Publisher: Bloomsbury (May 10th 2011)
ARC: 272 pages
Genre: YA Contemporary
Book from Publisher*
From Goodreads. Sarah Burke is just about perfect. She's got killer blue eyes, gorgeous blond hair, and impeccable grades. There's just one tiny-all right, enormous-flaw: her nose. But even that's not so bad. Sarah's got the best best friend and big goals for print journalism fame.
On the first day of senior year, Rock Conway walks into her journalism class and, well, rocks her world. Problem is, her best friend, Kristen, falls for him too. And when Rock and Kristen stand together, it's like Barbie and Ken come to life. So when Kristen begs Sarah to help her nab Rock, Sarah does the only thing a best friend can do-she agrees. For someone so smart, what was she thinking?
This hip retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac is filled with hilariously misguided matchmaking, sweet romance, and a gentle reminder that we should all embrace our flaws.
Review by Kate
FLAWLESS, by Lara Chapman, is a modern YA re-telling of
Cyrano de Bergerac. I was having a bit of a slump with YA contemporary books when this little gem came along. I am most familiar with the more recent retellings of this story via movie with Gerard Depardieu (
Cyrano de Bergerac) and Steve Martin (
Roxanne) so I was excited for Chapman's take on this story.
I think the message of this story should be brought to attention of modern teens. The obsession with beauty over brains can be overwhelming in high school and Chapman really made her message stand out through her book. I really felt bad for Sarah and how others made fun of her because of her abnormally large nose. Even her mother pressured her into a nose job, which I thought wasn't very 'mother-like'. But Sarah's best friend Kristen always stood up for her as best friends should, and I appreciated their relationship throughout the story.
Even though I knew the idea of the story, I still was anxious on how Chapman would get her heroine through the colossal mess she got herself into when she pretended to be Kristen talking to Rock. Initially there was so much chemistry between the two, I wanted to shout at Sarah to take her chance and not stand in the shadow behind her typically beautiful BFF.
Overall, Chapman did a fabulous job with this story. I love the message of loving yourself inside and out and this story definitely comes along that reinforces the idea. I fell in love with the characters and I think you will too. Anyone who is a fan of the original story will definitely like this book!
*FTC Disclosure: I received this ARC from the publisher. I do not receive payment of any kind in exchange for a review. I do not receive monetary compensation from any book links in my review.
I’m honored to have author Scott Selby answer a few questions about his fabulous new book, FLAWLESS, which investigates one of the greatest jewel heist in history. For more on the book and its authors, visit the book’s website
1. Your background as a scholar is impressive. (Scott is a graduate of UC Berkeley, Harvard Law School, and Sweden’s Land University, where he wrote his master’s thesis on diamonds.) Can you elaborate on how your studies inspired and/or influenced FLAWLESS?
Thanks. From law school, I learned about the importance of research. I worked as a research assistant in college as well as law school so that helped tremendously. I’m fortunate to have had the opportunity to go to such great schools. My masters thesis in particular enabled me to study the diamond industry which was tremendously helpful in writing Flawless.
2. In tackling a book on the heist, what was your plan of action? In your investigation of the facts, which avenues did you pursue first?
The first thing was to write everyone who knew anything at all about the Antwerp Diamond Heist. Next, we tracked down each additional source of information that we could be it a document, court case, blue print, or person.
3. What aspect of the project do you find most irresistible or intriguing?
I loved the mysteries at the heart of the story. My co-author Greg Campbell and I had to work hard to dig up as much as we could to try to solve such mysteries and in the process we ended up finding out that things that originally looked straight forward were anything but. For example, the more we found out about the combination dial on the vault door, the more of a mystery it became. The manufacturer and the locksmith who worked with it both explained in detail why it would be virtually impossible to film the combination being entered. Before we did this research, we had believed like many others that it could have just been recorded surreptitiously.
4. The book does an excellent job of putting the reader in Leonardo Notarbartolo’s point of view. How were you able to grapple with such a difficult task, considering his reluctance to discuss the unadorned facts of the case?
My co-author Greg was able to meet with him face-to-face in a Belgian prison. Unfortunately, Mr. Notarbartolo was not willing to discuss specifics without being paid, which we were not willing to do. He was however kind enough to permit one of his closest friends to accompany us during our research in Turin.
5. What tools for non-fiction writing do you find most helpful? Are there any resources you turn to again and again in your own writing?
I think the most important thing is to do your research and then once you have written something, continue to edit it over and over again. Greg and I, along with our editor at Sterling Iris Blasi, revised our book countless times. The main resource I’d say are my friends who have been kind enough to read my work and give me much needed feedback. The track changes function on MS Word is a lifesaver.
6. Do you have any advice for writers (non-fiction or otherwise)interested in creating a flawless (or perhaps a less flawed) narrative?
Buy a few of the more popular books on how to write a proposal and how to write generally. Think about what you admire in others writing. And keep working on your own projects as long as it takes. If one book doesn’t work out,
Thank goodness @IrisBlasi sent me this book.
I’m devouring Flawless, Union Square Press’ sparkling new non-fiction title. Within the pages, authors Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell (Blood Diamonds) detail the events surrounding the greatest diamond heist is history.
Half billion dollars in gems boosted from an impenetrable underground vault within Antwerp’s locked down diamond district?
Oh yeah, Scarlet Whisper is all over this one.
What kind of Librarian/Rock Star/International Jewel Thief would I be if I didn’t do my homework on this dazzling book?
A rich veneer of history overlays the narrative. With focus and clarity, Flawless examines not only the oft politicized roots of diamond industry but also the origins of the gems themselves. As the world’s most liquid commodity, for centuries these jewels have been mined and funneled into the pockets of tycoons and tyrants alike.
Millions of dollars worth of karats are passed from hand to hand…and it all happens in Belgium, baby. Antwerp rose to prominence over a century to become the center of world diamond trade. The book thoroughly explores the dichotomy between Antwerp’s moneyed diamond district and the surrounding tourist infested treets before transporting the reader to the backrooms and back alleys of Turin, Italy,a haven for mystics and thieves.
While the locales are in intriguing enough by themselves, the criminal masterminds responsible for the heist hijack the reader’s attention. Leonardo Notarbartolo and his gang of theives are anything but the usual suspects; the “School of Turin” makes Danny Ocean’s crew look like small time crooks.
Flawless outshines most of the historical capers I’ve seen on the shelves. You’ll want to snag a copy. The execution of the premise is THAT good. Even though the loot has never been recovered, you’ll enjoy slipping into the shadows to follow the footsteps of the suspects.
Hungry for more? Then try these luscious lemon bars. While they aren’t sprinkled with diamond dust, the recipe is worth stealing.
Binge!
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Uncategorized Tagged:
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Greg Campbell,
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Scott Andrew Selby
This sounds like such a fascinating book! I don’t read tons of nonfiction (outside of school related stuff), but this is definitely a book I would really enjoy! Great interview
Thanks, Jemi. FLAWLESS is keeper. I hope you’ll check one out.
Great interview, both of you! Yet another fab book to add to my TBR list.