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A Map Of The Known World (2009)

by Lisa Ann Sandell(Favorite Author)

3.78 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

054506970X (ISBN13: 9780545069700)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Scholastic Press

review 1: My rating is more like a 2.5 but I rounded up because in the scheme of YA fiction, A Map of the Known World isn't one of the worst I've read. I'll keep this review pretty straight forward.Things I like:1. Cora speaks her mind and often tells her parents how she feels. Some people might think this makes her a brat but I found it SO refreshing. Nothing is more frustrating than a character who keeps their resentments pent up, leaving the reader to stew.2. The characters have flaws, especially Nate.3. The beginning and middle of Damian and Cora's friendship.4. Helena.5. The art and how the maps tie into the book.6. It's an easy, fast read that never wanders all over the place.7. Cora was easy to root for.Things I didn't like:1. The age difference between Damien and Cora when t... morehey start their romance. I know it's not unheard of for a Senior to date a Freshman in high school, but it still squicks me out. Lines talking about 14 year-old Cora's undeveloped chest does nothing to help that image.2. The writing and dialogue is often too simple and elementary. Without the use of contractions in the prose, the writing is very robotic. I read a lot of the dialogue with no emotion or inflection.3. I felt that a lot of work was put into the beginning and middle of the book, but the ending was both sloppily put together and cheesy. Yes, I wanted the things in Cora's life to be better, but the staging of it all around the art show was just... not good. The art show itself wasn't a bad idea, just all of the big-red-bow reconciliations. I'm sure there are things I missed on both of these lists, but I'm going to leave it here. Overall, it wasn't horrible, but it doesn't shine either. I do wish the author luck in her future endeavors.
review 2: I can't finish this, the MC is getting on my nerves and I cringe at almost every sentence. She is in 9th grade and talks like she is already in college, the vocabulary is heavy with SAT words that feel forced. Dialogue and writing should be a natural process not something where I am actually uncomfortable reading. Also could Cora be any more judgmental and stereotypical? Oh yes the stoners are all the same because they all have baggy jeans. And you can totally tell all the freaks by the way they dress and he wears combat boots so he must be weird. She got on my nerves and i couldn't make it past page 50. And the way she was acting I could tell this would be a grief- ridden love story that I couldn't see her being a part of.Just no. less

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