Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Wednesday Reads: Rival

Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer, besides its gorgeous cover, was a fantastic read. This is an example of multiple POV done excellently. What's more, is that the two character POV we see are two girls, but never once was I confused as to who was talking. Also, the consistent theme and references to music gives the rivalry theme a new twist.

Synopsis:
Brooke
I don't like Kathryn Pease. I could pretend everything's fine between us. I could be nice to her face, then trash her behind her back. But I think it's better to be honest. I don't like Kathryn, and I'm not afraid to admit it.
Kathryn
I saw a commercial where singers used their voices to shatter glass, but the whole thing is pretty much a myth. The human voice isn't that strong.
Human hatred is. Anybody who doubts that should feel the hate waves coming off of Brooke Dempsey. But I don't shatter; I'm not made of glass. Anyway, the parts that break aren't on the outside.
Brooke and Kathryn used to be best friends . . . until the night when Brooke ruthlessly turned on Kathryn in front of everyone. Suddenly Kathryn was an outcast and Brooke was Queen B. Now, as they prepare to face off one last time, each girl must come to terms with the fact that the person she hates most might just be the best friend she ever had. 

First Line: Before we get to Chapter 1, each section is headed off with a musical definition. The first one is "Dissonance: a harsh sounding of notes that produces a feeling of tension and unrest."

Beefs: The line about the human voice not being able to shatter glass threw me for a moment because I saw it actually happen on Myth Busters. But the metaphor is well used and quickly gets you into the conflict of the story (and doesn't let you go).

Brownie Points: The use of musical metaphors is done is such a way that allows anyone (music lovers or not) to understand what is going on and connect to the characters. This also plays into VOICE; it's obvious what both characters value and we see it time and time again in their inner monologues.

Recommendation: Read it!!! It's one of those books that will take you by surprise. Basically it is a teenage rivalry/high school drama sort of book, but it's done so well, and so unique, that it really doesn't feel like one.

Would I represent it? You bet.

Happy reading!

6 comments:

Lydia Sharp said...

This was one of my favorite reads so far this year! And I'm a music junkie (read: critical), but I loved the use of musical definitions as section headers. I also loved the use of flashback, which I'm not usually a fan of. The way it was done in this book was not jarring at all.

Katie L. Carroll said...

This sounds like a great pick. I'll have to get my hands on it, especially because my WIP has a dual first-person POV. Thanks!

m. christine weber said...

I thought the same thing: "That's not true! I saw it on Myth Busters!" ;-)

This book sounds super interesting. I love music, and I'd thoroughly enjoy a story combining the tension and exuberance of melody with the passions of youth.

Julie said...

Oooo! I'm such a music nerd (marching band all the way through college? Piano since I was 3? Yes, I think that counts as being a nerd!) I love books that encorporate such things ( :

Can't wait to read it!

1600 Words A Day said...

I loved this book! I found out about it through Sara Zarr's blog.

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