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Rose by Any Other Name
Rose wants to be alone on her surfboard, but instead she's on a road trip of discovery with her mother, in this novel for young adults.
342 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2006
10 people are currently reading
600 people want to read
About the author
Maureen McCarthy
33 books104 followersMaureen McCarthy, the ninth of ten children, was born in 1953 in country Victoria. She has worked as a teacher in Victorian secondary schools and has written scripts for television and educational films. Her film credits include 'Skipping Class', he award-winning documentary, 'Eating Your Heart Out', and the SBS mini-series, 'In Between', which was later adapted inot four novels by Maureen. Her latest works includes the novels Ganglands and Cross My Heart, which was published in 1993 and short-listed for the NSW Premier's Prize in that year. An Australian author and scriptwriter, her novels concern the lives of emerging adults, from ages sixteen to early twenties. McCarthy has three sons and lives in Melbourne.
Maureen dedicated her story in the collection 'Family: A Collection of Short Stories' to the memory of her much-loved nephew, Justin Haire, who died tragically in October 1993, aged 21 years.
Maureen dedicated her story in the collection 'Family: A Collection of Short Stories' to the memory of her much-loved nephew, Justin Haire, who died tragically in October 1993, aged 21 years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
October 15, 2012
This is a 3.5 to 4 star. Aussie YA fiction about a nineteen your old girl named Rose who has had a shit year,has just cut off all her hair and is now embarking on a road trip with her mother to see her dying grandmother one last time. I was down with most of Rose's reactions except the cutting off of the the hair, NEVER THE HAIR.
What if your neck is actually really fat?
Have you considered head shape?
Your ears could stick out!
What if it grows back funny?
I am not picking on Brit Brit,I love Britney! But if pic's of Brits busted ass weave will stop a few young girls from reaching for the scissors then we all must re-live the horror. Mustn't we?
Michelle Williams and Emma Watson showed a courage I will never muster with their pixie cuts. Judging by the family's reaction Rose is not pulling this look off with the grace and beauty that Williams and Watson have. But other then that Rose's family come off as supportive, loving and funny as well as a wee bit high strung. But good for laughs.
Maureen McCarthy did a great job with back and forth between present and the past afore mentioned shit year, all the events that lead up to whatever awful event that has ruined Rose's relationship with best friend Zoe.All the characters are so well done and realistic, there are no dumb dumb's here, no Mary-Sues either, very real characters dealing with real life stuff that sucks but is not a downer, theres a bit of sad, but not a depressing book by any means.
Quick read, bit of surfing, a boy, family drama and learning to be comfortable in your own skin.
What if your neck is actually really fat?
Have you considered head shape?
Your ears could stick out!
What if it grows back funny?
I am not picking on Brit Brit,I love Britney! But if pic's of Brits busted ass weave will stop a few young girls from reaching for the scissors then we all must re-live the horror. Mustn't we?
Michelle Williams and Emma Watson showed a courage I will never muster with their pixie cuts. Judging by the family's reaction Rose is not pulling this look off with the grace and beauty that Williams and Watson have. But other then that Rose's family come off as supportive, loving and funny as well as a wee bit high strung. But good for laughs.
Maureen McCarthy did a great job with back and forth between present and the past afore mentioned shit year, all the events that lead up to whatever awful event that has ruined Rose's relationship with best friend Zoe.All the characters are so well done and realistic, there are no dumb dumb's here, no Mary-Sues either, very real characters dealing with real life stuff that sucks but is not a downer, theres a bit of sad, but not a depressing book by any means.
Quick read, bit of surfing, a boy, family drama and learning to be comfortable in your own skin.
September 30, 2013
Another excellent Australian author, another excellent voice. I want whatever it is those Aussies are drinking.
July 6, 2015
This book has me in two minds, if i liked it or not. Mostly this comes down to the character Rose rather than the writing itself.
The writing was great, the way the story was laid out giving us the journey Rose was physically taking along with the internal journey where we got shown parts of what happened the summer before & as to the reason Rose is the way she is.
The only thing is I didn't like Rose, she was a self centred, rude, selfish, narcissist bitch. She had little to no empathy towards her family & friends and when she did her mental discussions would lead her to change her mind!
I loved the descriptions of travelling from North Melbourne through to Port Fairy on the Victorian Coastline. I have done this trip with my boyfriend to visit a friend who lives in Port Fairy, we camped in a small town, Killarney, on the local footy/sports oval on the beach.
We enjoyed the sunsets, sunrises, the stars & the ocean. The descriptions in the book took me right back to our camping trip!
This was a good read to pass the time.
I didn't get any of those major feelings while reading - so it missed the emotional mark.
I just enjoyed going along for the ride!
The writing was great, the way the story was laid out giving us the journey Rose was physically taking along with the internal journey where we got shown parts of what happened the summer before & as to the reason Rose is the way she is.
The only thing is I didn't like Rose, she was a self centred, rude, selfish, narcissist bitch. She had little to no empathy towards her family & friends and when she did her mental discussions would lead her to change her mind!
I loved the descriptions of travelling from North Melbourne through to Port Fairy on the Victorian Coastline. I have done this trip with my boyfriend to visit a friend who lives in Port Fairy, we camped in a small town, Killarney, on the local footy/sports oval on the beach.
We enjoyed the sunsets, sunrises, the stars & the ocean. The descriptions in the book took me right back to our camping trip!
This was a good read to pass the time.
I didn't get any of those major feelings while reading - so it missed the emotional mark.
I just enjoyed going along for the ride!
September 13, 2021
I'm considering this book from two viewpoints - what does it offer for young-adult readers and what did it offer me. For young readers it gives an extremely realistic picture of the havoc wrought by parents divorcing and a sympathetic portrayal of a clever, talented teenager making many bad decisions and struggling to cope with the consequences. As an adult it gave me some insight into the thoughts and emotions of a teenager. However, McCarthy let us all down with most of the rest of her characters who were caricatures (Rose's sisters) or undeveloped (Zoe) or unnecessary (the hitchhiker). I was disappointed in this well-regarded author and will not follow her up.
February 9, 2013
The cover of this book shouted two things at me: ROAD TRIP! and SURFING! (Quietly, of course, because we were in a library at the time.) Two things I am a big fan of in books. And Allen & Unwin, the Australian publisher, put out a lot of good stuff, including some really good young adult novels I've read in the last year. I was sold.
About ten pages in, I wondered if I'd made a mistake in picking this up, and this is why: Rose. Rose is perhaps the most aggravating, frustrating, bad-attitude-laden main character I've come across in a long time. Prickly and antagonistic, she's planned this whole road trip to Port Fairy to visit her dying gran, but at the last minute her mum has decided to join her, so Rose is a complete uber-bitch pretty much the whole way there - which is most of the book.
There are two lines that really stuck out for me, and might help sum up what pissed me off so much about Rose.
"Can't you just love the band without wanting to be the band? I wanted to scream at her." - This is aimed at her best friend Zoe, in one of the flashbacks to the past summer. Rose has a total boner about 'proper' music and being authentic and cool, and when Zoe gets excited about some band they go and see she's entirely mean to her for no reason.
"I'm only eighteen but I've already found what everyone else spends their lives searching for." - HOLY MACKEREL, BATMAN. Seriously. Besides which, the person she's talking about here is really not appropriate.
At the same time, though, I think McCarthy has really nailed Rose as a character. She irritated me, but she was also believable. As the book goes on, it becomes clear that all this hard-as-nails, screw-the-world stuff is just a cover up for a lot of crappy things that she's had to deal with, and by the end when she starts opening up a little bit, and starts to work things out with her mum and dad, it's quite a relief. There is a boy, but the focus here is really on Rose and her family, which I think is always interesting to see in YA novels. {Minor spoiler] I believed in Rose as a 'divorced kid', and a lot of her reactions and emotions seemed spot-on, but I was disappointed to see the all-too-common let's-all-be-a-bitch-about-the-stepmother and let's-not-talk-to-dad-for-months threads - again, while it was believable that Rose would react that way, I'd like to see a bit more variety when it comes to dealing with divorce.
The other storyline, focusing on one particular thing that Rose did the previous summer, seemed a lot less believable and just a bit weird.
Despite wanting to scream at Rose quite frequently, I enjoyed this book - a solid contemporary novel about family and life and figuring out what makes you happy.
Overall rating: 6/10
Originally posted here: http://bibliotekit.blogspot.co.uk/201...
About ten pages in, I wondered if I'd made a mistake in picking this up, and this is why: Rose. Rose is perhaps the most aggravating, frustrating, bad-attitude-laden main character I've come across in a long time. Prickly and antagonistic, she's planned this whole road trip to Port Fairy to visit her dying gran, but at the last minute her mum has decided to join her, so Rose is a complete uber-bitch pretty much the whole way there - which is most of the book.
There are two lines that really stuck out for me, and might help sum up what pissed me off so much about Rose.
"Can't you just love the band without wanting to be the band? I wanted to scream at her." - This is aimed at her best friend Zoe, in one of the flashbacks to the past summer. Rose has a total boner about 'proper' music and being authentic and cool, and when Zoe gets excited about some band they go and see she's entirely mean to her for no reason.
"I'm only eighteen but I've already found what everyone else spends their lives searching for." - HOLY MACKEREL, BATMAN. Seriously. Besides which, the person she's talking about here is really not appropriate.
At the same time, though, I think McCarthy has really nailed Rose as a character. She irritated me, but she was also believable. As the book goes on, it becomes clear that all this hard-as-nails, screw-the-world stuff is just a cover up for a lot of crappy things that she's had to deal with, and by the end when she starts opening up a little bit, and starts to work things out with her mum and dad, it's quite a relief. There is a boy, but the focus here is really on Rose and her family, which I think is always interesting to see in YA novels. {Minor spoiler] I believed in Rose as a 'divorced kid', and a lot of her reactions and emotions seemed spot-on, but I was disappointed to see the all-too-common let's-all-be-a-bitch-about-the-stepmother and let's-not-talk-to-dad-for-months threads - again, while it was believable that Rose would react that way, I'd like to see a bit more variety when it comes to dealing with divorce.
The other storyline, focusing on one particular thing that Rose did the previous summer, seemed a lot less believable and just a bit weird.
Despite wanting to scream at Rose quite frequently, I enjoyed this book - a solid contemporary novel about family and life and figuring out what makes you happy.
Overall rating: 6/10
Originally posted here: http://bibliotekit.blogspot.co.uk/201...
December 14, 2008
I wasn’t sure hundred percent sure whether I would like this book to start with but after I read the first page I loved it. I loved the may Maureen slowly gave us about the protagonist and the circumstances she had been through and was under.
It drags you into the characters way of thinking gently, while giving you just enough information you need to love it without giving out to much. I thought the Protagonist named Rose was a very good character that grows on you with every word you read of this book.
It was absolutely thrilling storyline. The storyline shows the true struggles and resolutions of her family and its ways of understanding. It resembles some of the many good and bad experiences many have as a teenager and adult.
It’s a book for all teenage girls and women.
It drags you into the characters way of thinking gently, while giving you just enough information you need to love it without giving out to much. I thought the Protagonist named Rose was a very good character that grows on you with every word you read of this book.
It was absolutely thrilling storyline. The storyline shows the true struggles and resolutions of her family and its ways of understanding. It resembles some of the many good and bad experiences many have as a teenager and adult.
It’s a book for all teenage girls and women.
April 6, 2009
I really enjoyed reading this book - being written by Maureen McCarthy, one of my very favourite authors, it was always going to be enjoyable. I love reading about lives and events that change characters feelings outlook and themselves, the events being not too dramatic - just everyday events, and McCarthy is an expert at showing us through her characters that we are constantly evolving with everything and everyone we connect with in our ordinary lives.
March 19, 2025
Daddy issues
May 30, 2025
I do love an Aussie drama, especially an older one, and Maureen McCarthy really is up there with the greats! She writes with such casual ease, and hits all the right notes with her character developments and settings. The storyline in this particular book wasn’t my favourite, with Rose being your typical angsty young adult with loads of big feelings & dramatic speeches. But aside from her, I did get pulled in & quite enjoyed the rollercoaster this book went on; mostly exploring themes of grief & loss.
July 15, 2020
Really lovely story, Maureen does her usual magic with plot and personal growth on a gorgeous Victorian landscape.
Interesting dynamic in the love story, especially with Rose's father abandoning the family. I would have liked to have seen this developed a little more.
The characters were a bit unlikeable but they grew on me. I was annoyed by the toxic friendship, I wasn't really invested in Zoe at all. A strong and satisfying ending.
Interesting dynamic in the love story, especially with Rose's father abandoning the family. I would have liked to have seen this developed a little more.
The characters were a bit unlikeable but they grew on me. I was annoyed by the toxic friendship, I wasn't really invested in Zoe at all. A strong and satisfying ending.
January 1, 2022
I loved this book as a kid. But re-reading it it didn’t live up to the expectations that i had as a child. I definitely read this before I should of as a kid but being the age of Rose and looking at her actions i really didnt connect with her the way i thought i would and did but i still love this book she will hold a place in my hard but just didnt meet the hype i had in my head.
May 18, 2021
A disappointing read. The blurb read "road trip", but it was just a 2 day drive from Melbourne to Port Fairy. Hate to do a Paul Hogan , but seriously, call that a road trip? I was too old for this book. Unlikeable main character with no redeeming features.
February 19, 2018
good yes good.
April 22, 2019
This book is so real and raw. I loved it when I read it ten years ago and I love it just as much now, if not more.
March 9, 2024
There were a lot of things I didn’t like about this book, Rose being the main one. The structure of it also created a sense of anxiety so reading it wasn’t enjoyable.
July 19, 2024
It's more of a teen book.
February 20, 2016
Some aspects of this book are done very well. The author only slowly reveals details about the characters' past, giving the reader little teasers along the way, which creates a sense of mystery that really drives you on to keep reading. The main character is utterly unlikeable at the start, but as we learn more about her past, we really start to engage with her. Much the same can be said for other characters too.
The author uses constant flashbacks to excellent effect - each strange inexplicable act in the present is immediately explained by a flashback that causes you to empathise.
Rose is however at times a complete doormat, which not only infuriated me, but didn't seem to fit with how she behaves most of the time. She is a confident character, and the moments where she allowed herself to be a doormat seemed completely inexplicable. There was no sudden loss of confidence.
I was disappointed that the trip with the mother wasn't used more effectively for the characters to develop more. They were both very interesting and thoughtful characters with strong inner monologues and it seemed they could have brought a lot out of each other, but instead they were interrupted by a fairly boring and inconsequential story about a backpacker. I didn't always find the mother believable during this part. She was a very loving and caring and doting mother, yet she allowed her daughter to be abused by a stranger, even called a "bitch" without any remark. It just seemed so out of keeping with her character.
The ending was quite unsatisfying - it seemed like the main character was about to learn some major life lessons then squibbed the opportunity and wound up being a fairly similar person to who she was before all her troubles started - even if we as readers had completely changed our view of her.
A few plotlines seemed to disappear without real explanation.
The author includes a number of completely unnecessary and uninteresting descriptions of scenery or metaphorical descriptions. I would have preferred she used up these pages with a bit more character exploration, which seems to be her strength.
The author uses constant flashbacks to excellent effect - each strange inexplicable act in the present is immediately explained by a flashback that causes you to empathise.
Rose is however at times a complete doormat, which not only infuriated me, but didn't seem to fit with how she behaves most of the time. She is a confident character, and the moments where she allowed herself to be a doormat seemed completely inexplicable. There was no sudden loss of confidence.
I was disappointed that the trip with the mother wasn't used more effectively for the characters to develop more. They were both very interesting and thoughtful characters with strong inner monologues and it seemed they could have brought a lot out of each other, but instead they were interrupted by a fairly boring and inconsequential story about a backpacker. I didn't always find the mother believable during this part. She was a very loving and caring and doting mother, yet she allowed her daughter to be abused by a stranger, even called a "bitch" without any remark. It just seemed so out of keeping with her character.
The ending was quite unsatisfying - it seemed like the main character was about to learn some major life lessons then squibbed the opportunity and wound up being a fairly similar person to who she was before all her troubles started - even if we as readers had completely changed our view of her.
A few plotlines seemed to disappear without real explanation.
The author includes a number of completely unnecessary and uninteresting descriptions of scenery or metaphorical descriptions. I would have preferred she used up these pages with a bit more character exploration, which seems to be her strength.
December 2, 2010
I enjoyed this book very much.
It amazes me how easily the author of this book can cut into your emotions and make you addicted to the book. Rose by any other name touched me and taught me lifelong lessons just like her other amazing book somebody’s crying .
The Sydney morning Herald said that this book was “Raw and real and utterly compelling” I agree 100% Maureen McCarthy has a way of getting through to a reader and making them empathise with her characters even though they despise them. For instance I don’t like Rose at the start I saw her as the typical downing teenager who had made some mistakes and wasn’t sure how to get her life back on track, as the book went on and we find out how disturbing her mistakes are I told myself that I hated her, I told myself that she deserved what she got, but I found myself wanting her to be happy in the end.
The storyline was really amazing. I read a lot of self discovery novels and this one is remarkably different, it was only set over the course of about a week but we knew so much by the end, like I said in my review of somebody’s crying the author goes deeper than most, we knew every detail and description but it was written in a way that was far from boring.
Sooooo, now for the cons, I was disturbed half way through this novel. I fell in love with the first half of this book and was convinced that I was going to give it five stars and I still want to but i cant because at one point in the book I really did not want to keep going because I was seriously put off. I am glad though; that I did keep going it was well worth it.
All in all a good novel that is inspiring, touching............but disturbing at a point but still worth a read.
It amazes me how easily the author of this book can cut into your emotions and make you addicted to the book. Rose by any other name touched me and taught me lifelong lessons just like her other amazing book somebody’s crying .
The Sydney morning Herald said that this book was “Raw and real and utterly compelling” I agree 100% Maureen McCarthy has a way of getting through to a reader and making them empathise with her characters even though they despise them. For instance I don’t like Rose at the start I saw her as the typical downing teenager who had made some mistakes and wasn’t sure how to get her life back on track, as the book went on and we find out how disturbing her mistakes are I told myself that I hated her, I told myself that she deserved what she got, but I found myself wanting her to be happy in the end.
The storyline was really amazing. I read a lot of self discovery novels and this one is remarkably different, it was only set over the course of about a week but we knew so much by the end, like I said in my review of somebody’s crying the author goes deeper than most, we knew every detail and description but it was written in a way that was far from boring.
Sooooo, now for the cons, I was disturbed half way through this novel. I fell in love with the first half of this book and was convinced that I was going to give it five stars and I still want to but i cant because at one point in the book I really did not want to keep going because I was seriously put off. I am glad though; that I did keep going it was well worth it.
All in all a good novel that is inspiring, touching............but disturbing at a point but still worth a read.
September 19, 2008
Rose was on top of her game last year, with the best test scores in her class, a supportive family, a solid best friend and a budding romance. One year later, she’s traded law school for a low-paying job, ruined her relationships, and is living in an anonymous flat. When her mother unexpectedly joins her on a road trip, Rose is forced to confront the changes that have eroded her once-comfortable life. Alternating chapters between present day and the previous summer allow author Maureen McCarthy to slowly reveal the reasons behind Rose’s current self-exile The novel is rich with realistic dialog and personal reflection, a vivid Australian setting, and quite a bit of drama. The plot takes a few uncomfortable twists, but the author makes all of Rose’s decisions plausible, if not exactly agreeable. Reading about the quirks of Rose’s family life offers readers a nice balance to her internal contemplations, which take up much of the novel. Though the setting and Australian dialect may take some getting used to, the reward is a nuanced, original, emotional ride through Rose’s difficult transition to young adulthood. McCarthy is a bestselling author in Australia, and with this excellent debut novel, she deserves to top the charts here too. Some rough language and mature situations make this best for high school age readers.
November 18, 2015
I think I'm way too old for this book and I'm really not sure how I came to posess it, i just fished it out of the piles and piles of books under my bed.
I've not really been enjoying it and I'm sure I wouldn't even if I were younger, I think it's poorly written.
I feel like Rose is self centred and rude, I'm really not enjoying her character or her mental comentary.
But on the other hand, I understand her and this book taught me something about myself.
Rose mad a bad decision, one she never expected would turn out so horribly and one she felt extremely stupid about afterward. From that, she made more bad decisions, convincing herself it would fix something, but it never does.
And I've done that. One terribly wrong move and I completely spiraled deeper and deeper and did more and more things I thought I'd never do and lost more and more of who i thought I was. I didnt realise that this was the source of my unhappiness until now and I'm hoping that now I've realised, I can begin to forgive myself for everything I've done.
I've not really been enjoying it and I'm sure I wouldn't even if I were younger, I think it's poorly written.
I feel like Rose is self centred and rude, I'm really not enjoying her character or her mental comentary.
But on the other hand, I understand her and this book taught me something about myself.
Rose mad a bad decision, one she never expected would turn out so horribly and one she felt extremely stupid about afterward. From that, she made more bad decisions, convincing herself it would fix something, but it never does.
And I've done that. One terribly wrong move and I completely spiraled deeper and deeper and did more and more things I thought I'd never do and lost more and more of who i thought I was. I didnt realise that this was the source of my unhappiness until now and I'm hoping that now I've realised, I can begin to forgive myself for everything I've done.
January 30, 2017
Where do I even begin?.....
I have read McCarthy's books before, and liked them. However, Rose by Any Other Name was not among them.
Basically, the book follows a nineteen year-old girl on a road trip to visit her dying grandmother with her mum. Amongst this are flashbacks to "Last Summer" when her father left her mother for a woman young enough to be his daughter, she (Rose) ends her semi-toxic relationship with her best friend Zoe and starts a relationship with Zoe's father, Ray (who at 52 is old enough to be her father).
What follows is an angst filled melodrama, which left me feeling frustrated and irritated at how everyone in this book reacted to different events.
To say I did not enjoy this book would be an understatement.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2008
Reading for consideration for Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California's Distinguished booklist. My final assessment is that while the book has high additional value for a library collection, it is not worthy of "outstanding" status, for the several reasons. McCarthy has attempted to draw too many charachters, and there are too many extra plotlines that could have been cut back. The story itself is compelling-a young woman in Australia with an outstanding student achivement record is rocked by her father's announcement that he is leaving the family because he is in love with another women. A solid choice for young adults who may be trying to process the transition to adulthood, and the sometimes impulsive choices they may make along the way.
July 13, 2015
Wavering between 3 and 4 stars, probably tending towards 4 more than 3. :)
Loved, loved, loved the setting - Melbourne and country Victoria, mostly Great Ocean Road and Apollo Bay. It's awesome to be reading something where you know the setting so well.
It's a tender, touching story of somewhat prickly Rose and two summers. The first one with events that shape the rest of the year, and the second one where she's trying to face what's happened. Found it really easy to relate to her (even though I don't have three older sisters who always know what's best) and all the struggles and pains in her heart. The story is beautifully told in flashbacks, a nice way of weaving the two summers together.
Makes me want to read more of Maureen McCarthy...
Loved, loved, loved the setting - Melbourne and country Victoria, mostly Great Ocean Road and Apollo Bay. It's awesome to be reading something where you know the setting so well.
It's a tender, touching story of somewhat prickly Rose and two summers. The first one with events that shape the rest of the year, and the second one where she's trying to face what's happened. Found it really easy to relate to her (even though I don't have three older sisters who always know what's best) and all the struggles and pains in her heart. The story is beautifully told in flashbacks, a nice way of weaving the two summers together.
Makes me want to read more of Maureen McCarthy...
June 3, 2012
Rose By Any Other Name is a story I won’t forget.
Maybe it’s the whole quirkiness with a girl getting involved with her best friend’s father, but there’s something really creepy and addictive about this book. I love the main character. She has a good head on her shoulders, and I also love how she shaved all her hair off –it just adds that sassy character into her.
There isn’t much to say. Also, it’s one of the best divorce books I’ve read, because it portrays the aspect of affairs/divorce quite accurately. Nobody is really the “enemy” in divorce –it just happens. And this book clearly shows it.
Overall, it’s one of the darkest books I’ve read, even if it’s told in a teenager’s carefree and light voice. I don’t know why I’ll remember this book forever: I just know I will.
Maybe it’s the whole quirkiness with a girl getting involved with her best friend’s father, but there’s something really creepy and addictive about this book. I love the main character. She has a good head on her shoulders, and I also love how she shaved all her hair off –it just adds that sassy character into her.
There isn’t much to say. Also, it’s one of the best divorce books I’ve read, because it portrays the aspect of affairs/divorce quite accurately. Nobody is really the “enemy” in divorce –it just happens. And this book clearly shows it.
Overall, it’s one of the darkest books I’ve read, even if it’s told in a teenager’s carefree and light voice. I don’t know why I’ll remember this book forever: I just know I will.
June 22, 2011
This was such a weird and depressing story I stopped halfway through but had to force myself to read the rest. I doubt I could reccomend it to anyone, because all the events forteshadow each other, and it just hangs a depressing curtain on the 'last summer' reflections, beacuse you know that all the good things that happen then are sure to end, given Rose's current state of total depression and oblivion. Honesty?
I hated this book. One of the worst I have ever read, and I skipped whole sections, in case you're wondering.
I hated this book. One of the worst I have ever read, and I skipped whole sections, in case you're wondering.
August 9, 2011
Rose by Any Other Name is a compelling book of secret pasts. Rose is planning a road trip to say goodbye to her dying Grandmother. She has it all planned out, first she’ll do some surfing, and then try out some cool café’s. But when Rose’s mother comes along on the trip, her plans change, and suddenly she is forced to face her past and try to pace the bits back together of her broken family, her broken friendships, and most of all, her broken heart. Can Rose move on from these dark secrets? Or will she live with the mistakes forever?
June 11, 2015
I found myself identifying with a lot of Rose's problems, which caused me to find the first half of the book a bit distressing. I figured the resolution would resonate with me in a similar way so I hung on through the depressing part. The conclusion did have me feeling better, and I'm glad I finished the book so I wasn't just left with the awful feeling. I didn't find it as cathartic as I had hoped though. The message of the story is a good one, it just didn't really speak to me.
February 10, 2009
My final assessment is that this book is not worthy of "outstanding" status, for the several reasons. McCarthy has attempted to draw too many charachters, and there are too many extra plotlines that could have been cut back. I think teens would struggle over the Aussie slang. A solid choice for young adults who may be trying to process the transition to adulthood, and the sometimes impulsive choices they may make along the way. Overall good story idea but poorly executed.
January 18, 2015
It was an ok read, took me a while to get into it.
I really liked the setting, I went to Melbourne and did the Great Ocean Road almost a year ago so it was fun to picture all the beaches etc.
I wasn't that keen on Rose in the beginning, but she grew on me and I appreciated her character even if I still don't really 'like' her.
Quite liked her Mother.
It was a ok road trip and self discovery story if a bit dated.
I really liked the setting, I went to Melbourne and did the Great Ocean Road almost a year ago so it was fun to picture all the beaches etc.
I wasn't that keen on Rose in the beginning, but she grew on me and I appreciated her character even if I still don't really 'like' her.
Quite liked her Mother.
It was a ok road trip and self discovery story if a bit dated.
May 2, 2016
"Don'tcha just hate...the way you can never do enough for some people? It's like they really believe life owes them, big time, and because the big, bad world isn't exactly listening...then you'll have to do. You can be the one to fill in the bits that they're not getting, until someone better, richer and more important turns up..."
And that, ladies and gentlemen, sums this glorious story up perfectly!!
And that, ladies and gentlemen, sums this glorious story up perfectly!!
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