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Cheer
What happens when a family suffers a tragedy and everyone blames themselves?The Dahl family is reeling from an unspeakable loss. Jenny channels her grief – and secret guilt – into an obsession. Teenager Ella, a competitive high school cheerleader, seeks to atone by being the perfect adolescent for her parents, numbing her pain in secret. Ethan, a pilot, is on a singular mission to preserve what's left of his family – to little success.Everything changes, though, when Ella makes a shocking decision.An unforgettable story of redemption and hope, set in idyllic and quirky Marin County, California, Cheer is a rich exploration of a family's resilience in the wake of betrayal and tragedy. Told from three perspectives, this novel is for anyone who has been a mother or a daughter. Perfect for book clubs, the story concludes with questions for discussion.This emotionally riveting debut establishes longtime journalist Erin Gordon as a novelist to follow.
- GenresFictionDramaYoung Adult
240 pages, Paperback
First published August 10, 2012
10 people are currently reading
254 people want to read
About the author
Leslie A. Gordon
3 books61 followersErin Gordon is a Bay Area native who graduated from UC Berkeley and Loyola Law School. After practicing law for three years, she earned a master’s in journalism at Stanford University and worked several years as a newspaper beat reporter covering law firms. Erin then spent more than 20 years as a freelance legal affairs journalist, all the while dreaming of becoming a novelist.
When not writing, Gordon enjoys knitting, going for long walks in San Francisco, doing yoga, and spending time in Lake Tahoe.
Gordon lives in San Francisco with her family. She loves hearing from readers -- visit her website at ErinGordonAuthor.com.
When not writing, Gordon enjoys knitting, going for long walks in San Francisco, doing yoga, and spending time in Lake Tahoe.
Gordon lives in San Francisco with her family. She loves hearing from readers -- visit her website at ErinGordonAuthor.com.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
November 12, 2012
I had this book in my library for awhile but had to work my way up to reading it because I knew it would hit too close to home. Since losing my little brother suddenly and then my mother 18 months later - I have read mindless suspense thrillers non stop to keep myself distracted. Every waking minute of everyday has to be focused on something -anything- or else I am overwhelmed with grief. I knew this would be a tough read but it was well worth it.
It was an accurate portrayal - too accurate at times- of an average family trying to deal with the rush of changing and evolving emotions that can follow a sudden death. The isolation and feeling alone even when surrounded by friends and family- knowing that there is nothing to be done to ease the pain, your own or anyone else's...... The realization that you are consumed by this - this horrible gut wrenching pain, its there everyday even though you don't want it to be - and you are alone. Wanting to embrace life and to appreciate it more but just not being able to - death becomes a part of who you are - it changes you and you can't go back. This book is raw in that way- touching, painful, and hopeful.
This book was beautiful and ugly. Ugly because it puts you there - with the characters and you can almost feel what they feel - and that sucks - but it's for those same reasons that its also beautiful.
I would suggest this book to those who know someone that has lost a child or sibling. Sure, there are the clinical self help books for friends and family, but those can be dry and uninteresting - this story grabs you, it wants to be read. Death is generally not dealt with well in our society, maybe because the emotional effects are not understood or accepted - maybe it is just because it is plain uncomfortable to be around someone who is grieving and so we try to avoid it.....
I will re-read this book at some point, knowing that something I need to hear will jump out at me. This time through, I was just getting used to the idea that yes, my family crumbled, but maybe we were not crushed.
To the author, thank you.
It was an accurate portrayal - too accurate at times- of an average family trying to deal with the rush of changing and evolving emotions that can follow a sudden death. The isolation and feeling alone even when surrounded by friends and family- knowing that there is nothing to be done to ease the pain, your own or anyone else's...... The realization that you are consumed by this - this horrible gut wrenching pain, its there everyday even though you don't want it to be - and you are alone. Wanting to embrace life and to appreciate it more but just not being able to - death becomes a part of who you are - it changes you and you can't go back. This book is raw in that way- touching, painful, and hopeful.
This book was beautiful and ugly. Ugly because it puts you there - with the characters and you can almost feel what they feel - and that sucks - but it's for those same reasons that its also beautiful.
I would suggest this book to those who know someone that has lost a child or sibling. Sure, there are the clinical self help books for friends and family, but those can be dry and uninteresting - this story grabs you, it wants to be read. Death is generally not dealt with well in our society, maybe because the emotional effects are not understood or accepted - maybe it is just because it is plain uncomfortable to be around someone who is grieving and so we try to avoid it.....
I will re-read this book at some point, knowing that something I need to hear will jump out at me. This time through, I was just getting used to the idea that yes, my family crumbled, but maybe we were not crushed.
To the author, thank you.
August 30, 2016
Easy to read though disturbing at times story about a family barely coping after an accidental tragedy affects their lives. Interesting look behind the scenes and into the psyches of each of the family members and how they perceive what happened to them, where they place the blame and how they react to this tragedy. Leslie does a nice job telling their story from each character's perspective. Being from the Bay Area, it was fun to read about all the places familiar to me. Congratulations to Leslie on her first novel.
September 19, 2014
There is a time for everything and I believe it was time for me to read this book ...amazing how that happens sometimes .
December 6, 2012
When I first started reading this book, I thought it would focus more on the world of cheerleading and the daughter, but it is a book that is not really about that at all. I was pleasantly surprised at this novel, and had a hard time putting it down.
The story of the Dahl family is written from three perspectives, the daughter's (Ella), the mom (Jenny), and the dad (Ethan). It starts off with you knowing something tragic has happened to fracture the family, and they are all looking for different ways to assuage their guilt about it.
At points the book is depressing. But at other times, it is uplifting. Ella has her best friend, who she can't really talk to about everything. Ella is just trying to be the perfect child and not cause anymore trouble in her family. But in doing so, she is losing herself.
Ethan is doing something he loves as a job. But finds himself flying more to keep away from his family than be with them. He listens to self-help books on tape, but still cannot find a way to heal his fractured family. He goes along with what his wife wants, even though he is not sure if he really wants the same thing.
Jenny feels the most guilt, and is probably the most unlikable character throughout the whole book, and blames herself for everything. She knows her family is falling apart, but she thinks she has the perfect solution. But the solution is not coming easily. By the end of the story, I felt myself feeling sorry for her. I still don't think what she did was right or what she is doing will solve all their problems, but everyone has their own way of coping.
It's not until Ella does something so thoughtfully stupid, that the family starts to come together and begin the long healing process. Ella believes that she can fix her family by doing what her mom is having problems doing.
Overall, this is an excellent book. I would recommend it.
The story of the Dahl family is written from three perspectives, the daughter's (Ella), the mom (Jenny), and the dad (Ethan). It starts off with you knowing something tragic has happened to fracture the family, and they are all looking for different ways to assuage their guilt about it.
At points the book is depressing. But at other times, it is uplifting. Ella has her best friend, who she can't really talk to about everything. Ella is just trying to be the perfect child and not cause anymore trouble in her family. But in doing so, she is losing herself.
Ethan is doing something he loves as a job. But finds himself flying more to keep away from his family than be with them. He listens to self-help books on tape, but still cannot find a way to heal his fractured family. He goes along with what his wife wants, even though he is not sure if he really wants the same thing.
Jenny feels the most guilt, and is probably the most unlikable character throughout the whole book, and blames herself for everything. She knows her family is falling apart, but she thinks she has the perfect solution. But the solution is not coming easily. By the end of the story, I felt myself feeling sorry for her. I still don't think what she did was right or what she is doing will solve all their problems, but everyone has their own way of coping.
It's not until Ella does something so thoughtfully stupid, that the family starts to come together and begin the long healing process. Ella believes that she can fix her family by doing what her mom is having problems doing.
Overall, this is an excellent book. I would recommend it.
August 10, 2013
Two years after toddler Riley died, his parents Jen and Ethan, and his teenage sister Ella are still drowning in grief. Separately. CHEER is told from the first person POVs of Ella and Jen, and the third person POV of Ethan. While Ella's voice is slightly teenage-like, there was virtually no difference or distinct voice from the POVs.
From the beginning of the story, the first thing I noticed was an excessive amount of telling, rather than showing of the story. Ella's chapters were the most in depth and well written, as the self-destructive cheerleader isolates herself trying to be the perfect daughter to alleviate the guilt she feels over Riley's death. Rooting for Ella is easy. Jen's sections were much less relatable, as she desperately wants to conceive thru IVF, while distancing herself from her husband and daughter. She only talks to her best friend, writes useless details about the homes she sells, avoids her husband and contemplates regrets over an affair. Ethan was also relatable and easy to root for, but boring as boring could be.
CHEER doesn't have much of a plot--three family members grieving apart, we slowly learn the reasons for the accidental death. Yawn. For the first half of the book, I kept waiting for something to happen, before resigning myself to the fact that the book would probably end with a predictable kumbaya coming together of the family. (I'm not saying that was the case, just that was my thought).
I had expected more from so many positive reviews on Amazon, but upon further inspection many of those reviews were written by friends/colleagues from the publishing business. I loved the premise of the story, but was disappointed in the writing, lack of plot development, and except for Ella, lack of character depth.
From the beginning of the story, the first thing I noticed was an excessive amount of telling, rather than showing of the story. Ella's chapters were the most in depth and well written, as the self-destructive cheerleader isolates herself trying to be the perfect daughter to alleviate the guilt she feels over Riley's death. Rooting for Ella is easy. Jen's sections were much less relatable, as she desperately wants to conceive thru IVF, while distancing herself from her husband and daughter. She only talks to her best friend, writes useless details about the homes she sells, avoids her husband and contemplates regrets over an affair. Ethan was also relatable and easy to root for, but boring as boring could be.
CHEER doesn't have much of a plot--three family members grieving apart, we slowly learn the reasons for the accidental death. Yawn. For the first half of the book, I kept waiting for something to happen, before resigning myself to the fact that the book would probably end with a predictable kumbaya coming together of the family. (I'm not saying that was the case, just that was my thought).
I had expected more from so many positive reviews on Amazon, but upon further inspection many of those reviews were written by friends/colleagues from the publishing business. I loved the premise of the story, but was disappointed in the writing, lack of plot development, and except for Ella, lack of character depth.
October 19, 2012
Jenny asks her teenage daughter, Ella, to watch her toddler brother, Riley. Ella doesn’t want to, but her mom leaves anyway. This small every day event leads to their whole lives becoming filled with guilt, grief, and blame.
Ella becomes a “perfect” daughter, student, and cheerleader, who secretly cuts herself to numb the pain. Jenny becomes obsessed with getting pregnant again, ignoring the rest of her families pain. Ethan, the father and husband, tries the hardest just to keep his family together, to preserve what is left of his broken family.
The personal pain portrayed in Cheer:A Novel broke my heart. To see and follow this family after the loss of a child made me hug and appreciate what I have even more. Every character in this story was easy to relate to. The way their world changed after such a tragic event was so believable. I found myself praying that they family would somehow find their happy ending and pull back together.
Having a teenage daughter myself, I found myself pulled to Ella and comparing her to how I believe my daughter would be if this was my family. I found it sad that after such a tragic death no one thought to talk to her about it. No one told her that is wasn’t her fault and helped her deal with the grief and guilt.
But I could not quite blame the parents for this lapse. It seemed that no one in the family knew how to cop or help each other. They all went into their own worlds, interacting with each other as little as possible.
I was absolutely totally hooked by this book by the end of the first chapter. I read it in one day unable to put it down.
Ella becomes a “perfect” daughter, student, and cheerleader, who secretly cuts herself to numb the pain. Jenny becomes obsessed with getting pregnant again, ignoring the rest of her families pain. Ethan, the father and husband, tries the hardest just to keep his family together, to preserve what is left of his broken family.
The personal pain portrayed in Cheer:A Novel broke my heart. To see and follow this family after the loss of a child made me hug and appreciate what I have even more. Every character in this story was easy to relate to. The way their world changed after such a tragic event was so believable. I found myself praying that they family would somehow find their happy ending and pull back together.
Having a teenage daughter myself, I found myself pulled to Ella and comparing her to how I believe my daughter would be if this was my family. I found it sad that after such a tragic death no one thought to talk to her about it. No one told her that is wasn’t her fault and helped her deal with the grief and guilt.
But I could not quite blame the parents for this lapse. It seemed that no one in the family knew how to cop or help each other. They all went into their own worlds, interacting with each other as little as possible.
I was absolutely totally hooked by this book by the end of the first chapter. I read it in one day unable to put it down.
October 21, 2012
This book is amazingly well written, with a great plot, well drawn characters, and gorgeous prose.
Each chapter follows one of the members of the Dahl family, which is still trying to recover from a tragedy that happened two years before. First person POV for the women, third for the man.
Each one of them - Ethan, the father, Jenny, the mother, and Ella, the teenager daughter - is trying desperately to find a way to cope with the grief. Unfortunately, they are all trying it alone, and the family is, like Ethan states in a chapter, looking more like a bunch of roommates than people united by love and blood.
A tragedy like the one they faced is known to destroy families, and the mother is so consumed by grief and guilt she fails miserably to see what's happening with little Ella. It's heartbreaking to read about this young girl ordeal, what she finds to be an answer to her problems. The father is both weak and strong. You'll love and despise them; you'll cheer by their happiness; you'll read fast to finish it and then you'll feel a little orphan, missing them.
Having the twisted mind I have, I have to confess I knew what she was going to do but I don't think many 'normal' people (:)) would guess. It's a compelling and inspiring story and also a good mystery.
There's a beautiful Brazilian song that says, in Portuguese, something like: "Certain songs I listen to/fit so well inside of me/ that I have got to ask/ How I'm not the one who wrote it*". Well, this is one book that I'd love to have written. :D Excellent job, Leslie A. Gordon!
*Milton Nascimento - Certas Canções
Each chapter follows one of the members of the Dahl family, which is still trying to recover from a tragedy that happened two years before. First person POV for the women, third for the man.
Each one of them - Ethan, the father, Jenny, the mother, and Ella, the teenager daughter - is trying desperately to find a way to cope with the grief. Unfortunately, they are all trying it alone, and the family is, like Ethan states in a chapter, looking more like a bunch of roommates than people united by love and blood.
A tragedy like the one they faced is known to destroy families, and the mother is so consumed by grief and guilt she fails miserably to see what's happening with little Ella. It's heartbreaking to read about this young girl ordeal, what she finds to be an answer to her problems. The father is both weak and strong. You'll love and despise them; you'll cheer by their happiness; you'll read fast to finish it and then you'll feel a little orphan, missing them.
Having the twisted mind I have, I have to confess I knew what she was going to do but I don't think many 'normal' people (:)) would guess. It's a compelling and inspiring story and also a good mystery.
There's a beautiful Brazilian song that says, in Portuguese, something like: "Certain songs I listen to/fit so well inside of me/ that I have got to ask/ How I'm not the one who wrote it*". Well, this is one book that I'd love to have written. :D Excellent job, Leslie A. Gordon!
*Milton Nascimento - Certas Canções
September 6, 2012
This is a lovely book by a first-time author. I heard about this book on a podcast called 2 Knit Lit Chicks, and since it is set in the town I live in, I was curious.
Without feeling forced, the story unfolds as a family is coping with grief from the accidental death off a young boy. The various points of view of the family felt real, and the ways in which the grief finds ways of expression felt real to me as a pastor.
Finally, it was only by the end of the book that I realized this story had touched my own life - the death of my own brother a few years ago in sad circumstances. The hope at the end lifted me, and for that, I truly thank the author.
Take a chance on this one!
Without feeling forced, the story unfolds as a family is coping with grief from the accidental death off a young boy. The various points of view of the family felt real, and the ways in which the grief finds ways of expression felt real to me as a pastor.
Finally, it was only by the end of the book that I realized this story had touched my own life - the death of my own brother a few years ago in sad circumstances. The hope at the end lifted me, and for that, I truly thank the author.
Take a chance on this one!
September 25, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Cheer is the emotionally charged story about a family's journey through grief, guilt, and forgiveness as they struggle to adjust following the death of their young son. The book is well written and engaged me from the beginning quote. Gordon's characters are well developed, realistic and very easy to relate to. Although the subject is sad and the characters are flawed and deal with some major issues, but the book definitely left me with a sense of hope. I have already recommended the book to several friends and am looking forward to the author's next book.
September 25, 2012
First let me say that this is not the kind of book i normally read. I normally hate anything where a child dies, especially a little boy. That being said, I really liked this book. It's very well written, and the different points of view added greatly to the story. I felt deeply each character's pain and guilt and empathised with all three of them, especially the mother. I understand the paralyzing affect that guilt can have on someone, even if it's not merited. I felt most sorry for the daughter. Her feelings of guilt broke my heart. A very good book.. I would definitely recommend this one!
September 12, 2017
Having suffered tragedy and enduring grief in my own family, I could relate to some of the themes in this book. The details of Riley's death are slowly revealed, like layers peeled from an onion, and I found myself guessing and anticipating the heartbreaking demise.
The chapters are told from alternating points of view--daughter, mother, father, daughter, mother, and so on. The strange thing is that the mom and daughter chapters are told in 1st-person, but the dad's are all in 3rd-person limited. I'm not sure if there was a reason for this, but it was distracting enough to notice. It didn't detract from the story enough that I didn't enjoy it.
The chapters are told from alternating points of view--daughter, mother, father, daughter, mother, and so on. The strange thing is that the mom and daughter chapters are told in 1st-person, but the dad's are all in 3rd-person limited. I'm not sure if there was a reason for this, but it was distracting enough to notice. It didn't detract from the story enough that I didn't enjoy it.
August 23, 2012
Loved this book, featuring a "typical" Marin family that like everyone has secrets and sadness and joy. First time author Leslie Gordon draws a rich set of characters, and creates drama without being dramatic. Plus I found myself laughing out loud in some parts. Cheer kind of reminded me of early books by fabulous author Anne Lamott. Read this book.
March 2, 2013
"Cheer" is a sensitive and beautifully written first novel about forgiveness and family by a promising new writer. Gordon tells this tragic story from three well-rounded perspectives, and through them, we understand what it is to be an adolescent, a parent, and how families try to find their way out of tragedies and heal. Looking forward to what comes next for this insightful writer.
October 9, 2012
Readers, I loved writing this book -- and I'm eager to hear your thoughts and feedback. If you'd like your copy of Cheer: A Novel Kindlegraphed, visit this page:
http://www.kindlegraph.com/authors/LA....
http://www.kindlegraph.com/authors/LA....
September 29, 2012
This wasn't a book I would normally read. It was a story about a very real family dealing with very real, and scary, issues. The character development was great, I really felt like I knew Ella, Ethan and Jenny. A great and very emotionally charged read.
February 17, 2017
I flew through this in just a couple days while on vacation. I got it free on amazon and would have easily paid for it. Very relatable & likeable characters.
February 2, 2014
Excellent debut. Excited for more by Leslie Gordon; her prose is in the same vein as Picoult and Mitchard
September 17, 2024
Fourteen-year-old Ella Dahl’s 20-month-old brother died while she was supposed to be watching him. His death has torn her family apart, and she believes it’s all her fault. She has gotten into self-destructive behavior, but her parents are too preoccupied with their own grief and guilt to notice. Ella hatches a plan that will surely make them love her again. It backfires big-time. Through a large portion of the book, we don’t know how the little brother, Riley, died or who is really at fault. The point of view jumps from Ella to her mother and her father as they work through their reactions to Riley’s death in different ways. We do get a happy ending. The writing is a little smarmy throughout, and it has some grammar faults that bug me, but I did stay up till midnight to finish reading it.
December 31, 2012
This was a mixed bag for me. Not at all light and cheerful, however incredibly insightful as a family grapples with the meaning of the death of a young son/brother and the personal repercussions of dealing with that death. I've never had a young death in the family, but I was young when my father died and so many of the emotions I had at the time came through in different ways through the narrative of this book. In that sense, it was well worth the read.
My only complaint is the relationship between the three remaining in the family, how they related to each other and how the author ended the book. Just didn't satisfy me, nor did it ring true. I would have liked to see those relationships expanded and explored more deeply, especially Jenny's and Ethan's relationship towards the end, and Jenny's relationship with her daughter during the entire book.
All in all I'm glad I read it.
My only complaint is the relationship between the three remaining in the family, how they related to each other and how the author ended the book. Just didn't satisfy me, nor did it ring true. I would have liked to see those relationships expanded and explored more deeply, especially Jenny's and Ethan's relationship towards the end, and Jenny's relationship with her daughter during the entire book.
All in all I'm glad I read it.
October 10, 2012
Anyone who knows me knows I’d walk miles for a well-written litfic novel with equal parts mystery (in the beginning, in this case), multiple perspectives, and sympathetic characters. Lucky me, I didn’t need to walk miles. I just needed to click a few times, and Leslie A. Gordon’s finely wrought Cheer: A Novel was sharing a bed with me.
Sad? Yes, Cheer is sad, even downright heartbreaking in places (but so is life). I ached for Ella and Jenny. I had a harder time connecting with Jeremy, due to the POV shift to third person when he takes center stage (as opposed to first person POV for Ella and Jenny). For me, it would’ve been a smoother read had POV stayed consistent. But this is quibbling. Cheer: A Novel is a lyrical story about hope and recovery—and both those are life, too.
Sad? Yes, Cheer is sad, even downright heartbreaking in places (but so is life). I ached for Ella and Jenny. I had a harder time connecting with Jeremy, due to the POV shift to third person when he takes center stage (as opposed to first person POV for Ella and Jenny). For me, it would’ve been a smoother read had POV stayed consistent. But this is quibbling. Cheer: A Novel is a lyrical story about hope and recovery—and both those are life, too.
May 22, 2013
How does a family recover from the accidental death of a toddler? This book presents the perspective of the mother who blames herself, the older sister who also blames herself, and the father who dearly wants his family back. Each grieves in their own way and mostly in isolation from the others. While difficult to read the early chapters feel like an accurate depiction of how family members might feel in such a situation. Ultimately the daughter takes a drastic action and as a result the family is drawn back together. In general the book is well written but the ending wrapped up a little too quickly and smoothly for me.
July 22, 2013
This book reminded me of many of the Jodi Piccoult books. Several different voices tell the story of a dysfunctional family and a terrible tragedy. I thought it was quite well done and thought provoking. Does have some PG 13 rated scenes but still a good read.
August 25, 2016
I loved the irony of using the title Cheer and the activity of cheerleading as the backdrop for this novel about grief and guilt!
November 8, 2012
This book is like a "how to not" deal with loss. The mess the characters get into because of their grief, is the exact opposite of what my faith would lead me to do.
November 11, 2013
This was a depressing book from beginning to end. It took too long to understand what happened to Riley.
October 27, 2013
Title not good because book isn't really about cheering. It's about a family tragedy. Really good book though!
January 25, 2014
A little simplistic, but a pretty good first novel. Oh, the ripple effect of our actions, and the weight of that knowledge.
November 9, 2014
I gave this one a 4 but nothing really stands out about it these months later
October 8, 2018
Taryn Thomas said she was a w d
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews