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Three Black Swans
Lives are in the balance in bestselling author Caroline B. Cooney’s newest young adult thriller, Three Black Swans .
Missy and her cousin Claire are best friends who finish each other’s sentences and practically read each other’s minds. It’s an eerie connection—so eerie that Missy has questions she wants to put to her parents. But she’s afraid to ask. So when Missy hears an expert discussing newborn babies on the radio, it makes her wonder about her family.
Missy just can’t let go of those nagging questions, and decides to use a school project about scientific hoaxes to try to uncover the answers. She enlists Claire to help. As part of the project the girls perform a dramatic scene that is captured on video at school. After the video is posted on YouTube, Missy and Claire realize that they’ve opened Pandora’s box and much more than they ever imagined has come out. Not only are their identities called into question, but so is the future of everyone involved.
In this riveting, heartrending story by thriller author Caroline B. Cooney, the truth changes the lives of three families—as the bonds of blood must withstand the strains of long-hidden secrets that are at last revealed.
Missy and her cousin Claire are best friends who finish each other’s sentences and practically read each other’s minds. It’s an eerie connection—so eerie that Missy has questions she wants to put to her parents. But she’s afraid to ask. So when Missy hears an expert discussing newborn babies on the radio, it makes her wonder about her family.
Missy just can’t let go of those nagging questions, and decides to use a school project about scientific hoaxes to try to uncover the answers. She enlists Claire to help. As part of the project the girls perform a dramatic scene that is captured on video at school. After the video is posted on YouTube, Missy and Claire realize that they’ve opened Pandora’s box and much more than they ever imagined has come out. Not only are their identities called into question, but so is the future of everyone involved.
In this riveting, heartrending story by thriller author Caroline B. Cooney, the truth changes the lives of three families—as the bonds of blood must withstand the strains of long-hidden secrets that are at last revealed.
276 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
68 people are currently reading
981 people want to read
About the author
Caroline B. Cooney
129 books1,766 followersCaroline Cooney knew in sixth grade that she wanted to be a writer when "the best teacher I ever had in my life" made writing her main focus. "He used to rip off covers from The New Yorker and pass them around and make us write a short story on whichever cover we got. I started writing then and never stopped!"
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 290 reviews
September 26, 2012
I read many reviews about this book. Many people didn't like it. When I first started to read it I was a bit confused and I thought that it moved too slowly. But I like Caroline Cooney so I mustered on. And I'm glad I did! The book turned out to be rather phenomenal- one of those books that keeps you thinking about it for a long time after you finish reading it. After a slow beginning the book sped into overdrive and I couldn't put it down. Missy and Claire are first cousins who seem to feel a lot closer than cousins- like a part of each other. When Missy decides to put together a "hoax" video at school for a science project, claiming that the girls are identical twins separated at birth, and the video goes You-Tube, all hell breaks loose, opening a huge can of worms. Glimpses of what's going on are given to the reader throughout as the dialogue tells what the girls and then the parents are thinking. My one complaint: the book definitely needs a follow-up or at least an epilogue because I want to know what happened next!
January 26, 2011
The last half of this book, "Three Black Swans," by Caroline B. Cooney, was very suspenseful. I really enjoyed it. The differences in how the characters felt about their situation was very clear.
However ---
1. The delayed introduction of a main character, Genevieve, until page 73 was very disconcerting. I stopped reading the story, thinking some mistake had been made. I closed the book three times. I looked at the page numbers thinking that the binding somehow misplaced a number of pages. It threw me completely off the story line to have a story about Missy and Claire go on for 72 pages, and then be completely dropped in order to tell the story of Genevieve. It was only after I slogged through the next 15 pages that the link back into the plot became clear. This is one good example why Blake Snyder, in his book "Save the Cat," recommends introducing all the main characters in the first act. Unless we are writing an epic novel, a story like this should introduce all the main characters in the setup part of the story. The first two scenes about the relationship between Genevieve and her parents (and grandmother) could have been folded into the first part of the whole story, avoiding the complete break in the plot that happens when Genevieve is finally introduced.
2. Some of this story was told in a style that seemed like an author's summarization of the story. It was written like backstory notes, rather than in a description and depiction of events and dialog. Half of the story does an excellent job of showing the emotions and feelings of the characters, but some of the other half is written in flat statements of how they felt, rather than showing it in the events and dialog of their lives. Part of this is due to the constant use of editorial flashback to fill in what happened in the past. The flashbacks are necessary because the events of the character's birth(s) and adoption(s) must be covered. But it seems to be mostly covered in a narrator's dialog rather than through the recollections of individual characters.
I think this book could have gone from good to great after a careful rewrite.
Logan
However ---
1. The delayed introduction of a main character, Genevieve, until page 73 was very disconcerting. I stopped reading the story, thinking some mistake had been made. I closed the book three times. I looked at the page numbers thinking that the binding somehow misplaced a number of pages. It threw me completely off the story line to have a story about Missy and Claire go on for 72 pages, and then be completely dropped in order to tell the story of Genevieve. It was only after I slogged through the next 15 pages that the link back into the plot became clear. This is one good example why Blake Snyder, in his book "Save the Cat," recommends introducing all the main characters in the first act. Unless we are writing an epic novel, a story like this should introduce all the main characters in the setup part of the story. The first two scenes about the relationship between Genevieve and her parents (and grandmother) could have been folded into the first part of the whole story, avoiding the complete break in the plot that happens when Genevieve is finally introduced.
2. Some of this story was told in a style that seemed like an author's summarization of the story. It was written like backstory notes, rather than in a description and depiction of events and dialog. Half of the story does an excellent job of showing the emotions and feelings of the characters, but some of the other half is written in flat statements of how they felt, rather than showing it in the events and dialog of their lives. Part of this is due to the constant use of editorial flashback to fill in what happened in the past. The flashbacks are necessary because the events of the character's birth(s) and adoption(s) must be covered. But it seems to be mostly covered in a narrator's dialog rather than through the recollections of individual characters.
I think this book could have gone from good to great after a careful rewrite.
Logan
October 15, 2011
One of the worst books I have ever read in my entire life, And trust me- I've sat through the Twilight series.
I mean, kudos, the idea was actually pretty original. This book is basically about cousins Missy and Claire. When Missy is given the assignment to create a hoax, she plays her cousin off as her long-lost identical twin. Which brings me the the point that if she's her cousin, then why did everyone fall for it? I mean, the author spends a good chunk of the book talking about how they spend every weekend together, and how they spent their entire childhoods right next to each other! yet, apparently, no one knew of Missy's cousin because Missy never talked about her. Why is that? The author plays her off as this social butterfly( or at least compared to Claire she seems to be), yet she never talks about her best friend who happens to be her cousin? Anyways, back to the story, Missy takes Claire to her school and they both appear on the school's morning annoucement together. While Missy is explaining about her twin with vigor, Claire just breaks down crying. Thus, the boy who does the morning annoucements( which are for some reason filmed; oh, that's where the tax money goes)decides to put it on Youtube without asking the girls. Woah, he's so nice. And thanks to him, all the drama begins to unfold. And that's where the story starts into the second act.
The second act is poor. I mean, the introduction was pretty decent. A few weird character problems, but they can pretty much fly. In the second act, Claire starts to come to the realization that Claire and her may actually be twins. And for some reason she starts crying over it multiple times. She tells Missy and Missy is like 'woah' (God, these characters make me want to jump off a cliff). Also, the reader is introduced to a new character about half-way through. Now, I'm not counting this as a spoiler, because if you didn't see this coming, then your IQ may be dangerously low. But, woah, there's another girl! And guess what? She looks just like Claire and Missy! Man, I thought this book called 'Three Balck Swans' would only have two characters; that's why they used the number three in the title. Now, I find the third girl (Genevieve) pretty likeable. She's nice, and her parents are pretty harsh, which makes you feel for her. Anyways, Genevieve finds the video of Claire and Missy on Youtube( since the video went viral from word of mouth), and discovers that they're all triplets. This leads us to the third act where Genevieve gets the idea to get the three of the girls together. All while they discover about their past and realize who the birth family is.
Now that the basic idea of the story is out of the way, now comes one of my biggest problems with the story- it's that the author doesn't get the whole twins/triplets thing. She describes them as looking exactly alike, having the same laugh, features,weight, etc. Now, my brothers are twins( who are like the ones in this story(( meaning they look alike in most features)) ), and they're nothing like this! One of them is taller than the other, a lot of their facial features are different, one is certainly heavier than the other, and their laughs are completely different. Now, not a lot of people can pick out the differences between twins unless they lvie with them( like myself), so it makes sense if everyone else thinks the girls all look like clones( in fact, they describe the girls as twins so much, I kept thinking this was going to turn into a sci-fi book). But the girls all think they look exactly alike, as well! They keep saying 'it's like looking in a reflection'. Either the author was too lazy to actually design three, different, individual characters, or these girls are extreme triplets.
Also, another issue, is that the characters react to things weirdly. Like the principal finds out what Missy did was a hoax,a nd she actually gets mad at her. She even says 'you tricked us'. Well, it's called a hoax. That's what it's supposed to do- trick people. I can understand the principal saying to the teacher 'that hoax project was a complete waste of time', but not the principal snapping at Missy. Also, after Missy declares it was a hoax all of her classmates are like 'cruel, feelingless, monster- a pox on you!'. Well, how would they like it if everyone shuns them for their lame hoax? Lastly, at the part when Genevieve confronts her parents, her mother actually grabs a knife out of nowhere and puts it to her wrist. I cannot even cover that, it's just so stupid.
So forget this book, I'm going to go read bad Harry Potter fanfiction!
I mean, kudos, the idea was actually pretty original. This book is basically about cousins Missy and Claire. When Missy is given the assignment to create a hoax, she plays her cousin off as her long-lost identical twin. Which brings me the the point that if she's her cousin, then why did everyone fall for it? I mean, the author spends a good chunk of the book talking about how they spend every weekend together, and how they spent their entire childhoods right next to each other! yet, apparently, no one knew of Missy's cousin because Missy never talked about her. Why is that? The author plays her off as this social butterfly( or at least compared to Claire she seems to be), yet she never talks about her best friend who happens to be her cousin? Anyways, back to the story, Missy takes Claire to her school and they both appear on the school's morning annoucement together. While Missy is explaining about her twin with vigor, Claire just breaks down crying. Thus, the boy who does the morning annoucements( which are for some reason filmed; oh, that's where the tax money goes)decides to put it on Youtube without asking the girls. Woah, he's so nice. And thanks to him, all the drama begins to unfold. And that's where the story starts into the second act.
The second act is poor. I mean, the introduction was pretty decent. A few weird character problems, but they can pretty much fly. In the second act, Claire starts to come to the realization that Claire and her may actually be twins. And for some reason she starts crying over it multiple times. She tells Missy and Missy is like 'woah' (God, these characters make me want to jump off a cliff). Also, the reader is introduced to a new character about half-way through. Now, I'm not counting this as a spoiler, because if you didn't see this coming, then your IQ may be dangerously low. But, woah, there's another girl! And guess what? She looks just like Claire and Missy! Man, I thought this book called 'Three Balck Swans' would only have two characters; that's why they used the number three in the title. Now, I find the third girl (Genevieve) pretty likeable. She's nice, and her parents are pretty harsh, which makes you feel for her. Anyways, Genevieve finds the video of Claire and Missy on Youtube( since the video went viral from word of mouth), and discovers that they're all triplets. This leads us to the third act where Genevieve gets the idea to get the three of the girls together. All while they discover about their past and realize who the birth family is.
Now that the basic idea of the story is out of the way, now comes one of my biggest problems with the story- it's that the author doesn't get the whole twins/triplets thing. She describes them as looking exactly alike, having the same laugh, features,weight, etc. Now, my brothers are twins( who are like the ones in this story(( meaning they look alike in most features)) ), and they're nothing like this! One of them is taller than the other, a lot of their facial features are different, one is certainly heavier than the other, and their laughs are completely different. Now, not a lot of people can pick out the differences between twins unless they lvie with them( like myself), so it makes sense if everyone else thinks the girls all look like clones( in fact, they describe the girls as twins so much, I kept thinking this was going to turn into a sci-fi book). But the girls all think they look exactly alike, as well! They keep saying 'it's like looking in a reflection'. Either the author was too lazy to actually design three, different, individual characters, or these girls are extreme triplets.
Also, another issue, is that the characters react to things weirdly. Like the principal finds out what Missy did was a hoax,a nd she actually gets mad at her. She even says 'you tricked us'. Well, it's called a hoax. That's what it's supposed to do- trick people. I can understand the principal saying to the teacher 'that hoax project was a complete waste of time', but not the principal snapping at Missy. Also, after Missy declares it was a hoax all of her classmates are like 'cruel, feelingless, monster- a pox on you!'. Well, how would they like it if everyone shuns them for their lame hoax? Lastly, at the part when Genevieve confronts her parents, her mother actually grabs a knife out of nowhere and puts it to her wrist. I cannot even cover that, it's just so stupid.
So forget this book, I'm going to go read bad Harry Potter fanfiction!
June 17, 2015
This was a great book! The aspect of twins separated at birth seemed a bit too dramatic and glossy,let alone triplets! But Caroline B. Cooney did a great job making the book seem more realistic. The characters were also very well created. Like Ned and Allegra. I pitied them, but hated them at the same time. Overall this was a spectacular mystery that keeps you guessing about the triplets' identities till the very end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2017
Meh. Cooney's writing isn't nearly as good as I remember but...the last time I read her was over twenty years ago.
November 18, 2018
Missy and Claire are so close they can practically read each other's minds and seem to intuitively know the other's feelings even hundreds of miles away. In fact, Missy believes their bond surpasses the cousins-turned-best-friends speech their parents have been giving them since they were young. After all, if that were the case then why is her mother always pointing out their differences and acting threatened when people mistake them for twins? Missy decides her science class's hoax experiment is the perfect opportunity to test out how close they really are. Claire reluctantly agrees to dress the same and go live on Missy's school TV show where Missy drops a truth bomb (or the hoax) that she found her long lost twin, Claire. Since they live in separate states and have never met Claire, people truly believe that the girls are twins, leaving Claire emotionally distraught and wonder 'what if we are?'. Things take a twist for suspense when the video goes viral and draws the attention of a girl named Genevieve. Caroline B. Cooney takes you for an emotional ride of suspense, thrill and wonder as all three girls search for the truth of their identities.
Cooney is definitely one of my favorite authors of all time, even though I don't read her nearly enough. Thriller/Suspense is not usually a genre I frequent but since I know Cooney's work I was excited to give 'Three Black Swans' a try. The plot is really well thought out and in a similar vain as 'The Face on the Milk Carton' though in the beginning it was a bit slow but once you meet Genevieve you're hooked. The perspectives and reactions are intense in each of the characters, especially with the three main girls, and the lingering metaphor of 'a black swan' intensifies the journey. One thing I love about Cooney's work in this novel is how she doesn't stray from portraying the unpopular and negative selfish tendencies of others. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a good thriller, realistic fiction or a book when the past comes back to haunt the present.
Cooney is definitely one of my favorite authors of all time, even though I don't read her nearly enough. Thriller/Suspense is not usually a genre I frequent but since I know Cooney's work I was excited to give 'Three Black Swans' a try. The plot is really well thought out and in a similar vain as 'The Face on the Milk Carton' though in the beginning it was a bit slow but once you meet Genevieve you're hooked. The perspectives and reactions are intense in each of the characters, especially with the three main girls, and the lingering metaphor of 'a black swan' intensifies the journey. One thing I love about Cooney's work in this novel is how she doesn't stray from portraying the unpopular and negative selfish tendencies of others. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a good thriller, realistic fiction or a book when the past comes back to haunt the present.
December 6, 2012
Three Black Swans by Caroline B Reiner takes its title from The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Basically, a black swan is a highly improbably event that actually has happened. Taleb describes these events as: unpredictable, with a massive impact, and something we want to explain to make them seem less random or unpredictable.
In the case of Three Black Swans, the title is a spoiler unto itself — three identical sisters separated at birth with shenanigans involved in their adoptions. The revelation of this long kept secret starts when Missy, the runt of the litter, uses her "cousin" Claire as part of a science class project (create a hoax and report on it).
Now here is where I step aside from the book to explain why I wasn't as impressed with the story as I might have been. The problem is this: it's a cut and dry twins separated at birth (except its triplets) story and it follows all the twists and turns this sort of story usually takes. Here, too, since Missy and her siblings are underage, Cooney has to pull some strings to make their coming together at all plausible. She begins, of course, by stacking the deck by making two of the sisters "cousins."
I hadn't really thought about how formulaic this type of story is until I listened to Carl Reiner's NNNNN which lampoons the twins separated at birth story to epic proportions. Ultimately the problem with Three Black Swans is that it takes this trite plot line completely seriously, whereas Reiner takes it to the most outlandish of extremes — well beyond even the most melodramatic telenovela, and then adds in a healthy serving of blasphemy.
In the case of Three Black Swans, the title is a spoiler unto itself — three identical sisters separated at birth with shenanigans involved in their adoptions. The revelation of this long kept secret starts when Missy, the runt of the litter, uses her "cousin" Claire as part of a science class project (create a hoax and report on it).
Now here is where I step aside from the book to explain why I wasn't as impressed with the story as I might have been. The problem is this: it's a cut and dry twins separated at birth (except its triplets) story and it follows all the twists and turns this sort of story usually takes. Here, too, since Missy and her siblings are underage, Cooney has to pull some strings to make their coming together at all plausible. She begins, of course, by stacking the deck by making two of the sisters "cousins."
I hadn't really thought about how formulaic this type of story is until I listened to Carl Reiner's NNNNN which lampoons the twins separated at birth story to epic proportions. Ultimately the problem with Three Black Swans is that it takes this trite plot line completely seriously, whereas Reiner takes it to the most outlandish of extremes — well beyond even the most melodramatic telenovela, and then adds in a healthy serving of blasphemy.
March 19, 2012
The Good Stuff
Story is fast paced with plenty of cliffhanger type moments
Some interesting ethical questions could be brought up for discussion
The three young heroines are likeable and there is some nice character development
Liked the relationship between Genevieve and her grandmother
Good little mystery, makes you keep guessing what is actually going on
I want Genevieve's grandma to be my grandma
The Not So Good Stuff
Story jumps arount in terms of point of view which was very confusing
One of the main characters of the story isn't introduced till at least a quarter way through the book
Believability is way off
Genevieve's parents are horrible and not at all believable in their turn around
Minor plots are put in that really don't need to be there
I think I am just too old for this one so please remember that when deciding wether to read or not. I'm going to pass this one on to my neighbors teenage daughter to see what she thinks
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"But these days, no one kept adoption a secret. If you adopted a baby, you bragged about it. "I chose you," the parents said to their adopted child. "We chose our baby girl," they proudly told other parents."
"A radio sat on a sorting table. It was small and black with a long cord, and probably as old as her mother."
Who Should/Shouldn't Read
This is one I would suggest would appeal to actual YA readers (those in tween to teen ages) and not to the adult YA reader
A good one for reluctant readers
3 Dewey's
I received this from Random House in exchange for an honest review
Story is fast paced with plenty of cliffhanger type moments
Some interesting ethical questions could be brought up for discussion
The three young heroines are likeable and there is some nice character development
Liked the relationship between Genevieve and her grandmother
Good little mystery, makes you keep guessing what is actually going on
I want Genevieve's grandma to be my grandma
The Not So Good Stuff
Story jumps arount in terms of point of view which was very confusing
One of the main characters of the story isn't introduced till at least a quarter way through the book
Believability is way off
Genevieve's parents are horrible and not at all believable in their turn around
Minor plots are put in that really don't need to be there
I think I am just too old for this one so please remember that when deciding wether to read or not. I'm going to pass this one on to my neighbors teenage daughter to see what she thinks
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"But these days, no one kept adoption a secret. If you adopted a baby, you bragged about it. "I chose you," the parents said to their adopted child. "We chose our baby girl," they proudly told other parents."
"A radio sat on a sorting table. It was small and black with a long cord, and probably as old as her mother."
Who Should/Shouldn't Read
This is one I would suggest would appeal to actual YA readers (those in tween to teen ages) and not to the adult YA reader
A good one for reluctant readers
3 Dewey's
I received this from Random House in exchange for an honest review
January 22, 2012
Author of numerous suspenseful novels, Caroline Cooney does it again in this fast past family drama. Yes, you read that correctly, fast paced family drama. Short chapters with cliff hanger endings will keep even the most reluctant readers turning the pages. When sophomore Missy Vianello's teacher uses famous hoaxes to inspire her biology students, Missy sees a perfect opportunity to use her uncanny resemblance to her cousin Claire, a Junior at another school, to play a hoax on her classmates, and possibly uncover a family secret. The plot line here is fairly basic, but what Cooney does so well, is to place just enough possibility in multiple directions to leave the reader trying to solve the mystery. Cooney seamlessly incorporates technology into the story, and connects with modern readers, yet deftly avoids swear words, teenage sex acts, drugs, or anything else on the most offensive to conservative reader list. There's a reason she's been on top for over 2 decades. Sure, things get a little trite toward the end, and the dialogue can feel a little forced, but she knows her audience, and they'll love it.
October 10, 2011
I noticed that there were lots of 2-3 star reviews on this one. I really can't be sure why because I picked up the book yesterday and was so intrigued by the story line and plot that I tore through the pages trying to figure out what was going on. I loved the back cover with the explanation of what black swans are, and I never read the inside cover, so I had no idea what the book was about.
There were some places that felt ingenuine or slightly unbelievable - the fact that no one noticed how much they looked alike, Gen's parents being so cold and heartless STILL. And for some reason the ending was slightly anti-climactic, but I guess that could be expected considering I was in major suspense and limbo trying to figure out what in the world was going on as I read the entire book.
Overall, I really enjoyed the change in pace with this book and found the idea unique and wonderfully interesting.
There were some places that felt ingenuine or slightly unbelievable - the fact that no one noticed how much they looked alike, Gen's parents being so cold and heartless STILL. And for some reason the ending was slightly anti-climactic, but I guess that could be expected considering I was in major suspense and limbo trying to figure out what in the world was going on as I read the entire book.
Overall, I really enjoyed the change in pace with this book and found the idea unique and wonderfully interesting.
March 5, 2012
Not my favorite Caroline Cooney book. This realistic fiction book tells the story of two cousins, Missy and Claire, who are very close and have a "strong family resemblance" in their appearance. Missy receives a Science assignment that she needs to research a hoax and present it to the class. She decides to bring her cousin to her school during the morning announcements and declare to the entire school that she found her "long lost twin." During her third hour Science class she tells everyone that it was just a hoax, but many still believe her as the girls look exactly alike. The video goes on YouTube and more problems occur for Missy, Claire, and their entire family.
The storyline was a bit unbelievable for realistic fiction, and it bothered me that the characters were always thinking in their head instead of doing! However, I did enjoy how she incorporated the title into the book several times.
The storyline was a bit unbelievable for realistic fiction, and it bothered me that the characters were always thinking in their head instead of doing! However, I did enjoy how she incorporated the title into the book several times.
August 15, 2013
This was quite a good book! Although it was a little slow in the beginning somewhere along the way it started to pick up and get really interesting! The story was slightly confusing but as you read it more everything makes sense. I really want a sequel or something so I know what happens next! It was good but I didn't like how the author introduced a significant so late into the story.
Missy and Claire have always been close from the beginning. Even though they're cousins they've always been eerily close, too close. Missy wants answers so she uses a science project about scientific hoaxes to get some answers, and she asks Claire for her help. They make a dramatic scene that goes on Youtube and things get out of control. The video not only uncovers the truth but something they never would have dreamed of.
Missy and Claire have always been close from the beginning. Even though they're cousins they've always been eerily close, too close. Missy wants answers so she uses a science project about scientific hoaxes to get some answers, and she asks Claire for her help. They make a dramatic scene that goes on Youtube and things get out of control. The video not only uncovers the truth but something they never would have dreamed of.
December 22, 2010
Whenever I pick up a Caroline Cooney book, I'm reminded of what it was like to be 15. There's just something about her (and Lois Duncan for that matter) that takes me back to my high school days. I was surprised to see that she had a new book out, so I decided to give it a whirl. Cooney has made an effort to stay current - YouTube and Facebook are prominent fixtures in this book about separated sisters who reunite courtesy of social media. By the way, no one quite captures the emotions of hysterical parents like Cooney (I'm reminded of the Face on the Milk Carton). Ultimately the book felt a bit rushed and contrived, but it kept me turning the pages. I think it would be popular with today's middle and high school set.
June 11, 2019
Omg! I was glued to this book and stayed up WAY past my bedtime to finish it last night. Caroline B Cooney writes tension so thick and intense that you can feel it with bated breath. She announced on Facebook this week that she is writing an adult thriller and I can't imagine anyone better suited.
In this novel, two cousins who are SO MUCH ALIKE find out that there is more to their likeness than they ever imagined and the backstory is even crazier. These girls were so well drawn and relatable. I loved this book!
In this novel, two cousins who are SO MUCH ALIKE find out that there is more to their likeness than they ever imagined and the backstory is even crazier. These girls were so well drawn and relatable. I loved this book!
November 6, 2014
This book was a great book, it had such a entreating story. It started out from one girl listening on the radio about separated twins, then she found her separated twin, then they found the last piece to the puzzle, their triplet. The story kept getting better and better, the different girls living their own lives then they finally meet. This book however, kept getting repeated, how each of the three girls kept going back to the video of the "twins." All in all, I give this book a 4 out of 5.
April 5, 2011
Honestly this book disappointed me very much. When I picked up the book, it was mainly because I love Cooney's works and was excited to read another book by her. But the beginning of the book starts out very slow an unfortunately it doesn't get any better. I thought the whole bool was very predictable, and it was a bit of a waste of time to read.
January 28, 2012
I used to love Caroline Coney's books when I was younger (probably Jr high aged), and thought I'd enjoy this as a guilty pleasure YA novel. It just didn't draw me in like I thought, it seemed silly and totally unbelievable. Too many cutesy coincidences and too much talking about texting. No thanks.
January 30, 2011
Three Black Swans didn't engage me the way some of her other work has done. It seemed rather predictable, without the twists and turns of plot I expected.
May 31, 2018
This story takes place in New York and areas around it. Two cousins, Claire and Missy, start to question whether their close “family resemblance” is really just a coincidence or not. Missy needs a subject for her hoax project in biology, so who better to call than her identical cousin Claire. The two girls decide to pretend that Claire is Missy’s long lost identical twin sister, but what happens when a video of the two “sisters” is put on YouTube for the whole world to see? Will families crumble? Will the two girls’ lives change forever? The truth is revealed in Caroline B. Cooney’s Three Black Swans.
It is not the most exciting plot but still is enough to hook some attention. I really got drawn by the art of the spine and cover then really by the story. Another factor that I’m not ashamed to admit was that reading a book where a main character has the same name as I made me curious, so of course I had to read the book. Near the end the names of the characters did nothing for me so I have to say that overall there was nothing special about this book.
I didn’t have very strong feelings for this book. I’ll tell you right now, it is slow. Things do not get going for a while into this book and I found that after I finished reading it I felt like I just read a way shorter book then I actually did. I am not angry at the way this novel ended at all, it was a pretty satisfying ending. Only thing is, can you force enough will power to plow through story developing to get to the juicy stuff. Don’t get me wrong though, it was a good read, with characters you hate, love, and hate even more. I will say that you don’t get a lot of personality out of the characters though, you just get a scratch on the surface of how deep their personalities could have been.
Really not much to say about this book it was pretty average, and I don’t look back on it now and say ‘wow, what a waste of time’. One thing I do have to say before I finish this review is that this book switches through just about every characters point of view. Through every child, every parent, and even some random guy who associated with the girls. If you are just looking for a book to add to your shelf of “read just to say I read it” then I say that Three black swans will not be a waste of a read, and deserves a spot on that shelf.
It is not the most exciting plot but still is enough to hook some attention. I really got drawn by the art of the spine and cover then really by the story. Another factor that I’m not ashamed to admit was that reading a book where a main character has the same name as I made me curious, so of course I had to read the book. Near the end the names of the characters did nothing for me so I have to say that overall there was nothing special about this book.
I didn’t have very strong feelings for this book. I’ll tell you right now, it is slow. Things do not get going for a while into this book and I found that after I finished reading it I felt like I just read a way shorter book then I actually did. I am not angry at the way this novel ended at all, it was a pretty satisfying ending. Only thing is, can you force enough will power to plow through story developing to get to the juicy stuff. Don’t get me wrong though, it was a good read, with characters you hate, love, and hate even more. I will say that you don’t get a lot of personality out of the characters though, you just get a scratch on the surface of how deep their personalities could have been.
Really not much to say about this book it was pretty average, and I don’t look back on it now and say ‘wow, what a waste of time’. One thing I do have to say before I finish this review is that this book switches through just about every characters point of view. Through every child, every parent, and even some random guy who associated with the girls. If you are just looking for a book to add to your shelf of “read just to say I read it” then I say that Three black swans will not be a waste of a read, and deserves a spot on that shelf.
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May 19, 2020 This book starts off with a teen girl named Missy and she lives in New Jersey. One of her closest friends is her cousin Claire, the funny thing is that they look very similar and could pass as twins, this comes in handy later. One day at school while she was in one of her classes she has a project where she has to develop a hoax, with this she decides to create a fake scenario where she meets her long lost twin, who would be Claire because they look so much alike. Once they plan it out they meet at school wearing the same outfit and hairstyle and pretend to meet each other for the first time in front of the whole school on the schools TV. After all this time the parents finally tell the girls that they are twins but got separately adopted by each family members just so that they can stay close. When a girl named Genevieve watches the video she realizes they look exactly the same and that they could possibly be triplets. In the end they discover the truth that Genevieve parents are their actual parents and they all got separated at birth because the mom didn't want three kids at once. In the end though they end up staying in contact and want to stay close as well as friends.
I think the author somewhat uses foreshadowing in this book. Mainly because in the beginning the girls say they are so similar and alike that they could pass as twins. Eventually after giving multiple hints throughout the book it ends up coming true even with the third twin as a plot twist. Another way he gives foreshadowing is with the title itself since it is called Three Black Swans, this could be a reference to the 3 twins.
I think overall this book was really good and kept me entertained. I like how it started off with 2 girls who were already suspicious that they could be twins and eventually found out. Then it carried on as if that couldn't be the story itself, by adding another plot twist with the third twin. I like how detailed the author was describing the girls. She showed how they may be identical on the outside but each had separate personalities. One thing I dislike was how sometimes the book would be a little slow but in general the book was great to me and i'd recommend it.
I think the author somewhat uses foreshadowing in this book. Mainly because in the beginning the girls say they are so similar and alike that they could pass as twins. Eventually after giving multiple hints throughout the book it ends up coming true even with the third twin as a plot twist. Another way he gives foreshadowing is with the title itself since it is called Three Black Swans, this could be a reference to the 3 twins.
I think overall this book was really good and kept me entertained. I like how it started off with 2 girls who were already suspicious that they could be twins and eventually found out. Then it carried on as if that couldn't be the story itself, by adding another plot twist with the third twin. I like how detailed the author was describing the girls. She showed how they may be identical on the outside but each had separate personalities. One thing I dislike was how sometimes the book would be a little slow but in general the book was great to me and i'd recommend it.
November 1, 2017
"Three Black Swans" by Caroline B. Cooney was an enjoyable but at some parts confusing read. This book is a young adult mystery/thriller.
The main characters Missy and Claire start noticing how they really resemble each other, they both look identical and have similar personalities. They both believe there is more to them being so similar. Not too far away, a girl named Genevieve finds a video of Claire and Missy and also notices how they all look so alike. The three girls start digging into their pasts for the answers on who their real parents are.
This book isn't really for me since I don't typically enjoy realistic fiction books. The beginning parts of this book moved very slow, however towards the end it gets pretty suspenseful. I was confused on why if there were three main characters, they introduced Genevieve later in the book with no foreshadowing or clues on triplets. This book could be enjoyable for people who enjoy realistic fiction or young adult thrillers.
The main characters Missy and Claire start noticing how they really resemble each other, they both look identical and have similar personalities. They both believe there is more to them being so similar. Not too far away, a girl named Genevieve finds a video of Claire and Missy and also notices how they all look so alike. The three girls start digging into their pasts for the answers on who their real parents are.
This book isn't really for me since I don't typically enjoy realistic fiction books. The beginning parts of this book moved very slow, however towards the end it gets pretty suspenseful. I was confused on why if there were three main characters, they introduced Genevieve later in the book with no foreshadowing or clues on triplets. This book could be enjoyable for people who enjoy realistic fiction or young adult thrillers.
March 6, 2022
Missy has a nagging feeling about her cousin, Claire. They finish each other's sentences and end up going to school in the same outfits. So she comes up with a plan and takes a video that ends up on YouTube. This opens a can of worms that rock her family's world. A fast quick-paced read that I couldn't put down. An unusual plot with likable characters that kept me hooked. High Recommend this YA thriller.
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September 25, 2018 I think this book had a great meaning to it I overall liked it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2012
Three Black Swans
by Caroline B. Cooney
Realistic Fiction
276 pages
Three Black Swans is a book on the story of two people that begin to question their identity, and bring in a third person that they haven’t even heard of before. It begins with two people named Missy and Claire, who are supposed to be cousins. However, everyone insists that they both look the same and they thinks the same thoughts at the same time, the highlights of their weeks are when they have a sleepover with each other every weekend, causing Missy to think otherwise. When Missy convinces her entire high school that they are long-lost identical twins for a science project on the morning announcements, no one even beings to question them, and Missy is accused of lying when she tells them that they are not twins and it was a hoax for an assignment. During all this, the book shifts to a third girl who is shown the video of the morning announcements from a friend. This brings a significant change as the third girl looks exactly like both Missy and Claire, making them not potential twins, but potential triplets. The girl, named Genevieve, or Vivi for short, contacts both Missy and Claire. First they want to ignore her, but then notice the facebook pictures and see that they look alike in every way, and they arrange a way to all meet. When they finally do, they learn that Vivi’s parents were the biological parents and they put up two of their three triplets up for adoption because they did not believe that they could take care of all of them.
This story was powerful and it kept you engaged, as if part of the story. The reasons for this are hard to explain. The author’s way of getting your attention was different from many other books I’ve read. The book would get tense, and stay tense, when the tension became boring, the tension just rose again, even faster this time, and at the end, the tension just plummeted. It was tense, and then even tenser, then tenser, until in the course of about three pages, everything just died out, the book is all happy again. Another great part of this book is that they give major plot twists, and you are just waiting till the character’s notice. One of the most major parts of this is when Vivi watches the video and we realize there is something else going on. We want to know if they are triplets, if so, who are the parents, are they clones? We are just waiting for her to either contact Missy and Claire, or for either of them to notice the other. When Vivi send both of them a friend request, everything gets more pent up as Claire and Missy notice the pictures. Seeing themselves in them causes Missy to start just begging to all meet up somewhere, and they finally decide on a plan. The many very big complications, including the story on what actually happened from Vivi’s parents, just add up to the big moment when Missy and Claire just knock on the door on Vivi’s house. And during all this, the tension very slowly unravels, and when Missy and Claire’s parents come, the rest of the tension just dies out very quickly, and the story ends on Missy note. She says that life is balanced, if Vivi has parents not willing to pay much attention to her, it was balanced with a grandmother who had made sure there was someone to give Genevieve the attention that she deserved.
by Caroline B. Cooney
Realistic Fiction
276 pages
Three Black Swans is a book on the story of two people that begin to question their identity, and bring in a third person that they haven’t even heard of before. It begins with two people named Missy and Claire, who are supposed to be cousins. However, everyone insists that they both look the same and they thinks the same thoughts at the same time, the highlights of their weeks are when they have a sleepover with each other every weekend, causing Missy to think otherwise. When Missy convinces her entire high school that they are long-lost identical twins for a science project on the morning announcements, no one even beings to question them, and Missy is accused of lying when she tells them that they are not twins and it was a hoax for an assignment. During all this, the book shifts to a third girl who is shown the video of the morning announcements from a friend. This brings a significant change as the third girl looks exactly like both Missy and Claire, making them not potential twins, but potential triplets. The girl, named Genevieve, or Vivi for short, contacts both Missy and Claire. First they want to ignore her, but then notice the facebook pictures and see that they look alike in every way, and they arrange a way to all meet. When they finally do, they learn that Vivi’s parents were the biological parents and they put up two of their three triplets up for adoption because they did not believe that they could take care of all of them.
This story was powerful and it kept you engaged, as if part of the story. The reasons for this are hard to explain. The author’s way of getting your attention was different from many other books I’ve read. The book would get tense, and stay tense, when the tension became boring, the tension just rose again, even faster this time, and at the end, the tension just plummeted. It was tense, and then even tenser, then tenser, until in the course of about three pages, everything just died out, the book is all happy again. Another great part of this book is that they give major plot twists, and you are just waiting till the character’s notice. One of the most major parts of this is when Vivi watches the video and we realize there is something else going on. We want to know if they are triplets, if so, who are the parents, are they clones? We are just waiting for her to either contact Missy and Claire, or for either of them to notice the other. When Vivi send both of them a friend request, everything gets more pent up as Claire and Missy notice the pictures. Seeing themselves in them causes Missy to start just begging to all meet up somewhere, and they finally decide on a plan. The many very big complications, including the story on what actually happened from Vivi’s parents, just add up to the big moment when Missy and Claire just knock on the door on Vivi’s house. And during all this, the tension very slowly unravels, and when Missy and Claire’s parents come, the rest of the tension just dies out very quickly, and the story ends on Missy note. She says that life is balanced, if Vivi has parents not willing to pay much attention to her, it was balanced with a grandmother who had made sure there was someone to give Genevieve the attention that she deserved.
December 31, 2015
I am not afraid to admit this – I am a huge book cover judger. I judge books by the cover and I don’t ever regret it. I was mildly hesitant to pick up this book mainly because the cover just looks absolutely atrocious and boring. It just screamed “not interesting – retreat immediately” to me. However, I picked it up because I read the synopsis and it was relatively interesting. After a slow start, just a chapter or two, it picked up super quickly and I could not put it down. I am so glad I read this book.
Like I mentioned, the start was a little slow. The first few chapters built up the book and once the ball started rolling, it did not stop. I mean, I stayed up late to read as much as I could before I was too tired and had to call it a night and this morning, I skipped the gym because I wanted to finish the last 50 or so pages or the book. I just needed to know what happened. The plot itself was certainly interesting – cousins who were remarkably similar to each other and for their entire lives, told everyone that they just had a very strong family resemblance until the day Missy could no longer deny it.
Missy, grew up with her cousin, Claire, who she was incredibly close with. They even finished each other’s sentences and did weekly sleepovers every day for their entire lives. It was to the point that they both secretly wondered if they were twins but then they would’ve had to face the fact that either one of them was adopted or both were and if that was the case, who was the birth mother? I really liked her outgoing personality as well as Claire’s shyness. It was definitely interesting to see how they were portrayed as cousins then as twins and then finally, the spoiler/plot twist.
I don’t think the book touched too much on them individually – it was more about the plot and the suspense, which is certainly different than most other books but I actually really enjoyed it. Of course, you got the sense that Missy was the bubbly, confident, outgoing one while Claire was the shy, book smart, focused one but other than that, it was more of a surface characterization.
I personally did not really enjoy the writing style – I thought it was a bit dry and very third person. It was as if I was just an onlooker looking in as I saw the scenes unfold in front of me. It wasn’t a style I typically prefer but I think for this book it worked really well and it didn’t even really matter because what drew me in and made me finish the book in less than one day was the storyline. It was just so interesting.
Overall, surprisingly really, really good book about identity issues especially for twins, long lost twins, and whatnot. A lot of good points were drawn in this book: family, love, biological family, etc. Once you find out a long lost twin or whatever, a lot of questions are raised: who is everyone? I also really enjoyed Missy and Claire’s individual parents. While they were a little clueless about the twin factor, it was obvious that they loved their girls and would do anything for them. There is a third important character in this book but I don’t want to draw too much attention to him/her otherwise I might end up spoiling it. Though, to be perfectly honest, the title kind of spoiled it for me.
Like I mentioned, the start was a little slow. The first few chapters built up the book and once the ball started rolling, it did not stop. I mean, I stayed up late to read as much as I could before I was too tired and had to call it a night and this morning, I skipped the gym because I wanted to finish the last 50 or so pages or the book. I just needed to know what happened. The plot itself was certainly interesting – cousins who were remarkably similar to each other and for their entire lives, told everyone that they just had a very strong family resemblance until the day Missy could no longer deny it.
Missy, grew up with her cousin, Claire, who she was incredibly close with. They even finished each other’s sentences and did weekly sleepovers every day for their entire lives. It was to the point that they both secretly wondered if they were twins but then they would’ve had to face the fact that either one of them was adopted or both were and if that was the case, who was the birth mother? I really liked her outgoing personality as well as Claire’s shyness. It was definitely interesting to see how they were portrayed as cousins then as twins and then finally, the spoiler/plot twist.
I don’t think the book touched too much on them individually – it was more about the plot and the suspense, which is certainly different than most other books but I actually really enjoyed it. Of course, you got the sense that Missy was the bubbly, confident, outgoing one while Claire was the shy, book smart, focused one but other than that, it was more of a surface characterization.
I personally did not really enjoy the writing style – I thought it was a bit dry and very third person. It was as if I was just an onlooker looking in as I saw the scenes unfold in front of me. It wasn’t a style I typically prefer but I think for this book it worked really well and it didn’t even really matter because what drew me in and made me finish the book in less than one day was the storyline. It was just so interesting.
Overall, surprisingly really, really good book about identity issues especially for twins, long lost twins, and whatnot. A lot of good points were drawn in this book: family, love, biological family, etc. Once you find out a long lost twin or whatever, a lot of questions are raised: who is everyone? I also really enjoyed Missy and Claire’s individual parents. While they were a little clueless about the twin factor, it was obvious that they loved their girls and would do anything for them. There is a third important character in this book but I don’t want to draw too much attention to him/her otherwise I might end up spoiling it. Though, to be perfectly honest, the title kind of spoiled it for me.
November 8, 2012
Reviewed by Breanna F. for TeensReadToo.com
"Black Swans: events that are hugely important, rare, and unpredictable, and explainable only after the fact."
One day, Missy Vianello hears someone on the radio talking about babies, and she starts to wonder about her family. Missy and her cousin, Claire Linnehan, have been best friends since they were little. They choose the same type of clothing most of the time, and they can even finish each other's sentences. It's so weird to Missy that she has so many questions she wants to ask her parents, but she's afraid to ask. Not that anything could be possible anyway, since Claire is eight weeks older and Missy was always so much smaller than Claire up until a year or so ago.
When Missy's biology teacher suggests that the class comes up with a sort of hoax, it leads Missy to a brilliant idea. She and Claire will get in on the morning announcements (which are done on TV for the whole school to see) and "pretend" that Missy has just found her long-lost identical twin, Claire. Of course, Claire doesn't like the idea, but she ends up going along with it. Well, it's so believable to everyone it soon ends up on YouTube for the whole world to see.
Genevieve Candler goes to a completely different school and knows nothing about the video until her friend mentions it. He is so anxious for her to see it that she immediately does. A girl pops up on the screen. "That's me," Genevieve thinks. Then another girl appears and Genevieve has the same thought yet again. These girls are identical to her - but how?
This book was incredible. From the very first page, I was hooked. I couldn't fathom the thought that cousins could even think about being identical twins, and then a third identical girl was introduced! The story jumps around from Missy to Claire to Genevieve and even to the three sets of parents that are involved. What really kept me hooked was not knowing who was going to be talking next and what those person's thoughts were going to be.
Caroline B. Cooney has such a way with words and comes up with such great stories. No wonder she has written so many books! I would highly suggest picking up a copy of THREE BLACK SWANS. Around halfway through the book I could start to figure out what was going to happen next, but that didn't make the story any less exciting at all, and to me that is what made the tale so amazing.
"Black Swans: events that are hugely important, rare, and unpredictable, and explainable only after the fact."
One day, Missy Vianello hears someone on the radio talking about babies, and she starts to wonder about her family. Missy and her cousin, Claire Linnehan, have been best friends since they were little. They choose the same type of clothing most of the time, and they can even finish each other's sentences. It's so weird to Missy that she has so many questions she wants to ask her parents, but she's afraid to ask. Not that anything could be possible anyway, since Claire is eight weeks older and Missy was always so much smaller than Claire up until a year or so ago.
When Missy's biology teacher suggests that the class comes up with a sort of hoax, it leads Missy to a brilliant idea. She and Claire will get in on the morning announcements (which are done on TV for the whole school to see) and "pretend" that Missy has just found her long-lost identical twin, Claire. Of course, Claire doesn't like the idea, but she ends up going along with it. Well, it's so believable to everyone it soon ends up on YouTube for the whole world to see.
Genevieve Candler goes to a completely different school and knows nothing about the video until her friend mentions it. He is so anxious for her to see it that she immediately does. A girl pops up on the screen. "That's me," Genevieve thinks. Then another girl appears and Genevieve has the same thought yet again. These girls are identical to her - but how?
This book was incredible. From the very first page, I was hooked. I couldn't fathom the thought that cousins could even think about being identical twins, and then a third identical girl was introduced! The story jumps around from Missy to Claire to Genevieve and even to the three sets of parents that are involved. What really kept me hooked was not knowing who was going to be talking next and what those person's thoughts were going to be.
Caroline B. Cooney has such a way with words and comes up with such great stories. No wonder she has written so many books! I would highly suggest picking up a copy of THREE BLACK SWANS. Around halfway through the book I could start to figure out what was going to happen next, but that didn't make the story any less exciting at all, and to me that is what made the tale so amazing.
October 8, 2017
SO GOOD
May 12, 2016
Caroline B. Cooney wrote the book “Three Black Swans.” Caroline was born on May 10, 1947 making her 69 in a medium size town of Geneva New York. Smaller than Redwood falls with a population of 3,291. She graduated from Greenwich High School. She was given the ALA best fiction for young adults and she was nominated for the Edgar Award for best young adult. She has written 45 plus books and the best selling author of “The Face on The Milk Carton.” She mainly bases her stories off of suspense,romance, horror and mystery.
Some of the main events in the book. Are when the main characters Missy and Claire did a school project at Missy's school over the morning announcements doing a hoax saying that they were twin sister but actually they just have strong family resemblance their moms are sisters making them cousins. Claire was iffy about the hoax because she has been to Missy's house at sleepovers with the sum of Missy's school friends so they would never believe that they were twins sisters but Missy didn't care because she only needed the hoax to last a few hours. later in the book they find another girl that looks similar to that making them think they were triplets. They then make an assumption that their parents put them at birth and that one of them were the biological parents and the others were adopted parents.
I recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a little bit of family drama and suspense. it wasn't my favorite book but it wasn't the worst either. The type of genre and theme this book had wasn't appealing to my taste but I feel if you were that type of person you actually love this book. Examples I can give is that there wasn't enough suspense or anything pulling me to keep on reading. It's a little confusing figuring out all the different characters and where they belong in the story but until you figure out the basics it's pretty explainable by itself. again the ending wasn't that surprising or exciting to me. Just because it kind of gave it away throughout the middle of the book. my favorite part of the book was when they were figuring out if they were triplets or twins or not. Connections that I making with my own life or that I see is that when people are close to each other they want to think the best and when you have a best friend close in age is you if there is any possibility that you are sisters is amazing.
Some of the main events in the book. Are when the main characters Missy and Claire did a school project at Missy's school over the morning announcements doing a hoax saying that they were twin sister but actually they just have strong family resemblance their moms are sisters making them cousins. Claire was iffy about the hoax because she has been to Missy's house at sleepovers with the sum of Missy's school friends so they would never believe that they were twins sisters but Missy didn't care because she only needed the hoax to last a few hours. later in the book they find another girl that looks similar to that making them think they were triplets. They then make an assumption that their parents put them at birth and that one of them were the biological parents and the others were adopted parents.
I recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a little bit of family drama and suspense. it wasn't my favorite book but it wasn't the worst either. The type of genre and theme this book had wasn't appealing to my taste but I feel if you were that type of person you actually love this book. Examples I can give is that there wasn't enough suspense or anything pulling me to keep on reading. It's a little confusing figuring out all the different characters and where they belong in the story but until you figure out the basics it's pretty explainable by itself. again the ending wasn't that surprising or exciting to me. Just because it kind of gave it away throughout the middle of the book. my favorite part of the book was when they were figuring out if they were triplets or twins or not. Connections that I making with my own life or that I see is that when people are close to each other they want to think the best and when you have a best friend close in age is you if there is any possibility that you are sisters is amazing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2011
My Thoughts: What has happened to Caroline B Cooney? When did she get all sentimental and happy ending-y? When did it become not enough for the main character to just survive? Man main characters are spoiled these days. the main characters (that's right, plural) in this story
*spoilerz!!!*
a) survive the ending
b) are never in physical or emotional danger at any point
c) come out of the experience with two triplets each that they didn't know existed
d) have wealthy, loving families that never doubt or abandon them.
*end of spoilerz*
So yes, as you can guess I wasn't all that impressed with this story.
Why I picked it up: In the past I have read and loved books by Caroline B. Cooney, from The Face on the Milk Carton to Flight #116 is Down. Being a devoted fan, I decided to read her latest.
Good Premise?: Missy decides to pass her cousin off as her long-lost twin for a school assignment on hoaxes. This book goes into the deep spiritual connection between twins, which I had problems believing in. I have siblings who are twins (fraternal not identical, but none the less) and I have never thought they had any kind of deep connection, but maybe I'm wrong. In any case, the premises didn't interest me very much, and had it not been for my appreciation of Caroline B. Cooney's previous work, I probably wouldn't have read this.
Characters:The main characters of Missy and Claire were fairly one-dimensional. Claire annoyed me more than Missy, as she kept trying to keep the plot from progressing. Genevieve, another one of the characters in this book was my favorite. I can't explain much about her though, without ruining the plot. (Hint: the book is about 3 black swans, not 2). The parents were pretty much left if the background without much character development.
The Story: The writing is designed to keep the reader attentive and the story moves quickly. The story is not complex, and is easy to follow. The plot, though okay in the originality department, was lacking in the unpredictability department. About 100 pages before the reveal, I had everything figured out.
I Recommend This Book For: Young people (or old people) who want a fast book to read for a few hours.
*spoilerz!!!*
a) survive the ending
b) are never in physical or emotional danger at any point
c) come out of the experience with two triplets each that they didn't know existed
d) have wealthy, loving families that never doubt or abandon them.
*end of spoilerz*
So yes, as you can guess I wasn't all that impressed with this story.
Why I picked it up: In the past I have read and loved books by Caroline B. Cooney, from The Face on the Milk Carton to Flight #116 is Down. Being a devoted fan, I decided to read her latest.
Good Premise?: Missy decides to pass her cousin off as her long-lost twin for a school assignment on hoaxes. This book goes into the deep spiritual connection between twins, which I had problems believing in. I have siblings who are twins (fraternal not identical, but none the less) and I have never thought they had any kind of deep connection, but maybe I'm wrong. In any case, the premises didn't interest me very much, and had it not been for my appreciation of Caroline B. Cooney's previous work, I probably wouldn't have read this.
Characters:The main characters of Missy and Claire were fairly one-dimensional. Claire annoyed me more than Missy, as she kept trying to keep the plot from progressing. Genevieve, another one of the characters in this book was my favorite. I can't explain much about her though, without ruining the plot. (Hint: the book is about 3 black swans, not 2). The parents were pretty much left if the background without much character development.
The Story: The writing is designed to keep the reader attentive and the story moves quickly. The story is not complex, and is easy to follow. The plot, though okay in the originality department, was lacking in the unpredictability department. About 100 pages before the reveal, I had everything figured out.
I Recommend This Book For: Young people (or old people) who want a fast book to read for a few hours.
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