live in places where there's a Chipotle down the street. McDonald's might be more recognized because of global commercialization. But regionally, we differ. Some may know Krispy Kreme, others may know Duncan Donuts, some may know Carl's Jr., others may know Hardee's. Some may know Jack in the Box, and others...well, do not. This is why it's helpful to know your setting and being able to use it in a way that not only paints the picture of the place you're depicting, but also do it in a way that doesn't result in massive infodumping.
But I spent way too long on this narrative for its many problems. For seven chapters, that's too much. Especially since I really didn't learn or care anything about the characters or conflict. It could've been a lot better.
I'd give the narrative 1 star if I rated it thus far. It didn't do anything to pull me in.
Post-read of sample: Oh man. So I ended up reading seven chapters of this. I think I'll leave my comments for the review of what I read of this.
Full reflection:
Some of you guys might be wondering what prompted me to pick up this book. Part of it was seeing discussions about it in my friend feed in various communities (namely Goodreads and BookLikes) and I was curious to see if this narrative was any bit as good as it was purported to be from its "marketing." And if you knew what I thought about said "marketing" practices, I'd be on a soapbox tangent that could best be summed up with the phrase "I'm so tired of people not getting how this is wrong." I think others have articulated about the matter better than I could, but I'm going to isolate my comments here specific to the writing.
Seven chapters in (I glanced at the Kindle sample, also ended up finding 7 chapters on Authonomy), I'm not impressed personally. Matter in point, I think it comes across as both lazy writing and editing for the story presented and the respective audience as well. I'd probably read this book to the end if I could to see where it took the narrative, but I don't know if my impressions would change because of the method of presentation given from the get-go. There are a lot of problems with this that can be gleaned from even the initial parts of the story.
First problem: the multitude of characters and their static presentation.
George is the main character of this narrative, but you wouldn't think that with the way it chooses to present the characters in a "head-hopping" fashion with little to no rhyme or reason for it. The first chapter nearly threw me out because I kept trying to find some kind of central focus for conflict or story or some deep POV experiences that would help me understand George at least in some way beyond just the conversation with his friends. Didn't happen.
I read a lot of slice of life narratives (some of my favorite books are in that genre) which delve into the everyday lives of the characters those narratives choose to depict, but usually you get a strong sense of who that central character is, what they're doing and what values they have. You can write a paragraph with a deeper POV set than what Spence did in the first chapter for this book. It kept jumping around, trying to show very static quirks from these characters that were supposed to be funny or defining, but never really got off the ground. It felt cheaply executed and forced.
Second chapter went a little more into George's concerns, but it was still hard to follow because of the way the narratives organized: tells all details, doesn't show, doesn't allow the emotion of the character to come through on its own. It depicts physical reactions, but the reactions feel static with the description, plus the meandering depictions about the environment don't make proper use of place or even George's associations with the other characters. A teen reading this probably would get bored because they would think "I don't see anything in George's experiences that mirror mine," what with ramblings of "moneyed urbanites" (what 16-year-old thinks this?). Into Chapter 3, when it split to Reginald's perspective - that was awkward. I did not care to hear about the construction or history of the mansion interwoven in infodumps in spaces through the narrative - get back to the characters or at least find some way to make it relevant to the characters depicted in a way that streamlines the narrative better. This continues through the rest of the sample of seven chapters as it continues headhopping characters and dumping information not pertinent to the immediate narrative in places. It failed to create a scenario where it's possible to care about the motivations or situations the characters find themselves within.
*sighs* A lot of these problems really boil down to a lack of narrative focus and character vetting. I remember reading through to the miscellaneous cast of characters, but I honestly couldn't care anything about them because they didn't have a pound of flesh or realism to pinch from.
Second major problem: Lack of editing.
If so many people love (or claim to love) the written word, why is it that it's such a labor for people to not want to edit their works the right way? To think that grammar or spelling doesn't matter or somehow can be circumvented or ignored? That to criticize a lack of using it well is somehow "harmful" to the art?
Literacy matters, as does consistency and quality. Doing things the right way MATTER and it shows you care about the work you're presenting. Some mistakes I can overlook, but it gets annoying quickly if it bogs down the narrative I'm reading. I may be something of a grammar stickler (I make mistakes from time to time, I'm not perfect. You may find some in this review as I'm typing. I'll probably go back through this and say "D'oh."), but there were many errors here that I couldn't overlook.
Misplaced commas (or lack of punctuation entirely), run on sentences, dangling phrases, repetitious phrasing, odd uses of passive voice, awkward dialogue tags, uneven formatting with chapter headings - basic things that made the read more cumbersome than it should've been. I could imagine one of my AP teachers in high school drawing big green Xs in places of the narrative here for mistakes. (He actually didn't like using red ink for correcting errors or pointing out things that were problematic. He used to say that green was a more soothing color than red bleeding all over the page. :P)
This is not the kind of work you should be promoting to someone if you're asking them to pay money for it.
Also, judicious use of caps lock is a good thing.
IF YOU ARE USING A CHARACTER WHO SPEAKS IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, IT GIVES THE EFFECT OF SHOUTING, WHICH MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE EFFECT YOU WERE GOING FOR, BUT IT'S REALLY ANNOYING UNLESS YOU HAVE A PURPOSE FOR IT! SOMETIMES SAYING THAT HE SHOUTED OR USING OTHER METHODS TO CONVEY SHOUTING MIGHT WORK BETTER. JUST DEPENDS ON THE GENRE AND HOW FREQUENTLY YOU USE IT.
/done on purpose. Seriously though, it can be annoying to read this and I think for the coach's character in this narrative, it was overkill.
Third problem: lack of research/expansion/exposition based on assumption. One of the things that I noticed when the narrative focused on George's so called hamstring injury (some people wouldn't know what was meant by "hammies") was that it was very vague on the treatment.
RICE method: 20 second search on Google. Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation. Specificity doesn't hurt. Knowing when and where to use it shows you know your subject matter.
Some people don't know Chipotle is a restaurant. We all don't live in places where there's a Chipotle down the street. McDonald's might be more recognized because of global commercialization. But regionally, we differ. Some may know Krispy Kreme, others may know Duncan Donuts, some may know Carl's Jr., others may know Hardee's. Some may know Jack in the Box, and others...well, do not. This is why it's helpful to know your setting and being able to use it in a way that not only paints the picture of the place you're depicting, but also do it in a way that doesn't result in massive infodumping.
But I spent way too long on this narrative for its many problems. For seven chapters, that's too much. Especially since I really didn't learn or care anything about the characters or conflict. It could've been a lot better.
I'd give the narrative 1 star if I rated it thus far. It didn't do anything to pull me in.
do-not-want
April 22, 2015After finding this on a Listopia and checking out the blurb, I'm fairly certain that I won't like it. So I'm just leaving myself this reminder.
ETA: oh, noes! I just heard the news.
E-again b/c what in the actual fuck-TA:
You've been warned.
ETA: oh, noes! I just heard the news.
E-again b/c what in the actual fuck-TA:
You've been warned.
July 12, 2014
I found this on listopia reads, and I couldn't believe it was there. This book even fails mediocrity.
Read
July 15, 2014I shelved this book as read without actually reading more than the first chapter, because I was curious about the controversy and I did want to review without rating. The author's behavior has obviously been terrible, but that would not prevent me from reading the book, because I do not expect gifted writers to be nice, honest, or even sane. I do expect them to be gifted.
This is not a good book. I do not have to read more than a chapter to know that. Stylistically, it's just adequate, it reads very, very young for a book about a sixteen-year-old, and the description of place is just plain odd. The overuse of caps to indicate a raised voice in the first chapter is enough to turn me off, even if the details had seemed more plausible. The frame of small-town America is there, but it just doesn't hang together. It's like an Archie comic version, not the real deal, as if the writer had read a lot about American small towns, or lived in one long ago, and it's not the idealization per se that's bothering me. There's a very cardboard quality, and a sort of "closed loop" character system. A very skilled writer might be able to pull it off, but that's not the case here. Even if it's a deliberate choice, it's not a successful one.
If I kept reading, and I can't imagine why I would, because I was not enjoying the experience, some of these issues might improve. Conversely, the plot might fall apart entirely. It doesn't really matter, because if you don't have a reader in the first few pages you'll never have most of them at all.
This is not a good book. I do not have to read more than a chapter to know that. Stylistically, it's just adequate, it reads very, very young for a book about a sixteen-year-old, and the description of place is just plain odd. The overuse of caps to indicate a raised voice in the first chapter is enough to turn me off, even if the details had seemed more plausible. The frame of small-town America is there, but it just doesn't hang together. It's like an Archie comic version, not the real deal, as if the writer had read a lot about American small towns, or lived in one long ago, and it's not the idealization per se that's bothering me. There's a very cardboard quality, and a sort of "closed loop" character system. A very skilled writer might be able to pull it off, but that's not the case here. Even if it's a deliberate choice, it's not a successful one.
If I kept reading, and I can't imagine why I would, because I was not enjoying the experience, some of these issues might improve. Conversely, the plot might fall apart entirely. It doesn't really matter, because if you don't have a reader in the first few pages you'll never have most of them at all.
July 27, 2014
Saw this on smart summer reads and knew straight away this book would not be for me.
July 20, 2014
Based on the sample I read I won't be reading or purchasing this book. The syntax is stilted and the characters do not sound realistic. Seriously, dork vomit? Really?
Read
July 14, 2014I have not rated nor reviewed this book as I have not read more than a page or two from the Amazon example. I have, however, offered an opinion piece under my writings.
August 21, 2014
From my Amazon review:
The Pros:
I rated this book a one star, because the kindle formatting is stellar, and is worthy of a getting a star just for this.
This is the only positive thing I saw in this book. There was some potential for a good story IF it was content edited, reformulated for the right age group, and treated to some proof-reading. An editor could be a savior with regards to this book.
The Cons:
1. The Character voices do not ring true. Some examples: a 16 year old, making fun of his fellow football players, and adults trying to sound like twelve year olds:
"Hey dork-vomit, what took you so long?" Dillon (a 16 year old football player who is friends with the protagonist). What 16 year old talks like this? I would expect this kind of insult in my six year old's day camp.
"That's enough lip out of you, Smart mouth McGee! He didn't like Smartmouth McGees interrupting adults doing important investigative work." <- this is from the lawman in the story.
"GEORGE. GEORGE, SOME OF THE BOYS TELL ME YOU'RE NOT...! YOU HAVEN'T BEEN AT ALL OF THE WORKOUTS...! WHAT'S GOING ON!?" <- This dialogue is coming from a supposed adult. Forget the fact that all caps in a dialogue is painful, but why, just why, would an author do this? If you have some skill, the anger is evident without supposing that your audience is too stupid to get the basic emotional gestalt...forget it, the skill isn't there.
2. The Info dump: There is a character named Morris who spends a couple of chapters on horrific info dump on the background of Vardin Village. Truly no tween/teen/adult could possibly stay awake for it. Why dump it all on a reader within a few chapters? Good writing means spreading it around where it doesn't seem intrusive and purposeful.
3. This IS NOT A YA book: This may be a 9-12 year old book (minus a couple of drug references and a vague reference to the mother's sexual proclivity). This is not a YA book. I am a fan of said genre, and this isn't sophisticated enough for said genre or age group.
Bottom line: this book has potential, IF it tries to understand the age group it is writing for, puts some investment in content editing, and stops trying to be a YA book that it is NOT, than it may be a book worth reading.
ETA: this book is being up-voted by an SPA author on wattpad, and his followers.
The Pros:
I rated this book a one star, because the kindle formatting is stellar, and is worthy of a getting a star just for this.
This is the only positive thing I saw in this book. There was some potential for a good story IF it was content edited, reformulated for the right age group, and treated to some proof-reading. An editor could be a savior with regards to this book.
The Cons:
1. The Character voices do not ring true. Some examples: a 16 year old, making fun of his fellow football players, and adults trying to sound like twelve year olds:
"Hey dork-vomit, what took you so long?" Dillon (a 16 year old football player who is friends with the protagonist). What 16 year old talks like this? I would expect this kind of insult in my six year old's day camp.
"That's enough lip out of you, Smart mouth McGee! He didn't like Smartmouth McGees interrupting adults doing important investigative work." <- this is from the lawman in the story.
"GEORGE. GEORGE, SOME OF THE BOYS TELL ME YOU'RE NOT...! YOU HAVEN'T BEEN AT ALL OF THE WORKOUTS...! WHAT'S GOING ON!?" <- This dialogue is coming from a supposed adult. Forget the fact that all caps in a dialogue is painful, but why, just why, would an author do this? If you have some skill, the anger is evident without supposing that your audience is too stupid to get the basic emotional gestalt...forget it, the skill isn't there.
2. The Info dump: There is a character named Morris who spends a couple of chapters on horrific info dump on the background of Vardin Village. Truly no tween/teen/adult could possibly stay awake for it. Why dump it all on a reader within a few chapters? Good writing means spreading it around where it doesn't seem intrusive and purposeful.
3. This IS NOT A YA book: This may be a 9-12 year old book (minus a couple of drug references and a vague reference to the mother's sexual proclivity). This is not a YA book. I am a fan of said genre, and this isn't sophisticated enough for said genre or age group.
Bottom line: this book has potential, IF it tries to understand the age group it is writing for, puts some investment in content editing, and stops trying to be a YA book that it is NOT, than it may be a book worth reading.
ETA: this book is being up-voted by an SPA author on wattpad, and his followers.
to-avoid
July 15, 2014No comments. :(
youre-on-my-shit-list
June 15, 2017Yeah...no...
March 29, 2014
Vardin Village by Maggie Spence guides you through the tale of 16 year old George Vardin who was raising his little sister Eleanor because his father had died and his mother could care less about him. George and his sister were relatives of the founding father of the village they live in but due to an old will from George Vardin VI, the only inheritance given to his family was the small cottage, (which they call home) behind the Vardin Mansion.
Vardin Village weaves a great story about how a small group of adults comes to the aide of George and his sister Eleanor. The story is not only fun and exciting but also heartwarming. It shows the kindness that mankind can dole out when it is needed.
The characters are out of the ordinary but entertaining as well as amusing. The story is well paced and is told from varying perspectives. Even though the perspectives vary, you are never confused at who is speaking.
The author‘s writing style is easy to follow and a joy to read. The story will captivate its reader from beginning to end. This story takes hold of the reader through the creative and original storyline as well as the vivid description of the people and the action in the story.
Vardin Village is a story for both young and old. Everyone should definitely take the time and read this wonderful story!
4.0 Stars
*I won this book through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. In no way has this influenced my rating or opinion of this book.*
Vardin Village weaves a great story about how a small group of adults comes to the aide of George and his sister Eleanor. The story is not only fun and exciting but also heartwarming. It shows the kindness that mankind can dole out when it is needed.
The characters are out of the ordinary but entertaining as well as amusing. The story is well paced and is told from varying perspectives. Even though the perspectives vary, you are never confused at who is speaking.
The author‘s writing style is easy to follow and a joy to read. The story will captivate its reader from beginning to end. This story takes hold of the reader through the creative and original storyline as well as the vivid description of the people and the action in the story.
Vardin Village is a story for both young and old. Everyone should definitely take the time and read this wonderful story!
4.0 Stars
*I won this book through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. In no way has this influenced my rating or opinion of this book.*
May 9, 2014
When his drunkard mother leaves George alone with his younger sister to care for while she is off having her version of a good time he tries to fool people into thinking mom is still home. A group of villagers become unlikely heroes when they join forces to keep a young brother and his younger sister together and out of foster care.
The children are living in a run down shack on the enormous grounds of an estate that the family has owned for generations. A rich member of the community wants the manor for himself and will stop at nothing to get in.
The cast of characters in this novel are delightful. They are all unique individuals that bring a certain charm to the story. There is someone in there that everyone will identify with. While not a mystery the book has its share of suspenseful moments and there are enough surprises to keep any reader interested.
The language is clean and there are no sexually explicit scenes. If I were to find fault with and aspect of the book it would be the use of the word prolly. It doesn't add anything to the characters personality and I feel that the choice of words is important.
I received this book for free in exchange for providing this honest review.
The children are living in a run down shack on the enormous grounds of an estate that the family has owned for generations. A rich member of the community wants the manor for himself and will stop at nothing to get in.
The cast of characters in this novel are delightful. They are all unique individuals that bring a certain charm to the story. There is someone in there that everyone will identify with. While not a mystery the book has its share of suspenseful moments and there are enough surprises to keep any reader interested.
The language is clean and there are no sexually explicit scenes. If I were to find fault with and aspect of the book it would be the use of the word prolly. It doesn't add anything to the characters personality and I feel that the choice of words is important.
I received this book for free in exchange for providing this honest review.
August 5, 2016
I received a free copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review. Thank you very much to Maggie Spence for the opportunity to read a book I probably would have missed otherwise.
That said....I loved this book! George and Eleanor are great kids. I couldn't help falling in love with them and wanting good things to happen for them. I was sad or mad whenever something didn't go their way. I was mentally cheering during the good times. I found myself wanting to punch those who made things difficult for George and Eleanor. Their "family" was awesome. They were people we would all like to have in our lives. I found myself hooked on the story right away, and kept reading at every opportunity to see what would happen next.The Vardin family history was interesting, and it was intriguing to see how it would all affect the outcome. I enjoyed this book very much and will look for more by this author. I hope you'll give this book a try.
That said....I loved this book! George and Eleanor are great kids. I couldn't help falling in love with them and wanting good things to happen for them. I was sad or mad whenever something didn't go their way. I was mentally cheering during the good times. I found myself wanting to punch those who made things difficult for George and Eleanor. Their "family" was awesome. They were people we would all like to have in our lives. I found myself hooked on the story right away, and kept reading at every opportunity to see what would happen next.The Vardin family history was interesting, and it was intriguing to see how it would all affect the outcome. I enjoyed this book very much and will look for more by this author. I hope you'll give this book a try.
June 25, 2014
This is the story of sixteen year old George who struggles to take care of his little sister. When Uncle Morris arrives in town he realizes something is not right when he notices the cottage the kids are living in is unbearably hot, and there is no electricity. George admits his mother left them several months ago, and the roof of the cottage leaks. Uncle Morris comes up with a plan to keep the brother and sister together and to give them a stable roof over their heads when he realizes the family mansion has everything they need. They manage to keep the fact the kids mother has run off until Morris finds her and talks her into signing custody of the kids over to him. When the mansion and cottage is about to be taken away, Morris, Marie, Dolly, Archie and Reginald discover a new will from the kids grandfather, leaving everything to his grandkids. This is an excellent read with a little bit of mystery.
July 13, 2014
Young Adults and their families will find much to discuss and consider as a young high school boy takes on adult responsibilities, caring for his little sister, facing eviction from his home, an absent alcoholic mother and simply trying to get to a dance and play a sport in school. The allies George discovers along the way are diverse and the shared purpose that this plight creates has the characters lives develop in a way that was unplanned, bringing their strengths to the table.
What a wonderful first book for author Maggie Spence. I look forward to more of her writing.
What a wonderful first book for author Maggie Spence. I look forward to more of her writing.
June 28, 2014
I received this book from the author and immediately began reading it...I didn't want to put it down. I felt the emotions up and down throughout the book of each character...it was like I was part of their lives. I will never understand parents who neglect their kids but as this book shows, family isn't always blood relatives and love knows no boundaries. George shows a lot of maturity and character throughout the book. Thank you Maggie Spence for this book!!
August 5, 2014
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. I believe that the author did not adequately describe the book on the back of the cover. The message was actually quite deep and I feel that the people who reviewed it low missed the deeper meaning of the story. For me, this was a feel good story about adults doing what was right. I have always felt that if each family (extended included) would take care of their own, the world would be a better place. The novel started out on a sad note about a father who had committed suicide and a mother who was an addict and had taken off with her boyfriend. Adults in the community did the correct thing and stepped forward to take care of the abandoned children. My wish is that the author reads my review and lets me know about her inspiration for this book. I feel that something touched Maggie Spence in her life which made her feel compelled to write this story and I want to know more! There was zero about the author in Vardin Village and I also could not find information on the internet. I want to say to the author that you made me want to take care of abandoned children and help charities even more. I feel you did a great job writing this feel good novel!
August 6, 2014
Vardin Village by Maggie Spence tells the story of 16 year old George Vardin who was raising his little sister Eleanor because after his father dies. His mother doesn't care about him and they find out that George and Eleanor are relatives of the founding father of the village they live in. Because of the will from George Vardin VI, the only inheritance for his family was the small cottage behind the Vardin Mansion. As things become as bad as can be, they are rescued by a group of misfits who not only help them to survive to form a family. Along the way they learn about their family history and have fun solving a mystery from the past. Great read for a tween but it also held my attention as an adult.
August 26, 2014
I received this book free from a Goodreads giveaway & after looking at some of the initial reviews realized there was some sort of controversy with the author. I still decided to read the book & I have to say I agree with a lot of the negative reviews.
I really wanted to like this book. I did finish the book but I would not classify it as YA.
I was hoping for a happy ending which there was one but there are so any things that happened in the book that I think are so farfetched.
I think there was definitely potential but it was missed.
**I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway for my opinion**
I really wanted to like this book. I did finish the book but I would not classify it as YA.
I was hoping for a happy ending which there was one but there are so any things that happened in the book that I think are so farfetched.
I think there was definitely potential but it was missed.
**I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway for my opinion**
March 23, 2014
I won this on goodreads.
I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read this. Vardin Village is a wonderful, heartwarming story of a teenage boy, George Vardin #8 and his little sister Eleanor. Although they are descendants of the founder of the town, they live in a run-down shack, not the big family mansion. Their father died long ago, and their mother who loves drugs and alcohol more than them, abandoned them months ago. Loved the story and characters. Spoiler - there is a happy ending and sometimes it does take a village to raise a child.
I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read this. Vardin Village is a wonderful, heartwarming story of a teenage boy, George Vardin #8 and his little sister Eleanor. Although they are descendants of the founder of the town, they live in a run-down shack, not the big family mansion. Their father died long ago, and their mother who loves drugs and alcohol more than them, abandoned them months ago. Loved the story and characters. Spoiler - there is a happy ending and sometimes it does take a village to raise a child.
May 13, 2014
Nice upbeat story about a teenage boy and his sister whose father is dead and whose mother abandons them to their own devices. Just as they hit bottom, they are rescued by an unusual group of town misfits who not only help them to survive but ultimately grow to form a strong family unit. Along the way they learn about their family history and solve a mystery from the past. Great read for a middle grader but also held my attention as an adult.
April 3, 2017
Vardin Village is a enjoyable story about how sometimes people need to reach out of their comfort zones and do things they don't always think they want to do. In this case, George is a junior in high school with a seven year old sister. The problem is, when he was a baby his grandfather disinherited his father (who ended up committing suicide) and his mother has taken off in the past year. She was not a parent (a drunk and druggie who only thought of herself) and simply walked out of their lives. Since then George has been taking care of his sister, earning money as possible, and perpetuating the lie that his mom was still around. Why? Because he didn't want to be separated from his sister and put into the system.
What makes this sad situation worse is George and Eleanor are the last of the Vardin line, and live in a falling down cottage that is behind the family mansion. The mansion was left to the city, the cottage to George's parents. When his "Uncle" Morris comes to town and checks on him, it doesn't take long for Morris to figure out the situation and pledge his help. Morris is a lifelong bachelor who travels and only comes back to the village to check on his mother's house which he has rented. He has no plans to stick around more than a few days. But a few days turns into more, and before long he has figured out a place for the children to stay until the cottage roof can be fixed and the back taxes paid.
This is the story of the innocent kids, the helpful family friend who expands their family unit to include 4 other adults, a whole lot of family history, and of course a couple of bullies of various ages. I read this book about 3 years ago and liked it. The second reading has made it even more enjoyable. I understand the results are nothing short of a miracle, but I believe in miracles and want to believe in human kindness as the author has written so well.
What makes this sad situation worse is George and Eleanor are the last of the Vardin line, and live in a falling down cottage that is behind the family mansion. The mansion was left to the city, the cottage to George's parents. When his "Uncle" Morris comes to town and checks on him, it doesn't take long for Morris to figure out the situation and pledge his help. Morris is a lifelong bachelor who travels and only comes back to the village to check on his mother's house which he has rented. He has no plans to stick around more than a few days. But a few days turns into more, and before long he has figured out a place for the children to stay until the cottage roof can be fixed and the back taxes paid.
This is the story of the innocent kids, the helpful family friend who expands their family unit to include 4 other adults, a whole lot of family history, and of course a couple of bullies of various ages. I read this book about 3 years ago and liked it. The second reading has made it even more enjoyable. I understand the results are nothing short of a miracle, but I believe in miracles and want to believe in human kindness as the author has written so well.
July 19, 2014
Another great Goodreads win! I absolutely loved this book. All of it. It is a great book for near-term right through adult I would say. I think its wonderful how everyone really pulled together to help the two kids,and they all became a family in the end. I took this book camping with me and easily finished it in under 3 days. My 20 year old daughter is going to read it next,and I know she will love it,as well as my 16 year old daughter and probably my mom also. I would give this a 10 out of 10!
July 3, 2014
I received a free copy of this book from the Goodreads First reads program, but I would have gladly paid full price!
I could not put this book down. Maggie Spence has got a way with words to keep you wanting more.
Thanks, Maggie & Goodreads!
I could not put this book down. Maggie Spence has got a way with words to keep you wanting more.
Thanks, Maggie & Goodreads!
August 19, 2014
There was a few spelling and grammar errors, but other than that I really did enjoy this. I look forward to any future storys from Maggie
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