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Lucy in the sky
Lucy Diamond, quatorze ans, file à toute allure vers l’âge adulte. Prise entre l’urgence de vivre et la crainte de devoir abandonner ses manières de garçon manqué, Lucy se cherche et joue avec l’amour. Elle découvre par la même occasion que le mariage de ses parents n’est pas aussi solide qu’enfant, elle l’a cru. Son père, bûcheron, est toujours absent. Sa mère, encore jeune, rêve d’une autre vie. Et Lucy entre eux semble soudain un ciment bien fragile. Armée d’une solide dose de culot, elle s’apprête à sortir pour toujours de l’enfance et à décider qui elle est. Quitte à remettre en question l’équilibre de sa vie et à en faire voir de toutes les couleurs à ceux qui l’aiment.
Dans un Montana balayé par les vents, c’est la peur au ventre et la joie au cœur que Lucy, pleine de vie, se lance à corps perdu dans des aventures inoubliables.
Dans un Montana balayé par les vents, c’est la peur au ventre et la joie au cœur que Lucy, pleine de vie, se lance à corps perdu dans des aventures inoubliables.
386 pages, Hardcover
First published October 17, 2003
17 people are currently reading
703 people want to read
About the author
Pete Fromm
32 books217 followersPete Fromm is a five time winner of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Literary Award for his novels IF NOT FOR THIS, AS COOL AS I AM and HOW ALL THIS STARTED, a story collection, DRY RAIN, and the memoir, INDIAN CREEK CHRONICLES. The film of AS COOL AS I AM, starring Claire Danes, James Marsden, and Sarah Bolger was released in 2013. He is the author of four other short story collections and has published over two hundred stories in magazines. He is on the faculty of Oregon’s Pacific University’s Low-Residency MFA Program, and lives in Montana with his family.
http://www.petefromm.com
http://www.petefromm.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
March 28, 2009
Sad. Surprisingly sad. There was something really aching about all of this. I rarely read female main characters (I would hesitate to call Lucy a protagonist) written by men - they're generally awful. But this book was set in the town that my grandparents live in, the town 30 miles from where I spent my summers and where my parents grew up. And there are painfully few contemporary books set in Montana.
Pete's narrative voice of Lucy makes a lot of sense to me as a girl that grew up lonely and weird in a small town in Montana. I didn't have Lucy's absentee parents (her father physically gone, her mother emotionally), but I did have the Weird Kid thing. It makes me wonder what my choices would have been if I'd had parents who were less involved in my life and if I were more traditionally pretty.
A pretty damn good book. Flawed in places and I was bothered by how a sexual assault in the book was dealt with, but I have to remember that the narrator is an unreliable narrator. She isn't doing What Is Right or being an example, she's just a fucked up kid trying to figure things out.
Grade: B
Pete's narrative voice of Lucy makes a lot of sense to me as a girl that grew up lonely and weird in a small town in Montana. I didn't have Lucy's absentee parents (her father physically gone, her mother emotionally), but I did have the Weird Kid thing. It makes me wonder what my choices would have been if I'd had parents who were less involved in my life and if I were more traditionally pretty.
A pretty damn good book. Flawed in places and I was bothered by how a sexual assault in the book was dealt with, but I have to remember that the narrator is an unreliable narrator. She isn't doing What Is Right or being an example, she's just a fucked up kid trying to figure things out.
Grade: B
October 25, 2020
Quelle belle surprise que ce roman. J'ai adoré ce roman, l'humanité des personnages, bref, je relirai l'auteur.
January 31, 2015
I hate this book. The main character is so shallow. The story is shallow. A whole lot of fucking, complaining, and waiting. I can't believe I read this whole book. At least I had a good excuse; I had the flu.
March 17, 2010
At first, I really liked this book. The narrator, a girl who goes from 14 to 16 throughout the course of the novel, seemed quite realistically drawn - particularly since she was created by, from the base of the author photo, a middle-aged man. I even think that he, for the most part, did a good job drawing out the mother-daughter relationship. And, oddly enough, it is the male characters who hovered at the edge of this novel, never really fully fleshed out. It was the ending that spoiled the book for me. The book was leading somewhere, but certainly not where it ended up in the last twenty or so pages of the book.
Still, the author did an impressive job. The story unfolded well and was certainly riveting. It also did a good job handling the "high school experience." I did enjoy reading it and would most definitely read another book by the author. It will be interesting to see where he goes next.
Still, the author did an impressive job. The story unfolded well and was certainly riveting. It also did a good job handling the "high school experience." I did enjoy reading it and would most definitely read another book by the author. It will be interesting to see where he goes next.
May 10, 2011
This is one of those weird young adult coming of age books that I couldn't put down. Not sure why. Maybe Fromm's writing style, I don't know. But it was good.
April 14, 2010
I really loved this book, and the protagonist, Lucy Diamond. It was hard to believe that the author was a man, so he is to be commended for his insight into the female heart and brain. It is hard to believe that this kid could end up being so level-headed and decent, though, given the dysfunctional home in which she grew up. Still, I know many remarkable people who have thrived despite similarly terrible neglect and deprivation.
The saddest part about Lucy and her mother was that neither of them had any female friends whatsoever (other than each other, and that didn't work too well) !! Hard to imagine how anyone could be anything else but weird if their whole life revolved around men and the mother-daughter relationship. These women desperately needed some girlfriends and some fun!!
The saddest part about Lucy and her mother was that neither of them had any female friends whatsoever (other than each other, and that didn't work too well) !! Hard to imagine how anyone could be anything else but weird if their whole life revolved around men and the mother-daughter relationship. These women desperately needed some girlfriends and some fun!!
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December 22, 2007I got the feeling things weren't going to go well for the protagonist. I put down the book and didn't every pick it up again.
June 15, 2025
Trop déçue par ce roman de Pete Fromm, dont j'adore les livres habituellement... Mais j'ai trouvé celui-là trop bizarre, avec des personnages plus toxiques les uns que les autres.
(je l'ai quand même fini pour connaître la fin)
(je l'ai quand même fini pour connaître la fin)
May 24, 2025
Déçue de ce roman de Pete Fromm. L'éveil de la sexualité de l'héroïne est très spécial, en permanence tournée autours de ses parents, j'ai trouvé que le personnage n'était pas crédible et donc pas attachant.
L'histoire de famille est plus intéressante mais bâclée à la fin.
L'histoire de famille est plus intéressante mais bâclée à la fin.
October 6, 2012
I read the first hundred pages and then read the end and then skipped around in the middle.
As a former Great Falls girl teenager, it's a little odd to read about being a girl teenager in Great Falls as written by a man who did not grow up there. He can throw around local vernacular like "jetter" and "UBT," but this wasn't my experience. (Well, I made out at overlooks and dams, but no one called it the euphemistic "going to the falls" like these strangers.)
What my lack of interest comes down to, though, is that I couldn't relate to the characters, I still don't like Pete Fromm's fiction writing, and I'm just not ever interested in dysfunctional coming-of-age stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I didn't get the edition with the Jeff Ament blurb on the cover, but it is signed by the author. Too bad I didn't keep Fromm's (unfavorable) critique of my 9th grade short story.
As a former Great Falls girl teenager, it's a little odd to read about being a girl teenager in Great Falls as written by a man who did not grow up there. He can throw around local vernacular like "jetter" and "UBT," but this wasn't my experience. (Well, I made out at overlooks and dams, but no one called it the euphemistic "going to the falls" like these strangers.)
What my lack of interest comes down to, though, is that I couldn't relate to the characters, I still don't like Pete Fromm's fiction writing, and I'm just not ever interested in dysfunctional coming-of-age stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I didn't get the edition with the Jeff Ament blurb on the cover, but it is signed by the author. Too bad I didn't keep Fromm's (unfavorable) critique of my 9th grade short story.
September 6, 2009
Many reviews here touch on the incredible female character that Fromm, who is a moustached "Manly man," was able to create in his lead, Lucy. Since I am also a man, I can only guess if his insight to the female mind is as accurate as it seems to be...an amazing feat when I think of trying to write anything in a female voice. The frustrations of teen angst, the disappointment in your role models, and the simultaneously great and awful adolescent years are almost too realistic. I think anyone who dislikes this book has either glossed over those years in their edited memory, is angry with Fromm for reminding them how hard those years were, or is currently a teenager who hates everything anyway. A thought provoking and memorable work.
September 26, 2012
This book started as a fun coming of age story, then quickly morphed into an entirely different book. The cover gives the impression of a carefree young girl, but the story was mostly about our 15-yr-old heroine turning into a nasty, sarcastic slut. Mother and daughter exchange constant barbs that sound like they are from a bad sit-com. The book ended in a whimper. Sorry I spent the time reading it.
November 29, 2016
There we find ourselves in the North of the United States, we follow Lucy 16 missed boy, single girl where she lives alone with her mother with whom she is 16 years old!
His father is only there once a year, he is a woodcutter.
In this book the author shows us the road to adolescence with its obstacles, its disillusions;
The first relationship with his best friend and others then his parents!
This book is a little fresh!
And we are all a bit of Lucy in his teens.
His father is only there once a year, he is a woodcutter.
In this book the author shows us the road to adolescence with its obstacles, its disillusions;
The first relationship with his best friend and others then his parents!
This book is a little fresh!
And we are all a bit of Lucy in his teens.
September 30, 2014
I get iffy about a book about women, written by a man, and praised by male reviewers as totally capturing the female experience. I mean, how would they know? This book was really uneven: pretty decent in parts, but totally random and annoying in other parts. I enjoyed the main character's sexual awakening, which does seem pretty accurate. But the ending makes zero sense.
March 29, 2008
Good book, very entertaining. Only problem is that it suffers from the traditional, male-author-writing-a-female-herione syndrome.
November 17, 2023
𝑷𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎 @𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒆.𝒄𝒐𝒏.𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒛𝒛𝒂
Lucy in the sky with Diamond dei Beatles, è la canzone che fa da colonna sonora a questo libro.
𝘈 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘬𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 (..) 𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 a𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘴
Lucy, una ragazza con gli occhi caleidoscopici, che ha il sole negli occhi....
Che bella questa immagine, me la immagino così la giovane Lucy.
Mi sono affezionata a lei, ve lo dico subito.
La storia di Lucy, Lucy Diamond, è una storia americana di quelle al margine, di quelle che io amo pazzamente.
Ancora una volta mi sono ritrovata a leggere una storia ambientata nel Montana, un luogo letterario che ho a cuore.
Questa volta il Montana non è quello dei cowboy e del far west, ma è ambientato nei nostri giorni in un piccolo paesino di nome Great Falls.
Un luogo dove il clima è molto rigido e dove soffia costantemente il vento di Chinook.
Il clima che si respira è simile a quello che c'è dentro la famiglia di Lucy.
Un padre totalmente assente, che lascia sole moglie e figlia per mesi per andare a fare il taglialegna a centinaia di chilometri, fino in Canada.
Una madre, che dovrebbe accudirla, ma che in realtà è più assente del padre, che non si occupa della figlia, e salta da un letto all'altro.
Lucy in prima persona ci racconta la sua vita incasinata: l'adolescenza e lo tsunami che si porta dietro.
Lucy, quattordicenne alta un metro e settanta, magra come un chiodo e con i capelli biondi rasati a spazzola.
Se li rasa a zero ogni volta che il padre parte e la lascia sola per mesi.
Tagliare i capelli a zero è diventato il loro rituale, per lei è il suo modo di restare bambina, e rifiutare la femminilità.
Ma il suo corpo cambia, diventa una ragazza desiderabile ma ribelle, quasi incontrollabile.
Ogni volta che il padre riparte lascia in casa un vuoto incolmabile.
Per Lucy, la mancanza del padre è un dolore profondo che le penetra dentro e la fa soffrire moltissimo.
Vive aspettando le cartoline del padre.
Vive aspettando una sorpresa, un suo ritorno.
Magari per il suo compleanno, o per il Ringraziamento o per Natale.
È tutta un'attesa, un'infinita attesa.
Ed è anche una sopportazione.
Per la madre. Per i suoi comportamenti.
Per la sua scorrettezza nei confronti del padre.
E Lucy che deve fare?
Come deve gestire a quattordici anni, la sua solitudine, il turbolento periodo dell'adolescenza, e il complicato rapporto con la madre ?
Mette un piede nell'accelleratore e freccia come un fulmine verso l'età adulta.
Senza freni, senza limiti, senza regole con tutti i pericoli a cui si va incontro in questi casi.
In tutto questo caos che è la sua vita, però ci sono Kenny, il suo amico da una vita e Tim, un compagno di scuola.
Kenny, è il suo faro, il suo vicino di casa, il suo punto di riferimento.
Entrambi hanno un padre assente e un complicatissimo rapporto con la madre.
Lucy e Kenny cercano di combattere la solitudine, con la loro complicità, la compagnia e nel frattempo giocano a fare gli adulti.
Ma questa è una garanzia?
Possono contare sempre uno con l'altro?
Il sempre è per sempre?
𝐿𝑢𝑐𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑘𝑦 è il racconto di un turbolento periodo adolescenziale con la solitudine la gelosia e primi approcci con il sesso.
Ma in questo libro ciò che viene piú analizzato è un complicatissimo rapporto madre-figlia/o
Un libro che parla di assenze, di adolescenze e di rapporti genitoriali complessi, disfunzionali, di violenze sessuali, di matrimoni alla deriva e alcolismo.
Sono una mamma che ha un figlio della stessa età di Kenny e Lucy.
Mi sono affezionata a loro.
Perché entrambi condividono le stesse pene.
Ma è Lucy la vera protagonista ed è lei che mi ha fatto una tenerezza incredibile, avrei voluto scavalcare le pagine ed entrare dentro la storia. Sostituirmi alla sua mamma, per poterla abbracciare, prendermi cura di lei e donargli quell'affetto che ha sempre elimosinato e cercato disperatamente.
Non c'è una grande trama in 𝐿𝑢𝑐𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑘𝑦, ma c'è in compenso una grande storia, di quelle che riescono a entrare sottopelle e riescono in qualche modo a farsi sentire e bussare piano piano la porta del tuo cuore.
Perché a Lucy , alla 'Diamond Girl' vi affezionerete, questo ve lo posso promettere 🤞🏼
Una storia intensa, triste ma davvero bellissima.
Lucy in the sky with Diamond dei Beatles, è la canzone che fa da colonna sonora a questo libro.
𝘈 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘬𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 (..) 𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 a𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘴
Lucy, una ragazza con gli occhi caleidoscopici, che ha il sole negli occhi....
Che bella questa immagine, me la immagino così la giovane Lucy.
Mi sono affezionata a lei, ve lo dico subito.
La storia di Lucy, Lucy Diamond, è una storia americana di quelle al margine, di quelle che io amo pazzamente.
Ancora una volta mi sono ritrovata a leggere una storia ambientata nel Montana, un luogo letterario che ho a cuore.
Questa volta il Montana non è quello dei cowboy e del far west, ma è ambientato nei nostri giorni in un piccolo paesino di nome Great Falls.
Un luogo dove il clima è molto rigido e dove soffia costantemente il vento di Chinook.
Il clima che si respira è simile a quello che c'è dentro la famiglia di Lucy.
Un padre totalmente assente, che lascia sole moglie e figlia per mesi per andare a fare il taglialegna a centinaia di chilometri, fino in Canada.
Una madre, che dovrebbe accudirla, ma che in realtà è più assente del padre, che non si occupa della figlia, e salta da un letto all'altro.
Lucy in prima persona ci racconta la sua vita incasinata: l'adolescenza e lo tsunami che si porta dietro.
Lucy, quattordicenne alta un metro e settanta, magra come un chiodo e con i capelli biondi rasati a spazzola.
Se li rasa a zero ogni volta che il padre parte e la lascia sola per mesi.
Tagliare i capelli a zero è diventato il loro rituale, per lei è il suo modo di restare bambina, e rifiutare la femminilità.
Ma il suo corpo cambia, diventa una ragazza desiderabile ma ribelle, quasi incontrollabile.
Ogni volta che il padre riparte lascia in casa un vuoto incolmabile.
Per Lucy, la mancanza del padre è un dolore profondo che le penetra dentro e la fa soffrire moltissimo.
Vive aspettando le cartoline del padre.
Vive aspettando una sorpresa, un suo ritorno.
Magari per il suo compleanno, o per il Ringraziamento o per Natale.
È tutta un'attesa, un'infinita attesa.
Ed è anche una sopportazione.
Per la madre. Per i suoi comportamenti.
Per la sua scorrettezza nei confronti del padre.
E Lucy che deve fare?
Come deve gestire a quattordici anni, la sua solitudine, il turbolento periodo dell'adolescenza, e il complicato rapporto con la madre ?
Mette un piede nell'accelleratore e freccia come un fulmine verso l'età adulta.
Senza freni, senza limiti, senza regole con tutti i pericoli a cui si va incontro in questi casi.
In tutto questo caos che è la sua vita, però ci sono Kenny, il suo amico da una vita e Tim, un compagno di scuola.
Kenny, è il suo faro, il suo vicino di casa, il suo punto di riferimento.
Entrambi hanno un padre assente e un complicatissimo rapporto con la madre.
Lucy e Kenny cercano di combattere la solitudine, con la loro complicità, la compagnia e nel frattempo giocano a fare gli adulti.
Ma questa è una garanzia?
Possono contare sempre uno con l'altro?
Il sempre è per sempre?
𝐿𝑢𝑐𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑘𝑦 è il racconto di un turbolento periodo adolescenziale con la solitudine la gelosia e primi approcci con il sesso.
Ma in questo libro ciò che viene piú analizzato è un complicatissimo rapporto madre-figlia/o
Un libro che parla di assenze, di adolescenze e di rapporti genitoriali complessi, disfunzionali, di violenze sessuali, di matrimoni alla deriva e alcolismo.
Sono una mamma che ha un figlio della stessa età di Kenny e Lucy.
Mi sono affezionata a loro.
Perché entrambi condividono le stesse pene.
Ma è Lucy la vera protagonista ed è lei che mi ha fatto una tenerezza incredibile, avrei voluto scavalcare le pagine ed entrare dentro la storia. Sostituirmi alla sua mamma, per poterla abbracciare, prendermi cura di lei e donargli quell'affetto che ha sempre elimosinato e cercato disperatamente.
Non c'è una grande trama in 𝐿𝑢𝑐𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑘𝑦, ma c'è in compenso una grande storia, di quelle che riescono a entrare sottopelle e riescono in qualche modo a farsi sentire e bussare piano piano la porta del tuo cuore.
Perché a Lucy , alla 'Diamond Girl' vi affezionerete, questo ve lo posso promettere 🤞🏼
Una storia intensa, triste ma davvero bellissima.
December 12, 2024
First, before I review this absolute work of art, I have to rant about the HORRID MOVIE adaptation that apparently was released in 2013?! Please, if you've seen that stupid movie COMPLETELY remove it from your mind and read this book! What a pile of absolute steaming garbage! It did not at all capture the essence of this beautiful coming-of-age novel. I wish the author would see this review because whoever made your book into that absolute bullshit nothingburger of a film should be sued! They captured a whopping load of zero nuance, left out huge key elements of Lucy's story that helps us fully become immersed in her mind and how she copes with coming into womanhood, navigating relationships, bullying and traumatic situations that she could or could not have avoided.
Lucy is painfully self aware and hyper aware of her surroundings for a 14-16 year old, unbeknownst to the adults in her life. And that does not come through AT ALL in the movie. What a crime. Also, Lainee's character arc? Completely non-existent, especially once reading this book as an adult and really feeling those emotions Lainee would express and display. Things that children could NEVER begin to grasp. The feeling of immense captivity, being prisoner to your choices and loneliness. What a riveting story.
I was recently reminiscing with my partner about books we read in our adolescence that really shaped us. I listed a few, but then, a lightning bolt hit me and I remembered the book I've read probably 5 times cover to cover -- As Cool As I Am by Pete Fromm -- not something I do with 99% of books I've picked up in my lifetime.
As a developing young woman growing up in Kalispell, Montana, finding this book at my local library felt like a beacon of light being shone directly on my life. Lucy, our main character, has a tumultuous upbringing. This story is filled with parents still figuring themselves out, our main character being a latchkey kid and themes of not knowing how to cope with how every choice you've made in life has ultimately panned out. Overall, this left me just feeling like I was absolutely SEEN within the pages of this novel and I have always wanted to scream my appreciation for this book.
This is a book I would recommend to anyone growing up in a rural state with very small town vibes. I also recommend this to just about anyone fighting to survive the breakthrough from childhood to teenage angst. I have actually recommended this book to my own mother recently, having now read this book from the eyes of an adult. I'm 27 years old now, and I was roughly 12 years old to 14 years old while this book was in constant rotation in my reading material.
Having now read this tale from the viewpoint of being able to sympathize with Lainee, our main character Lucy's mother - I have fallen even more in love with this book. While this story contains some heavy topics, it broaches them in a real and raw way. It doesn't shy away from not having the perfect response to a traumatic event, because that is more often than not, reality. We often read books to have the perfect happy ending, but this is not that kind of story. The ending of the novel is just what is it. The ending chapter of Lucy's childhood, gone forever. But also the beginning of another story, one that she will be able to have full autonomy in building. And maybe the beginning of something anew for her mother? There's a lot of questions you might be left with at the end of the book, and that is more than intentional. Because that's exactly how life is. You will not always get closure, you will not always know what's around the corner. The best we can all do is live each day to the fullest and be as true to ourselves as we can possibly be, or suffer the consequences.
I give this book the elusive 6 star review. A novel everyone should read, especially if you resonate with anything I've said within this review. I'm sure there's more that I'm missing, as I could truly sing praises for this story for hours and hours to come.
Pete, if you see this, I'll be rocking my Griz gear in solidarity for Tim. Why'd you do him like that?! Poor guy did not deserve what Lucy put him through, even if she couldn't necessarily help some of those outcomes. Please, take a bow good sir. This was a masterpiece from a once-upon-a-time lonely, lost Montana girl.
Lucy is painfully self aware and hyper aware of her surroundings for a 14-16 year old, unbeknownst to the adults in her life. And that does not come through AT ALL in the movie. What a crime. Also, Lainee's character arc? Completely non-existent, especially once reading this book as an adult and really feeling those emotions Lainee would express and display. Things that children could NEVER begin to grasp. The feeling of immense captivity, being prisoner to your choices and loneliness. What a riveting story.
I was recently reminiscing with my partner about books we read in our adolescence that really shaped us. I listed a few, but then, a lightning bolt hit me and I remembered the book I've read probably 5 times cover to cover -- As Cool As I Am by Pete Fromm -- not something I do with 99% of books I've picked up in my lifetime.
As a developing young woman growing up in Kalispell, Montana, finding this book at my local library felt like a beacon of light being shone directly on my life. Lucy, our main character, has a tumultuous upbringing. This story is filled with parents still figuring themselves out, our main character being a latchkey kid and themes of not knowing how to cope with how every choice you've made in life has ultimately panned out. Overall, this left me just feeling like I was absolutely SEEN within the pages of this novel and I have always wanted to scream my appreciation for this book.
This is a book I would recommend to anyone growing up in a rural state with very small town vibes. I also recommend this to just about anyone fighting to survive the breakthrough from childhood to teenage angst. I have actually recommended this book to my own mother recently, having now read this book from the eyes of an adult. I'm 27 years old now, and I was roughly 12 years old to 14 years old while this book was in constant rotation in my reading material.
Having now read this tale from the viewpoint of being able to sympathize with Lainee, our main character Lucy's mother - I have fallen even more in love with this book. While this story contains some heavy topics, it broaches them in a real and raw way. It doesn't shy away from not having the perfect response to a traumatic event, because that is more often than not, reality. We often read books to have the perfect happy ending, but this is not that kind of story. The ending of the novel is just what is it. The ending chapter of Lucy's childhood, gone forever. But also the beginning of another story, one that she will be able to have full autonomy in building. And maybe the beginning of something anew for her mother? There's a lot of questions you might be left with at the end of the book, and that is more than intentional. Because that's exactly how life is. You will not always get closure, you will not always know what's around the corner. The best we can all do is live each day to the fullest and be as true to ourselves as we can possibly be, or suffer the consequences.
I give this book the elusive 6 star review. A novel everyone should read, especially if you resonate with anything I've said within this review. I'm sure there's more that I'm missing, as I could truly sing praises for this story for hours and hours to come.
Pete, if you see this, I'll be rocking my Griz gear in solidarity for Tim. Why'd you do him like that?! Poor guy did not deserve what Lucy put him through, even if she couldn't necessarily help some of those outcomes. Please, take a bow good sir. This was a masterpiece from a once-upon-a-time lonely, lost Montana girl.
March 2, 2018
C'était une lecture un peu... dérangeante.
On suit la vie tumultueuse de Lucy, une jeune adolescente de 14 ans qui est très têtue et qui n'a pas sa langue dans sa poche. Sa situation familiale est un peu étrange, son père part travailler très loin de la maison elle ne le voit donc que 2 à 3 fois par an et sa mère, pour combler le manque de son mari, s'est trouvée un travail qui lui prend énormément de temps (plusieurs fois elle ne rentre pas le soir et Lucy se retrouve toute seule dans la grande maison). Et il semblerait que sa mère couche un peu à droit et à gauche, toujours avec un homme différent.
Lucy a donc grandit dans un climat familial troublé et elle s'est construite une sorte de carapace qui fait qu'elle n'hésite pas à dire la vérité, à être très froide avec tout le monde mais on aussi l'impression qu'elle arrive à "fermer" ses émotions même lorsqu'elle fait des choses affreuses.
Je ne sais pas si je dois recommander cette lecture car elle est quand même perturbant mais elle a le mérite de tout en avant, elle ne cache rien (que ce soit les premières fois, les disputes, les engueulades et les difficultés de la situation des femmes avec sa mère qui doit s'imposer face à un mari très jaloux et Lucy qui voit son corps changer mais aussi les regards des garçons sur elle). Ainsi, c'est un roman qui n'a pas vraiment de suspens : on suit juste l'adolescence de Lucy mais je n'ai pas réussi à m'attacher à son personnage. Oui, elle fait face à une situation très difficile surtout à son âge et ni son père ni sa mère ne l'aide, ils la laissent toujours tomber. Mais il n'empêche que je n'étais pas d'accord avec beaucoup de ces choix et que plusieurs fois je me suis dis qu'elle aurait bien besoin d'une petite engueulade pour lui expliquer que la vie c'est pas simple mais qu'il faut savoir se battre pour ce que l'on veut.
On suit la vie tumultueuse de Lucy, une jeune adolescente de 14 ans qui est très têtue et qui n'a pas sa langue dans sa poche. Sa situation familiale est un peu étrange, son père part travailler très loin de la maison elle ne le voit donc que 2 à 3 fois par an et sa mère, pour combler le manque de son mari, s'est trouvée un travail qui lui prend énormément de temps (plusieurs fois elle ne rentre pas le soir et Lucy se retrouve toute seule dans la grande maison). Et il semblerait que sa mère couche un peu à droit et à gauche, toujours avec un homme différent.
Lucy a donc grandit dans un climat familial troublé et elle s'est construite une sorte de carapace qui fait qu'elle n'hésite pas à dire la vérité, à être très froide avec tout le monde mais on aussi l'impression qu'elle arrive à "fermer" ses émotions même lorsqu'elle fait des choses affreuses.
Je ne sais pas si je dois recommander cette lecture car elle est quand même perturbant mais elle a le mérite de tout en avant, elle ne cache rien (que ce soit les premières fois, les disputes, les engueulades et les difficultés de la situation des femmes avec sa mère qui doit s'imposer face à un mari très jaloux et Lucy qui voit son corps changer mais aussi les regards des garçons sur elle). Ainsi, c'est un roman qui n'a pas vraiment de suspens : on suit juste l'adolescence de Lucy mais je n'ai pas réussi à m'attacher à son personnage. Oui, elle fait face à une situation très difficile surtout à son âge et ni son père ni sa mère ne l'aide, ils la laissent toujours tomber. Mais il n'empêche que je n'étais pas d'accord avec beaucoup de ces choix et que plusieurs fois je me suis dis qu'elle aurait bien besoin d'une petite engueulade pour lui expliquer que la vie c'est pas simple mais qu'il faut savoir se battre pour ce que l'on veut.
July 27, 2017
A solid 3.5 stars from me. Better than most coming-of-age YA books that I've read.
There's a lot of lingo, stuff like "see ya, see ya, wouldn't wanna be ya" but more obscure. It was nice to read until it got way too frequent. It's almost the equivalent of a person saying "um" thirty times. The language isn't the biggest problem.
Lucy Diamond is supposed to be everything her mother is not. She's supposed to be honest, smart, empathetic, etc. The further the book continues, you realize that Lucy is turning into a different person (or maybe that's just who she was all along). I don't know, I just started respecting her less.
Another problem in the novel is the excessive arguing between Lucy's mom and her. If I was asked to differentiate between different fights, I honestly couldn't do it. They're all the same, practically (the basis of it for sure). Fromm also has the two fighting about the same subject multiple times.
The good things are that I do like the characters (teenagers and this one old lady). The plot is interesting, enough, it dulls down a little at the end in my opinion. The ending was unexpected (except, I saw the movie before reading the book, but still...). If you've seen the movie, I'd like to say that the first chunk of the novel (give or take 50 pages) is much better than the movie, the end is clearly more detailed but I liked better in the movie (it made more sense in the movie, in my p.o.v.).
Even though my review seems to be more negative than positive, I highly recommend the book because I really did enjoy it (I just have ridiculously high standards sometimes).
There's a lot of lingo, stuff like "see ya, see ya, wouldn't wanna be ya" but more obscure. It was nice to read until it got way too frequent. It's almost the equivalent of a person saying "um" thirty times. The language isn't the biggest problem.
Lucy Diamond is supposed to be everything her mother is not. She's supposed to be honest, smart, empathetic, etc. The further the book continues, you realize that Lucy is turning into a different person (or maybe that's just who she was all along). I don't know, I just started respecting her less.
Another problem in the novel is the excessive arguing between Lucy's mom and her. If I was asked to differentiate between different fights, I honestly couldn't do it. They're all the same, practically (the basis of it for sure). Fromm also has the two fighting about the same subject multiple times.
The good things are that I do like the characters (teenagers and this one old lady). The plot is interesting, enough, it dulls down a little at the end in my opinion. The ending was unexpected (except, I saw the movie before reading the book, but still...). If you've seen the movie, I'd like to say that the first chunk of the novel (give or take 50 pages) is much better than the movie, the end is clearly more detailed but I liked better in the movie (it made more sense in the movie, in my p.o.v.).
Even though my review seems to be more negative than positive, I highly recommend the book because I really did enjoy it (I just have ridiculously high standards sometimes).
April 15, 2020
OK change of review here, I apologise for being snippy. Who am I to complain at some of the novel, when the writing is so good? Here I am, moaning about some aspects of a really quality novel, then I went on to read The Flatshare and The Kiss Quotient... Man alive.
I loved and loathed reading this. I thought the writing itself was fantastic and was drawn along by it, even when squirming at some of it all. Some of the dialogue was just too endlessly clever for real life. I could live with one family having a real line in one-liners and mixed-up cliches but the whole town seemed to be pretty good at it. Lots of good things. Lots of not so good. I found the ending really disappointing. But I love the writer - I saw him on the Grande Librairie so have been working through his books but about 20 years too late.
I loved and loathed reading this. I thought the writing itself was fantastic and was drawn along by it, even when squirming at some of it all. Some of the dialogue was just too endlessly clever for real life. I could live with one family having a real line in one-liners and mixed-up cliches but the whole town seemed to be pretty good at it. Lots of good things. Lots of not so good. I found the ending really disappointing. But I love the writer - I saw him on the Grande Librairie so have been working through his books but about 20 years too late.
March 23, 2019
Lucy in the sky n'est pas le roman que vous imaginez. Lucy n'est pas l'héroïne que vous imaginez. Une fois que vous aurez commencé le livre, vous vous tromperez sur elle, mais aussi sur son père et aussi sur sa mère, pour le meilleur et pour le pire. Lucy in the sky ne parlera pas de ce que vous pensez dans les premiers chapitres. Lucy in the sky ne sera pas toujours parfaitement rythmé mais toujours juste, souvent drôle et tout le temps un peu triste. Cette histoire de femmes trop dépendantes du regard des hommes et de cette fille qui se débat pour se défaire de ce regard avec plus ou moins de succès sonne fort. Surtout vous vous direz que ce sera une lecture plaisante que vous oublierez aussitôt et en fait non, car Lucy, je vous l'ai déjà dit, n'est pas l'héroïne que vous imaginez, et Pete Fromm pas totalement l'auteur que je pensais non plus. Pour en savoir plus c'est dans le prochain podcast des bibliomaniacs (avril 2019)
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February 27, 2024Lucy est une adolescente am�ricaine qui d�couvre "la vie" : les relations humaines, amicales, amoureuses et sexuelles et les probl�mes que tout cela engendre sur la dur�e...Malgr� l'�criture agr�able et la virtuosit� de l'auteur � se mettre dans la peau d'une adolescente, je n'ai pas "accroch�"... J'ai trouv� le d�marrage un peu lent et long (seulement une apr�s-midi en 15 pages, quelques jours en 60 pages...) pour poser les personnages. Je n'ai pas r�ussi � m'attacher au personnage principal de ce carnet d'adolescence. Les nombreux dialogues sont tr�s bien men�s, les redites et redondances sont totalement r�alistes et justifi�es, la trame narrative est impeccable. Bref, je n'ai pas de reproche constructif � faire � ce roman...Je relirai certainement un livre de Pete Fromm, mais je choisirai un th�me compl�tement diff�rent, plus proche de mes centres d'int�r�t.
July 24, 2025
Les romans sur l’adolescence ne m’attirent pas, ce n’est pas un thème qui me touche particulièrement mais je dois reconnaître que je suis extrêmement surprise par celui-ci qui est écrit du point de vue d’une ado de 14 ans alors que l’auteur au moment où le roman a été publié en avait 45 et c’est un homme … !
J’ai étais agréablement surprise par la justesse avec laquelle il y décrit les grands moments de l’adolescence, les bouleversements, les premiers amours, les incompréhensions entre parents et enfant …
Un roman qui se lit très vite malgré le nombre de pages car il contient beaucoup de dialogues, une construction simple et linéaire avec des touches d’humour et un personnage au caractère bien trempé. Pas le roman qui marquera mon année mais un bon moment de lecture.
Je lirai très bientôt La vie en chantier qui aborde des thèmes qui m’intéressent davantage :)
J’ai étais agréablement surprise par la justesse avec laquelle il y décrit les grands moments de l’adolescence, les bouleversements, les premiers amours, les incompréhensions entre parents et enfant …
Un roman qui se lit très vite malgré le nombre de pages car il contient beaucoup de dialogues, une construction simple et linéaire avec des touches d’humour et un personnage au caractère bien trempé. Pas le roman qui marquera mon année mais un bon moment de lecture.
Je lirai très bientôt La vie en chantier qui aborde des thèmes qui m’intéressent davantage :)
September 24, 2017
This is an interesting book and hard to review. Fromm does such a great job writing the characters and their stories that I couldn't finish the book. The main character has an amazingly dysfunctional family and lives in a world where reality for her peers is incredibly harsh due to poverty, lack of education, alcoholism, etc. I couldn't make myself voluntarily step into that world long enough to finish the book. And it is so well written, that it felt like stepping into that world. It is a heart wrenching portrayal of the resilience of a young teen and her very troubled relationship with her mother ... I skipped to the end and it seemed to be more of the same... and my library loan ran out, so I returned it. I may revisit at a later date.
October 17, 2019
Un roman incroyable sur l'adolescence. A croire que ce n'est pas un adulte qui l'a écrit mais bien une adolescente de 15 ans.
On s'attache énormément à cette fameuse Lucy Diamond, différente, torturée, avec des parents qui ne lui facilitent pas la vie, c'est le moins que l'on puisse dire !
Tous les thèmes de l'adolescence sont abordés ici : comment se faire accepter, comment un choix fait sur un coup de tête peut bouleverser une vie et comment les hormones prennent le dessus !!
Très belle écriture.
On s'attache énormément à cette fameuse Lucy Diamond, différente, torturée, avec des parents qui ne lui facilitent pas la vie, c'est le moins que l'on puisse dire !
Tous les thèmes de l'adolescence sont abordés ici : comment se faire accepter, comment un choix fait sur un coup de tête peut bouleverser une vie et comment les hormones prennent le dessus !!
Très belle écriture.
November 28, 2019
Le premier tiers est enthousiasmant et se lit d'une traite.
Ensuite ça se corse, les personnages féminins, dans leur tentative d'affranchissement des codes paternalistes et machistes finissent par se perdre dans des comportements souvent excessifs, parfois erratiques, au détriment d'elles mêmes et des autres.
Et la fin...WTF?
En tant que femme je n'ai pas du tout été touchée par l'évolution libératrice (??) de cette adolescente et sa mère. La psychologie féminine n'est pas le fort de l'auteur à mon avis...
Ensuite ça se corse, les personnages féminins, dans leur tentative d'affranchissement des codes paternalistes et machistes finissent par se perdre dans des comportements souvent excessifs, parfois erratiques, au détriment d'elles mêmes et des autres.
Et la fin...WTF?
En tant que femme je n'ai pas du tout été touchée par l'évolution libératrice (??) de cette adolescente et sa mère. La psychologie féminine n'est pas le fort de l'auteur à mon avis...
March 27, 2022
L'histoire de Lucy est prenante, distrayante, elle est même attachante et touchante et pourtant bon nombre de fois, on aurait envie de lui mettre une paire de claque... comme à toute ado de 15 ans un peu rebelle, entre un père quasiment toujours absent et une mère instable et frivole.
On grandit avec Lucy, on (re)découvre les garçons avec elle et on s'attache à eux en même temps qu'elle.
C'était un roman très sympa à lire, bien écrit qui me fait dire que je lirais sans doute d'autres ouvrages de cet auteur
On grandit avec Lucy, on (re)découvre les garçons avec elle et on s'attache à eux en même temps qu'elle.
C'était un roman très sympa à lire, bien écrit qui me fait dire que je lirais sans doute d'autres ouvrages de cet auteur
February 18, 2024
I was totally surprised by the story of an adolescent girl written by a man. It captures true to life feelings some teens have after being raised by parents who don't know how to raise a child. We are all wounded some more than others. I was sad for this teen and the ending did not really a happy ending. I know the author and I grew up in Great Falls so it was a totally familiar but I can't imagine having parents or being a parent who are so self centered. We all have wounds but Lucy's wounds are indescribable.
April 30, 2023
Un joli personnage principal et un auteur dont le style ne m'a pas déplu.
Je ne m'attendais pas à un livre si triste et je dois dire que cela m'a déstabilisé au point de rendre la lecture un peu pénible par moment : Ce n'était pas le bon moment pour rencontrer Lucy et peut-être que je m'aventurerais de nouveau dans ces pages un jour... Au moins maintenant je sais dans quel "mood" je dois être pour appréhender ce récit.
Je ne m'attendais pas à un livre si triste et je dois dire que cela m'a déstabilisé au point de rendre la lecture un peu pénible par moment : Ce n'était pas le bon moment pour rencontrer Lucy et peut-être que je m'aventurerais de nouveau dans ces pages un jour... Au moins maintenant je sais dans quel "mood" je dois être pour appréhender ce récit.
January 30, 2024
This was a richly woven story about how teenage years can be both aimless and treacherous at the same time. I like books that push their characters to the absolute limit and have me asking myself, "What would I do if I were in this impossible situation?" These are flawed characters who are magnetic and motivated by human desires. I was fascinated by the writing, which is humorous and taut. Definitely recommend this one.
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