Love, Aubrey

by Suzanne LaFleur

"I had everything I needed to run a household: a house, food, and a new family. From now on it would just be me and Sammy–the two of us, and no one else."

A tragic accident has turned eleven-year-old Aubrey’s world upside down. Starting a new life all alone, Aubrey has everything she thinks she needs: SpaghettiOs and Sammy, her new pet fish. She cannot talk about what happened to her. Writing letters is the only thing that feels right to Aubrey, even if no one ever reads them.

With the aid of her loving grandmother and new friends, Aubrey learns that she is not alone, and gradually, she finds the words to express feelings that once seemed impossible to describe. The healing powers of friendship, love, and memory help Aubrey take her first steps toward the future.

Readers will care for Aubrey from page one and will watch her grow until the very end, when she has to make one of the biggest decisions of her life.

Love, Aubrey is devastating, brave, honest, funny, and hopeful, and it introduces a remarkable new writer, Suzanne LaFleur. No matter how old you are, this book is not to be missed.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Childrens, Juvenile

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

I grew up outside Boston in Newton, and later Natick, MA. During the school year I went to Catholic school, did a lot of homework, and read a couple books a week. During the summer I read a couple books a day and spent hours swimming and playing outside at our local pool or beach. I was very much a planner, dreamer, and writer, creating plays and shows for my siblings and the neighborhood kids to be in and filling up entire notebooks with novels. I always read late into the night and slept with a book under my pillow.

I went to college in Lexington, VA at Washington and Lee, where I studied English and European History; I went to grad school in New York City at The New School, where I studied Writing for Children.

Now I divide my time between Natick, MA and New York. Due to my frequent travels, I don't really have a "typical" day, but most days I spend some time writing, reading, exercising (swimming, lifting, or walking), and visiting with friends. I like to warm up for writing by playing computer games. I do my best writing at home in my pajamas, though a lot of days I will venture out to a library to work (in jeans and a sweatshirt, rather than PJ's!). Most days I take a nap, which I tend to do with a book on my chest, whether or not I was actually reading it before I fell asleep. I still read before bed, and, now that I'm older and have a big bed to myself, I slide the book I'm reading under the pillow next to me (rather than the one I'm planning to sleep on!).

Because readers of all ages visit me here on Goodreads, I really do like to put up a genuine record of what I read, whether it's for kids, teens, or adults. The books I read are not intended as recommendations for any particular age group.

Reviews

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love, Aubrey focuses on eleven year old Aubrey, who lost her father and younger sister, Savannah, in a car accident earlier in the year. Aubrey's mom unable to function or deal with her grief left Aubrey. Aubrey is left to fend for herself until her grandma shows up at the door one day. Love, Aubrey is about getting unstuck from the terrible moments in your life and moving forward even if it's really really hard and painful. Even though Aubrey is resistant to leave her home in Virginia and move up to Vermont with her grandma, it's that move that helps Aubrey begin her journey of getting unstuck and dealing with not just the loss of her father and sister, but with the absence of her mother. There are of course happy moments of the book filled with the friends Aubrey meets, her new school and more.

Love Aubrey, is a good pick for readers who like books with the same sort of tone, but it's also a great pick for people who are going through a hard time too. You may not be going through the same thing as Aubrey, but her feelings and experiences are something most people can relate to at one point or another in their life. So reading the book is kind of comforting, like you and Aubrey are working through getting unstuck together.

[Zohreh Hanifeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

نزدیک یک ماه و نیمه که این کتاب رو شروع کردم... اصولاً خوندن یه رمان سادهٔ نوجوان نباید این‌قدر طول می‌کشید. ولی درگیری مریضی بابا و روزهای به غایت بد، حال و حوصلهٔ کتاب برام باقی نمی‌گذاشت. کمتر از نیمی از کتاب مونده بود و امروز سه هفته‌ای میشد که لای کتاب هم باز نکرده بودم‌. امروز که درست بیست روز از رفتن بابا می‌گذره کتاب رو برداشتم و ادامه دادم و تقریباً با تمام صفحه‌هاش اشک ریختم. آبریِ یازده ساله که پدر و خواهر کوچیکه‌ش رو از دست داده، که باید با دردها و رنج‌هایی دست و پنجه نرم کنه که هنوز براشون آماده نیست. که می‌دونه جای خالی عزیزانش هیچ وقت پر نمیشه، و این که تو این تنهایی باید مراقب مامانش که اون هم از این فقدان ضربه خورده باشه. با هر جمله گریه کردم و دختر کوچولوی درونم مثل آبری به خاک چنگ می‌زد که عزیز از دست رفته‌م رو برگردونه. گر چه هنوز باورم نیست...
اما آدم زنده می‌مونه. زنده می‌مونه و باید یاد بگیره زندگی کنه. برای عزیزانش، و مهم‌تر از اون برای خودش. حتی اگر همه چیز سخت و تلخ و کشنده باشه. حتی اگه یه روزایی دلت بخواد همه چی تموم شه... اما زندگی ادامه داره. و شاید خیلی طول بکشه، اما یه روز خوب بودن رو یاد می‌گیری دوباره. مطمئنم.

[Hossein · Rating 5 out of 5]

زیبا بود. فقط این‌که ای کاش واقعی‌تر بود و نشان می‌داد که در دوران سوگ (و حتی در طولِ زندگی)، بیشتر اوقات آدم‌ها تا این حد از طرف اطرافیان و دوستان و حتی خانواده ‌حمایت نمیشن. خیلی از اوقات تنها میشن. و اگر چیزی باشه که از مرگ عزیزان دردناک‌تره، تنها موندنه.

اما پشتِ این خیال‌راحتی، یک چیز دیگر هم بود: یک چیز تیره و سخت وسط دلم؛ توی عمق سینه‌ام. گریه‌ام مثل وقت‌هایی نبود که می‌دانی حالا همه‌چیز بهتر شده. ضجه‌ی قرمز و داغی بود از چیزهایی که هنوز درد دارند؛ آن‌قدر که دیگر نمی‌توانی فکر کنی. پس دیگر فکر نکردم و ریختمش بیرون؛ با یک عالمه اشک و سروصدا.

[Pris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book, brought tears to my eyes.

[Adele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love, Aubrey is another book to add to my pile of children left behind novels...and yet I enjoyed it. I had heard a lot of very complimentary things about this novel before I read it and so I was expecting a lot. I really wasn't all that sure what to think about it as I started reading. I was piecing together the story well before elements were confirmed and yet I was in the present with Aubrey. This could just be a story about grief, instead it's about being left behind, and all that that means.

The eleven year old protagonist is not someone I would normally want to read about. She's mourning her family - how it once was, what it isn't now. She's barely keeping her head above the waters swirling with grief, depression, anger and need. What surprised me is how removed I felt and how much emotion I felt. I am contradicting myself I know, but that's how I felt. The anger I felt towards Elizabeth is overwhelming, I understand on a base level that her depression overrode her daughter's needs but I didn't care. She left her child alone. The last remaining member of her immediate family and she just up and left her. How dare she?

While Aubrey's being difficult with her grandmother, befriending Bridget or missing Savannah - I didn't really connect. But it took one letter to her father to break me. I find it interesting that the one member of the family, the one mentioned the least, could elicit so much emotion from me. It was then I realised how beautifully crafted this novel is. Each word is deliberate. LaFleur's words are delicately placed creating a whirlwind of contrasting emotions that race through you, leaving an emotional wreck behind. It is a stunning debut effort, one that I am reluctant to quantify because I cannot place why it is so good. Perhaps it's the use of simple language which leaves you feeling sparse? Maybe it's the number of emotions, conclusions and thoughts that aren't ever directly stated? Maybe it's both. Regardless, this book is a revelation and the start to a very promising career for Suzanne LaFleur.

[Fa Tme · Rating 5 out of 5]

نمیدونم چرا نوشتن درباره این کتاب برام اینقدر سخته
خیلی از جاهای کتاب بغض کردم و اشک ریختم
ولی خیلی جاها هم احساس امید کردم
به نظرم به بهترین شکل ممکن روند داستان پیش رفته بود و در نهایت آخر داستان اون چیزی نبود که من تصور می‌کردم و لذت بردم با تصمیم شجاعانه‌ای که آبری در انتهای داستان می‌گیره

نویسنده در کتاب تاثیر نوشتن نامه را هم نشان میده. آبری با شروع نوشتن نامه‌هایی به دوست خیالی ساوانا، شجاعت نوشتن حرف‌های که در دلش داره به پدر، خواهر، و در نهایت به مادرش را پیدا می‌کنه و با واقعیت کنار میاد.

" کتاب از طرف آبری، با عشق" مفهوم خانواده، مرگ عزیزان، افسردگی، طرد شدن به خوبی نشان داده
و در آخر داستان به این نکته اشاره میشه که خانه و خانواده فراتر از مکان و عادت‌های ما هستن

برشی از کتاب:
《هر لحظه ممکن بود هر کسی بمیرد چه آماده باشی، چه نباشی. ممکن بود ماهی خانگی‌ات باشد یا خواهرت یا خودت. هیچ چیز برای همیشه همان جوری نمی‌ماند... چون آدم هیچ وقت نمی‌داند چه قدر وقت دارد؟》

[Peivand · Rating 3 out of 5]

خوندنش مثل اینه که داستانهای پاورقی مجله خانواده رو بخونی
من حوصلم سر میرفت اگه سریع تموم نمیشد نصفه ولش میکردم

[Sweetdhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bicara tentang kehilangan, tidak pernah sederhana..
Meski ia datang, kadang dengan cara yang teramat mudah..
Bukankah aneh, kita justru merasa sesak kala merasakan ketiadaan?
Isi kepala begitu penuh hingga tak mampu menampung sisi hidup yang lain..
Mengapa kekosongan alihalih menjelma semesta saat dirasa rengat di hati?

Seakan belum cukup kepergian Dad dan Savannah dalam kecelakaan yang tragis, Aubrey, gadis 11 tahun, masih harus mengalami kehilangan ibu nya..
Tapi bukan hanya Aubrey, ibu nya sendiri pun kehilangan diri nya sendiri..
Beliau tidak sanggup menopang kehilangan dua orang tercintanya
Hingga siang itu, beliau pergi

Aubrey yang menyangka ibunya hanya pergi berbelanja kebingungan..
Dan sesak karena kekosongan rumahnya..
Hingga malam datang, Aubrey sendirian..
Lalu malam berikutnya, dan berikutnya..
Bertahan dengan makanan sisa yang ada di dapur..

Di sini, saya sangat ingin memeluk Aubrey..
Betapa beruntungnya saya masih mempunyai Emak untuk saya peluk..
Kapan pun saya merasa dunia ingin menelan saya bulatbulat, Emak masih ada untuk mendengarkan saya..

Apalagi setelah tadi pagi saya berbincang dengan Ayu..
At some point, she felt tired of things, and she texted her mom..
Ini balasan si mamah, "Kalo kamu ngerasa gak kuat jalan, merangkaklah, belajar lagi dari awal buat berjalan. Tapi jangan pernah berhenti. Kalo kamu merasa capek, menangislah, habiskan dan kamu akan bisa ketawa lagi, tapi jangan pernah berhenti ya, nak. Percaya aja sama Allah. Sing sabar ya, Nduk.."

See?
Betapa beruntungnya kita yang masih punya Ibu untuk menguatkan kita..
Sedangkan Aubrey?
Tuhan..

Untungnya Gram datang, menyelamatkan Aubrey..
Membawa nya ke rumah dan mulai membangun sedikit demi sedikit kekuatan Aubrey..
Dan meski di awal pertemuan dengan Brdiget dan keluarganya justru membuat perut Aubrey bergejolak sesak, tapi mereka terlalu hangat hingga Aubrey merasa nyaman berada di tengah mereka..

Aubrey mulai mampu berdiri kuat..
Dan sekali lagi, nampaknya ujian belum selesai..
Mom datang..
Masih dengan ketidakmampuan menopang emosi nya sendiri..

Lalu perut Aubrey bergejolak lagi..


Mungkin karena kehilangan tidak pernah menjadi pilihan..
Saat kehilanganmu, contohnya..
Jika bukan karena simpul yang terpaksa aku jalin, kehilanganmu pasti kan terjadi dalam cara yang lain..
Jua ketika Bapak pergi, di Idul Fitri lima tahun Hijriah yang lalu..
Apa kami bisa memilih untuk tidak merasakan hampa saat lutut yang seharusnya kami cium di hari yang fitri justru telah terbujur kaku?

Yang aku yakini, hanya ada satu kehilangan yang sepenuhnya menjadi pilihan untuk kita..
Satusatu nya yang berada dalam genggaman kita..
KehilanganNya..
Karena Dia tak pernah tiada..
Acapkali, kita yang melupakan keberadaanNya..

*dengan tambahan kata dari sini

[Neda · Rating 5 out of 5]

چقدر کتاب عمیق و خوبی بود. قطعا گروه نوجوان از این کتاب خیلی لذت می‌برند و خیلی هم ازش یاد می‌گیرن. کتاب داستان زندگی آبریه که بخش اعظم خونواده اش رو از دست داده و حالا برای ادامه زندگی داره با خودش کنار میاد. بارها با کتاب اشک ریختم و آبری رو به خاطر قدرتی که داشت، تحسین کردم. در عین حال که کتاب داستان رو به پیش میبره، راه حل های خیلی خوبی رو هم مطرح میکنه که میتونه تاثیرگذار و مهم و آموزنده باشه. زندگی گاهی وقت ها خیلی تلخه ولی باید یه جورایی با این تلخی ها کنار اومد.

[Fatemeh Bahrami · Rating 3 out of 5]

۳/۵

″ ولی واقعاً هر لحظه ممکن بود هرکسی بمیرد؛ چه آماده باشی، چه نباشی. ممکن بود ماهی خانگی‌ات باشد یا خواهرت یا خودت. هیچ‌چیز برای همیشه همان‌جوری نمی‌ماند. شاید همه‌ی آدم‌های دنیا، ماهی‌های خانگی خدا باشند. خدا آن‌قدر زنده بوده که احتمالاً به نظرش زندگی آدم‌ها خیلی کوتاه است. به آدم‌ها نگاه می‌کند که یک مدت شنا می‌کنند و بعد هم دیگر شنا نمی‌کنند. ″

هرکسی توی زندگی‌ش به یه دوست مثل بریجت نیاز داره. همراه، هم‌دل و با درک. چنین آدم‌هایی کمیاب‌اند.

[Nastaran · Rating 5 out of 5]

همیشه خوندن تجربه‌های آدم ها درباره‌ی دردهاشون و دیدن اینکه چطوری خودشون رو دوباره میسازن و دوباره شروع میکنن برام جالب بوده!جدا از همه‌ی این‌ها این کتاب تعادل خیلی خوبی رو بین اون غم دردناک و شادی زندگی برقرار کرده که خواننده رو مشتاق به خوندن و دونستن میکنه حتی با اینکه کتاب دردناک و غمگینه!خیلی خیلی از خوندنش لذت بردم و دوستش داشتم♡

[th. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad I read this when I was younger AND now that I'm an adult. I remember loving this book and re-reading it often (and conveniently forgetting the plot each time except the main theme of "abandonment") and I'm also glad that my opinions still held up now.

Low-key I wish I can read it again without knowing anything just to see my reaction when I see the first plot unfold like damn.

Rather than thinking back and analysing my experience reading this, I'll just say it simply and in a subjective manner: If you like middle grade stories tackling heavier topics such as abandonment, forgiveness, family and healing, please give this a try. I was devastated reading this when I was younger but I'm still devastated now for newer reasons (such as seeing similar symptoms that I'm experiencing now through the eyes of such a young child).

This just has a special place in my heart.

[Speakercoret · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5*

Apa rasanya tiba-tiba saja kehilangan ayah dan adikmu dalam kecelakaan mobil..
Apa rasanya tiba-tiba saja ibu kandungmu sendiri meninggalkanmu di suatu pagi...

itu yang terjadi pada aubrey, dia berumur sebelas tahun ketika dunia indahnya terenggut oleh tangan2 takdir..
Dia harus menguatkan dirinya untuk hidup sendiri, setelah ibunya tiba2 pergi pada suatu pagi.. Tidak sedikitpun terlintas di pikirannya utk menghubungi gram atau uncle david, sampai akhirnya gram datang dan membawanya utk tinggal di rumahnya di vermont..

Di sana dia bertemu bridget, gadis kecil yg tinggal bersama ayah, ibu dan dua adiknya di sebelah rumah gram..
setiap melihat kebahagian keluarga bridget, perutnya bergejolak..
melihat mabel adik bridget di angkat di udara oleh ayahnya perutnya bergejolak..
bermain bersama bridget n mabel pun kadang membuat perutnya bergejolak...
sampai saat itu tiba, saat kenyataan menghantamnya.. saat akhirnya bukan cuma membuat perutnya bergejolak, tapi membuatnya merintih, meratap saat kesadaran itu mengoyak jiwanya, saat dia memahami sulit untuk menggapai mereka yang meninggalkannya...

campur aduk yang gw rasain pas baca buku ini,
sedih saat aubrey menyangkal apa yang terjadi..
marah saat pertama ibunya meninggalkan aubrey tanpa pesan..
miris saat aubrey berusaha tinggal sendiri..
menangis saat aubrey merintih dan meratap, terpuruk di tengah hutan..
tersenyum saat aubrey dengan kekuatannya menemani bridget di unit gawat darurat..

-------------------------------------------------
hehehe belum kenal sebenernya ma pemiliknya, di rak petrik ada buku ini, punya mba Nenny katanya :)
makasih ya mbaaaa *dah kelar baca baru nge add friend* :p

[Andrea Hickman Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up on the the strength of the title font along the spine. I glanced at the cover, flipped it over and read the back. I opened it up, read the first few pages and decided I was taking it home with me. Surprisingly, this doesn't usually happen. I frequently pick up books because of the way they look. Reading the back usually induces me to put them back on the shelf. If the book passes that test, I read the first couple of sentences and, usually, a few random passages through the book. Rarely will I read the first few pages, instead of just the first few sentences. When a book manages to draw me in like that I buy it. Which is what happened with this book.

This is a heart-breaking story about death, grief and loss. It should be required reading for all children, and everyone who is too old to have had it required of them. Every single one of you should read this book. This is not a typical children's book. This is a book that deals with real life issues in a way that does not require the metaphor of fantasy. It's an emotional survival handbook that is relevant to anyone who has ever lost someone to grief.

[Massoume · Rating 5 out of 5]

داستان درباره آبریه، که تو یک‌ تصادف پدر و خواهرش رو از دست می ده و بعد مامانش می‌ ذاره و میره و آبری مجبور می شه با مادربزرگش زندگی کنه.
کتاب رو حدود ساعت 3 صبح خوندم و بعضی جاهاش انقدر قشنگ بود که اشکم در اومد.

"ولی واقعا هر لحظه ممکن بود هرکسی بمیرد، چه آماده باشی چه نباشی. ممکن بود ماهی خانگی ت باشد یا خواهرت یا حتی خودت. هیچ چیز برای همیشه همان جوری نمی ماند. شاید همه ماهی های دنیا، ماهی های خانگی خدا باشند، خدا آنقدر زنده بوده که احتمالا بنظرش زندگی انسان ها خیلی کوتاه است.به آدم ها نگاه می کند که یه مدت شنا می کنند و بعد هم دیگر شنا نمی کنند"

[Michelle (Fluttering Butterflies) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh dear, where to begin with this book? Love, Aubrey wrenched out my heart and stomped on it. But in a good way. I started it in the late afternoon/early evening and I couldn't bear to put it down. By 1am the following morning, I had finished it and was bawling like a baby in my bed. Actually sobbing big fat tears. So be warned! This one is a weep-inducing book.

Before I started reading this book, I knew it was going to be sad. But I thought that 11 year old Aubrey would be on her own throughout the novel, and that isn't the case, thank god. She is eventually rescued by her grandmother and taken somewhere safe and stable. But that time spent on her own? Using her birthday money to buy Spaghetti-Os and a pet fish for company? Broke my heart. The whole thing did.

As the reader, you aren't told straightaway all the details of how Aubrey is left on her own, instead the story is drawn out a bit and you can piece it together through some of Aubrey's flashbacks of life before and through her letters. When she goes to live with her grandmother, things are a bit difficult for everyone. Aubrey struggles to adjust with her new life, the different relationship with her grandmother. She's feeling angry at her mother, grief at the loss of her father and little sister. You can see how hard it is for her to trust again and the deep depression she Aubrey is in, as she doesn't want to get out of bed or just sits and watches television and avoiding any conversations where she might have to feel or remember.

Eventually though, with the help of a new best friend, a guidance counsellor and her grandmother, Aubrey is able to fight her way to back to some semblance of a normal 11 year old girl who goes sledding in the snow and has pizza parties on her birthday instead of worrying about her loved ones abandoning her and how she'll cope.

Love, Aubrey could have been more heavy-handed with the emotional issues, but despite how it sounds, it really isn't. In some parts, mostly at the beginning, it's like we're really seeing things from Aubrey's perspective as she tries to detach herself from feeling so much so that it all doesn't overwhelm her. But gradually, Aubrey is able to let out a little of what she's feeling and when that happens? Be ready to get walloped by the strong emotions. Keep tissues handy.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life can’t get any worse for eleven year old Aubrey, or can it? After a devastating car accident claims the lives of Aubrey’s dad and seven year old sister, Savannah, Aubrey and her mom, overwhelmed with guilt and sorrow, struggle to deal with the tragedy. Imagine Aubrey’s surprise one evening when she realizes her mother, unable to cope with the enormity of her loss, has abandoned her. Finally cognizant of her daughter’s neglect and Aubrey’s fragile emotional state, Aubrey’s grandmother takes her home to Vermont intent on providing Aubrey with the love and stability she desperately needs. With patience and compassion, Aubrey’s grandmother, close neighbors and the school counselor assist Aubrey in coming to terms with her loss, gain insight into her mother’s actions and find solace in her memories of Savannah and her dad. Written in first person narrative, Aubrey’s emotions are palpable as random events trigger flashbacks of family memories. Printed in italics and woven throughout the story, letters, written by Aubrey to Savannah’s imaginary friend and significant family members, reveal Aubrey’s painful reflections, the depth of her sorrow and anger. The conflict Aubrey experiences when her mother attempts to reclaim her role will resonate with young readers anxiously awaiting Aubrey’s decision. LaFleur has crafted a poignant tale about loss, the importance of love and the resilience of the human spirit that elementary readers (grades 3-5) will find both credible and touching. For older students, pair this book with Barbara Park's Mick Harte Was Here for a discussion about loss and grieving.



Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur
ISBN: 978-0-385-73774-6
$15.99, 262 pgs.
hardcover, realistic fiction

[Maryam · Rating 5 out of 5]

عشق ، محبت ، دوستی ، دلنتگی ، غم
همشون تو این کتاب جمع شده بود، فوق العاده این کتاب رو دوست دارم ، حس ابری و بارونی کتاب رو دوست دارم ، غم آبری رو دوست دارم، نامه هایی که آبری برای دوست تخیلی خواهر مرده ش مینوشت وآخر نامه هاش ((از طرف آبری با عشق)) رو مینوشت دوست دارم.
بعدش نامه ها رو مینداخت تو رودخونه تا به دست دوست تخیلی خواهرش برسه(که اسمشو یادم نمیاد🙄)
یا وقتی که باد تندی میومد ، نامه رو تو باد رها میکرد و نامه میرفت.
شخصیت پردازی ضعیف بود ولی قابل تشخیص نبود ، یعنی اونقدرا مهم نبود تو این کتاب ، نه اینکه بگم اصلا شخصیت پردازی در کار نبود، چرا بود ، ولی اونقدرا روش کار نشده بود، فضا سازی هم خوب بود، ضعف های کتاب کاملا با حس های آبری پوشونده شده بود.
مریم ، با تمام وجودم میگم آبری مثل تو بود ، بعضی وقتا چشماش بوی غم میداد ، وقتی لبخند میزد ، دوستش به طور ناخودآگاه تو چشمای آبری غرق میشد.
غمای آبری ، غمای من بود، تو هم آبری هستی ، مشکلات و غمات ، مشکلات و غمای منه.
تو هم درست مثل آبری ، نامه مینویسی و رهاش میکنی تو وزش شدید باد.
تو هم درست مثل آبری بعضی وقتا چشمات بوی غم میده.
تو هم درست مثل آبری عشق بازی میکنی با خدات.
خلاصه که رو من خیلی حساب کن رفیق ، غماتو تخریب میکنم؛)
از طرف مریم ، با عشق:)

[Nilam Suri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiuuuh, that was a hard long ride, reading this book.

No, not because this is not a good book, but because it's so heart wrenching, yet so beautifully written, even after it got translated.

Ceritanya tentang seorang gadis cilik berusia 11 tahun. Di awal buku diceritakan kalau pada suatu pagi Ibu gadis ini tiba-tiba menghilang dan meninggalkan dia begitu saja. Hal itu ternyata karena keluarga mereka baru saja kehilangan Ayah dan seorang anak, Savannah, adik Aubrey.

Awalnya Aubrey nggak bilang pada siapa pun tentang kepergian Ibunya, tapi akhirnya Gram, neneknya, datang dan mengetahui itu semua. Gram akhirnya membawa Aubrey ke Vermont dari Virginia untuk tinggal bersamanya.

Di Vermont, Aubrey memulai kehidupan yang baru, dia bahkan memiliki sahabat baru, Bridget, yang tinggal di sebelah rumah Gram. Keluarga Bridget masih utuh, dan dia memiliki dua orang adik.

Mereka sering bermain ke dalam hutan, dan Aubrey sering meninggalkan surat-suratnya kepada Jilly yang misterius di pohon luka milik Bridget. Mereka bermain luncur salju, membuat manusia salju, berkemah di halaman, mendatangi pesta Holloween Christian yang sedang ditaksir Bridget, dan merayakan ulang tahun Aubrey bersama Marcus, cowok dari kelas Aubrey yang ceria tapi diam-diam sedih.

Lalu, ketika akhirnya Ibu Aubrey tiba-tiba muncul kembali, haruskah Aubrey kembali ke Virginia yang gelap dan suram seperti yang diingatnya dan meninggalkan kehidupan barunya yang menyenangkan di Vermont?

Saya membaca buku ini di kereta dalam perjalan ke kampus. Jadilah saya harus berkali-kali mengusap sudut mata dengan sembunyi-sembunyi, supaya penumpang lainnya nggak ada yang menyadari air mata yang mendesak muncul gara-gara membaca buku ini.

Semua orang yang merasa butuh a good cry harus membaca buku ini, atau mungkin, orang-orang yang merasa butuh diyakinkan bahwa bahkan setelah yang terburuk terjadi pun, harapan akan selalu ada, dan kesempatan untuk tertawa gembira pasti akan muncul kembali.

Dan nggak ada yang salah dari hal itu.

Selamat menikmati. Selamat menangis, selamat tertawa, dan tentunya, selamat membaca ;]

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Aubrey Priestly has eaten the last of the cheese and crackers and finished the juice in the refrigerator. There is nothing left to eat so she takes the birthday money Gram sent and heads to the store. She knows she can buy groceries and take care of herself, but she's worried about what might happen if someone finds out she is eleven and living alone.

Tragedy struck and took Aubrey's sister and father, and now her mother has been gone for days. Aubrey thought it was best to ignore the constantly ringing telephone since she had no idea what to tell any caller that might ask to speak to her mother. However, one afternoon she just couldn't ignore the repeated ringing of the doorbell. When she opened the door, she found Gram standing on the porch.

What follows is Aubrey's concerned grandmother bustling about asking questions about how long she's been alone and then giving instructions about what to pack since Gram is taking Aubrey back with her. They ride the train from Virginia to the familiar old house in Vermont. Used to visits only on holidays, it seems strange to be moving in with Gram, but it's a relief to have someone taking care of her again.

Aubrey gradually opens up to her grandmother as the two of them work to adjust to the tremendous changes in their lives. But even with Gram's loving care, a new best friend living right next door, and a helpful counselor at her new school, Aubrey finds the most relief when she writes letters to the loved ones now missing from her life.

LOVE, AUBREY is the first novel by Suzanne LaFleur. The story is filled with emotion. The heart-wrenching sadness Aubrey experiences as old memories begin to surface are sure to bring tears to the eyes of even the most jaded reader. LaFleur shows Aubrey dealing with grief and loss as she struggles to understand her feelings and the confusing choices made by her grieving mother.

This is a powerful story about love, loss, and healing that goes far beyond its targeted middle grade audience.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounding up to 4 Stars.

I read this aloud to my daughter.

This novel begins with Aubrey left to fend for herself after her mother flees in response to the accidental death of her husband and youngest daughter. Not only is Aubrey making sense of her unimaginable grief of losing her dad and little sister, she's been abandoned by her mother. The first chapter draws you in. Aubrey is living alone, in secret, scraping money together to buy canned food, insisting to herself that she will be just fine. Holed up in her house, she is willing to wait as long as it takes for her mom to return.
I almost wanted the book to explore her self-reliance more, but soon Aubrey is rescued by her grandmother. This left me slightly disappointed, until I got to know Gram.
The characters in "Love, Aubrey" are beautifully crafted. This is not a plot driven story but rather one of relationships and slow recovery. I may have enjoyed it more than my daughter, who cried, "It's sooo sad!" But she still handed the book off to a friend excitedly.

[Stef · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Sometimes I wonder if life is all about one moment. Everything before and everything after is about that one moment, and we are all stuck there.”

Perasaan setelah membaca ini, mengharu dan perasaan yang sama sehabis membaca a monster calls nya patrick ness. Dengan mengangkat tema yang sama perihal kehilangan, aku sebagai pembaca dapat larut dalam cerita Aubrey. Perjuangan bocah 11 tahun menghadapi kedukaan di tinggalkan Ayah dan Adiknya Savannah, dan sekali lagi harus kehilangan ibu nya yang menelantarkan nya dirumah sendiri. Rasanya sehabis membaca kepengen memeluk Aubrey, everything will okay soon. Dan suka ending cerita nya yang menurutku masih realitis dan sesuai dengan karakter Aubrey sepanjang cerita.

Sekali lagi, middle grade book bikin hati bolong. T.T

[Uzma Sheikh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was beautifully written, and is great plot for the "Real World". It explores the crazy journey a young girl must take after an incident that took away her father and sister. Love Aubrey is a creative, emotional book that has beautiful story worth reading! I recommend this book for mature kids, preferably 11 or 12 MATURE kids! It really matters how you comprehend everything that happens because this is like a real world situation--- this can happen.
This book is truly recommended young adults. You will love this one!

[_.eameli · Rating 3 out of 5]

یه داستان معمولی اما غم انگیز با نوشته ها جوری نویسنده برات بازی میکنه که بشینی همراهش گریه کنی.
آبری کیوت ما دوازده سالشه اما اون یه روز براش اتفاق خیلی بدی میفته زمانی که با خانواده اش میره مسافرت یه کامیون از جاده خارج میشه و مستقیم به سمت ماشینشون میاد باعث تصادف بدی میشه آبری کوچولو ما تو این تصادف خواهر و پدرش از دست میده....
و این داستان کوتاه از زندگیشه که چجوری با این اتفاق بد رو میگذرونه.
من دوسش داشتم و کتاب های نشر پرتقال یه خوبی داره سنین پایین تر هم میتونند بخون و برای بزرگسال متن روونی داره که میتونید یک روزه تمومش کنید.

[Антонія · Rating 5 out of 5]

Не рекомендується читати в дорозі. Бо я пів дороги плакала. Зворушлива історія переживання втрати. Книга про дитину стала для мене терапією. Кроками до зцілення минулого. Дорогою до любові, прийняття своїх слабкостей і недосконалих рідних, що люблять не так, як очікувалося.

Надзвичайна книга.
Більше, ніж історія.
Це - ліки.

[Josiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sometimes I wonder if life is all about one moment. Everything before and everything after is about that one moment, and we are all stuck there."

—Love, Aubrey, P. 198

Score another major hit for Wendy Lamb Books.

New to the world of writing juvenile fiction, Suzanne Lafleur's first novel is filled to brimming with rewarding, close-knit relationships and the kind of poignant real emotion achieved only in a select few books.

Love, Aubrey begins in the aftermath of the initial grief over the accident that has forever changed Aubrey's family. Only Aubrey and her mother survive, and Aubrey's mother has disappeared for parts unknown. At age eleven, Aubrey must gather the resourcefulness and courage to face life completely on her own, having to face not only the removal of her sister and father, but now also of her mother.

This situation does not continue for long, as Aubrey's grandmother comes onto the scene and recognizes developments for what they are. Her grandmother retrieves Aubrey back to her own home state of Virginia, where Aubrey now has a real home and someone to take care of her. In short, Aubrey once again has the security of a family, makeshift and ultimately unsatisfactory though it might be.

Things have a way of turning out so differently from the way that one anticipates, however. In a new hometown with a new school and all-new people surrounding her, Aubrey slowly begins to adjust, to survive and eventually even thrive where she is planted, despite the inherently temporary nature of the setup. She quickly meets Bridget, a girl her age next door who turns out to be the kind of friend that a lucky person meets once, maybe twice in a lifetime. The intimacy of their friendship is refreshing and serves as a wonderful buoy, to the story as well as to Aubrey's fragile spirit. So much of the personal progress that Aubrey makes in the pages of this book could be directly attributable to the shoring up of her unstable psyche by this loving friendship with Bridget. It allows her to almost immediately be herself in an entirely foreign locale, and to approach situations at school without the pressure of not having any friends working at the back of her mind.

Then Aubrey meets Marcus, a boy in her class whose life contains some elements that parallel hers, and another unique relationship begins to form. Suzanne Lafleur seems to be a master at conveying the multidimensional and dynamic nature of friendship, and it is in this respect that Love, Aubrey most consistently shines for all that it is. The relationships in the book come across as so authentic that I felt as if I were part of those relational connections, as well.

Events and the people involved with them are always shifting, though, and through everything that happens as Aubrey gets used to life in a new state and a new unorthodox family, change comes to her new life, as well. The tragedy of her past and the confirming presence of those that have rallied around her help Aubrey to find her way through it all—to understand the grief that looms over and inside of her throughout so much of this book, always threatening to invade and carry her back to a place of darkness— and finally to fully process and walk away from that grief. Then, when suddenly one day Aubrey's mother returns into her life, Aubrey finds that she is now ready to deal with that newest heartache, as well.

Love, Aubrey is a transformative work that realistically and painfully takes us on a trip through the most formative time of experience in the life of a bright, conflicted, and completely likable girl, letting us experience alongside her the black tunnels of grief, and the happy moments that serve to light her way forward. This really makes the book into an experience for the reader, and not just a touching story. Above all, what really stood out to me about this book is the deeply personal and emotionally stinging nature of the sadness that comes out with full force in some of Aubrey's letters, especially the ones that she writes to Jilly, her father and her sister Savannah. It is at these brief moments that the full weight of what has been taken from Aubrey's life hits the reader, and we can feel exactly what she feels. It is a hard, hard thing to bear, and for Aubrey it will continue to be that hard for as far into the future as her own life will stretch.

I'd imagine that Love, Aubrey is one of those books that really made the 2010 Newbery committee agonize over not recognizing the profundity of its achievement with a Newbery Honor. I think that it certainly is one of the very best books of the year, and I am so thankful to have been given the opportunity to come to know Suzanne Lafleur as an author. I would give at least three and a half stars to this book.

[Stacey | prettybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Eight Keys last year and I absolutely loved it. It was my first foray into children's literature for a little while and I adored the way Elise's story was told — through discovering a key that leads to unlocking eight rooms in her family's barn — and so I did not hesitate to read Suzanne LaFleur's début novel, Love, Aubrey.

Love, Aubrey is a heartbreakingly realistic tale of an 11-year-old who suddenly loses her father and younger sister Savannah in a devastating car crash. Aubrey wakes up not long after the tragic accident and discovers that her mother is not at home, and it looks like she's never coming back. Aubrey's determined to survive on her own with TV, cheese and crackers, and her new pet fish Sammy, because if she faces the truth too quickly, she won't be able to bear it.

Aubrey's emotional transition throughout the novel is slow but noticeable. The story takes place over a few months and we watch as she tries to come to terms with the drastic changes in her life, and frequently has watery flashbacks of the way her family used to be. Suzanne LaFleur is unafraid to show that Aubrey is depressed. Aubrey isn't sad, she isn't unhappy, she's going through something much deeper and traumatic. Suzanne LaFleur does this in a subtle yet purposeful way, which I think is hugely important as a child isn't simply going to say 'I'm depressed'. I also loved how the adults were supportive and not submissive. They recognised that Aubrey was not going to 'snap out of it'. Instead, Aubrey deals with the situation in her own way as she writes letters to her sister's best friend Jilly, and in ways suggested by those that care for her, such as her grandmother giving her 'to do' lists every day.

Love, Aubrey is an important reminder that children's books aren't just for children, a poignant story about grief and consoling. It's not a book you 'enjoy', per se. Instead, you'll become deeply invested in the well-being of this little girl, richly understanding every emotion and thought running through her head. Suzanne LaFleur has a talent for understand children's experiences — and how they can be both very different, and very like, the experiences of adults — and I look forward to seeing who she endeavours to tell the story of next.

Thank you Puffin for providing this book for review!

I also reviewed this book over on Pretty Books.

[Aveline Agrippina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catatan tukang baca:

1. Cerita cukup menohok dengan gaya bercerita seperti anak-anak, seperti Aubrey yang bercerita.

2. Suratnya juga tidak mengada-ada. Ditulis berasal dari isi hati.

3. Aubrey yang berusaha lari dari kenyataan tersebut memang sudah terkunci dalam dunianya sendiri. Ini yang bisa mengoyakkan hati pembaca. Apalagi pembaca melankolis.

4. Dalam narasi, ada yang masih terasa janggal. Terutama anak seusia Aubrey sudah dapat bertahan hidup 7 hari di rumahnya sendiri dan tak seorang pun tahu.

5. Setidaknya, ini novel dengan tema yang sungguh menyedihkan. Apalagi kalau benar-benar terjadi di luar sana.



Itulah yang aku ingin Dad tahu: bahwa aku mencintaimu. Aku merindukanmu. Kuharap meskipun aku tumbuh besar, Dad masih bisa mengenaliku kalau melihatku nanti. Aku akan terus menjadi Aubrey-mu. Dan, Dad akan selalu menjadi ayah terbaik bagiku. Aku berharap Dad tidak harus pergi.

Aku pamit dulu.


Love,

Aubrey ------ hal 168



6. Di beberapa surat untuk adiknya, Aubrey belum terasa bahwa ia kehilangan adiknya. Masih berkesan biasa-biasa saja, padahal ia pun tercabik karenanya.






Love,

Aveline

[sumayyah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating - 3 Stars
___________________________________

This book could have made me shed loose tears a few years ago, maybe, before I read Counting by 7s which felt like a very similar story but so much more heart written into it. Suzanne LaFleur's writing in this was really simple. I know from a child's perspective, you should expect that. But it was so straight to the point that nothing really resonated with me. I've heard many grief-centered stories over the years, some real some fictional, and this, unfortunately, is not one I have any particular feelings for.

[BaHaR · Rating 5 out of 5]

احساس، قصه، اوج... هر چیزی که از یه کتاب انتظار داشته باشی رو داره. آبریه ۱۱ ساله یک تنه به جنگ تنهایی میره، تصمیمای بزرگ میگیره و خودش هم با تصمیم هاش بزرگ میشه. هر چند که دلش نمیخواد خیلی زود بزرگ بشه.