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Dear Reader
For seventeen-year-old Flannery Fields, the only respite from the plaid-skirted mean girls at Sacred Heart High School at is her beloved teacher Miss Sweeney’s AP English class. But when Miss Sweeney doesn't show up to teach Flannery’s favorite book, Wuthering Heights, and leaves behind her purse, Flannery knows something is wrong.
The police are called, and Flannery gives them everything—except Miss Sweeney’s copy of Wuthering Heights. This she holds onto. And it’s a good thing she does, because when she opens it, something very strange happens. It has somehow transformed into Miss Sweeney’s real-time diary. It seems Miss Sweeney is in New York City—and she’s in trouble.
So Flannery does something very unFlannery-like: she skips school and sets out for Manhattan, with the book as her guide. But as soon as she arrives, she meets a boy named Heath. Heath is British, on a gap year, and has strangely nineteenth-century mannerisms. In fact, Flannery can’t help thinking that he seems to have stepped from the pages of Brontë’s novel. Could it be that Flannery is actually spending this topsy-turvy day with her ultimate fictional romantic hero?
The police are called, and Flannery gives them everything—except Miss Sweeney’s copy of Wuthering Heights. This she holds onto. And it’s a good thing she does, because when she opens it, something very strange happens. It has somehow transformed into Miss Sweeney’s real-time diary. It seems Miss Sweeney is in New York City—and she’s in trouble.
So Flannery does something very unFlannery-like: she skips school and sets out for Manhattan, with the book as her guide. But as soon as she arrives, she meets a boy named Heath. Heath is British, on a gap year, and has strangely nineteenth-century mannerisms. In fact, Flannery can’t help thinking that he seems to have stepped from the pages of Brontë’s novel. Could it be that Flannery is actually spending this topsy-turvy day with her ultimate fictional romantic hero?
295 pages, Hardcover
First published May 9, 2017
40 people are currently reading
3118 people want to read
About the author
Mary O'Connell
3 books79 followersMary O'Connell is a graduate of the University of Kansas and the Iowa's Writer's Workshop. She is the author of the short story collection Living With Saints (Grove/Atlantic) and her debut novel, The Sharp Time, was published by Delacorte in November. She lives with her husband and her three children in Lawrence, Kansas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
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October 20, 2016This weird and wonderful book doesn’t come out for months (sorry!) but I just can’t wait to talk about it. Mary O’Connell’s writing transports the reader—to a sun-baked rock in the Flint Hills of Kansas at sunset, to a bathroom stall in a Catholic girls’ school in Connecticut, to the back of a cab zooming through upper Manhattan, as if you are sitting beside Flannery Fields all along as she searches for her missing English teacher with the help of her strange diary that appears on the pages of an old copy of Wuthering Heights. Which really is quite the peculiar story, but the writing is so captivating I just went along for the ride, enjoying all the irreverent humor and earnest angst in equal measure. This is a story for anyone who believes in the power books have to help you figure out your life and remind you to go out and live it.
— Molly Wetta
from The Best Books We Read In September 2016: http://bookriot.com/2016/10/03/riot-r...
— Molly Wetta
from The Best Books We Read In September 2016: http://bookriot.com/2016/10/03/riot-r...
February 21, 2017
5.5 out of 10
Unique structure, interesting topic, but I missed strong emotions (maybe it's the underplots' fault, those were too simple for my liking).
February 6, 2017
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book and decided to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.
DNF @ 15%
Look. I wanted to like this. I wanted to REALLY LIKE THIS. But it is so awkwardly (and, quite frankly, poorly) written that I could not handle it. I was sending quotes to Dani from the book and neither of us could believe this was going to be a published novel. They were just terrible. This is the quote that made me stop:
Like.... I just... No....
To be fair, I am not a huge fan of Wuthering Heights and it is technically a retelling of this, but it also included parts of Wuthering Heights and I just could not handle it. I was planning on hate reading this one because it was just SO bad, but I really don't have the time to read a bad book right now so I am stopping it now. I gave it enough time since I almost stopped after the first page.
Sadly I do not recommend this one. At all. Sorry folks.
DNF @ 15%
Look. I wanted to like this. I wanted to REALLY LIKE THIS. But it is so awkwardly (and, quite frankly, poorly) written that I could not handle it. I was sending quotes to Dani from the book and neither of us could believe this was going to be a published novel. They were just terrible. This is the quote that made me stop:
Here it is, here is how one becomes the Alpha Doggett: Listen, dear underling, and you shall learn my evil and triumphant ways. And then Callie pounced. “Flannery? I’m dying for you to come to my party. And maybe you could bring Heathcliff as your date?” Secreted away in her stall, the barfing girl laughed.
Like.... I just... No....
To be fair, I am not a huge fan of Wuthering Heights and it is technically a retelling of this, but it also included parts of Wuthering Heights and I just could not handle it. I was planning on hate reading this one because it was just SO bad, but I really don't have the time to read a bad book right now so I am stopping it now. I gave it enough time since I almost stopped after the first page.
Sadly I do not recommend this one. At all. Sorry folks.
August 11, 2020
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I wish I had won literally any other book or not even won a book at all. That's how terrible this book is. Let's list the reasons:
1. The premise makes literally no sense. One day this girl Flannery shows up at school and her favorite teacher Miss Sweeney hasn't come in. So Flannery steals her purse (???? WHY WOULD YOU EVER???) and then discovers that her teacher's copy of Wurthering Heights has turned into a real-time diary. So what does Flannery do? SHE READS IT AND FOLLOWS HER TO NEW YORK CITY. WITH NO GAME PLAN. WITHOUT A COAT IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER. Like an idiot. And then, she meets a man in the city named... wait for it... Heath Smith. And she keeps reading this diary and running around the city with him on a quest to find Miss Sweeney.
But listen. Flannery is the stupidest person I've ever met. Because she literally has this book that TELLS HER WHERE HER TEACHER IS GOING and she doesn't jump to the end to meet her there. She reads page by page and then will stop randomly and be like "we need to go here" even though there are more pages in the book. Miss Sweeney has clearly moved on. And yet??? Flannery is this gigantic idiot?? And she gets distracted with stupid conversations with Heath for like, 80 pages. What kind of idiot is this girl??
2. Flannery is weirdly obsessed with Miss Sweeney. And not in a way like "oh she's just her favorite teacher" like man, I have favorite teachers but I wouldn't follow them all the way to NYC over a diary. AND I CERTAINLY DON'T HEAR HER VOICE IN MY HEAD BEING RUDE TO ME. Literally Flannery will think something and then Miss Sweeney's voice will pop in and be like "really Flannery?? you're stupid." And she's your favorite teacher??? I don't get it.
3. The unrealistic everything. Nothing about this book is any sort of realistic. And I don't even mean the magical realism elements, which I can get into if it was done well (and in this case, I think it was. The magical realism was like, the one thing this book did well.) Everything else was literally AWFUL. The dialogue was so over the top and it's just not how real people speak. It makes me wonder if Mary O'Connell has ever heard real people, much less real teenagers (even book nerdy ones like Flannery) speak. And the mean girl's weren't even mean or clever. They don’t even sound like real people in any way and it's CERTAINLY not a good mean girl line or even a good line in general.
EDIT: As others have pointed out, withdraw symptoms are based on what anxiety medicine you are on. I honestly didn't research this and so I used my own experiences to invalidate this. I didn't bother to question if this was right or not simply because the rest of the book was so awful. But that isn't an excuse, so I'm sorry to anyone who read this review and were hurt by by misinformation. Thank you to the people who came to me and pointed it out, I appreciate it more than passive-aggressive posts.
And finally, Flannery meets some people in a coffee shop because it's crowded and she shares their table. Okay, that's cool. But then they start chatting with her, which is nice but I don't know about you, but when I invite a person to sit at my table I maybe exchange some small talk and then ignore that they're there. I focus on my friends, not really on them. But okay, I'll be okay with them talking but then they literally invite her to stay in their dorm room. Like??? SHE'S A STRANGER GUYS. SHE'S A LITERAL STRANGER. YOU MET HER 15 MINUTES AGO. In what world. In what world.
Also Flannery's full name is: Flannery O'Conner Fields and that makes me want to choke.
4. The writing. God. Just save me. This was literally the most flowery, most long-winded, most pretentious, most literally disgusting prose I have ever read. I am not exaggerating. It was literally painful to read this. There were so many lines that were pointless and added nothing to the story. And Flannery would go on and on in so many metaphors (which Miss Sweeney's voice made fun of her for) and then she'd say something that just made no sense. And then she'd beat herself up about that. It was just so repetitive and so useless. I would offer quotes but I'd be quoting the whole book.
5. The characters. There was literally no character I liked in this. Flannery and Heath were pretentious and awkward but not in a relatable way. In a way that makes you cringe and if you saw them in public you'd avoid them at all costs. Because they literally talk like they're the most dramatic, oldest characters from novels that are classics but that you hate.
Flannery was basically a 12 year old girl in everything from attitude to her self-image to how she acts around a boy she likes. It's just... so sad. And Heath (who is supposed to be Heathcliff come to life) is just disgusting. He's pretentious and again awkward but not in a lovable way but in a way that makes you want to say "get this weirdo away from me." Miss Sweeney was rude and cruel and yet somehow feels she's entitled to Brandon (her ex boyfriend who died) even though she was terrible to him. And she feels that she's just entitled to so much MORE than what her life is, but she made her life. She chose everything. So it's just like???
They may seem like real people, but not people I would ever want to know.
Ultimately, I can't recommend anything about this novel. I've covered everything I hated which was... literally everything. Also if you're wondering why I still gave it one star- I wanted to drag down the overall rating of this book cause I hate it that much but this is actually 0 stars.
1. The premise makes literally no sense. One day this girl Flannery shows up at school and her favorite teacher Miss Sweeney hasn't come in. So Flannery steals her purse (???? WHY WOULD YOU EVER???) and then discovers that her teacher's copy of Wurthering Heights has turned into a real-time diary. So what does Flannery do? SHE READS IT AND FOLLOWS HER TO NEW YORK CITY. WITH NO GAME PLAN. WITHOUT A COAT IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER. Like an idiot. And then, she meets a man in the city named... wait for it... Heath Smith. And she keeps reading this diary and running around the city with him on a quest to find Miss Sweeney.
But listen. Flannery is the stupidest person I've ever met. Because she literally has this book that TELLS HER WHERE HER TEACHER IS GOING and she doesn't jump to the end to meet her there. She reads page by page and then will stop randomly and be like "we need to go here" even though there are more pages in the book. Miss Sweeney has clearly moved on. And yet??? Flannery is this gigantic idiot?? And she gets distracted with stupid conversations with Heath for like, 80 pages. What kind of idiot is this girl??
2. Flannery is weirdly obsessed with Miss Sweeney. And not in a way like "oh she's just her favorite teacher" like man, I have favorite teachers but I wouldn't follow them all the way to NYC over a diary. AND I CERTAINLY DON'T HEAR HER VOICE IN MY HEAD BEING RUDE TO ME. Literally Flannery will think something and then Miss Sweeney's voice will pop in and be like "really Flannery?? you're stupid." And she's your favorite teacher??? I don't get it.
3. The unrealistic everything. Nothing about this book is any sort of realistic. And I don't even mean the magical realism elements, which I can get into if it was done well (and in this case, I think it was. The magical realism was like, the one thing this book did well.) Everything else was literally AWFUL. The dialogue was so over the top and it's just not how real people speak. It makes me wonder if Mary O'Connell has ever heard real people, much less real teenagers (even book nerdy ones like Flannery) speak. And the mean girl's weren't even mean or clever. They don’t even sound like real people in any way and it's CERTAINLY not a good mean girl line or even a good line in general.
EDIT: As others have pointed out, withdraw symptoms are based on what anxiety medicine you are on. I honestly didn't research this and so I used my own experiences to invalidate this. I didn't bother to question if this was right or not simply because the rest of the book was so awful. But that isn't an excuse, so I'm sorry to anyone who read this review and were hurt by by misinformation. Thank you to the people who came to me and pointed it out, I appreciate it more than passive-aggressive posts.
And finally, Flannery meets some people in a coffee shop because it's crowded and she shares their table. Okay, that's cool. But then they start chatting with her, which is nice but I don't know about you, but when I invite a person to sit at my table I maybe exchange some small talk and then ignore that they're there. I focus on my friends, not really on them. But okay, I'll be okay with them talking but then they literally invite her to stay in their dorm room. Like??? SHE'S A STRANGER GUYS. SHE'S A LITERAL STRANGER. YOU MET HER 15 MINUTES AGO. In what world. In what world.
Also Flannery's full name is: Flannery O'Conner Fields and that makes me want to choke.
4. The writing. God. Just save me. This was literally the most flowery, most long-winded, most pretentious, most literally disgusting prose I have ever read. I am not exaggerating. It was literally painful to read this. There were so many lines that were pointless and added nothing to the story. And Flannery would go on and on in so many metaphors (which Miss Sweeney's voice made fun of her for) and then she'd say something that just made no sense. And then she'd beat herself up about that. It was just so repetitive and so useless. I would offer quotes but I'd be quoting the whole book.
5. The characters. There was literally no character I liked in this. Flannery and Heath were pretentious and awkward but not in a relatable way. In a way that makes you cringe and if you saw them in public you'd avoid them at all costs. Because they literally talk like they're the most dramatic, oldest characters from novels that are classics but that you hate.
Flannery was basically a 12 year old girl in everything from attitude to her self-image to how she acts around a boy she likes. It's just... so sad. And Heath (who is supposed to be Heathcliff come to life) is just disgusting. He's pretentious and again awkward but not in a lovable way but in a way that makes you want to say "get this weirdo away from me." Miss Sweeney was rude and cruel and yet somehow feels she's entitled to Brandon (her ex boyfriend who died) even though she was terrible to him. And she feels that she's just entitled to so much MORE than what her life is, but she made her life. She chose everything. So it's just like???
They may seem like real people, but not people I would ever want to know.
Ultimately, I can't recommend anything about this novel. I've covered everything I hated which was... literally everything. Also if you're wondering why I still gave it one star- I wanted to drag down the overall rating of this book cause I hate it that much but this is actually 0 stars.
June 29, 2017
Well, that was a wandering, convoluted, ambitious tale...and I think I liked it? Be forewarned, that Gilmore Girls nod in the summary is not all that appropo, except maybe for the fast-talking and that might only be because I listened to the audio on double speed. ;) But on the whole, I found the narrative transformative, at least for the main character. I'm not sure that I'm all that changed for having read this story, but I did enjoy the literary scavenger hunt aspect of it. It also made me want to go back and re-read Wuthering Heights, which I remember enjoying as a teenager, so there's that. The prose in Dear Reader is lovely but it also left me feeling empty when the story was said and done, which is how I remember feeling after finishing Wuthering Heights. And yet I can't help but appreciate the parallel stories of two lonely young women, searching for their own stories in the pages of a book.
Want to read
September 19, 2016I super want to read this but I'm mostly confused why this apparent take on Wuthering Heights has a Jane Eyre reference for a title
November 16, 2019
I recommend this book only to those, who have read and enjoyed Wuthering heights! If you have never read it or don't like it, you won't enjoy this book at all.
Because Wuthering heights is one of my all-time favourite books, I immediately was intrigued by this book. Then I saw gilmore girls and was even more intrigued.
I don't understand why it's referenced to gilmore girls, because I don't see any comparison. :/
I had low expectations whilst starting this book, because I've looked through the reviews before reading.
However, I am positively surprised by this book!🤩
Yes, it's not great or anything and it did feel like a fan fiction, which it basically was.
That's why I'm saying, that only if you love Wuthering heights, you will be able enjoy this one, because it is basically a fanfiction of the classic and the famous character heathcliff.
The writing also felt like from a fanfiction. By that I mean, that the author was trying to write like Emily Bronte, which wasn't working obviously.
and now I want to reread Wuthering heights again :(
Because Wuthering heights is one of my all-time favourite books, I immediately was intrigued by this book. Then I saw gilmore girls and was even more intrigued.
I don't understand why it's referenced to gilmore girls, because I don't see any comparison. :/
I had low expectations whilst starting this book, because I've looked through the reviews before reading.
However, I am positively surprised by this book!🤩
Yes, it's not great or anything and it did feel like a fan fiction, which it basically was.
That's why I'm saying, that only if you love Wuthering heights, you will be able enjoy this one, because it is basically a fanfiction of the classic and the famous character heathcliff.
The writing also felt like from a fanfiction. By that I mean, that the author was trying to write like Emily Bronte, which wasn't working obviously.
and now I want to reread Wuthering heights again :(
Read
November 19, 2016Dear Reader is not my usual kind of read, but I'm a huge Wuthering Heights fan and I enjoyed seeing echoes of it in both Flannery's and Miss Sweeney's stories. I'm not sure I loved either narrative voice but this was still compulsively readable and poignantly written. Miss Sweeney's diary had me in slow-rolling tears a few times. There's great crossover potential as well, with the popularity of literary "scavenger hunt" novels, and Flannery's pre-college soul-searching should resonate with pretty much any teen.
A must-read for fans of literary contemporary YA or classic lit nerds!
A must-read for fans of literary contemporary YA or classic lit nerds!
March 2, 2017
This is a story for anyone who believes in the power books to help you figure out your life and remind you to go out and live it.
June 28, 2017
And this, my friends, is why I am opposed to studying creative writing: because it often results in writing exercises masquerading as novels. "Oh look how clever I am! See this metaphor I can make? And then see how I can criticize it for being a metaphor? Applaud my pretentious work of literary art!" (This is also why I don't enjoy reading literary fiction. You say "carefully constructed"; I say "trying too hard".)
I was a bookish teenager, and I can't imagine liking this as a teenager. Or maybe I would have. Maybe I would have related to Flannery's "woe is me for being different! The only one who can possibly understand me is my depressed English teacher who loves Wuthering Heights as much as I do and thinks I can be a writer even while I constantly hear her voice pretentiously mocking my metaphors because that's what she does to my essays!" vibe. Except that I think I wouldn't have; I was homeschooled for academic and social reasons, and I still found friends on the internet, so what's Flannery's excuse? Oh, she wants to be a special snowflake? Fine then, be that way, but I won't like you.
Caitlin Sweeney is ever worse. Her diary sections are insufferably pretentious; this is a young woman who at both eighteen and twenty-five thinks herself on higher plane than the rest of humanity. (That's my gig, Caitlin! Except I think I have the right level of unironic self-deprecation and acknowledged arrogance - is that contradictory? - to pull it off.) And then she had to interject herself into Flannery's sections because Flannery's internal editor is Sweeney, who every other page chimes in with a cloyingly snide riff on whatever verb Flannery decided to use in a non-normal way. I could deal with Flannery following Sweeney to New York, but this would have been much more tolerable if Sweeney were merely a mysterious plot device and not someone who narrated a decent chunk of the book.
Mainly, I just didn't care because these are two people I don't like or find remotely interesting.
And then there's this:
If Flannery's parents are Irish literature fanatics, why did they name her after an American writer?
And because I am me, I must let it be said:
I was a bookish teenager, and I can't imagine liking this as a teenager. Or maybe I would have. Maybe I would have related to Flannery's "woe is me for being different! The only one who can possibly understand me is my depressed English teacher who loves Wuthering Heights as much as I do and thinks I can be a writer even while I constantly hear her voice pretentiously mocking my metaphors because that's what she does to my essays!" vibe. Except that I think I wouldn't have; I was homeschooled for academic and social reasons, and I still found friends on the internet, so what's Flannery's excuse? Oh, she wants to be a special snowflake? Fine then, be that way, but I won't like you.
Caitlin Sweeney is ever worse. Her diary sections are insufferably pretentious; this is a young woman who at both eighteen and twenty-five thinks herself on higher plane than the rest of humanity. (That's my gig, Caitlin! Except I think I have the right level of unironic self-deprecation and acknowledged arrogance - is that contradictory? - to pull it off.) And then she had to interject herself into Flannery's sections because Flannery's internal editor is Sweeney, who every other page chimes in with a cloyingly snide riff on whatever verb Flannery decided to use in a non-normal way. I could deal with Flannery following Sweeney to New York, but this would have been much more tolerable if Sweeney were merely a mysterious plot device and not someone who narrated a decent chunk of the book.
Mainly, I just didn't care because these are two people I don't like or find remotely interesting.
And then there's this:
If Flannery's parents are Irish literature fanatics, why did they name her after an American writer?
And because I am me, I must let it be said:
May 10, 2017
It was the Gilmore Girls comparisons that got me. The book didn't follow through on that one bit. I went into this book for all the wrong reasons. The biggest issue is that I have never read Wuthering Heights. There were references to the classic story, but more than anything this is a modern-day retelling of the novel. Because of this, any similarities between the two were lost on me.
Basically Flannery really loves her AP English teacher Miss Sweeney. When her teacher doesn't show up for class one day leaving only her purse behind, it worries Flannery so she does something about it. She takes the purse and in it finds an old copy of Wuthering Heights. Oddly enough, when Flannery starts to read Miss Sweeney's copy of her favorite novel, it transforms into her teacher's diary in real-time. Apparently Miss Sweeney is in New York City, so an adventure ensues all equipped with a boy straight out of a Bronte novel.
The format is very unique. I loved the use of magical realism. I just can't help feeling like I was missing something possibly due to my never reading Wuthering Heights. It felt like there was a lot going on, but for the most part was going over my head. I think other readers with knowledge of the story it's retelling will have a better go with this one.
I won this through goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
Basically Flannery really loves her AP English teacher Miss Sweeney. When her teacher doesn't show up for class one day leaving only her purse behind, it worries Flannery so she does something about it. She takes the purse and in it finds an old copy of Wuthering Heights. Oddly enough, when Flannery starts to read Miss Sweeney's copy of her favorite novel, it transforms into her teacher's diary in real-time. Apparently Miss Sweeney is in New York City, so an adventure ensues all equipped with a boy straight out of a Bronte novel.
The format is very unique. I loved the use of magical realism. I just can't help feeling like I was missing something possibly due to my never reading Wuthering Heights. It felt like there was a lot going on, but for the most part was going over my head. I think other readers with knowledge of the story it's retelling will have a better go with this one.
I won this through goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
March 8, 2017
This was interesting. At first I liked this book but then it got really, really weird.
The writing style is super detached and almost old fashioned but also not? I can't even describe what I mean, it was so weird. I couldn't connect to any of the characters AT ALL.
Also, Flannery's obsession with Miss Sweeney was really...strange. It got weird to the point of being uncomfortable. Like she would think about how if her thoughts were written her teacher would correct them. She mentioned that at least once a page. It was odd.
Anyway. I DNF'ed this on page 75 because I couldn't handle anymore. Also, I hate when Wuthering Heights is portrayed as a love story and I knew that's where this was going and had no desire to see it.
This is just a pet peeve, but Flannery is described as having bobbed dark brown/black hair. So why does the cover model have blonde braids??
The writing style is super detached and almost old fashioned but also not? I can't even describe what I mean, it was so weird. I couldn't connect to any of the characters AT ALL.
Also, Flannery's obsession with Miss Sweeney was really...strange. It got weird to the point of being uncomfortable. Like she would think about how if her thoughts were written her teacher would correct them. She mentioned that at least once a page. It was odd.
Anyway. I DNF'ed this on page 75 because I couldn't handle anymore. Also, I hate when Wuthering Heights is portrayed as a love story and I knew that's where this was going and had no desire to see it.
This is just a pet peeve, but Flannery is described as having bobbed dark brown/black hair. So why does the cover model have blonde braids??
Read
May 9, 2017Dear Reader by Mary O'Connell
Release Date: May 9, 2017 (TODAY)
DNF @ ...mystery percent again
*I won this as part of a Goodreads giveaway - trust me, this totally didn't sway my review XD*
I read this book back in the day called Wuthering High. It back when I totally had questionable book likes, but I still thought it was pretty good. It included all of these epic literature classic references, and even though I totally did not know most of them. XD That's what I expected this book to be, but what I got was...weirdness.
The first thing that went wrong was in the writing style. It felt like it was too forced? Like, it wanted to sound like a create classic story, but it just fell flat. There were lines that I just sat there and blinked at the book going, this isn't right. This doesn't sound right. o.o It just didn't work for me, and I felt like I couldn't connect to it.
The second thing - and really the most important thing - was the storyline. It was very strange. I only read a few chapters in, but I'm dead serious when I tell you this is how the story progressed:
Flannery goes to school
Flannery sits in her teacher's classroom and starts to worry about her teacher because she's not there on time
Flannery discusses how she loves this teacher because she gives her really harsh advice on her papers
Flannery sits quietly and awkwardly for the whole class period while the mean girls do mean girl stuff
Finally, a teacher comes around and finds out the teacher is missing and then the princi-PAL shows up and tries to be their friend
Class ends, and somehow Flannery knows that Miss Sweeney's purse is in her desk and steals it
Flannery takes stolen purse into restroom to dig through it
Flannery finds Miss Sweeney's beloved copy of Wuthering Heights
Flannery starts reading it but alas, it's not Bronte's words on the pages but it's about Miss Sweeney who has run off to New York with possibly talking about a guy is who dead?
Flannery read this ridiculously awkward passage about her teacher totally hooking up with her high school boyfriend and NO awkwardness is mentioned whatsoever (even when the teacher goes, Oh, Dear Reader, this is too spicy to read...but we woke up naked [oh OOPS])
Flannery only stops reading this awkward part because someone is barfing in the stall next to her and the smell bothers her and couldn't be part of this "dream"
The next page is a conversation about the puke and then the next page is her going on how they possibly clean puke - BUT NOTHING ABOUT HOW YOUR TEACHER JUST HAD RELATIONS IN A MESSED UP VERSION OF WUTHERING HEIGHTS.
At that point from consultation of my friend and her friend that was randomly there, they gave me wise advice: STOP. DO NOT PASS. DO NOT COLLECT GO. THIS IS WEIRDNESS.I concurred with them, and I stopped the madness. XD
The End.
No stars since I didn't get far enough and a Snow White rating!
Release Date: May 9, 2017 (TODAY)
DNF @ ...mystery percent again
*I won this as part of a Goodreads giveaway - trust me, this totally didn't sway my review XD*
I read this book back in the day called Wuthering High. It back when I totally had questionable book likes, but I still thought it was pretty good. It included all of these epic literature classic references, and even though I totally did not know most of them. XD That's what I expected this book to be, but what I got was...weirdness.
The first thing that went wrong was in the writing style. It felt like it was too forced? Like, it wanted to sound like a create classic story, but it just fell flat. There were lines that I just sat there and blinked at the book going, this isn't right. This doesn't sound right. o.o It just didn't work for me, and I felt like I couldn't connect to it.
The second thing - and really the most important thing - was the storyline. It was very strange. I only read a few chapters in, but I'm dead serious when I tell you this is how the story progressed:
Flannery goes to school
Flannery sits in her teacher's classroom and starts to worry about her teacher because she's not there on time
Flannery discusses how she loves this teacher because she gives her really harsh advice on her papers
Flannery sits quietly and awkwardly for the whole class period while the mean girls do mean girl stuff
Finally, a teacher comes around and finds out the teacher is missing and then the princi-PAL shows up and tries to be their friend
Class ends, and somehow Flannery knows that Miss Sweeney's purse is in her desk and steals it
Flannery takes stolen purse into restroom to dig through it
Flannery finds Miss Sweeney's beloved copy of Wuthering Heights
Flannery starts reading it but alas, it's not Bronte's words on the pages but it's about Miss Sweeney who has run off to New York with possibly talking about a guy is who dead?
Flannery read this ridiculously awkward passage about her teacher totally hooking up with her high school boyfriend and NO awkwardness is mentioned whatsoever (even when the teacher goes, Oh, Dear Reader, this is too spicy to read...but we woke up naked [oh OOPS])
Flannery only stops reading this awkward part because someone is barfing in the stall next to her and the smell bothers her and couldn't be part of this "dream"
The next page is a conversation about the puke and then the next page is her going on how they possibly clean puke - BUT NOTHING ABOUT HOW YOUR TEACHER JUST HAD RELATIONS IN A MESSED UP VERSION OF WUTHERING HEIGHTS.
At that point from consultation of my friend and her friend that was randomly there, they gave me wise advice: STOP. DO NOT PASS. DO NOT COLLECT GO. THIS IS WEIRDNESS.I concurred with them, and I stopped the madness. XD
The End.
No stars since I didn't get far enough and a Snow White rating!
March 10, 2017
I did not like this book. I read it in the hopes that I could recommend it to a student or two, but I was so disappointed at so many turns. I like the idea, but something failed in the execution. The characters fell flat and the story ended with a burp, not a bang. Sad face.
September 13, 2018
4 out of 5 stars
Here’s an interesting book people seem to dislike, which proves they aren’t its audience–as simple as that. I’ve never seen Gilmore Girls, so I guess my expectations weren’t at pair with readers who have watched the show. So, blank slate and all, I read this novel and found it very interesting–great prose and good characters. I didn’t find it boring or slow or complex or confusing, so I guess this is my kind of novel.
Overall, this is a good novel for the right audience!
More on my blog: https://gerardowrites.wordpress.com/2...
Here’s an interesting book people seem to dislike, which proves they aren’t its audience–as simple as that. I’ve never seen Gilmore Girls, so I guess my expectations weren’t at pair with readers who have watched the show. So, blank slate and all, I read this novel and found it very interesting–great prose and good characters. I didn’t find it boring or slow or complex or confusing, so I guess this is my kind of novel.
Overall, this is a good novel for the right audience!
More on my blog: https://gerardowrites.wordpress.com/2...
January 31, 2018
2.5 - None of the characters were likable, and Flannery was way too obsessed with her teacher. Chill, girl.
did-not-finish
August 9, 2018I try not to dnf books, but even 25% in, it didn’t catch my interest. I may try picking it up in the future.
July 5, 2022
I didn't like this book at all and wouldn't reccomend it to anyone, the language was hard and the plot was disappointing.
April 15, 2020
Y'all this was hella weird!! Like I don't even know how to properly describe what the heck even happened in this book. The basic plot is a Wuthering Heights retelling of a sort, but there was so much crossing over between POVs and wow I was so confused.
When Flannery Field's favorite teacher, Ms. Sweeney, goes missing (FOR ONE DAY), she decides she has to go find her. Flannery skips school and heads to downtown Manhattan where she finds a boy named Heath who is conspicuously like Heathcliff from her favorite novel. After that, this is where the book gets so weird.
Flannery has found Ms. Sweeney's copy of Wuthering Heights and somehow this book acts as a diary. Between Flannery's POV, Ms. Sweeney's POV and Ms. Sweeney through said book/diary, this was all over the place. I was so confused the whole time. Also, like what was even the end game of this book? Whatever it was, I definitely did not understand it. This was a pass for me.
When Flannery Field's favorite teacher, Ms. Sweeney, goes missing (FOR ONE DAY), she decides she has to go find her. Flannery skips school and heads to downtown Manhattan where she finds a boy named Heath who is conspicuously like Heathcliff from her favorite novel. After that, this is where the book gets so weird.
Flannery has found Ms. Sweeney's copy of Wuthering Heights and somehow this book acts as a diary. Between Flannery's POV, Ms. Sweeney's POV and Ms. Sweeney through said book/diary, this was all over the place. I was so confused the whole time. Also, like what was even the end game of this book? Whatever it was, I definitely did not understand it. This was a pass for me.
February 7, 2017
Wow. What an amazing read.
This is one of the only book reviews I have ever wrote, but this book deserves it.
First of all, this book truly applies to all. Yes, it might be considered young adult, but O'Connell's writing displays a fresh novel that will delight all types of readers, young and old. The language is beautiful, the plot feels new, and I was never bored while reading, which is a great accomplishment for any book considering our technology driven nation.
Furthermore, a good book, at least to me, must contain many elements. First, a connection is able to be made. Check. Second, a splendid plot that awes, pulls, and screams at the reader. Check! And third, a good novel must contain a body. A brain, a heart, a blood system. And Dear Reader contains a body, it contains a biological system that breathes with sweat, blood, tears, and words.
I recommend this book to anyone who feels inspired, but also to anyone who needs to connect to a story. O'Connell is quite a talent, and I am looking forward to reading her other books.
This is one of the only book reviews I have ever wrote, but this book deserves it.
First of all, this book truly applies to all. Yes, it might be considered young adult, but O'Connell's writing displays a fresh novel that will delight all types of readers, young and old. The language is beautiful, the plot feels new, and I was never bored while reading, which is a great accomplishment for any book considering our technology driven nation.
Furthermore, a good book, at least to me, must contain many elements. First, a connection is able to be made. Check. Second, a splendid plot that awes, pulls, and screams at the reader. Check! And third, a good novel must contain a body. A brain, a heart, a blood system. And Dear Reader contains a body, it contains a biological system that breathes with sweat, blood, tears, and words.
I recommend this book to anyone who feels inspired, but also to anyone who needs to connect to a story. O'Connell is quite a talent, and I am looking forward to reading her other books.
October 1, 2017
I wanted to like it more than I did. I was impressed with the interweaving of the three stories, especially since I have never loved Wuthering Heights despite multiple readings, hoping I would like it better "this time." My main issues are 1) I'm not sure who the audience would be--maybe new adult? It's really not quite a YA book nor is it really an adult book. 2) The vocabulary. I felt is if the author either had an SAT vocabulary list in front of her and tried to use every word on the list in the book or that the author was trying to impress the reader with her erudite vocabulary. I think this alone would make it a hard sell to most young adult readers. (I could see using it in a AP class in an all girls' school as a vocabulary exercise. I'm not sorry I read it, but I do have issues with it.
October 26, 2016
Poignant, thoughtful, and engrossing, the parallel stories of two young women longing for more, it was absolutely encapsulating and I could not put it down. Flannery's hunt for her missing teacher, and her own true self, are two things any young person could relate to. With language that is delectable, Dear Reader will capture the hearts of those who loved Tell the Wolves I'm Home. Look for it in 2017.
June 16, 2017
Nobody writes with more wit, intelligence and humanity than Mary O’Connell. Dear Reader follows the journeys of two uncommonly smart, perceptive women and their love of books. It’s a beautiful story how books are a refuge in a world that doesn’t always appreciate sensitive and thoughtful young women. Mary has an amazing ability to lift even the most mundane details of life, like a young mother in a Laundromat with her child, and turn it into something sublime. Get it!
May 7, 2017
I was okay. Not my type of YA. It dragged and I couldn't tell was type of genre it was.
April 5, 2018
i didn’t like how this was written AT ALL. the way this author was trying hard was so obvious
June 26, 2018
This book. I will say it is like loving Tom Waits. You either get it and you connect with it or you don't but I am so happy this book was written. It's original and I plowed through it. It is magical realism. It is not a strict retelling of Wuthering Heights but there are references to classics embedded as guides, and poems that are points of connection ( Yup. I'm talking about the William Blake exchange). I marked passages and phrases that I wanted to revisit and obscure words that I had to say out loud...kind of like trying on shoes. For example, "Heath smiled at her as if he found her words dear, not grandiloquent." (Did you just read grandiloquent for the first time in this book? Yeah. That in and of itself is grandilof**nquent. ) And that is my point. What some thought of as too cerebral, I thought of as delightful. That reader is out there. I know her. She has loved words and language and thinking deeply and differently about things her whole life. That she does this and is largely unaware can and in fact probably would alienate her from peers in adolescence. I did read that some perceived the book as "overly brainy." I would tell you that the imagery, the references, and the notion that the smart outsider girl, the literary girl, the writer girl, this teenage girl that loved the old poets and writers was what I appreciated the most. She hasn't had a lot of books written about her but young women like Miss Sweeney and Flannery exist. Yes indeed. Thank you Mary O'Connell for presuming that our brains could go there. I loved that it was weird and quirky and smart. I loved that the whole darn book felt like some gratuitous semantic amusement park ride. I loved that this brainy young woman who never quite fit in experienced magic and found her people. I am understanding that some folks had difficulty with the book. It's not for you and that's ok. The book however was for me and there are others like me. I promise. One more quote from the book"...She had shattered the chemical candy heart of romance and was feeling something real. Because reading next to someone that you loved or might love, depending? Well, it was breathtaking."
did-not-finish
July 25, 2017I don't know why I thought this was, like, a thriller or a mystery or whatever, but I listened to one of eight discs and wasn't loving this. Then I read the summary on the back of the case, and seeing the summary here - magical realism? Pass. I don't know how I missed that before. (Or maybe I saw it and was drawn in by the Gilmore Girls mention? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
Not that this was bad. It was an interesting premise and I liked the narrator of this audiobook. Even the main character seemed okay, and I liked that she was named Flannery. (Shoutout to my buddy Flannfry!) But having never read Wuthering Heights , I'm guessing most of this book would have been lost on me. Maybe it was because I listened to the audiobook, but there were times that I was a little confused as it was, the third person narrative combined with switching to Ms Sweeney's book made for me not being sure as to who I was reading about.
Maybe if I had gone into this with different expectations I might have enjoyed it more, but since it wasn't what I was thinking it would be, I wasn't a fan.
Not that this was bad. It was an interesting premise and I liked the narrator of this audiobook. Even the main character seemed okay, and I liked that she was named Flannery. (Shoutout to my buddy Flannfry!) But having never read Wuthering Heights , I'm guessing most of this book would have been lost on me. Maybe it was because I listened to the audiobook, but there were times that I was a little confused as it was, the third person narrative combined with switching to Ms Sweeney's book made for me not being sure as to who I was reading about.
Maybe if I had gone into this with different expectations I might have enjoyed it more, but since it wasn't what I was thinking it would be, I wasn't a fan.
July 11, 2017
This is such an interesting book. I definitely don't think it's for everyone. It's really driven by the main character Flannery's thoughts more than anything else, which was harder to get into in the beginning, but I was quickly engrossed in what I was reading. But the writing is whimsical and enchanting. I can honestly say I haven't read anything like it.
Since it says this in the summary, it's not spoilers. Flannery finds her teacher's copy of Wuthering Heights except the inside has transformed into Miss Sweeney's current-time diary. Which doesn't make a lot of sense to Flannery, but she immediately sets out to New York to find her teacher. So Flannery ends up going on this magical adventure of a day where she learns about herself, her teacher, the great Wuthering Heights, her future. It's all very interesting and really intriguing to me.
But if you're a Bronte fan, I definitely recommend this book.
Since it says this in the summary, it's not spoilers. Flannery finds her teacher's copy of Wuthering Heights except the inside has transformed into Miss Sweeney's current-time diary. Which doesn't make a lot of sense to Flannery, but she immediately sets out to New York to find her teacher. So Flannery ends up going on this magical adventure of a day where she learns about herself, her teacher, the great Wuthering Heights, her future. It's all very interesting and really intriguing to me.
But if you're a Bronte fan, I definitely recommend this book.
March 31, 2018
Yes, I love this. The surreal weirdness attacking any rationale in this strange world as Flannery searches for her teacher with someone who might be from Liverpool via Howarth.
Mary O'Connell is so very very clever.
Mary O'Connell is so very very clever.
March 9, 2021
The books had its moments, and some parts were really wonderful. I am just not so sure they all worked together at all times. There was something that kept me listening though.
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