http://www.withloveforbooks.com/2018/05/the-way-light-bends-by-cordelia-jensen.htmlThe Way the Light Bends by Cordelia Jensen - Book Review & Giveaway
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Review by Suze
Linc and Holly are sisters. They're almost the same age and consider themselves twins. Holly is adopted and Linc is a biological daughter. Linc is the creative sister and Holly the athletic one with academic success. Their mother loves everything Holly does, but doesn't approve of anything Linc finds important. This makes it hard for Linc to pursue her dreams. She'd love to go to art school and would like to take photography lessons, but her parents just care about her grades and nothing else.
Linc finds a way to prove she is worthy of her parents' approval. She secretly takes photography lessons and works hard on a school project about Seneca Village and Central Park's rich history. Linc is keeping her wishes, plans and goals a secret. Photography makes her feel good about herself for the first time. However, she knows it will get her in trouble once her parents discover she's done something without their permission. Linc's home situation is getting even tenser than it already was and she's in trouble at school, will she ever get out of the dire situation she's in?
The Way the Light Bends is a beautiful poignant story. Linc is a sweet and talented girl. I loved her creativity and really liked the way she sees the world. Linc's mother constantly pressures her and Linc's life lacks warmth, love and appreciation. I had tears in my eyes when I read about the way she's being treated at home. She's such a wonderful special girl and deserves a lot more than she gets. Linc is desperate to get approval and to be loved and therefore she doesn't always make the best choices, this is heartbreaking to witness. She learns from her mistakes though and she never stops trying, which is something I greatly admired about her character. Cordelia Jensen has perfectly captured what it's like to live with unreasonable expectations and a lack of empathy and I loved the amazing honest and raw way she describes Linc's situation.
Cordelia Jensen's words are gorgeous. I fell in love with her mind-blowing poetic verse from the first sentence. The Way the Light Bends immediately captivated me, I didn't want to stop reading and finished this fantastic book in one sitting. Because of the stunning writing it's a story I could read over and over again. Cordelia Jensen knows how to describe emotion and there are many impressive layers in The Way the Light Bends. I was mesmerized by this brilliant book and highly recommend it.
Advice
If you love moving YA in verse The Way the Light Bends is an absolute must-read.
About Cordelia Jensen
I started my first diary on November 6, 1987. And I have been scribbling things down ever since. I remember once saying to a friend in middle school, “Wouldn’t it be the coolest thing in the world to, like, be able to write an essay about each of your friends?” She looked at me like I was crazy. But, well, here I am writing about teenagers.
For a long time I worked with teenagers. Along with my MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults, I have a Masters of Education in Secondary School Counseling from Shippensburg University. And for eleven summers I worked as a camp counselor for a very special summer program called Longacre Leadership (
www.longacre.com) I also attended Longacre as a kid and it is where I met my husband Jon Jensen (that’s another, longer story.)
Recently, my son asked me, “Mom, do you know why people like to do what they are good at doing?” And I thought about how long I have loved to write and how long I have been fascinated by kids and how, now, I feel so lucky to actually have a book deal and be able to write professionally for a group of readers I have always loved to watch and interact with. I answered him this way, “the more you like something, the more you practice doing it.”
I should have said earlier, yes, I grew up in New York City. However, after graduation I had the fortune to attend Kenyon College in rural Ohio where I was able to major in creative writing, which I adored. And some of the lines from Skyscraping I can trace back to writing I did in college. All this is to say, I practiced what I loved to do for a long time. And I am practicing still.
My daughter says she’s going to be a songwriter and a poet when she grows up. I find her in her room sometimes, bits of papers scattered around her, singing loud with her own words in her hand. I hope thirty years from now she is out there, somewhere, practicing still.
Creative play is the thing of life.
Links
Website // Facebook // Twitter
Giveaway
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One very lucky reader of With Love for Books will receive a signed hardcover copy of The Way The Light Bends & Skyscraper and a bookmark by Cordelia Jensen.
The winner will be notified by email and has 3 days to respond. All of our giveaways are international.
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