Make Believe

by Joanna Scott

Following the tragic death of his parents, fouryearold Bo finds himself enmeshed in a bitter custody battle between two sets of grandparents that sends him fleeing into himself.

Genres: Fiction, Novels

246 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

from the backcover:
Joanna Scott is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Rochester. She has also taught in the creative writing programs at Princeton University and the University of Maryland. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship during the writing of Arrogance.

Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Joanna^^Scott

Reviews

[Jess]

Uh. I definitely didn't like this one. I can see why people would, but it was not my cup of tea.

The narration is full of "make believe" and weird fantasies. Half the time I would find that I skimmed the entire page and would have to go back and read it. Also there is a ton of sad events in the books and I am still completely unsympathetic with the characters.

My recommendation - skip it.

[Michael Joe Armijo]

Quite the mood-setter...

The author of MAKE BELIEVE certainly knows how to create a mood. She has a way of becoming the character. I could tell when she wrote through the eyes of the child, Bo. A couple of my favorite lines while reading were:
Laughter was evidence of a person's value...
Who needs words when you can say everything you need to say with your eyes?
All images had stories to tell, causes to explain.
The story will make you smile in some parts as you reminisce about being a child all over again. There are moods of alarm during a few sudden and unexpected events. A few days after completing the book the story made me wonder what is real and what is not (make believe). The reviews on this book were amazing which caught my eye. I am truly glad I read it. You won't feel left out when you're done. It is a worthwhile book!

[Jami]

This has been on my shelf for several years. No idea where it came from, but before I passed it to its next home, I thought I'd read it. I'm not in the mood for a long review, but I'll just toss out a couple of thoughts.

First, the language in this is lovely.
Second, there are short descriptions of sex. (For those who avoid books for that.)
Third, this book might be triggering for anyone who has experienced abuse.
Fourth, it is not a happy story.
Fifth, race plays a huge part in this story.
Sixth, I'd recommend it.

[Heather]

This book does a great job of examining and challenging preconceptions of interracial relationships and how successful the legal system is in determining what's best for a child in the middle of a custody battle.

[Walter Polashenski]

Maybe 3.5. I’m sort of torn. I liked the strange almost magical point of view parts. The bits of story coming like rain then stopping for a slow sunny period. But then I didn’t quite believe the characters.

[Clair Belmonte]

This book was a little too modernist for my taste. The way Scott portrays something from 4-year-old Bo's perspective is certainly interesting, but the interesting ambiguous aspect was ruined when she would explain the situation in full in the following chapter/part. While I felt the individual chapters per character worked well for a while (a la As I Lay Dying with a feel of Mrs. Dalloway), I found myself distracted by the style. The plot is fantastic and perfectly drawn out - there were places of action that had me on the edge of my seat and places of explanation that eliminated the fear, which was done very well. This book attached itself to me, and I am surprised that I found myself as invested as I did. It is a good quick read, though it does seem to dwindle halfway through until a big ending scene hits. Everything after that scene tied it into a pretty little bow, which I personally found frustrating, though I understand its necessity.

[Erica]

The story line was very good... I just felt that too much attention was placed on extraneous details rather than what was truly important. The imagery was deep and moving. But, I felt that more emphasis should have been placed on prior events which led to current circumstances... if that makes any sense!

[Maggie]

Very powerful! You connect with Bo, as the novel goes into his mind allowing you to feel all his feelings as he takes you on an emotional ride through trauma, struggles and escape from a troubled world into his imagination.

"Welcome to the world of strangers Bo, welcome to the bottom of the sea."

"Who needs words when you can say everything you need to say with your eyes."

[Elizabeth]

This has been sitting on a bookshelf for quite a while and I finally pulled it down and read it. My interest waned at times, as I feel the book starts off more shakily and then builds. What resounds after that initial plotting and characterization are the ways that Scott can juggle a very diverse group of characters and still enter the psychologies of each with astuteness and sympathy.

[Ayelet Waldman]

After the deaths of his parents, four-year-old Bo is the focus of a fierce custody battle between two sets of grandparents, one black and one white. I don't generally enjoy novels written from the perspective of children, but I found this one thoroughly compelling.

[Robert Mooney]

A beautiful, harrowing, heartbreak.

[Cws]

F Sco

[Renee]

The story was written in an interesting style, but I found myself not really liking or caring about the characters.

[Martha]

odd book and interesting plot... all the odds and ends resolved......read at Orlando/clermont,florida

[Dawn Ferguson]

Started with a bang and got my attention,interesting plot, imaginative and well written.
Like a lot of books got a bit weak towards the end!