Helpful Score: 6
I highly recommend this novel. It deals with difficult, but very real and raw emotions between siblings. The author Katerine Paterson is one of the best story tellers that young people of this generation can read and understand. The story has everything! A tale of family relationships, and rivalry between twins, set in the 1940's era in the Chesapeake Bay. I enjoyed this book for it's dramatic intensity, fullness of the characterizations, believability, and honest dealing with many teen issues. Also, it took place in a locale that we don't usually read about. I will never forget these characters. Paterson is a wonderful writer. I read this book to catch up on children's lit for the age group I will be teaching this coming school year. Fifth graders on up should really read this book. They will certainly come away enriched. I discovered Paterson after reading her riveting "Bridge to Terabithia", another must read.
Helpful Score: 5
I remember reading this book when I was 14 and I adored it! This is a great book for any pre-teen to early teen (11-15) girl who feels like she doesn't belong and no one appreciates her. (I know, I know, that's all of them at that age).
The title refers to the biblical passage where God said "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." Louise (the main character and narrator) identifies with Esau. She is the older twin, but her younger sister is the golden one.
This is the story of Louise's coming of age, coming to grips with her jelousy of her sister, and finding her place in the world.
The title refers to the biblical passage where God said "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." Louise (the main character and narrator) identifies with Esau. She is the older twin, but her younger sister is the golden one.
This is the story of Louise's coming of age, coming to grips with her jelousy of her sister, and finding her place in the world.
Helpful Score: 4
I remember reading this in my teens, and loved it. Two sisters are so different, one is loved, one is despised (or so she thinks). It is not until Louise comes into her own that she realizes her life isn't all that bad. I must have read this one a hundred times, and will never stop loving this great YA book. And I have to agree with the other reviewer about Patterson being an amazing author. It's definitely worth it to check her out.
Helpful Score: 2
A really poignant coming-of-age novel set on Maryland's eastern shore. Will appeal to a good pre-teen or teenage reader, especially one who feels "outside" the popular, beautiful crowd.
Helpful Score: 2
I thought maybe this would be more for a child, (my grand-daughter who is 8 years). I read the book myself a great story about twin girls... The younger of the two seems to get all the glory... Just Jacob had taken the birhtright from Essua in The Book of Genesis. A terrific story during t WWII on a little island in the Maryland Bay... a good read but not for an 8 year old...dg
Helpful Score: 2
This Newberry Medal winner is geared for young adults as it explores sister relationships and the struggle to find yourself.
Helpful Score: 2
A review from Amazon.com:
The title makes perfect sense after reading the book (a biblical reference to the brother Jacob, who was favored over Isau), but I orignally thought this book would be about a lost love or something.
Anyway, the story deals with the resentment one twin sister, Louise, feels towards the other, Caroline. Yet both are portrayed sympathetically - one can't help but like Caroline at least a little, even though you feel how justifiably Louise is jealous and resentful of her. But through the relationships Caroline has with others, you see how fundamentally decent she is, even as Louise is never able to respond to that.
Caroline is a gifted musician/singer, and grows up to be supremely successful and even marries Louise's childhood friend. The real beauty of this book is that Louise ultimately finds her unique and satisfying place in the world. It is vastly different from where her sister ends up, but then, she was always vastly different from her sister.
The story is also quite interesting for its portrayal of a life on a small Maryland island.
The title makes perfect sense after reading the book (a biblical reference to the brother Jacob, who was favored over Isau), but I orignally thought this book would be about a lost love or something.
Anyway, the story deals with the resentment one twin sister, Louise, feels towards the other, Caroline. Yet both are portrayed sympathetically - one can't help but like Caroline at least a little, even though you feel how justifiably Louise is jealous and resentful of her. But through the relationships Caroline has with others, you see how fundamentally decent she is, even as Louise is never able to respond to that.
Caroline is a gifted musician/singer, and grows up to be supremely successful and even marries Louise's childhood friend. The real beauty of this book is that Louise ultimately finds her unique and satisfying place in the world. It is vastly different from where her sister ends up, but then, she was always vastly different from her sister.
The story is also quite interesting for its portrayal of a life on a small Maryland island.
Helpful Score: 1
Amazing book but very sad.
Helpful Score: 1
I loved this as a teenager, but found myself a bit impatient with it as an adult. Louise gets to be kind of a hard day at the rock.
Helpful Score: 1
Written by one of our finest American author's - Katherine Paterson, who writes books which end up in children's genre but are really for everybody. A fine, thoughtful novel which will keep you reading and leave you thinking.
Helpful Score: 1
modern classic !
Helpful Score: 1
Jacob Have I loved is not about Esau and Jacob. It is about a pair of twins who live in Rass with their family. This story is told through Sara Bradshaw who, she considers, is the lesser of the pair. Her twin Caroline always seems to be in the spotlight and get what she wants. This story is Sara's journey to find out who she is and make a place for her outside her sister's big, dark shadow.
Helpful Score: 1
A very moving tale of an islander girl coming of age and finding her true self.
Helpful Score: 1
Jacob Have I Loved is a beautiful story of a young girl finding her place in the world apart from her twin. It was one of my favorite books as a teenager, and I love to share it with anyone I can.
Helpful Score: 1
This book was a good read, recommend for teenage reading levels. I have to add that it was much much better than the movie...please don't judge this book by the movie if you have seen it.
Helpful Score: 1
Winner of the Newbery Medal---
My twin sister was adored by everyone but me . . . the one who should have loved her best. Growing up on a tiny Chjesapeake Bay island, Louise reveals how Caroline robbed her of everything, her hopes for schooling, her friends, her mother, even her name. While everyone pampered Caroline, Louise began to learn the ways of the watermen and the secrets of the island where they lived. She dreamed of working as a waterman alongside her father, but she found that her dream did not satisfy the woman she was becoming. Alone and unsure, Louise began to fight her way to a place where Caroline could not reach.
Young adult, but a good read for grown-ups, too.
My twin sister was adored by everyone but me . . . the one who should have loved her best. Growing up on a tiny Chjesapeake Bay island, Louise reveals how Caroline robbed her of everything, her hopes for schooling, her friends, her mother, even her name. While everyone pampered Caroline, Louise began to learn the ways of the watermen and the secrets of the island where they lived. She dreamed of working as a waterman alongside her father, but she found that her dream did not satisfy the woman she was becoming. Alone and unsure, Louise began to fight her way to a place where Caroline could not reach.
Young adult, but a good read for grown-ups, too.
Helpful Score: 1
This book is about 1 girl from a set of twins and how she seems to be uncertain of what she wants in her life. She realizes (maybe too late?) what she wants, the things her perfect twin gets handed to her.
A wonderful classic Young Adult novel.
Contrary to first glance, this is not a love story. Title is a play on the biblical sibling rivalry. Really enjoyable.
A classic tale from one of America's great writers. Don't say, "I've seen the movie - don't need the book." The book is vastly superior. Sibling rivalry, family love, learning to understand others, all bound up with anxious moments, humor, and wonderful story telling.
Louise knew that she was the despised elder twin. Caroline, her selfish younger sister, was the one everyone loved.
Coming of age story about a girl on a small Chesapeake Island. Gentle story.
Winner of the Newberry award and other distinctions.Maryland shore as the setting for a fresh telling of the ancient story of an elder twin's lost birthright.
Love and hate come together to form a good novel.
I read this book as a pre-teen. I was about 12. I got to where I did not like the main character Louise. I could understand her feelings, but it seemed like all she ever did was spend her time angry and resentful. I was happy when she had a life for herself at the book's end so that she could be happy, finally, and quit complaining. I would like to try to read this book again to see if I have a different attitude towards it as an adult. I'm still a pretty happy go lucky type person, so maybe I will still be sad and frustrated with Louise. We'll see!
The newberry books are always worth reading
Newbery Medal winner, ALA Notable Book, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, SJL Best Book of the Year, and Booklist Children Editors' Choice. For once in her life, Louise wants to experience the kind of happiness that has always comoe so easily to Caroline. But in order to do that, she must first figure out who she is. And then she must make a place for herself outside her twin sister's shadow.
Winner of the Newbery Medal. I was proud of my sister, but that year, something began to rankle beneath the pride.
Winner of the Newbery Medal
A Newberry Medal Book
