Belzhar

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Pub Date Oct 01 2014 | Archive Date Sep 30 2014

Description

I was sent here because of a boy. His name was Reeve Maxfield, and I loved him and then he died, and almost a year passed and no one knew what to do with me.
A group of emotionally fragile, highly intelligent teenagers gather at a therapeutic boarding school where they are mysteriously picked for 'Special Topics in English'. Here, they are tasked with studying Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar and keeping a journal.
Each time the teens write in their diaries they are transported to a miraculous other world called Belzhar, a world where they are no longer haunted by their trauma and grief - and each begins to tell their own story.
From internationally bestselling author Meg Wolitzer, and published by John Green's editor, Belzhar is a breathtaking and surprising story about first love, deep sorrow, and the power of acceptance.
'Sure to be an all-too-relatable bestseller' TIME Magazine
'Wolitzer writes crisply and sometimes humorously about sadness, guilt, and anger' Publishers Weekly
'The wit, intelligence and deep feeling of Wolitzer's writing are extraordinary' Jeffrey Eugenides

I was sent here because of a boy. His name was Reeve Maxfield, and I loved him and then he died, and almost a year passed and no one knew what to do with me.
A group of emotionally fragile, highly...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781471123764
PRICE A$16.99 (AUD)

Average rating from 2 members


Featured Reviews

A fine and captivating tale of troubled teenagers, finding a new and unexpected way to deal with their various "traumas".

"Belzhar" tells the tale of 5 "fragile" teenagers, sent to a special school The Wooden Barn, to recuperate and learn in a safe environment. The narrator is Jamaica (Jam for short), who has been in a state of depression and grieving since the loss of her boyfriend. Things change for her and he other 4 students, selected for an advanced English class when they start studying the words of Sylvia Plath and keeping their own journals. Mysterious, almost magical, things.

This is a bittersweet tale of love and loss, of the power of friendship, the influence of family and how one small action can spark a dramatic reaction. It is the story of the lies we tell ourselves, and the truths we are afraid to admit.

It is moving, engaging, and poignant. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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