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Even without reading the jacket copy or paying much attention to the title, you’d know within a few pages of starting Judy Blundell’s National Book Award-winning What I Saw and How I Lied that something bad is going to happen. Blundell doesn’t back down from that threat/promise, and the book lingers in your memory longer because of it.
This book has been reviewed all over the blogosphere, so I’ll keep my comments brief. (I especially like Colleen’s take on it at Bookslut, particularly because she also includes Mal Peet’s Tamar in her column, and I kept on thinking of Tamar as I read this book. Not so much because Tamar largely takes place in WWII and the war is a vital part of What I Saw…, but more in how both authors basically start off their books ominously and don’t let up on the tension. Unlike Colleen, though, I found it almost unbearable to keep reading Tamar, not wanting to know what devastating event would occur during the war, in a things-are-bad-enough-in-war-and-now-something-extra-bad-is-going-to-happen-too? kind of way. I didn’t have the same desire to not know what was going to happen with What I Saw…, and I’ll explain why later.)
It’s 1947, and Evie’s stepfather, Joe, has returned from Europe, where he served in the armed forces during World War II. He takes Evie and her mother on a trip to Palm Beach, Florida, where Evie meets Peter, who is young and rich and movie-star handsome, and Evie quickly develops a crush on him. But to Joe, Peter is a threat. We know from the first chapter that something happens to Peter; what follows is Evie’s attempt to understand why things happened the way they did.
My thoughts on What I Saw and How I Lied are mostly positive with one big reservation. I liked it, I think the writing is above average, and Blundell did an amazing job creating a moody, atmospheric, noirish novel. You can practically see the action unfurling before your eyes, complete with cigarette smoke wafting toward the ceiling. The atmosphere is so evocative that it elevates the quality of the book.
What bothered me, though I’m not whether it’ll affect other readers, including teens, were Blundell’s use of foreshadowing and how “Blundell hinted to readers at what was coming always just a bit before Evie began to piece things together,” as Shelf Elf puts it (positively, so I think I’m in the minority regarding this). But I found the clues too deliberately obvious, especially in a first person narration—if it’s worth having the the narrator comment on *with the benefit of hindsight* shouldn’t it be of more obvious importance in the narrator’s retelling of events? That, or make the hints more subtle—and I thought the tension and suspense were lessened as a result. Because of this, I actually I enjoyed reading What I Saw… more than Tamar—I was less nervous about what would happen because the events that later occurred were…not predictable, exactly, but unsurprising—but I also don’t think it is as good a book as Tamar because of the overtness of the hints. Still, What I Saw and How I Lied is a fine read on it’s own, worth checking out even if it hadn’t won the NBA for Young People’s Literature, and if you’re looking for a novel rich in atmosphere, it’d be hard to find something better than this.
~~ Sigh. My comments weren’t so short, after all. ~~
8 Comments on What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell, last added: 4/10/2009
I really like the noir feel of this one. I felt like I was watching some film from the ’40s. Great review!!
Kelly said, on 4/6/2009 11:30:00 PM
Interesting point about the foreshadowing. I knew that I didn’t love it (I did enjoy it) but I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time. It’s been too long now to know if that might have been one of the issues that kept me from loving it, but good stuff to think about!
tanita said, on 4/7/2009 8:07:00 AM
I love the cover on this - so atmospheric - and am definitely intrigued by the varying reviews I’ve seen on it. Hmm.
Patti said, on 4/7/2009 9:53:00 PM
Hey there! I wanted to let you know I’ve given you a Proximidade Award over on my site. I always enjoy your reviews.
Trisha said, on 4/8/2009 12:57:00 AM
If you want mystery/suspense that keeps you guessing, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you’re looking for atmosphere and an awesome sense of place and time, read it.
Trisha said, on 4/8/2009 1:00:00 AM
Thank you!
beth kephart said, on 4/8/2009 4:47:00 AM
I learn so much from reviewers who present their reservations respectfully. Thank you for this.
cindy said, on 4/9/2009 7:44:00 PM
this may be something i would be interested in
reading? one of my GW editors was asking about this
book. i’ll ask what she thought about it as well.
thanks for the thoughtful review, as always, trisha!
Judy Blundell has written over a hundred books under various pen names, but won the National Book Award in the Young People's Literature category with her first book in her own name. The book is called What I Saw and How I Lied and it's a noir-inspired mystery and coming of age story set in post WWII Palm Beach. Like real life, the story is complex, multi-layered, and not easy to sum up, but just to give you an idea, it's the story of Evie Spooner, whose stepfather Joe has returned from the war and whisked Evie and her mother off on a spur of the moment vacation to Florida. Their vacation is shadowed by a mysterious and handsome stranger who knew Joe in the army. Bit by bit, Evie starts to uncover the dark connections between the adults in her life.
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Enjoy Judy Blundell's National Book Award acceptance speech (with introduction by Lemony Snicket!), and hear "Long Ago and Far Away," the song that inspired Judy as she wrote - first the Jo Stafford version, then the scene from the movie musical "Cover Girl" with Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelley!
Each month I attempt to read several books that have forever sat on my TBR shelf (whether physically or virtually), either finally pulling them off my shelf or heading out to the library and picking them up. After reading them, I certainly want to share as I share each book I read with all of you, though so many of you have already read and reviewed these titles (and therefore your fault I have to read them in the first place), I don't see a reason to written a full-blown review on each one of them. Therefore, my new "mini-review" section is born. This will probably be an end-of-the-month feature, if you don't like it for some reason, let me know!
What I Saw and How I Lied is written by Judy Blundell and is the wonderful and much deserved winner of the National Book Award. The main character, 15 year old Evie is forced to grow up a bit quicker than planned one summer when she realizes her parents are involved in some strange business deals with another couple. Evie also manages to find her first love that summer, in a man named Peter. Evie is thrust into a scary world of secrets and lies, suddenly having no idea whom to trust.
Set in a beautiful period in history and filled with great descriptions and intriguing mystery, it's clear why this won such a coveted award. Very enjoyable! Loved the cover of this one too.
What I Saw and How I Lied Judy Blundell 288 pages Young Adult Scholastic 9780439903462 November 2008
The Tale of Despereaux, written by the fabulous Kate DiCamillo, charmed me right into oblivion. I cannot believe it took me this long to actually read it!!! Can't see the movie without reading the book though...
Our little talking mouse friend, Despereaux, is anything but ordinary, enjoying people instead of being scared of them. When he's banished to death for talking to the Princess, Despereaux learns the ropes of the dungeon, which...in the end...will help to save his beloved Princess from her own certain death.
The illustrations, done by Timothy Basil Ering are adorable, beautiful, charming, and fit the story completely. Loved this one, definitely buying it for my own shelves!
The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread Kate DiCamillo 272 pages Middle grade fiction Candlewick 9780763625290 April 2006
Finally, The London Eye Mystery, written by the fabulous Siobhan Dowd, was one of the Cybils winners this year, making it a shoe-in to be read. The complicated mystery is definitely going to rope in the middle graders it's aimed towards, and even adults as I was biting my nails through the whole thing trying to pretend I knew what was going to happen next (though I really had no clue).
When Ted and Kat's visiting cousin, Salim, disappear while riding one of London's most famous attractions, a seemingly impossible event, the race is on to find him before something even more terrible happens.
Very quick paced and filled with quirky characters, this was a great choice as a winner (nice job Cybil panelists), and a fantastic choice for library shelves. Have a reluctant reader in your family? This is a good one for that too...
The London Eye Mystery Siobhan Dowd 336 pages Middle grade fiction David Fickling Books 9780375849763 February 2008
To learn more about any of these titles or to purchase, click on the book covers above to link to Amazon.
6 Comments on Mini-reviews...a new feature?, last added: 4/6/2009
The first one is already on my wish list, the second I read and adored, the third is previously unheard of by me and I'm now really eager to get my mitts on it! I enjoyed your mini reviews, Amanda. And I'm so glad you enjoyed each of these books. :)
I loved your review of Despereaux, and have included a link to it on my review, so that others can see what you thought of it as well. In case you're interested, it's at: http://ilovemybooks.blogspot.com/2009/01/tale-of-despereaux-by-kate-dicamillo.html
When fifteen-year-old Evie’s stepfather, Joe, returns home from the World War II, he is different. After receiving a mysterious phone call, he suddenly decides to pack up Evie and her mom, Bev, for a trip to Palm Beach, Florida. Palm Beach is dead in the off season, but the family forms a friendship with the Graysons, another vacationing couple, and Evie becomes smitten with Peter, a private in
0 Comments on What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell as of 1/1/1900
A week before Thanksgiving it was announced that Judy Blundell's book What I saw and how I lied won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Presented by the National Book Foundation this prestigious award has been given to such books as The Penderwicks (2005), The Canning Season(2003), The House of the Scorpion (2002) and Holes (1998).
Though she has written many books under other names, this is the first book that Judy Blundell has written using her own name on the book cover. Judy Blundell has written books for middle grade, young adult, and adult readers under several pseudonyms. Her novel, Premonitions, was an ALA Reluctant Readers Best Picks and was chosen by the New York Public Library as a 2004 Best Books for the Teen Age. Judy Blundell is well known to Star Wars fans by her pseudonym, Jude Watson. Among her forthcoming projects is Book #4 in the New York Times bestselling series, The 39 Clues. Judy Blundell lives in Katonah, New York, with her husband and daughter.
Here is a synopsis of the book from the publisher:
When Evie's father returned home from World War II, the family fell back into its normal life pretty quickly. But Joe Spooner brought more back with him than just good war stories. When movie-star handsome Peter Coleridge, a young ex-GI who served in Joe's company in postwar Austria, shows up, Evie is suddenly caught in a complicated web of lies that she only slowly recognizes. She finds herself falling for Peter, ignoring the secrets that surround him . . . until a tragedy occurs that shatters her family and breaks her life in two. As she begins to realize that almost everything she believed to be a truth was really a lie, Evie must get to the heart of the deceptions and choose between her loyalty to her parents and her feelings for the man she loves. Someone will have to be betrayed. The question is . . . who?
If any of you have read this book please let me know what you think of it. I hope to review it myself very soon.
The National Book Foundation recently announced this year's finalists for the National Book Awards. Here is the five titles up for the Young People's Literature award chosen from among 274 nominees:
Laurie Halse Anderson, Chains (Simon & Schuster) Kathi Appelt, The Underneath (Atheneum) Judy Blundell, What I Saw and How I Lied (Scholastic) E. Lockhart, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (Hyperion) Tim Tharp, The Spectacular Now (Alfred A. Knopf)
The judges for young lit include Daniel Handler (chair), Holly Black, Angela Johnson, Carolyn Mackler and Cynthia Voigt. (And yikes--I haven't read any of these yet--I better get on the stick. I like to make predictions) Follow this link to see the nominees in all categories. And note the covers of the fiction and nonfiction titles. Is it just me or are they collectively dark and depressing looking? They all look like a terribly dreary day. And the titles of the nonfiction picks make me feel like curling up in the fetal position under my covers and not leaving bed for a few days.
Dark and dreary indeed! I wonder if it's possible to curl under the covers in the fetal position, and read these books at the same time? I might have to try that...
Even without reading the jacket copy or paying much attention to the title, you’d know within a few pages of starting Judy Blundell’s National Book Award-winning What I Saw and How I Lied that something bad is going to happen. Blundell doesn’t back down from that threat/promise, and the book lingers in your memory longer because of it.
I really like the noir feel of this one. I felt like I was watching some film from the ’40s. Great review!!
Interesting point about the foreshadowing. I knew that I didn’t love it (I did enjoy it) but I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time. It’s been too long now to know if that might have been one of the issues that kept me from loving it, but good stuff to think about!
I love the cover on this - so atmospheric - and am definitely intrigued by the varying reviews I’ve seen on it. Hmm.
Hey there! I wanted to let you know I’ve given you a Proximidade Award over on my site. I always enjoy your reviews.
If you want mystery/suspense that keeps you guessing, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you’re looking for atmosphere and an awesome sense of place and time, read it.
Thank you!
I learn so much from reviewers who present their reservations respectfully. Thank you for this.
this may be something i would be interested in
reading? one of my GW editors was asking about this
book. i’ll ask what she thought about it as well.
thanks for the thoughtful review, as always, trisha!