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Faceless
When Maisie Winters wakes up, she’s in the hospital.
The last thing she remembers is running through the hills of her neighborhood one misty morning. Slowly, she puts the pieces together. Before she could make it home, a storm gathered. Lightning hit a power line and sparks rained down, the hot-burning electrical fire consuming her. Destroying her face. Where her nose, cheeks, and chin used to be, now there is…nothing.
Maisie’s lucky enough to qualify for a rare medical treatment: a face transplant. At least, everyone says she’s lucky. But with someone else’s features staring back at her in the mirror, Maisie looks—and feels—like a stranger. The doctors promised that the transplant was her chance to live a normal life again, but nothing feels normal anymore. Before, she knew who she was—a regular girl who ran track and got good grades, who loved her boyfriend and her best friend. Now, she can’t even recognize herself.
New York Times bestselling author Alyssa Sheinmel has created a gripping and gorgeously written tale of identity and love. This is a story of losing yourself and the long, hard fight to find your way back.
The last thing she remembers is running through the hills of her neighborhood one misty morning. Slowly, she puts the pieces together. Before she could make it home, a storm gathered. Lightning hit a power line and sparks rained down, the hot-burning electrical fire consuming her. Destroying her face. Where her nose, cheeks, and chin used to be, now there is…nothing.
Maisie’s lucky enough to qualify for a rare medical treatment: a face transplant. At least, everyone says she’s lucky. But with someone else’s features staring back at her in the mirror, Maisie looks—and feels—like a stranger. The doctors promised that the transplant was her chance to live a normal life again, but nothing feels normal anymore. Before, she knew who she was—a regular girl who ran track and got good grades, who loved her boyfriend and her best friend. Now, she can’t even recognize herself.
New York Times bestselling author Alyssa Sheinmel has created a gripping and gorgeously written tale of identity and love. This is a story of losing yourself and the long, hard fight to find your way back.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published September 29, 2015
About the author
Alyssa B. Sheinmel
12 books772 followersAlyssa Sheinmel is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels for young adults, including A Danger to Herself and Others and Faceless. She is the co-author of The Haunting of Sunshine Girl and its sequel, The Awakening of Sunshine Girl. Alyssa grew up in Northern California and New York, and currently lives and writes in New York City. Follow her on Instagram @alyssasheinmel and Twitter @AlyssaSheinmel or visit her online at www.alyssasheinmel.com.
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October 18, 2023
Rarely do I read a book that is perfect in every respect. This is one of those rare books.
August 15, 2016
TIENES QUE LEER ESTA NOVELA SÍ O SÍ
Faceless es una novela juvenil contemporánea que empecé a leer sin saber qué esperarme y que sin duda ha sido de las mejores lecturas que he hecho este año y, probablemente, en mi vida. Una novela que trata sobre la autosuperación, la superficialidad, los cánones de belleza y la fuerza. Sin duda sumamente recomendable.
Me parece fascinante que la mitad de la novela se desarrolle en el hospital en el que nuestra protagonista recibe un trasplante de cara. Primero porque la historia está increíblemente documentada y me ha gustado muchísimo haber aprendido tanto sobre este tema, y segundo porque la autora es capaz de absorbernos por completo en la trama en un espacio tan complicado como puede ser un hospital. Lo cierto es que he disfrutado mucho de esa primera mitad del libro y me ha sorprendido gratamente su ambientación y documentación.
Más allá de eso, Faceless es una novela que cuenta una historia trasgresora y desgarradora. Creo que nunca llegamos a plantearnos hasta qué punto nuestra apariencia física puede determinar nuestras vidas, y esta historia nos hace pararnos en seco y reflexionar sobre ello. Creo que Faceless es una novela trasgresora porque rompe con el canon de belleza establecido y plantea un debate sumamente interesante que no dejará indiferente a nadie. Y más allá de eso también es una novela desgarradora que nos hará sufrir con los sentimientos encontrados que tiene la protagonista a partir de perder su cara y ser incapaz de reconocerse en el espejo.
Si algo me ha gustado de Faceless es la facilidad que tiene la autora para meternos de lleno en la piel de la protagonista. Entre la novela y yo se creo un vínculo emocional impresionante, que sobre todo surgió a raíz de la empatía que sentía con la protagonista.
Los personajes están muy bien construidos, de hecho la protagonista es un personaje redondo que no dejará indiferente a nadie. Me encantó que fuese tan humana, tan caprichosa y viral a veces y tan centrada y responsable. Sobre todo me gustó el hecho de que no fuera una joven idealizada sino que se mostrase superficial e incapaz de dejar a un lado los cánones de belleza en su día a día. Y me gustó porque encarna lo que todxs lxs jóvenes somos a día de hoy.
En resumen, Faceless es una novela con una pluma increíble, muy bien trabajad ay documentada, con unos personajes redondos fascinantes, que plantea una serie de debates fundamentales, que nos hará pensar y que, sobre todo, está cargada de valores.
Faceless es una novela juvenil contemporánea que empecé a leer sin saber qué esperarme y que sin duda ha sido de las mejores lecturas que he hecho este año y, probablemente, en mi vida. Una novela que trata sobre la autosuperación, la superficialidad, los cánones de belleza y la fuerza. Sin duda sumamente recomendable.
Me parece fascinante que la mitad de la novela se desarrolle en el hospital en el que nuestra protagonista recibe un trasplante de cara. Primero porque la historia está increíblemente documentada y me ha gustado muchísimo haber aprendido tanto sobre este tema, y segundo porque la autora es capaz de absorbernos por completo en la trama en un espacio tan complicado como puede ser un hospital. Lo cierto es que he disfrutado mucho de esa primera mitad del libro y me ha sorprendido gratamente su ambientación y documentación.
Más allá de eso, Faceless es una novela que cuenta una historia trasgresora y desgarradora. Creo que nunca llegamos a plantearnos hasta qué punto nuestra apariencia física puede determinar nuestras vidas, y esta historia nos hace pararnos en seco y reflexionar sobre ello. Creo que Faceless es una novela trasgresora porque rompe con el canon de belleza establecido y plantea un debate sumamente interesante que no dejará indiferente a nadie. Y más allá de eso también es una novela desgarradora que nos hará sufrir con los sentimientos encontrados que tiene la protagonista a partir de perder su cara y ser incapaz de reconocerse en el espejo.
Si algo me ha gustado de Faceless es la facilidad que tiene la autora para meternos de lleno en la piel de la protagonista. Entre la novela y yo se creo un vínculo emocional impresionante, que sobre todo surgió a raíz de la empatía que sentía con la protagonista.
Los personajes están muy bien construidos, de hecho la protagonista es un personaje redondo que no dejará indiferente a nadie. Me encantó que fuese tan humana, tan caprichosa y viral a veces y tan centrada y responsable. Sobre todo me gustó el hecho de que no fuera una joven idealizada sino que se mostrase superficial e incapaz de dejar a un lado los cánones de belleza en su día a día. Y me gustó porque encarna lo que todxs lxs jóvenes somos a día de hoy.
En resumen, Faceless es una novela con una pluma increíble, muy bien trabajad ay documentada, con unos personajes redondos fascinantes, que plantea una serie de debates fundamentales, que nos hará pensar y que, sobre todo, está cargada de valores.
October 11, 2015
A book about loving yourself again. I'm almost certain my eyes lived in pools of tears through this whole book. If it wasn't sad, it was the happy kind of sad. However, I also cry at commercial's that show compassion... so most likely you won't cry as much as I did. Normally as a reader I shy away from any book that is "sad" but I don't think you should shy away from this book. It was very touching and left a mark that I want to keep with me. I've only heard of a face transplant in passing before and when I read the back of this book, I didn't think about it like that. I thought of it as some other worldly paranormal thing. But it isn't paranormal at all, it's very real. Alyssa Sheinmel does an excellent job of letting the reader experience first hand how to grieve and move forward. The only thing I didn't like about the book but came to understand later is why she pushes her boyfriend away. Though this has romance in it, it is not a romantic book. This book is about learning to love yourself even after a horrible, disfiguring accident.
December 27, 2015
Imagine waking up to realize an electrical fire has melted off half of your face and you've spent the past several weeks in an induced coma due to the severity of your injuries. Pretty heavy stuff for anyone to deal with, much less a teenage girl in high school.
Faceless is a fictional, young-adult novel written by Alyssa B. Sheinmel. One thing I liked about this book is it didn't spend a lot of time building up the pre-story...it got right to it. The story setup reminded me a bit of If I Stay in the sense that if there was anything you needed to know about the characters' lives and relationships, you would get a memory or a flashback. It was so refreshing to not have to wait until the middle of a book to finally get the meat of the story. And what is the meat of this story? The aftermath of a face transplant.
Ms. Sheinmel incorporated a mild medical component about what the physical recovery from a face transplant might look like, but the emotional recovery is the focal point in this book. As you can imagine, there's some loss of identity, grief, and self-acceptance issues, not to mention social adjustment. A statement Ms. Sheinmel made in a blog interview located HERE really sums up the overall theme of Faceless:
My favorite quote:
"I'll wear black tomorrow. No one at school will think anything of it. People wear black all the time. It will be my secret that the color is symbolic, a sign that I'm mourning the part of myself that died. Mourning all the things in my old life that are different now. No one will know that I'm waiting to get to the fifth stage, the one where I can accept what's left of me."
Faceless is a fictional, young-adult novel written by Alyssa B. Sheinmel. One thing I liked about this book is it didn't spend a lot of time building up the pre-story...it got right to it. The story setup reminded me a bit of If I Stay in the sense that if there was anything you needed to know about the characters' lives and relationships, you would get a memory or a flashback. It was so refreshing to not have to wait until the middle of a book to finally get the meat of the story. And what is the meat of this story? The aftermath of a face transplant.
Ms. Sheinmel incorporated a mild medical component about what the physical recovery from a face transplant might look like, but the emotional recovery is the focal point in this book. As you can imagine, there's some loss of identity, grief, and self-acceptance issues, not to mention social adjustment. A statement Ms. Sheinmel made in a blog interview located HERE really sums up the overall theme of Faceless:
"Most of us –– will never find ourselves in situations as extreme as Maisie’s, but plenty of us still struggle to discover how much of who we are is tied to what we look like. While Maisie’s experience may be singular, being a girl who doesn’t look the way she thinks she should unfortunately isn’t."Overall, I liked this book and would recommend it to the targeted YA audience. As an adult reader, it didn't quite satisfy me as I kept thinking that this story could have been so much more. If you google "face transplants", you'll see and read some real-life nonfiction accounts of what people have gone through. In comparison, Maisie's story is pretty superficial but I'm sure Ms. Sheinmel had to draw the line somewhere as to how deep she wanted to go. If you enjoy young-adult realistic fiction, check it out!
My favorite quote:
"I'll wear black tomorrow. No one at school will think anything of it. People wear black all the time. It will be my secret that the color is symbolic, a sign that I'm mourning the part of myself that died. Mourning all the things in my old life that are different now. No one will know that I'm waiting to get to the fifth stage, the one where I can accept what's left of me."
July 17, 2021
Mmh.
This could have been such a great story about self-love, mourning, and keep going no matter what because the important is to be alive.
Indeed, all I can’t stop thinking about, is what you get from it: “You have to learn to love yourself before loving someone else”. NO, YOU DON’T.
Let me be clear about this: if you love or just accept yourself is great, I'm honestly happy for you and the life you’re gonna have. It’s great even if you just like some parts of you like, I don't know, maybe your eyes or your hands.
But I'm not gonna lie, there are a lot of people out there hating themselves because of their body, their nose, the color of their skin. They deserved to be loved too and, surprise, they can love other people.
It may be the shape of your nose, the scar on your belly, the size of your body, the absence of a limb, your bad temper. It doesn’t mean anything!
You deserved to find someone who loves you for what you are and, even if you don’t look or act like a top model, I'm sure you can feel love.
It could be in a passionate way, or cooking for him/her or just watch a movie the other person likes even if you don’t. Love is a big word and there are so many ways to express it.
Obviously, you should love yourself for what you are and no matter how do you look like, but you don’t need me to hear this and we're talking about the real world.
You can hate or dislike yourself, imagining to be a different person, but nobody can't tell you to not love someone because of yourself.
↠ 2.8 stars
This could have been such a great story about self-love, mourning, and keep going no matter what because the important is to be alive.
Indeed, all I can’t stop thinking about, is what you get from it: “You have to learn to love yourself before loving someone else”. NO, YOU DON’T.
Let me be clear about this: if you love or just accept yourself is great, I'm honestly happy for you and the life you’re gonna have. It’s great even if you just like some parts of you like, I don't know, maybe your eyes or your hands.
But I'm not gonna lie, there are a lot of people out there hating themselves because of their body, their nose, the color of their skin. They deserved to be loved too and, surprise, they can love other people.
It may be the shape of your nose, the scar on your belly, the size of your body, the absence of a limb, your bad temper. It doesn’t mean anything!
You deserved to find someone who loves you for what you are and, even if you don’t look or act like a top model, I'm sure you can feel love.
It could be in a passionate way, or cooking for him/her or just watch a movie the other person likes even if you don’t. Love is a big word and there are so many ways to express it.
Obviously, you should love yourself for what you are and no matter how do you look like, but you don’t need me to hear this and we're talking about the real world.
You can hate or dislike yourself, imagining to be a different person, but nobody can't tell you to not love someone because of yourself.
↠ 2.8 stars
April 14, 2018
I guess you could say this contains spoilers but literally nothing extremely exciting or shocking happens that could be spoiled and also YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THIS
Faceless is entertaining (it's about some girl that gets a face transplant), I'll give it that, it's downloaded to the Kindle app on my phone and I've read it a bunch of times because the main character is extremely poor in the Bank Of Brain Cells and I really enjoy making sarcastic comments in my head about literally everything Maisie (main character, as bland as iceberg lettuce, no joke) says. Basically, when I want to read, but I'm not in a situation where i need to pay a ton of attention, this is perfect because it's narrated by a moron
That's about the only positive so I guess the real fun can begin now
Okay so character-wise: Maisie is a complete moron and also a huge hypocrite, Chirag is a (offensively) stereotypical Indian character, I'm not even joking, he wants to be a doctor, he's really logical and smart and SMELLS LIKE CURRY, DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW OFFENSIVE THAT IS, DO I DESCRIBE ALL WHITE PEOPLE AS SMELLING LIKE HAMBURGERS AND STARBUCKS? NO, YOU CAN'T SAY THAT HE SMELLS LIKE CURRY JUST BECAUSE HE'S INDIAN (these three things were literally his only characteristics I'm not kidding) Serena, in my opinion is a crappy best friend and she has no personality at all. Okay so they weren't all the characters in the book but I cba to write about anyone else, they're all bland and lack personality.
So now I'm going to show you (hi btw, thanks for reading) some of the quotes from this book and I'll give you my irrelevant ass opinions on them. Okay? Okay.
-From the second Maisie wakes up in hospital, she criticises her doctors, she's convinced that everything they do is wrong and that her boyfriend, who I quote, 'isn't even a doctor' would do a better job than them, she says that her doctor (who is trying to explain to her why she's in pain) 'doesn't know what he's talking about' are you sure hun? He's a doctor, he wouldn't be if he didn't know what he was talking about
-Maisie is also CONSTANTLY pointing out that she's in worse condition than other people which I find really irritating, like, it isn't a competition? One of the dumbest examples of this is after a 14 y/o literally dies after getting third-degree burns, she says; 'third-degree burns aren't as bad as what I have' Sweetie, he's DEAD, I'm pretty sure he was in worse condition than you. In this section she is also completely disrespectful to the kid that died, and lists a bunch of petty reasons as to why the boy might of died in an attempt to downplay his tragedy, and she finishes off this section in (what a perceived to be) a really mocking tone by saying; 'or maybe, just maybe, it [his house] was hit by lightning' . Also, in another case, she compares her burns to a dude who was burned in an explosion and says that 'his fire just didn't burn as hot' AGAIN, IT'S NOT A COMPETITION
-Maisie also believes that just because she's had a transplant and calls herself a freak, that it isn't offensive to call other people who have lost their limbs; 'broken-down freaks'
-I'm just going to bring up the doctor thing again, Maisie always thinks she knows best, she basically stops taking the meds that are keeping her alive because she thinks that they're making her a bad girlfriend and justifies this by saying; 'he'll [her doctor] will take one look at me and realise that I'm the exception to the rule [of taking meds]'
BONUS PETTY PROBLEMS I HAD WITH THIS BOOK
-The fact that Maisie's house had terracotta stairs is bought up at least five times and I got sick of hearing it
-Serena (Maisie's best friend) says that it's obvious that Chirag didn't go to prom after Maisie's accident, I just find it odd that Serena went to prom and was literally just goofing about while her friend was in the burn unit after most of her face was destroyed, surely you'd be upset and not really in the mood
-Also, after Chirag and Maisie break up, he gets a new girlfriend (they do all the mature high-school relationship things; hold hands and eat lunch together) and Chirag goes to prom with her etc etc AND THEN HE LITERALLY PUSHES HER OFF HIM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DANCE AND MAKES OUT WITH MAISIE I'm sorry but that's so rude, she's in the year/grade below and was clearly excited to be with Chirag and then he just dismisses her and kisses someone else? That's cruel.
Okay, that's a wrap, sorry if this is all over the place but I don't have my life together, let alone my review. If you read this, thank you! And I've ran out of thing so say. But this book is crap. Don't read it
Faceless is entertaining (it's about some girl that gets a face transplant), I'll give it that, it's downloaded to the Kindle app on my phone and I've read it a bunch of times because the main character is extremely poor in the Bank Of Brain Cells and I really enjoy making sarcastic comments in my head about literally everything Maisie (main character, as bland as iceberg lettuce, no joke) says. Basically, when I want to read, but I'm not in a situation where i need to pay a ton of attention, this is perfect because it's narrated by a moron
That's about the only positive so I guess the real fun can begin now
Okay so character-wise: Maisie is a complete moron and also a huge hypocrite, Chirag is a (offensively) stereotypical Indian character, I'm not even joking, he wants to be a doctor, he's really logical and smart and SMELLS LIKE CURRY, DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW OFFENSIVE THAT IS, DO I DESCRIBE ALL WHITE PEOPLE AS SMELLING LIKE HAMBURGERS AND STARBUCKS? NO, YOU CAN'T SAY THAT HE SMELLS LIKE CURRY JUST BECAUSE HE'S INDIAN (these three things were literally his only characteristics I'm not kidding) Serena, in my opinion is a crappy best friend and she has no personality at all. Okay so they weren't all the characters in the book but I cba to write about anyone else, they're all bland and lack personality.
So now I'm going to show you (hi btw, thanks for reading) some of the quotes from this book and I'll give you my irrelevant ass opinions on them. Okay? Okay.
-From the second Maisie wakes up in hospital, she criticises her doctors, she's convinced that everything they do is wrong and that her boyfriend, who I quote, 'isn't even a doctor' would do a better job than them, she says that her doctor (who is trying to explain to her why she's in pain) 'doesn't know what he's talking about' are you sure hun? He's a doctor, he wouldn't be if he didn't know what he was talking about
-Maisie is also CONSTANTLY pointing out that she's in worse condition than other people which I find really irritating, like, it isn't a competition? One of the dumbest examples of this is after a 14 y/o literally dies after getting third-degree burns, she says; 'third-degree burns aren't as bad as what I have' Sweetie, he's DEAD, I'm pretty sure he was in worse condition than you. In this section she is also completely disrespectful to the kid that died, and lists a bunch of petty reasons as to why the boy might of died in an attempt to downplay his tragedy, and she finishes off this section in (what a perceived to be) a really mocking tone by saying; 'or maybe, just maybe, it [his house] was hit by lightning' . Also, in another case, she compares her burns to a dude who was burned in an explosion and says that 'his fire just didn't burn as hot' AGAIN, IT'S NOT A COMPETITION
-Maisie also believes that just because she's had a transplant and calls herself a freak, that it isn't offensive to call other people who have lost their limbs; 'broken-down freaks'
-I'm just going to bring up the doctor thing again, Maisie always thinks she knows best, she basically stops taking the meds that are keeping her alive because she thinks that they're making her a bad girlfriend and justifies this by saying; 'he'll [her doctor] will take one look at me and realise that I'm the exception to the rule [of taking meds]'
BONUS PETTY PROBLEMS I HAD WITH THIS BOOK
-The fact that Maisie's house had terracotta stairs is bought up at least five times and I got sick of hearing it
-Serena (Maisie's best friend) says that it's obvious that Chirag didn't go to prom after Maisie's accident, I just find it odd that Serena went to prom and was literally just goofing about while her friend was in the burn unit after most of her face was destroyed, surely you'd be upset and not really in the mood
-Also, after Chirag and Maisie break up, he gets a new girlfriend (they do all the mature high-school relationship things; hold hands and eat lunch together) and Chirag goes to prom with her etc etc AND THEN HE LITERALLY PUSHES HER OFF HIM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DANCE AND MAKES OUT WITH MAISIE I'm sorry but that's so rude, she's in the year/grade below and was clearly excited to be with Chirag and then he just dismisses her and kisses someone else? That's cruel.
Okay, that's a wrap, sorry if this is all over the place but I don't have my life together, let alone my review. If you read this, thank you! And I've ran out of thing so say. But this book is crap. Don't read it
August 27, 2016
I finished this book in almost one sitting!! This book is just.... so good! I cried a lot, sad tears, happy tears... I'm so emotionally attached to Maisie and her family! Maisie is a great character, full of sarcasm and quirky! I laughed out loud a lot of her jokes! and I sorta understand why Maisie is so angry at the first, and I also knew that her parents are concerned about her more than she can imagined. Chirag is a very nice guy too, I mean he actually sacrificed a lot to accept her even though he knew that things can't go back anymore. He can be quite cruel but he is a human too, a teenager, so it's acceptable... At first, I was angry with Chirag, really angry, because I still want some good romance in this book, but I think this is more than that, especially finding out what have Chirag done for Maisie.
Sorry, I just went to re-read some of the parts that I want to mention and then, BOOM! being sucked into it again... I appreciate all the characters in it. The family dynamics are great, parents come together for their daughter even though they are not in love with each other anymore! Parents played a big role in this book, so that they can make their child stand up again.
Her friends, Adam and Serena are very supportive... Adam is the most charming one despite of his face and arm, I mean those are the symbol of his braveness.
*spoiler alert*
When Maisie kinda had a crush on him, I think mostly because he is that great, I was kinda disappointed, I mean, isn't this too convenient? Even though Adam is my 2nd fav character, this is just wrong! But luckily, Maisie didn't end up with someone else, and I totally appreciate that ending, romance is not her priority now,ahahah!
And that scene with Chirag, goodness! That is just perfect! All of these should just happen to YA books now!
and of course, I'm so happy for Maisie that she finally accepted herself, the imperfect but awesome Maisie 2.0! Acceptance is really the key!
So yeah, it was an amazing read! Fantabulous!!! I loved it! My favourite book of the year, tied with Ready Player One!! This year is just awesome! 5 stars!
25/8/2016
I hesitated to re-read this because I was in a fantasy kick and a big hangover(again) after the Queen of the Tearling. Well, when I started reading this, I read Invasion of the Tearling and almost forgot about this book. Yesterday I finally stayed awake and finished reading the whole book in one sitting, man it was crazy, I was so tired but it's worth it, totally. Maisie was very ungrateful at the beginning of the book and whiney. I almost hated her, like really hate her when she argued with her parents about school and taking meds. But when I thought of it, yeah, I wasn't in her shoes, having to get a new face and those drugs, she just wanted to be her old self again. Her character developed so much and I found myself rooting her all over again. She is totally sarcastic and witty, that's very cool of her. Chirag, well, he's very attractive, this time, I almost had a crush on him. Sheinmel really knows how to build her characters, even though Maisie is the main character, I actually appreciate the side characters more this time. Her family's relationship is also one of the main issue, so this is not just Maisie's story, but everyone around changed too because of that accident, and sometimes life moves on. So, acceptance is still the key, but it takes time. I would like to know more about Serena and Adam. I guess face transplant is quite fascinating and this is my first time to learn more about it in YA, quite informative, tbh. I wish YA can explore more on those rare and diverse issues, but done them in a more accurate way. I like Sheinmel's writing style, it just flows, you know. I gave it 4.5 stars, because I knew everything already and I felt the surprise element is not that surprsing anymore, but still this is still one of my favourites.
Sorry, I just went to re-read some of the parts that I want to mention and then, BOOM! being sucked into it again... I appreciate all the characters in it. The family dynamics are great, parents come together for their daughter even though they are not in love with each other anymore! Parents played a big role in this book, so that they can make their child stand up again.
Her friends, Adam and Serena are very supportive... Adam is the most charming one despite of his face and arm, I mean those are the symbol of his braveness.
*spoiler alert*
When Maisie kinda had a crush on him, I think mostly because he is that great, I was kinda disappointed, I mean, isn't this too convenient? Even though Adam is my 2nd fav character, this is just wrong! But luckily, Maisie didn't end up with someone else, and I totally appreciate that ending, romance is not her priority now,ahahah!
And that scene with Chirag, goodness! That is just perfect! All of these should just happen to YA books now!
and of course, I'm so happy for Maisie that she finally accepted herself, the imperfect but awesome Maisie 2.0! Acceptance is really the key!
So yeah, it was an amazing read! Fantabulous!!! I loved it! My favourite book of the year, tied with Ready Player One!! This year is just awesome! 5 stars!
25/8/2016
I hesitated to re-read this because I was in a fantasy kick and a big hangover(again) after the Queen of the Tearling. Well, when I started reading this, I read Invasion of the Tearling and almost forgot about this book. Yesterday I finally stayed awake and finished reading the whole book in one sitting, man it was crazy, I was so tired but it's worth it, totally. Maisie was very ungrateful at the beginning of the book and whiney. I almost hated her, like really hate her when she argued with her parents about school and taking meds. But when I thought of it, yeah, I wasn't in her shoes, having to get a new face and those drugs, she just wanted to be her old self again. Her character developed so much and I found myself rooting her all over again. She is totally sarcastic and witty, that's very cool of her. Chirag, well, he's very attractive, this time, I almost had a crush on him. Sheinmel really knows how to build her characters, even though Maisie is the main character, I actually appreciate the side characters more this time. Her family's relationship is also one of the main issue, so this is not just Maisie's story, but everyone around changed too because of that accident, and sometimes life moves on. So, acceptance is still the key, but it takes time. I would like to know more about Serena and Adam. I guess face transplant is quite fascinating and this is my first time to learn more about it in YA, quite informative, tbh. I wish YA can explore more on those rare and diverse issues, but done them in a more accurate way. I like Sheinmel's writing style, it just flows, you know. I gave it 4.5 stars, because I knew everything already and I felt the surprise element is not that surprsing anymore, but still this is still one of my favourites.
February 15, 2019
“You have to learn to love yourself before you can love someone else. Because it's only when we love ourselves that we feel worthy of someone else's love.”
Imagine waking up, getting told that half of your face has beeen destroyed and that you're never going to look the same again after getting a face transplant.
To me the topic of this book felt super heavy yet the author managed to make it a quick read.
It's a book about learning how to love yourself again, about figuring out who you are after your entire life changed within seconds. It's honestly the type of book that makes you think that you're really lucky to not be forced to go through something like this and to eventually become more grateful for what you already got. It's what I enjoyed the most about this book, simply the fact that you really get something from reading it. Such books are always the best ones in my opinion.
I feel like the love story wasn't that important and I didn't like it as much as I would've wanted to. It just wasn't the most important part of the book but I guess a YA novel isn't a YA novel without a love story? I really hoped the story would turn out to be about a young girl that learns that she doesn't need a relationship to be loved and to learn how to be happy again. What I really, really liked was the friendship Maisie and Serena shared. Their friendship is the kind of friendship you'd want all for yourself.
What made me really enjoy the book was simply the fact that Maisie learned how to love herself again. We don't find out what happens in her future. If she gets to reach her goals but I feel like that was okay. It gives the reader space to think about it and maybe even come up with an own ending.
Imagine waking up, getting told that half of your face has beeen destroyed and that you're never going to look the same again after getting a face transplant.
To me the topic of this book felt super heavy yet the author managed to make it a quick read.
It's a book about learning how to love yourself again, about figuring out who you are after your entire life changed within seconds. It's honestly the type of book that makes you think that you're really lucky to not be forced to go through something like this and to eventually become more grateful for what you already got. It's what I enjoyed the most about this book, simply the fact that you really get something from reading it. Such books are always the best ones in my opinion.
I feel like the love story wasn't that important and I didn't like it as much as I would've wanted to. It just wasn't the most important part of the book but I guess a YA novel isn't a YA novel without a love story? I really hoped the story would turn out to be about a young girl that learns that she doesn't need a relationship to be loved and to learn how to be happy again. What I really, really liked was the friendship Maisie and Serena shared. Their friendship is the kind of friendship you'd want all for yourself.
What made me really enjoy the book was simply the fact that Maisie learned how to love herself again. We don't find out what happens in her future. If she gets to reach her goals but I feel like that was okay. It gives the reader space to think about it and maybe even come up with an own ending.
July 3, 2017
میسی وینتر آینده روشنی داره. یه دوست پسر خوب داره و قراره یه ستاره در مدرسه ش بشه. اما تصادف بدی میکنه و مجبور میشه کل صورتش رو عمل کنه و عوض کنه. بعد از اینکه صورتش رو تغییر دادن، میسی با همه قطع رابطه میکنه و رابطه ش رو با دنیا قطع میکنه چون جرئت روبرو شدن باهاش رو نداره. کم کم متوجه میشه که علاوه بر اینکه چهره ش عوض شده، خودش هم کاملا عوض شده و به فرد جدیدی تبدیل شده.
نویسنده مشکلات و سختی ها میسی رو خوب به تصویر کشیده. مقدار مناسبی چاشنی واقعیت بهش اضافه کرده و داستان خوبی ساخته. داستان جالبی بود و نثر ساده ای داشت. سرعت پیشروی متن هم مناسب بود.
نویسنده مشکلات و سختی ها میسی رو خوب به تصویر کشیده. مقدار مناسبی چاشنی واقعیت بهش اضافه کرده و داستان خوبی ساخته. داستان جالبی بود و نثر ساده ای داشت. سرعت پیشروی متن هم مناسب بود.
April 27, 2016
Questo è decisamente un libro che fa riflettere e che a tratti è anche capace di farti vergognare (perché ammettiamolo, quando vediamo una persona deforme per strada non possiamo fare a meno di guardarla, ma vedermi dagli occhi di Maisie e leggere di come si sentisse uno spettacolo da baraccone mi ha fatta vergognare parecchio).
All'inizio i pensieri di Maisie erano talmente depressi e ripetitivi che mi era venuta voglia di saltare qualche paragrafo ma sono contenta di aver proseguito leggendo tutto, anche perché a partire dalla terza parte del romanzo, quando Maisie finalmente comincia a "rinascere", mi sono sentita talmente orgogliosa di lei che qualche lacrima mi è scappata.
All'inizio i pensieri di Maisie erano talmente depressi e ripetitivi che mi era venuta voglia di saltare qualche paragrafo ma sono contenta di aver proseguito leggendo tutto, anche perché a partire dalla terza parte del romanzo, quando Maisie finalmente comincia a "rinascere", mi sono sentita talmente orgogliosa di lei che qualche lacrima mi è scappata.
February 27, 2018
RECENSIONE COMPLETA QUI: https://thereadingslove.blogspot.it/2...
"Beautiful" è un romanzo che fa riflettere, che mi ha emozionato dall’inizio fino alla fine e mi ha fatto provare delle emozioni forti. Il romanzo è una storia odierna che racconta la paura di essere diversa e di mostrarsi agli altri e il coraggio di saper affrontare la sofferenza. È una storia che racconta la ricostruzione della propria identità, la capacità di combattere e di sapersi accettare per poter rinascere più forti di prima.
Premetto di aver iniziato questo romanzo perché mi sono innamorata della cover. La protagonista Maisie ha una sola passione: correre. È una ragazza con la lingua tagliente e uno spiccato senso dell’umorismo. Accanto a sé ha una famiglia che la ama e che è orgogliosa di lei, la sua migliore amica Serena e il suo fidanzato Cirag che la sostengono sempre. Un giorno però, durante la sua corsa mattutina rimane vittima di un grave incidente che la costringe a rimanere sfigurata e a sottoporsi successivamente ad un intervento facciale che le permette di rinascere con il volto di un’altra ragazza. Dopo l’incidente tutto cambia: la sua vita non è più la stessa, ha paura di essere osservata e rifiutata e di diventare una persona diversa da quella che era prima. La frustrazione e il dolore per la persona che è diventata dopo l’incidente, l’odio per il suo viso che non sarà più quello che ha sempre osservato allo specchio e con il quale dovrà convivere il resto della sua vita la cambiano...
CONTINUA SUL NOSTRO BLOG. VENITE A TROVARCI
https://thereadingslove.blogspot.it/
"Beautiful" è un romanzo che fa riflettere, che mi ha emozionato dall’inizio fino alla fine e mi ha fatto provare delle emozioni forti. Il romanzo è una storia odierna che racconta la paura di essere diversa e di mostrarsi agli altri e il coraggio di saper affrontare la sofferenza. È una storia che racconta la ricostruzione della propria identità, la capacità di combattere e di sapersi accettare per poter rinascere più forti di prima.
Premetto di aver iniziato questo romanzo perché mi sono innamorata della cover. La protagonista Maisie ha una sola passione: correre. È una ragazza con la lingua tagliente e uno spiccato senso dell’umorismo. Accanto a sé ha una famiglia che la ama e che è orgogliosa di lei, la sua migliore amica Serena e il suo fidanzato Cirag che la sostengono sempre. Un giorno però, durante la sua corsa mattutina rimane vittima di un grave incidente che la costringe a rimanere sfigurata e a sottoporsi successivamente ad un intervento facciale che le permette di rinascere con il volto di un’altra ragazza. Dopo l’incidente tutto cambia: la sua vita non è più la stessa, ha paura di essere osservata e rifiutata e di diventare una persona diversa da quella che era prima. La frustrazione e il dolore per la persona che è diventata dopo l’incidente, l’odio per il suo viso che non sarà più quello che ha sempre osservato allo specchio e con il quale dovrà convivere il resto della sua vita la cambiano...
CONTINUA SUL NOSTRO BLOG. VENITE A TROVARCI
https://thereadingslove.blogspot.it/
April 19, 2016
Temevo questo libro.
Temevo di sciogliermi in lacrime, avevo paura che, avendo come protagonista un’adolescente, con lo scorrere delle pagine, il nucleo del romanzo si sarebbe perso. Insomma avevo paura del cliché che sta in agguato nella maggior parte di ogni libro YA..
NIENTE DI PIÙ SBAGLIATO! (a parte la questione delle lacrime, ovviamente!)
Questo libro è bellissimo!
Questa è la storia di Maisie, una 16enne come tante, carina, simpatica, intelligente, preparata. Eccelle nella corsa, ha una migliore amica un po’ sopra le righe, due genitori che litigano alla prima occasione e un fidanzato dalla mente di un calcolatore, del quale è fortemente innamorata. Una vita speciale, semplice. Una ragazzina dolce, simpatica, competitiva, che si appresta a frequentare l’ultimo anno delle superiori per poi compiere il primo passo verso l’età adulta: lasciare casa ed entrare al college.
Eppure il destino è in agguato. A causa di un incidente di carattere elettrico, Maisie, perderà completamente le guance, il naso e altri parti del viso, subirà così un intervento di trapianto facciale. Un viso di un’altra al posto del suo.
Inizia, così, per Maisie un percorso difficile, fatto di dolore, dubbio, solitudine e rimpianti, un percorso che, alla fine, la porterà a scoprire una nuova Maisie.
Un libro assolutamente non banale che tutti dovrebbero leggere. Ho adorato come la Sheinmel riesca a trascinare il lettore nella mente di Maisie. È un viaggio introspettivo, duro, pesante, fatto di continui sconvolgimenti, di cose difficili, per un’adolescente, accettare. Maisie si vede scivolare tra le mani la vita di prima, in attimo e dovrà imparare a convivere con un nuovo corpo, tutto quello che sembrava scontato, ora, diventa una meta da raggiungere, un traguardo importante da superare.
Gli sguardi curiosi degli altri, trafiggono Maisie, le fanno costantemente ricordare ciò che ha perduto. Arrabbiata, amareggiata e depressa Maisie allontanerà da se tutti quelli che la amano con una certa cattiveria e io ho adorato questo passaggio. L’autrice entra perfettamente il punto: nessuno da agli altri il permesso di giudicarti per il tuo aspetto, ma nessuno da a te il permesso di ferire chi ti è vicino solo per autocommiserazione personale. Maisie mi è piaciuta proprio per questo. È una protagonista estremamente reale. Il suo primo pensiero, dopo l’incidente, è l’inquietante domanda “chi mi amerà adesso che sono un mostro?”. Perché è inutile girarci intorno, per un’adolescente (e non solo), l’aspetto fisico non è tutto ma è tanto.
L’autrice accompagna la sua protagonista in un viaggio di maturazione, accettazione e saggezza, Maisie scoprirà veramente cosa significa vivere una seconda vita e si ritroverà a fare scelte importanti, scoprendo un lato del suo carattere veramente forte e deciso. Il romance, che è in secondo piano, è gestito benissimo. Chirang è un ragazzo d’oro. Questo mi ha reso un po’ triste, perché nella realtà chi deve far fronte a problemi simili a quelli di Maisie spesso non ha un cavaliere su cui contare…
Lettura consigliata!
Temevo di sciogliermi in lacrime, avevo paura che, avendo come protagonista un’adolescente, con lo scorrere delle pagine, il nucleo del romanzo si sarebbe perso. Insomma avevo paura del cliché che sta in agguato nella maggior parte di ogni libro YA..
NIENTE DI PIÙ SBAGLIATO! (a parte la questione delle lacrime, ovviamente!)
Questo libro è bellissimo!
Questa è la storia di Maisie, una 16enne come tante, carina, simpatica, intelligente, preparata. Eccelle nella corsa, ha una migliore amica un po’ sopra le righe, due genitori che litigano alla prima occasione e un fidanzato dalla mente di un calcolatore, del quale è fortemente innamorata. Una vita speciale, semplice. Una ragazzina dolce, simpatica, competitiva, che si appresta a frequentare l’ultimo anno delle superiori per poi compiere il primo passo verso l’età adulta: lasciare casa ed entrare al college.
Eppure il destino è in agguato. A causa di un incidente di carattere elettrico, Maisie, perderà completamente le guance, il naso e altri parti del viso, subirà così un intervento di trapianto facciale. Un viso di un’altra al posto del suo.
Inizia, così, per Maisie un percorso difficile, fatto di dolore, dubbio, solitudine e rimpianti, un percorso che, alla fine, la porterà a scoprire una nuova Maisie.
Un libro assolutamente non banale che tutti dovrebbero leggere. Ho adorato come la Sheinmel riesca a trascinare il lettore nella mente di Maisie. È un viaggio introspettivo, duro, pesante, fatto di continui sconvolgimenti, di cose difficili, per un’adolescente, accettare. Maisie si vede scivolare tra le mani la vita di prima, in attimo e dovrà imparare a convivere con un nuovo corpo, tutto quello che sembrava scontato, ora, diventa una meta da raggiungere, un traguardo importante da superare.
Gli sguardi curiosi degli altri, trafiggono Maisie, le fanno costantemente ricordare ciò che ha perduto. Arrabbiata, amareggiata e depressa Maisie allontanerà da se tutti quelli che la amano con una certa cattiveria e io ho adorato questo passaggio. L’autrice entra perfettamente il punto: nessuno da agli altri il permesso di giudicarti per il tuo aspetto, ma nessuno da a te il permesso di ferire chi ti è vicino solo per autocommiserazione personale. Maisie mi è piaciuta proprio per questo. È una protagonista estremamente reale. Il suo primo pensiero, dopo l’incidente, è l’inquietante domanda “chi mi amerà adesso che sono un mostro?”. Perché è inutile girarci intorno, per un’adolescente (e non solo), l’aspetto fisico non è tutto ma è tanto.
L’autrice accompagna la sua protagonista in un viaggio di maturazione, accettazione e saggezza, Maisie scoprirà veramente cosa significa vivere una seconda vita e si ritroverà a fare scelte importanti, scoprendo un lato del suo carattere veramente forte e deciso. Il romance, che è in secondo piano, è gestito benissimo. Chirang è un ragazzo d’oro. Questo mi ha reso un po’ triste, perché nella realtà chi deve far fronte a problemi simili a quelli di Maisie spesso non ha un cavaliere su cui contare…
Lettura consigliata!
January 26, 2016
This was the best book that I've read. I got so engaged to it and is one of my favorite book.☺
January 31, 2024
خب اولین کتاب 2024 ایشونه
ببین خلاصه بخوام بگم
موضوع جالبی داشت
قلم نویسنده خستهکننده بود
جای کار بسیار داشت
هیجان نداره
خودشناسی و روبرو شدن با دنیای واقعی و ترسناک
در واقع یک کتاب با موضوع خاص برای خوانندگان خاص😄
این کتاب واقعا برای هرکسی جالب نخواهد بود
ولی خب من یکسری قسمتهاش رو دوست داشتم برای همین از وقتی که براش گذاشتم ناراحت نیستم
در کل ولی پیشنهادش نمیدم چون میشد جالبتر و ررونتر باشه
🍀
ببین خلاصه بخوام بگم
موضوع جالبی داشت
قلم نویسنده خستهکننده بود
جای کار بسیار داشت
هیجان نداره
خودشناسی و روبرو شدن با دنیای واقعی و ترسناک
در واقع یک کتاب با موضوع خاص برای خوانندگان خاص😄
این کتاب واقعا برای هرکسی جالب نخواهد بود
ولی خب من یکسری قسمتهاش رو دوست داشتم برای همین از وقتی که براش گذاشتم ناراحت نیستم
در کل ولی پیشنهادش نمیدم چون میشد جالبتر و ررونتر باشه
🍀
February 26, 2017
I was right, this is a new favorite of mine. I loved every single page, I cried multiple times, Maisie's best friend felt like my best friend, I fell in love with her boyfriend, I fell out of love with her boyfriend. And most of all; I felt her pain.
This was an incredible read, one that I'm happy I got to experience. It ended really really well, with so much hope for the future and I think that's what I loved most. The hope this book gave me in such a hard and sometimes painful world.
This was an incredible read, one that I'm happy I got to experience. It ended really really well, with so much hope for the future and I think that's what I loved most. The hope this book gave me in such a hard and sometimes painful world.
September 14, 2016
What I loved most about this book was that it's main message was 'Love Yourself'. Maisie has a terrible accident and as a result, has to have a face transplant. She has to deal with having someone else's nose, chin, cheeks and her own massive scars. She literally isn't the same person on the outside. But I enjoyed Maisie figuring our her new face and new life, surrounded by people who supported her, or would learn to.
I was weary about any romance. Maisie had a boyfriend before her accident that seemed to stay with her out of sympathy afterwards, but she just wasn't in the right place to love someone. As someone in the book said, you have to learn to love yourself first.
I was weary about any romance. Maisie had a boyfriend before her accident that seemed to stay with her out of sympathy afterwards, but she just wasn't in the right place to love someone. As someone in the book said, you have to learn to love yourself first.
July 25, 2018
I’ve never read a book like this one. I don’t usually like sad books, I’m more into romance. There was a bit of romance in this book. At first I was a little hesitant but actually really enjoyed it. It’s about this girl and how she deals and gets through her recovery. I would recommend this book
March 15, 2016
Parlare dei libri che amo per me non è mai semplice, perché temo di non riuscire a rendere loro la giustizia che meritano. Nel mio piccolo proverò a descrivere le emozioni che la storia di Maisie mi ha suscitato. Provate a guardarvi allo specchio, a toccare le vostre guance, il vostro mento o il vostro naso. Fatto? Bene. Adesso provate a immaginarvi senza queste parti essenziali di voi stessi, senza queste parti che definiscono il vostro volto, le vostre espressioni, il vostro percorso di crescita.
Mentre leggevo Beautiful ho provato ad immaginare come mi sentirei se di punto in bianco mi ritrovassi privata di metà del mio viso, e mi sono sentita male nel vero senso della parola. Quindi potete immaginare con che stato d'animo mi sono cimentata nella lettura di questo libro.
"Beautiful" è uno young adult scritto senza mezzi termini, l'autrice riesce a trasportare il lettore nella vita disastrata che Maisie, la protagonista, si ritrova a vivere in seguito ad un incidente. La giovane si ritrova a fare i conti con il senso di perdita, con la paura, la rabbia, la negazione e tutte le fasi che derivano da un trauma così grande. La vita di Maisie viene stravolta dal giorno alla notte: da giovane e talentuosa podista, bella, carica di energie e con un fidanzato adorabile, poi mostro senza faccia, sottoposta ad un trapianto in cui le è stata appiccicata la faccia di un'estranea laddove il fuoco ha divorato alcune parti di lei. Provate ad immedesimarvi in Maisie, fate anche solo un minimo sforzo per mettervi nei suoi panni. Sentite anche voi quella fastidiosa morsa intorno al cuore e quell'insopportabile nodo alla gola? La storia di Maisie è la prova di come il destino a volte sia crudele, di come niente dura per sempre. Ci sono diversi modi in cui si può reagire ad un trauma, e Maisie non è di certo una di quelle persone rimaste invalide che vedono il lato positivo. A volte preferirebbe essere morta e quando tutti continuano a ripeterle che è "fortunata" vorrebbe tapparsi le orecchie e fingere di non sentirli. Fortunata una persona sfigurata che non riesce più a vivere senza medicine, che non ricorda più come si corre, che evita le superfici riflettenti neanche fossero diavoli? Maisie non si sente fortunata nemmeno per un secondo. In un primo momento vede nero, tenta in tutti i modi di tornare ad essere la vecchia se stessa, l'atleta instancabile, la ragazza dalle lentiggini sul naso dalla battuta sempre pronta, ma non ci riesce. Non ci riesce perché ogni volta che si guarda allo specchio quello che vede è un'estranea.
Tutto cambia quando inizia a frequentare un Gruppo di sostegno composto da altre persone menomate o invalide come lei, persone che hanno condiviso il suo dolore e sanno come si sente. A questi incontri conosce Adam - che, se possibile, è ancora più sfigurato di lei - e questo ragazzo diventerà la spalla su cui piangere, un amico che le tende la mano e la solleva dal suo baratro mostrandole una nuova strada. E' cosi che per Maisie inizia la fase più importante: l'accettazione. La vecchia Maisie ha lasciato il posto a Maisie 2.0, una ragazza non più atletica e carina come prima, forse, ma comunque coraggiosa e consapevole di se stessa.
Beautiful è scritto in maniera divina, coinvolgente, straziante. E'un libro che non riesci a mettere giù, che ti cattura tra le sue pagine e ti fa immedesimare maledettamente nella protagonista. Non posso che consigliarvelo, con tutto il cuore. Di sicuro non è una lettura da affrontare a cuor leggero, ma vi farà crescere e riflettere. Tanto.
Mentre leggevo Beautiful ho provato ad immaginare come mi sentirei se di punto in bianco mi ritrovassi privata di metà del mio viso, e mi sono sentita male nel vero senso della parola. Quindi potete immaginare con che stato d'animo mi sono cimentata nella lettura di questo libro.
"Beautiful" è uno young adult scritto senza mezzi termini, l'autrice riesce a trasportare il lettore nella vita disastrata che Maisie, la protagonista, si ritrova a vivere in seguito ad un incidente. La giovane si ritrova a fare i conti con il senso di perdita, con la paura, la rabbia, la negazione e tutte le fasi che derivano da un trauma così grande. La vita di Maisie viene stravolta dal giorno alla notte: da giovane e talentuosa podista, bella, carica di energie e con un fidanzato adorabile, poi mostro senza faccia, sottoposta ad un trapianto in cui le è stata appiccicata la faccia di un'estranea laddove il fuoco ha divorato alcune parti di lei. Provate ad immedesimarvi in Maisie, fate anche solo un minimo sforzo per mettervi nei suoi panni. Sentite anche voi quella fastidiosa morsa intorno al cuore e quell'insopportabile nodo alla gola? La storia di Maisie è la prova di come il destino a volte sia crudele, di come niente dura per sempre. Ci sono diversi modi in cui si può reagire ad un trauma, e Maisie non è di certo una di quelle persone rimaste invalide che vedono il lato positivo. A volte preferirebbe essere morta e quando tutti continuano a ripeterle che è "fortunata" vorrebbe tapparsi le orecchie e fingere di non sentirli. Fortunata una persona sfigurata che non riesce più a vivere senza medicine, che non ricorda più come si corre, che evita le superfici riflettenti neanche fossero diavoli? Maisie non si sente fortunata nemmeno per un secondo. In un primo momento vede nero, tenta in tutti i modi di tornare ad essere la vecchia se stessa, l'atleta instancabile, la ragazza dalle lentiggini sul naso dalla battuta sempre pronta, ma non ci riesce. Non ci riesce perché ogni volta che si guarda allo specchio quello che vede è un'estranea.
Tutto cambia quando inizia a frequentare un Gruppo di sostegno composto da altre persone menomate o invalide come lei, persone che hanno condiviso il suo dolore e sanno come si sente. A questi incontri conosce Adam - che, se possibile, è ancora più sfigurato di lei - e questo ragazzo diventerà la spalla su cui piangere, un amico che le tende la mano e la solleva dal suo baratro mostrandole una nuova strada. E' cosi che per Maisie inizia la fase più importante: l'accettazione. La vecchia Maisie ha lasciato il posto a Maisie 2.0, una ragazza non più atletica e carina come prima, forse, ma comunque coraggiosa e consapevole di se stessa.
Beautiful è scritto in maniera divina, coinvolgente, straziante. E'un libro che non riesci a mettere giù, che ti cattura tra le sue pagine e ti fa immedesimare maledettamente nella protagonista. Non posso che consigliarvelo, con tutto il cuore. Di sicuro non è una lettura da affrontare a cuor leggero, ma vi farà crescere e riflettere. Tanto.
September 24, 2017
So Faceless kind of placed top rung on the "body issues" YA sub genre. Woosh!
Normally these books are about anything ranging from a certain disability or disease (blind, deaf, wheelchair bound) to mental health issues (depression, schizophrenia) to body dismorphia. I always file those away in my brain, in case a customer desperately needs a recommendiation for their niece who suffers from anorexia and they need a book they can identify with. Well, I've found the perfect book in case someone needs a recommendation for their neighbour's daughter who just had their face melted off!!
But honestly, this book is amazing. As in, imagine John Green writing about a face transplant amazing. It covers everything from the accident, to Maisie waking up in the hospital, and the side effects of her medical regime.
Yet, I wouldn't say it was a "difficult" read. I would actually go as far as saying this was a light read. Of course, the subject matter is super depressing and dark. I can't even imagine having to wake up with someone else's face sewn onto my own. But Maisie's depression never went full dark. It always kind of stayed in the Hollywood-zone where depression is something that can be cured over night when the character gets an aha! moment and decides to live instead. Not that it was taking the surgery and side effects lightly. It covered all of the realities of this life-altering accident and its consequences. I also don't think the author underestimated the results. I actually think this book is well-researched and thorough (in my layman's eyes).
I'm also not saying that this book would have been better if it had taken the more gritty and darker route. There's nothing wrong with a fun read that both entertains and informs at the same time. Because ultimately, this book is about accepting and loving yourself and your body. Whether or not you've had your face since birth or not.
Normally these books are about anything ranging from a certain disability or disease (blind, deaf, wheelchair bound) to mental health issues (depression, schizophrenia) to body dismorphia. I always file those away in my brain, in case a customer desperately needs a recommendiation for their niece who suffers from anorexia and they need a book they can identify with. Well, I've found the perfect book in case someone needs a recommendation for their neighbour's daughter who just had their face melted off!!
But honestly, this book is amazing. As in, imagine John Green writing about a face transplant amazing. It covers everything from the accident, to Maisie waking up in the hospital, and the side effects of her medical regime.
Yet, I wouldn't say it was a "difficult" read. I would actually go as far as saying this was a light read. Of course, the subject matter is super depressing and dark. I can't even imagine having to wake up with someone else's face sewn onto my own. But Maisie's depression never went full dark. It always kind of stayed in the Hollywood-zone where depression is something that can be cured over night when the character gets an aha! moment and decides to live instead. Not that it was taking the surgery and side effects lightly. It covered all of the realities of this life-altering accident and its consequences. I also don't think the author underestimated the results. I actually think this book is well-researched and thorough (in my layman's eyes).
I'm also not saying that this book would have been better if it had taken the more gritty and darker route. There's nothing wrong with a fun read that both entertains and informs at the same time. Because ultimately, this book is about accepting and loving yourself and your body. Whether or not you've had your face since birth or not.
May 26, 2016
Proprio come dice il titolo questo libro è davvero bello. E' un romanzo forte, che fa riflettere. Un romanzo che parla di quanto sia importante non solo accettarsi e amarsi ma anche andare avanti, non lasciarsi abbattere da ciò che ci succede. Smetterla di guardare al passato e pensare al futuro. Crescere.
Sentirsi fortunati per quello che si ha e non per quello che ci manca.
Ammetto che mi ha reso un po triste in alcune parti e mi è scesa anche la lacrimuccia su una determinata frase.
Recensione completa su The secret life of a book
Sentirsi fortunati per quello che si ha e non per quello che ci manca.
Ammetto che mi ha reso un po triste in alcune parti e mi è scesa anche la lacrimuccia su una determinata frase.
Recensione completa su The secret life of a book
June 24, 2020
I really hoped this would be more moving! Ir was good, there was nothing "wrong" with it, but it didn't bring out any intense emotions in me!
April 12, 2020
Non sarò più come prima. Nessun trucco mi trasformerà nella bella ragazza di prima, nonostante la pelle chiara, le lentiggini e il naso grande che odiavo. [..]
Ma so chi sono. Sono una ragazza con la lingua tagliente e un senso dell’umorismo sarcastico; sono una ragazza che si è innamorata per la prima volta a sedici anni, che ha la stessa migliore amica da quando ha cinque anni, che litiga con la mamma che è fiera di amare e che ha un padre che ogni sera le cantava una ninnananna.
Ho anche capito che la mia identità è un concetto fluido, mutevole, impossibile da identificare, per quanto provi a fare una lista cui attenermi; la mia persona sarebbe stata mutevole anche se non fossi andata a correre quella mattina, anche se quell’albero non fosse stato colpito dal fulmine, anche se non avessi mai sentito parlare di incendio di natura elettrica e di trapianto facciale.
Maisie quella mattina si alza presto, si veste e va a correre; ama correre quando la città sta ancora dormendo – passo, respiro. Passo, respiro. Ma questo è un giorno che non si dimenticherà mai: quando è a pochi metri da casa, sotto un forte temporale, un fulmine colpisce un albero, un ramo si spezza.. il fuoco divampa e poi più nulla.
Maisie si risveglia in ospedale, intorpidita e piena di bende: ha delle ustioni di secondo grado sulla parte sinistra del corpo e il suo viso ha riportato delle ferite irrecuperabili. Il fulmine ha dato il via a un fuoco di natura elettrica, che brucia molto più di un fuoco normale..Un calore potentissimo che le ha bruciato quasi tutta la faccia, distruggendo il naso, il mento e le guance.. Un colpo terribile per chiunque.
Mio padre annuisce, poi scompare. Per un attimo penso che sia andato a chiamare un dottore o un’infermiera per aumentare la dose di morfina e farmi riaddormentare, forse spera che quando mi sveglierò non ricorderò niente e crederò sia stato solo un sogno: in un certo senso potrebbe assomigliare a un sogno, forse più a un incubo. Nel mondo reale non esiste una ragazza senza volto.
Maisie è sconvolta, tutti continuano a dirle quanto è stata fortunata a sopravvivere ma è stanca di sentirselo dire: che fortuna ci può essere nella sua situazione?
Nei giorni di degenza, i dottori le propongono un trapianto facciale – una giovane ragazza è morta in un incidente stradale e i genitori sono disposti a donare il suo viso a Maisie. Gli aspetti psicologici dietro una scelta del genere sono molto importanti, ma Maisie è decisa e i genitori accettano.
Essere bella qui è fuori tema. Il tema centrale è essere in salute, essere normale: mi sento come una bambina stupida che non riesce a pensare ad altro che a essere bella. Anche la parola suona stupida e piccola, è una preoccupazione vuota e immatura.
Dopo il trapianto, inizia per Maisie un percorso pieno di sofferenze, coraggio e paure. Torna a casa, riprende la scuola ma se lei stessa non si riconosce e ha difficoltà a guardarsi allo specchio, come faranno gli altri?
Mi piacerebbe dirgli che sono stanca, più stanca di quanto possa immaginare o comprendere, è una stanchezza che viene da dentro, che mi rende consapevole di ogni battito del cuore, di ogni respiro, di ogni movimento; è come se avessi le mani bloccate nel cemento e dovessi concentrarmi per stringere la presa sulla matita o tenere gli occhi aperti.
[..] Non riesco a ricordarmi come ci si senta ad avere le energie. Come facevo a prendere sempre dieci, a correre in pista, a fare shopping con Serena e a baciare il mio ragazzo, tutto in un giorno? Sarebbe stato più facile se non fosse successo il miracolo, se il resto del mio corpo fosse morto con la mia faccia. Non sto dicendo che vorrei fosse andata così, ma di certo sarebbe stato molto più facile.
La storia di Maisie è coinvolgente, terrificante, drammatica e profonda. Per quanto lei stessa si senta debole, inutile e brutta, io ho letto di una ragazza forte, coraggiosa, che non si è arresa ma ha continuato a combattere e gridare senza arrendersi.
La narrazione è in prima persona, come è giusto che sia, no? Crea un rapporto ancora più diretto con il lettore.
“Beautiful” non è una storia d’amore, non è un romanzo tutto rose e fiori, è qualcosa di unico e diverso.
E’ un romanzo di morte, accettazione e rinascita.
Come per “La notte che ho dipinto il cielo”, “Beautiful” è una storia in cui tutto è concentrato unicamente su Maisie: è la vicenda di una ragazza che ritrova l’equilibrio dopo che il suo mondo viene sconvolto da un terremoto tanto terrificante quanto possibile.
“Una parte di noi è morta, letteralmente: quel tessuto sulla tua faccia, la parte che hanno rimosso, è morto. E non puoi risollevarti da nessuna morte senza viverne il lutto.”
Ovviamente, non è un romanzo adatto a tutti i lettori: ma dategli una possibilità perchè è assolutamente meraviglioso.
Anzi, BELLISSIMO.
Ma so chi sono. Sono una ragazza con la lingua tagliente e un senso dell’umorismo sarcastico; sono una ragazza che si è innamorata per la prima volta a sedici anni, che ha la stessa migliore amica da quando ha cinque anni, che litiga con la mamma che è fiera di amare e che ha un padre che ogni sera le cantava una ninnananna.
Ho anche capito che la mia identità è un concetto fluido, mutevole, impossibile da identificare, per quanto provi a fare una lista cui attenermi; la mia persona sarebbe stata mutevole anche se non fossi andata a correre quella mattina, anche se quell’albero non fosse stato colpito dal fulmine, anche se non avessi mai sentito parlare di incendio di natura elettrica e di trapianto facciale.
Maisie quella mattina si alza presto, si veste e va a correre; ama correre quando la città sta ancora dormendo – passo, respiro. Passo, respiro. Ma questo è un giorno che non si dimenticherà mai: quando è a pochi metri da casa, sotto un forte temporale, un fulmine colpisce un albero, un ramo si spezza.. il fuoco divampa e poi più nulla.
Maisie si risveglia in ospedale, intorpidita e piena di bende: ha delle ustioni di secondo grado sulla parte sinistra del corpo e il suo viso ha riportato delle ferite irrecuperabili. Il fulmine ha dato il via a un fuoco di natura elettrica, che brucia molto più di un fuoco normale..Un calore potentissimo che le ha bruciato quasi tutta la faccia, distruggendo il naso, il mento e le guance.. Un colpo terribile per chiunque.
Mio padre annuisce, poi scompare. Per un attimo penso che sia andato a chiamare un dottore o un’infermiera per aumentare la dose di morfina e farmi riaddormentare, forse spera che quando mi sveglierò non ricorderò niente e crederò sia stato solo un sogno: in un certo senso potrebbe assomigliare a un sogno, forse più a un incubo. Nel mondo reale non esiste una ragazza senza volto.
Maisie è sconvolta, tutti continuano a dirle quanto è stata fortunata a sopravvivere ma è stanca di sentirselo dire: che fortuna ci può essere nella sua situazione?
Nei giorni di degenza, i dottori le propongono un trapianto facciale – una giovane ragazza è morta in un incidente stradale e i genitori sono disposti a donare il suo viso a Maisie. Gli aspetti psicologici dietro una scelta del genere sono molto importanti, ma Maisie è decisa e i genitori accettano.
Essere bella qui è fuori tema. Il tema centrale è essere in salute, essere normale: mi sento come una bambina stupida che non riesce a pensare ad altro che a essere bella. Anche la parola suona stupida e piccola, è una preoccupazione vuota e immatura.
Dopo il trapianto, inizia per Maisie un percorso pieno di sofferenze, coraggio e paure. Torna a casa, riprende la scuola ma se lei stessa non si riconosce e ha difficoltà a guardarsi allo specchio, come faranno gli altri?
Mi piacerebbe dirgli che sono stanca, più stanca di quanto possa immaginare o comprendere, è una stanchezza che viene da dentro, che mi rende consapevole di ogni battito del cuore, di ogni respiro, di ogni movimento; è come se avessi le mani bloccate nel cemento e dovessi concentrarmi per stringere la presa sulla matita o tenere gli occhi aperti.
[..] Non riesco a ricordarmi come ci si senta ad avere le energie. Come facevo a prendere sempre dieci, a correre in pista, a fare shopping con Serena e a baciare il mio ragazzo, tutto in un giorno? Sarebbe stato più facile se non fosse successo il miracolo, se il resto del mio corpo fosse morto con la mia faccia. Non sto dicendo che vorrei fosse andata così, ma di certo sarebbe stato molto più facile.
La storia di Maisie è coinvolgente, terrificante, drammatica e profonda. Per quanto lei stessa si senta debole, inutile e brutta, io ho letto di una ragazza forte, coraggiosa, che non si è arresa ma ha continuato a combattere e gridare senza arrendersi.
La narrazione è in prima persona, come è giusto che sia, no? Crea un rapporto ancora più diretto con il lettore.
“Beautiful” non è una storia d’amore, non è un romanzo tutto rose e fiori, è qualcosa di unico e diverso.
E’ un romanzo di morte, accettazione e rinascita.
Come per “La notte che ho dipinto il cielo”, “Beautiful” è una storia in cui tutto è concentrato unicamente su Maisie: è la vicenda di una ragazza che ritrova l’equilibrio dopo che il suo mondo viene sconvolto da un terremoto tanto terrificante quanto possibile.
“Una parte di noi è morta, letteralmente: quel tessuto sulla tua faccia, la parte che hanno rimosso, è morto. E non puoi risollevarti da nessuna morte senza viverne il lutto.”
Ovviamente, non è un romanzo adatto a tutti i lettori: ma dategli una possibilità perchè è assolutamente meraviglioso.
Anzi, BELLISSIMO.
September 28, 2015
I would like to start this review off with a little dare. Yes I know that may be a little unconventional in a book review but seriously, I dare you all to read the synopsis for Faceless and then tell me that you don’t totally want to read it! When I was first sent the information for this book with the possibility to review it I quickly read the synopsis and then gasped. Then I read it again, a bit slower the second time, after that I couldn’t click the little button fast enough to sign up, saying YES I wanted to review this book and be a part of this blog tour! I was completely fascinated by the concept this book was presenting and the fact that it was written as a YA book, the possibilities this presented were beyond intriguing to me. I was even more thrilled to be granted a print copy (really obsessed with print books right now) and the day it arrived I did a little happy dance, threw the book I was currently reading aside (sorry other book but you had to go!) and greedily dug in to Faceless by Alyssa Sheinmel. I had a feeling this would be good, great even; but I still wasn’t prepared for how blown away I’d be after reading my first book by Sheinmel!
Faceless starts off with a bang, within the first chapter we find Maisie Winters waking up in a hospital after suffering a terrible tragic accident in which she’s lost most of her face. Prior to this accident Maisie was a your typical all American teenager; a junior in high school, a track star, gets good grades and has a boyfriend and best friend that she loves dearly. This all changes once she discovers she’s been in a medically induced coma for a month but there is a silver lining of sorts. Maisie has become eligible for a face transplant but she and her parents must act fast if they would like the transplant to happen. They of course agree (what parent wouldn’t!), hoping that this will give Maisie a second chance at a “normal” life. But nothing could have prepared her for the after effects of her transplant! Not only does she now feel like an outsider in her own skin but she must deal daily with the pain and swelling as she heals from her surgery, the many types of medication with some truly negative side effects, and the constant rounds of physical therapy to regain the facial motion we all take for granted. And this is just the physical side effects, what happens when Maisie sees her boyfriend and best friend for the first time looking like someone they’ve never seen before. How will everyone at school adjust to the “new” Maisie when they can’t even stop staring at her?
Oh this book broke my heart so many time, I felt deeply for Maisie through every step of her recovery process! I just wanted to reach into this book and give her a hug her, to tell her that everything would be ok with time; it’s not often that a book evokes this amount of emotion in me. Sheinmel writes Maisie’s journey with a breathtaking tenderness, her initial fear and anger, that feeling of lost hopelessness, and then the depression. Yes this is a somewhat tough and heavy story to read at times but underneath it all there’s a beautiful story about hope and discovering who we truly are, regardless of what is seen on the outside. Faceless is a story that teen and tween girls really must read, there are so many aspects that I think teenagers can relate to in a story like this and the message behind it all is so very important for our daughters to read! Mothers with teenage girls should also read this before giving it to their daughters but before you do, grab the tissue box cause you’re gonna need it! I had my 16 year old daughter read this the moment I finished it and she read it in one sitting on a Saturday, by Sunday she informed me that she’d already passed it on to her best friend! If it ever manages to make its way back to my house then I will be donating it to our high school library; yep, it’s that kind of book!
A huge thank you to the publisher, Scholastic Press, for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and thank you to Rock Star Book Tours for inviting me to participate in this awesome book tour!!
Faceless starts off with a bang, within the first chapter we find Maisie Winters waking up in a hospital after suffering a terrible tragic accident in which she’s lost most of her face. Prior to this accident Maisie was a your typical all American teenager; a junior in high school, a track star, gets good grades and has a boyfriend and best friend that she loves dearly. This all changes once she discovers she’s been in a medically induced coma for a month but there is a silver lining of sorts. Maisie has become eligible for a face transplant but she and her parents must act fast if they would like the transplant to happen. They of course agree (what parent wouldn’t!), hoping that this will give Maisie a second chance at a “normal” life. But nothing could have prepared her for the after effects of her transplant! Not only does she now feel like an outsider in her own skin but she must deal daily with the pain and swelling as she heals from her surgery, the many types of medication with some truly negative side effects, and the constant rounds of physical therapy to regain the facial motion we all take for granted. And this is just the physical side effects, what happens when Maisie sees her boyfriend and best friend for the first time looking like someone they’ve never seen before. How will everyone at school adjust to the “new” Maisie when they can’t even stop staring at her?
Oh this book broke my heart so many time, I felt deeply for Maisie through every step of her recovery process! I just wanted to reach into this book and give her a hug her, to tell her that everything would be ok with time; it’s not often that a book evokes this amount of emotion in me. Sheinmel writes Maisie’s journey with a breathtaking tenderness, her initial fear and anger, that feeling of lost hopelessness, and then the depression. Yes this is a somewhat tough and heavy story to read at times but underneath it all there’s a beautiful story about hope and discovering who we truly are, regardless of what is seen on the outside. Faceless is a story that teen and tween girls really must read, there are so many aspects that I think teenagers can relate to in a story like this and the message behind it all is so very important for our daughters to read! Mothers with teenage girls should also read this before giving it to their daughters but before you do, grab the tissue box cause you’re gonna need it! I had my 16 year old daughter read this the moment I finished it and she read it in one sitting on a Saturday, by Sunday she informed me that she’d already passed it on to her best friend! If it ever manages to make its way back to my house then I will be donating it to our high school library; yep, it’s that kind of book!
A huge thank you to the publisher, Scholastic Press, for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and thank you to Rock Star Book Tours for inviting me to participate in this awesome book tour!!
January 18, 2016
Maisie is in a terrible accident whilst running. Lightening struck a tree, and caused a branch to fall, pulling some electric wires down with it, which burnt Maisie. Her left side of her body taking damage, but her face took the most. Her left cheek, her nose, and most of her chin are gone, the tissue so badly damaged that it was killed in the fire, a fire so hot it burned blue.
When I first heard about Faceless, the synopsis had me wanting to know what this book was all about, how could you read it and not want to know more. I went into Faceless thinking we would get to know Maisie and her family before the accident happens, but after just one chapter we join Maisie in the hospital, learning as she does about her accident and the damage it caused.
When Maisie is given the opportunity to receive a face transplant she takes it, but this is a decision that isn't made lightly, and she soon realises what comes with her new face. She has to have physiotherapy, a strict regime of medication to be taken at set times, no time in the sun, no excessive exercise, putting track off her school activities. and no babies in her future. Upon her return to school, she realises her Mum and boyfriend have arranged things behind her back, but she also has to deal with all the stares and whispers.
Maisie has a lot of responsibility to ensure that she continues to live with her new face, and she did make some pretty stupid choices along the way, but she also chose life. Maisie is such a strong person on so many different levels, and I really admire her strength to make these decisions, to face the world each and every day, and learn how to live life again.
There were times reading Faceless that I wanted to throw the book across the room, and that was purely for peoples reaction towards Maisie. A classmate openly praises Chirag, her boyfriend, for sticking with her and taking her out on a date. Others call her names and make snide comments while she is there. I know that this can be teen behaviour, and being that Maisie no longer looks like herself, it was never going to be easy going back to school with people who knew her before.
Faceless is more than a book about a girl who had an accident. It's a book about trying to adjust with this new development, going on with your life and learning how to live it all again, giving up what you love and adapting to a new routine. It doesn't sugar coat the facts or the details, and really gives us a full perspective on what happened, and what will have to happen.
Final Verdict
Faceless was a book that completely took me by surprise, I went into this with one idea of what would happen, and instead it took me on a whirlwind of a journey that had me crying, as well as feeling happy. Faceless is a book you have to read, and I am definitely sharing the love for this one.
When I first heard about Faceless, the synopsis had me wanting to know what this book was all about, how could you read it and not want to know more. I went into Faceless thinking we would get to know Maisie and her family before the accident happens, but after just one chapter we join Maisie in the hospital, learning as she does about her accident and the damage it caused.
When Maisie is given the opportunity to receive a face transplant she takes it, but this is a decision that isn't made lightly, and she soon realises what comes with her new face. She has to have physiotherapy, a strict regime of medication to be taken at set times, no time in the sun, no excessive exercise, putting track off her school activities. and no babies in her future. Upon her return to school, she realises her Mum and boyfriend have arranged things behind her back, but she also has to deal with all the stares and whispers.
Maisie has a lot of responsibility to ensure that she continues to live with her new face, and she did make some pretty stupid choices along the way, but she also chose life. Maisie is such a strong person on so many different levels, and I really admire her strength to make these decisions, to face the world each and every day, and learn how to live life again.
There were times reading Faceless that I wanted to throw the book across the room, and that was purely for peoples reaction towards Maisie. A classmate openly praises Chirag, her boyfriend, for sticking with her and taking her out on a date. Others call her names and make snide comments while she is there. I know that this can be teen behaviour, and being that Maisie no longer looks like herself, it was never going to be easy going back to school with people who knew her before.
Faceless is more than a book about a girl who had an accident. It's a book about trying to adjust with this new development, going on with your life and learning how to live it all again, giving up what you love and adapting to a new routine. It doesn't sugar coat the facts or the details, and really gives us a full perspective on what happened, and what will have to happen.
Final Verdict
Faceless was a book that completely took me by surprise, I went into this with one idea of what would happen, and instead it took me on a whirlwind of a journey that had me crying, as well as feeling happy. Faceless is a book you have to read, and I am definitely sharing the love for this one.
September 25, 2015
The unthinkable happens - how do you cope? How do your family, friends, boyfriend cope?
This Young Adult story will hit a nerve with any adult as well as teenager who has seen someone who looks a little different and reacts in a way they later feel guilty about. After all - a burnt face is just a burnt face. The same person is still underneath.
School athlete Maisie has a fairly ordinary life - track practice, a caring boyfriend, college applications, fighting parents. Nothing will feel the same after the morning she's out early running through the rain when lightning hits a tree and she is severely burned.
Faced with a quick decision, she and her parents choose to accept a face transplant - tissue from a donor.
It's such a heart-breaking story, and very tenderly conveyed. Maisie's regrets, her anger, her feelings of helplessness, guilt and depression. All of it you can identify with. I know I was reading thinking: what would I choose to do? Would I still be me? Would my friends still treat me as the same person? It felt very true and very real.
I did feel a little frustrated with Maisie's boyfriend Chirag - not only is he a stoic gentlemen, taking Maisie to therapy, refusing his friend's suggestions of dates with other girls - but we are constantly reminded by Maisie of his 'scientific' nature, that got a little wearing.
This gives a very good idea what life might be like if you suddenly appeared in school wearing another person's skin. Of course things won't be the same. Maisie discovers her physical limitations too, and very realistically, can't do what she seems to think is expected and rise to the challenge, show everyone her bravery at overcoming adversity, being Malala. She's a regular teenager, and this is a life-changing situation. Which of us would be any different?
Of course, this story is about her growth after the accident, and her relationships with friends and family. I found it hard to put down, I didn't want to leave Maisie until I knew she was going to be ready to move on in the world, if not happy then at least comfortable in her own skin, to coin a phrase.
A very thought-provoking story, one that could be used in KS4 English/PSHE classes. And one for adults as well.
This Young Adult story will hit a nerve with any adult as well as teenager who has seen someone who looks a little different and reacts in a way they later feel guilty about. After all - a burnt face is just a burnt face. The same person is still underneath.
School athlete Maisie has a fairly ordinary life - track practice, a caring boyfriend, college applications, fighting parents. Nothing will feel the same after the morning she's out early running through the rain when lightning hits a tree and she is severely burned.
Faced with a quick decision, she and her parents choose to accept a face transplant - tissue from a donor.
It's such a heart-breaking story, and very tenderly conveyed. Maisie's regrets, her anger, her feelings of helplessness, guilt and depression. All of it you can identify with. I know I was reading thinking: what would I choose to do? Would I still be me? Would my friends still treat me as the same person? It felt very true and very real.
I did feel a little frustrated with Maisie's boyfriend Chirag - not only is he a stoic gentlemen, taking Maisie to therapy, refusing his friend's suggestions of dates with other girls - but we are constantly reminded by Maisie of his 'scientific' nature, that got a little wearing.
This gives a very good idea what life might be like if you suddenly appeared in school wearing another person's skin. Of course things won't be the same. Maisie discovers her physical limitations too, and very realistically, can't do what she seems to think is expected and rise to the challenge, show everyone her bravery at overcoming adversity, being Malala. She's a regular teenager, and this is a life-changing situation. Which of us would be any different?
Of course, this story is about her growth after the accident, and her relationships with friends and family. I found it hard to put down, I didn't want to leave Maisie until I knew she was going to be ready to move on in the world, if not happy then at least comfortable in her own skin, to coin a phrase.
A very thought-provoking story, one that could be used in KS4 English/PSHE classes. And one for adults as well.
May 20, 2017
E finalmente trovo la voglia di concludere questa recensione. Non pensate male, il libro mi è piaciuto, ma ormai il mio cervello ha fatto la muffa nel vero senso della parola XD Spero solo di ricordarmi quello che volevo scrivere…
Comunque!
Una volta finito questo romanzo ho provato una sorta d’insoddisfazione, come se ci fossero ancora molte questioni lasciate in sospeso. Sì, la reazione è stata: tutto qui?
Beautiful è un buon libro, eppure ha qualche mancanza. Ma tirate un sospiro, perché c’è una spiegazione molto semplice a questa lacuna.
Beautiful non è un romanzo basato sulla vita di Maisie né sul suo incidente, ma è interamente concentrato sulla ricerca e sull’accettazione di sé. Ecco perché sembra incompleto. Siamo abituati a storie in cui seguiamo per filo e per segno le vicissitudini dei personaggi, eppure non si concentrano mai abbastanza su loro stessi. Certo, l’introspezione c’è a prescindere o la narrazione sarebbe incompleta, ma non è la linea portante dell’intero racconto.
Quindi non vedremo i soliti problemi adolescenziali dal punto di vista di una persona che li subisce in quanto fanno parte della sua realtà, bensì dal punto di vista di una persona che se ne sente estranea e non si riconosce in essi. E credo sia questo il punto forte di questo romanzo.
Maisie era una ragazza che aveva tutto dalla vita: era bella, divertente, popolare, intelligente, benvoluta da tutti, con una migliore amica fantastica e un ragazzo che l’amava. Ma dopo l’incidente che le ha portato via letteralmente e fisicamente una parte di sé, non è più la stessa e non lo sarà mai più. A causa della distruzione parziale del suo volto, ricostruito poi grazie un trapianto parziale, Maisie avrà praticamente una crisi d’identità. Il suo desiderio di essere la stessa di sempre è così forte da risultare dannoso, perché rifiuta con tutta se stessa l’idea di essere diversa. Non solo non si riconoscerà più, ma dovrà rimparare a conoscere il proprio corpo ed accettarlo. Ma non solo. Per tutto il romanzo vedremo una Maisie frustrata, depressa, aggressiva e alle volte fin troppo apatica, ben diversa dalla se stessa di un tempo. E ciò si ripercuoterà anche nella sua sfera sociale. Maisie pretende di essere trattata come se fosse tutto normale, e per lei è una delusione vedere che tutti la trattano con i guanti. Sarà così che deciderà in seguito di fare domanda all’università di New York, in modo da allontanarsi da chiunque conoscesse la sua vecchia faccia.
Si sente un mostro e il comportamento degli altri non farà altro che ricordarglielo ogni giorno. Ma ciò la porterà ad allontanarsi e allontanare tutti. Perché come possono gli altri accettarla se non lo fa lei per prima?
Tuttavia il libro vuole insegnarci che trattare male gli altri solo perché noi siamo frustrati non poterà mai a degli sviluppi positivi. Fortunatamente, dopo molte difficoltà, Maisie inizierà a prendere una maggiore comprensione di sé. Non starà mai bene, ormai l’ha capito, ma ciò non toglie che deprimersi non migliorerà le cose. Grazie al gruppo di sostegno e a una persona particolare, riuscirà finalmente a scendere a patti con la sua condizione, capendo come riprendersi parte della propria vita.
Ci sono molti aspetti della storia che mi sono piaciuti, nonostante sia stato difficile all’inizio scendere a patti con il suo carattere ferito. Sì, non lo nascondo, a volte Maisie aveva comportamenti esagerati. Solo mettendosi nei suoi panni si capisce il grave turbamento che la possiede, ma se si legge questo romanzo con la mente chiusa si sbaglia a prescindere.
Ho apprezzato anche la parte dove smette di prendere gli immunosoppressori per non essere stanca. Può sembrare una troiata, perché nessuno sano di mente prenderebbe questa decisione alla leggera, però dobbiamo ricordarci che è solo una ragazzina ferina e spaventata da sé e ciò non ha fatto altro che rendere più reale la sua situazione.
Nel libro è presente una sfumatura romantica. Prima dell’incidente, Maisie aveva un fidanzato e ciò ci permetterà di vedere come un tale evento è in grado di portare crisi ovunque. Tuttavia tale parentesi è stata svolta al meglio. Non è centrale, ma fa scaturire diversi punti di riflessione che sono molto importanti. Per non parlare della fine.
Non sappiamo come andranno le cose per Maisie, ma almeno è riuscita a chiudere tutte le questioni lasciate in sospeso che aveva con la sua vecchia vita. Questo anche grazie a Serena (?), che rappresenta l’amicizia nella sua forma più vera.
È un libro scritto bene e non è nemmeno troppo pesante da leggere. Tuttavia ho imparato una cosa fondamentale.
Se un giorno vedrai un fulmine colpire un albero, non stare ferma: scappa.
Comunque!
Una volta finito questo romanzo ho provato una sorta d’insoddisfazione, come se ci fossero ancora molte questioni lasciate in sospeso. Sì, la reazione è stata: tutto qui?
Beautiful è un buon libro, eppure ha qualche mancanza. Ma tirate un sospiro, perché c’è una spiegazione molto semplice a questa lacuna.
Beautiful non è un romanzo basato sulla vita di Maisie né sul suo incidente, ma è interamente concentrato sulla ricerca e sull’accettazione di sé. Ecco perché sembra incompleto. Siamo abituati a storie in cui seguiamo per filo e per segno le vicissitudini dei personaggi, eppure non si concentrano mai abbastanza su loro stessi. Certo, l’introspezione c’è a prescindere o la narrazione sarebbe incompleta, ma non è la linea portante dell’intero racconto.
Quindi non vedremo i soliti problemi adolescenziali dal punto di vista di una persona che li subisce in quanto fanno parte della sua realtà, bensì dal punto di vista di una persona che se ne sente estranea e non si riconosce in essi. E credo sia questo il punto forte di questo romanzo.
Maisie era una ragazza che aveva tutto dalla vita: era bella, divertente, popolare, intelligente, benvoluta da tutti, con una migliore amica fantastica e un ragazzo che l’amava. Ma dopo l’incidente che le ha portato via letteralmente e fisicamente una parte di sé, non è più la stessa e non lo sarà mai più. A causa della distruzione parziale del suo volto, ricostruito poi grazie un trapianto parziale, Maisie avrà praticamente una crisi d’identità. Il suo desiderio di essere la stessa di sempre è così forte da risultare dannoso, perché rifiuta con tutta se stessa l’idea di essere diversa. Non solo non si riconoscerà più, ma dovrà rimparare a conoscere il proprio corpo ed accettarlo. Ma non solo. Per tutto il romanzo vedremo una Maisie frustrata, depressa, aggressiva e alle volte fin troppo apatica, ben diversa dalla se stessa di un tempo. E ciò si ripercuoterà anche nella sua sfera sociale. Maisie pretende di essere trattata come se fosse tutto normale, e per lei è una delusione vedere che tutti la trattano con i guanti. Sarà così che deciderà in seguito di fare domanda all’università di New York, in modo da allontanarsi da chiunque conoscesse la sua vecchia faccia.
Si sente un mostro e il comportamento degli altri non farà altro che ricordarglielo ogni giorno. Ma ciò la porterà ad allontanarsi e allontanare tutti. Perché come possono gli altri accettarla se non lo fa lei per prima?
Tuttavia il libro vuole insegnarci che trattare male gli altri solo perché noi siamo frustrati non poterà mai a degli sviluppi positivi. Fortunatamente, dopo molte difficoltà, Maisie inizierà a prendere una maggiore comprensione di sé. Non starà mai bene, ormai l’ha capito, ma ciò non toglie che deprimersi non migliorerà le cose. Grazie al gruppo di sostegno e a una persona particolare, riuscirà finalmente a scendere a patti con la sua condizione, capendo come riprendersi parte della propria vita.
Ci sono molti aspetti della storia che mi sono piaciuti, nonostante sia stato difficile all’inizio scendere a patti con il suo carattere ferito. Sì, non lo nascondo, a volte Maisie aveva comportamenti esagerati. Solo mettendosi nei suoi panni si capisce il grave turbamento che la possiede, ma se si legge questo romanzo con la mente chiusa si sbaglia a prescindere.
Ho apprezzato anche la parte dove smette di prendere gli immunosoppressori per non essere stanca. Può sembrare una troiata, perché nessuno sano di mente prenderebbe questa decisione alla leggera, però dobbiamo ricordarci che è solo una ragazzina ferina e spaventata da sé e ciò non ha fatto altro che rendere più reale la sua situazione.
Nel libro è presente una sfumatura romantica. Prima dell’incidente, Maisie aveva un fidanzato e ciò ci permetterà di vedere come un tale evento è in grado di portare crisi ovunque. Tuttavia tale parentesi è stata svolta al meglio. Non è centrale, ma fa scaturire diversi punti di riflessione che sono molto importanti. Per non parlare della fine.
Non sappiamo come andranno le cose per Maisie, ma almeno è riuscita a chiudere tutte le questioni lasciate in sospeso che aveva con la sua vecchia vita. Questo anche grazie a Serena (?), che rappresenta l’amicizia nella sua forma più vera.
È un libro scritto bene e non è nemmeno troppo pesante da leggere. Tuttavia ho imparato una cosa fondamentale.
Se un giorno vedrai un fulmine colpire un albero, non stare ferma: scappa.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2024
read this book for the first time when i was 13, and i fear it imprinted on me on many ways i didn’t fully realise until now. this book has flaws and if i was rating it truly it would be like a 4 but the nostalgia and how personal this is to me, girl she is a 5. this hits different as the 21 year old version of me who lived thru last summer and survived ygm. i also realistically wanna quote some things but i’m trying not to be too corny. also i’m so sorry but need chirag in a way that deeply concerns feminism like i am sick to my stomach, like that is my man from day 1. generally tho there are lines from this book that i fear i will journal about later that’s how seen i feel🥰🥰 thanks alyssa sheinmel i hope i become a reader after this.
February 1, 2024
داستان دختری که در یک حادثه صورتش رو از دست میده و صورت جدیدی بهش پیوند میزنن داستان جذابی بود چالش های این آدم غصه ها تغییرات همه اونقدر کتاب رو جذاب کرده بود که سریع و با لذت خوندمش
September 29, 2021
Trigger warnings: fire, burns, lightning, medical procedures, mental health.
Hello and welcome to Kirsti's corner of unpopular opinions and saltiness! This book is HUGELY loved by those who've read it, but I could. not. stand. it.
Yes, the idea of waking up in hospital with half your face burnt off is pretty horrifying. But if you Google "face transplants", you'll see that the reality is VASTLY different to what Maisie experiences. Her main problems are that she doesn't look like herself and that she has a couple of scars. She doesn't have to learn to talk again. She doesn't have to learn to chew again. She ends up with full function and full feeling in her face. She even tells us that she prefers her new nose to her old one.
Every time her Indian boyfriend is mentioned we're EITHER told that a) his skin is caramel-coloured or b) that he smells like clean sheets, Ivory soap and CURRY??????? Her best friend is Latina and we're told every freaking time that her skin is golden and that she tans easily. Aaaand we're told that Maisie is suuuuuper pale and covered in freckles and her skin is just so PALE did you guys know that she's pale and has freckles? And I just..................W.H.Y.
Look, I know I'm a good 25 years older than the target audience at this point. But Maisie is a pretty intolerable protagonist who thinks she knows better than her highly trained medical professionals. She should one THOUSAND percent be in therapy - her face transplant is rushed through so she doesn't go through psychological testing beforehand - and her (as a 17 year old) hanging out with a 25 year old man who ALSO has facial scarring definitely doesn't count as therapy.
I will say that this was very readable and I devoured it. I also live texted the entire book to a friend who's a doctor to get her feedback on it and I think the medical side of the plot drove her to drink. So. Uh. Yeah.
Hello and welcome to Kirsti's corner of unpopular opinions and saltiness! This book is HUGELY loved by those who've read it, but I could. not. stand. it.
Yes, the idea of waking up in hospital with half your face burnt off is pretty horrifying. But if you Google "face transplants", you'll see that the reality is VASTLY different to what Maisie experiences. Her main problems are that she doesn't look like herself and that she has a couple of scars. She doesn't have to learn to talk again. She doesn't have to learn to chew again. She ends up with full function and full feeling in her face. She even tells us that she prefers her new nose to her old one.
Every time her Indian boyfriend is mentioned we're EITHER told that a) his skin is caramel-coloured or b) that he smells like clean sheets, Ivory soap and CURRY??????? Her best friend is Latina and we're told every freaking time that her skin is golden and that she tans easily. Aaaand we're told that Maisie is suuuuuper pale and covered in freckles and her skin is just so PALE did you guys know that she's pale and has freckles? And I just..................W.H.Y.
Look, I know I'm a good 25 years older than the target audience at this point. But Maisie is a pretty intolerable protagonist who thinks she knows better than her highly trained medical professionals. She should one THOUSAND percent be in therapy - her face transplant is rushed through so she doesn't go through psychological testing beforehand - and her (as a 17 year old) hanging out with a 25 year old man who ALSO has facial scarring definitely doesn't count as therapy.
I will say that this was very readable and I devoured it. I also live texted the entire book to a friend who's a doctor to get her feedback on it and I think the medical side of the plot drove her to drink. So. Uh. Yeah.
September 24, 2015
Warning I have SPOILERS in my review.
I am yet again choosing another emotional book to read. I will admit that I have no regrets from choosing this book. You may have to grab tissues before you start reading this book, because there were quite a few spots where I was tearing up. Sheinmel knows how to tug at your heart strings. I love reading these types of stories, because like I have said before, they give you some knowledge of how you should act if put in these situations. How the person with the illness/injury reacts and how others react around them. I hated how after she had her transplant and went back to school, all the students were very rude. It seemed they were constantly staring and laughing at her, everywhere she went. The sad thing is, that is how a lot of folks are with anything, they are rude. Luckily she had her best friend Serena. Out of everyone, even her boyfriend, it seemed Serena was there through everything. She never turned her back on her, ever.
At one of the High school Halloween parties, I was so sad. She followed one of her used to be friends into a room the seniors would sneak off to during the party. She over heard them talking to her boyfriend and asking him why he was still with her. He states he will break up with her when she is better. This made me so mad because it just seemed heartless. Near the end I read about how she comes to terms with it. She states how it isn't fair to either of them really, and it made me realize, oh yeah, it really isn't fair. It slowly made me understand all points of view. Sheinmel is an awesome writer. She knows how to grab your attention and suck you into her book. Her writing style made it easy for me to feel what the main character was going through. If you think this is a type of book you can get into, read it! I really would love to see this become a movie, because of what it's about.
I am yet again choosing another emotional book to read. I will admit that I have no regrets from choosing this book. You may have to grab tissues before you start reading this book, because there were quite a few spots where I was tearing up. Sheinmel knows how to tug at your heart strings. I love reading these types of stories, because like I have said before, they give you some knowledge of how you should act if put in these situations. How the person with the illness/injury reacts and how others react around them. I hated how after she had her transplant and went back to school, all the students were very rude. It seemed they were constantly staring and laughing at her, everywhere she went. The sad thing is, that is how a lot of folks are with anything, they are rude. Luckily she had her best friend Serena. Out of everyone, even her boyfriend, it seemed Serena was there through everything. She never turned her back on her, ever.
At one of the High school Halloween parties, I was so sad. She followed one of her used to be friends into a room the seniors would sneak off to during the party. She over heard them talking to her boyfriend and asking him why he was still with her. He states he will break up with her when she is better. This made me so mad because it just seemed heartless. Near the end I read about how she comes to terms with it. She states how it isn't fair to either of them really, and it made me realize, oh yeah, it really isn't fair. It slowly made me understand all points of view. Sheinmel is an awesome writer. She knows how to grab your attention and suck you into her book. Her writing style made it easy for me to feel what the main character was going through. If you think this is a type of book you can get into, read it! I really would love to see this become a movie, because of what it's about.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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