Unfinished Portrait of Jessica

by Richard Peck

When Jessica's parents divorce and her father leaves, Jessica decides that the best way to punish her mother is to retreat to her room, a shrine to her glamorous traveling photographer dad.



Then Jessica's mother offers to let her visit her father in Mexico for the holidays, at the fabulous house of her father's uncle Lucius, a famous painter. Jessica is thrilled.



Once there, she falls under the spell of Lucius's home, and his Christmas guests, Brooke and Tony, who are college age. Together the three young people race around Acapulco in an old Jeep, swim, and go dancing. It's paradise. Except for dad. Here in paradise he's not the father Jessica dreamed of at all....

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Relationships, Family Life, Realistic Fiction, Novels, Teen

162 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Richard Peck was an American novelist known for his prolific contributions to modern young adult literature. He was awarded the Newbery Medal in 2001 for his novel A Year Down Yonder. For his cumulative contribution to young-adult literature, he received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1990.

Reviews

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I read this book about 20 times as a kid. One last reread before I get rid of it. Another book where I now identify with the mom more than the angsty teenager.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing in this book is so well done it's a wonder I'm only giving it 3 stars.

This is the story of 14 year old Jessica, who lives with the enemy, her mother. Jessica blames her mother for her father leaving. She has painted this godlike portrait of her father not knowing what he's really, truly like. For months she has been treating her mother like shit (I hated this part of the book and character). Later her father sends for her to come down to Mexico for Christmas break and she is eager to go. While there she sees her father for who he is, an immature, womanizing, jerk.

The main reason the book is getting a 3 stars is because the book starts off with Jessica just being unnecessarily cruel and rude to her mother with no real explanation about why she idolizes her father. Part of me thinks that if I had read this book when it was first printed and I was younger, I would be more sympathetic to Jessica being an only child and a child of divorce (because that is obviously what the writer wants) but as such I just found her to be an insolent jackass. That being said, since the book is written in a memoir like fashion, and we learn that Jessica see's the light of day, I didn't hate her so much in the second half of the book. This books makes me so glad I don't have a teen-aged daughter.

The dialogue in the book is great and the descriptions of Mexico are extremely well done. There are some great characters too.

[emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was alright. I though Jessica's enthrallment with her dad/hatred for her mom was really weird… weirdness.
I loved the end though, that was good...

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book around the time it first came out in the early 1990's. I was probably 11. As an adult, I have been looking back on books that left an impression on me and I remembered this book. What I remembered was identifying with the main character as she felt angry and resentful toward her parents once she began to discover all their imperfections. What I also remembered was feeling like I had been transported to Mexico and actually spent time with the glamorous young adults Jessica spends time with.
I decided to read it again, and as usual when I reread a book I read as a child, I picked up on some things I hadn't before. This time, I enjoyed both the descriptions of Mexico and Chicago. I enjoyed Jessica's self-conscious voice.
There are some things that are a little too glossed-over for my tastes as an adult, especially some actions of Jessica's father, but as I read the book I was easily transported to a magical time and place where adulthood is approaching and a young person is trying to make sense of the world.

[Rebecca Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peck does this really well. He dives into the mind of a 13 year old girl here in the middle of the mess the adults around her have made. She deals poorly with her parent's divorce, loving the absent dad and hating the present mother. But woven into all of this is some really lovely writing about art. Peck explores visual art in a way that made me feel like I was really and delightfully learning something about how to "get my eyes". What hasn't aged so well is Peck's treatment of Acapulco and Mexican people is pretty surface and stereotypical. Otherwise, this is another wonderful read from an author who shows us teenagers learning something without talking down to them.

[Dalina Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing ! Loved the summer vibes. And loved the house dinners. The descriptions of the characters were really amazing and helpful to picture characters. There was family problems, romance and more I really recommend it.

[Fern ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for an assignment for one of my college courses; It was amazing! I had this book stuffed in a drawer for almost 3 years and needed to read a book to analyze, so I picked this book up and began reading. Took me 2 days! It's a good short book that I loved so much, that I have gotten in the interest of annotating because of this book. I would love to teach this content when I become an English teacher; it has many literary devices, conflicts, plots, and themes that I think adolescent students/teens can relate to, analyze, and test their comprehension.
If you haven't read this book, I recommend 10/10!

Edit: (Commenting my thoughts, so SPOILERS)... I loved this book so much. It had so much personal conflict and relateble content for youth/adolescents. I love that in the ending Jessica developed an amazing relationship with her mother (surprised to find out that she was the author of the book Jessica was reading!) In the end, at Uncle Lucious's death bed, he saw Jessica's mother and said that Jessica would be her one day and I think that brings so much meaning and closure to Jessica's constant desire to be somebody else. It was a wonderful story, and I loved it so so much. Would read again 10/10.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually, a girl idolizing and longing for the attention of a neglectful parent is just painful and sad to read, but here Peck adds in additional characters who are way more interesting than the father and he's really a peripheral character, albeit one who obviously influences the feelings and actions of Jessica.

The way she thinks and feels and relates to each character (Tony, Brooke, Margo, her parents) is really so believable and relatable. I love that it's not a simple crush on the college boy. I love that Brooke tells her she doesn't need to wear makeup, that it's okay to be the age she is. For Jessica, being Brooke's age feels so far away, and then we get to see her there in the end.

While the story focuses on the week in Jessica's life when she's about to turn fourteen and she's visiting her father in Mexico, we do see her in moments throughout the next several years and she grows and looks back on that time, on herself, her mother, her father, and it's just a lovely story.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing, beautiful, evocative, and multi-layered. The cover is a bit off since she's much younger, but the story is exceptional. She's a flawed character, but evolves and becomes a better person through her experiences.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was about a 13 soon to be 14 year oldn who's dad leaves her when she is really young. She loves her dad and thinks he can do no wrong. Her mom sends her to Mexico for christmas break. He turns out to be a jerk.

[Cass · Rating 3 out of 5]

A true picture of a typical 13-14 year old girl who thinks the grass is greener on the other side. In this case, living with her father has to be better than being with her mother. She learns the truth.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really loved that book. I'd read it again if I could.

[Barbara White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anything written by Richard Peck is a favorite of mine. He has such a great way with words, and Mr. Peck can write for all of us....for the young, young-adult, and adults.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my typical story

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one wasn't one of my favorites of Richard Peck. But yet I still enjoyed it.