Helpful Score: 9
What do you do when you hear Judy Blume has written a novel for adults? Get it and read it!
I was absolutely blown away by the subject matter in the book. Captivated by the title and the connection it has to the history of the Newark, NJ airport, I of course dug a little deeper and researched the actual events. Three plane crashes in under 2 months at the same airport! Unbelievable, but true. How Judy wove the fictional into the actual is pure magic.
The disasters no doubt affected hundreds if not thousands of people and how it affected those in Elizabeth New Jersey is where the artistry of Ms. Blume shines through. Miri and Natalie are the best of friends, inseparable until the first plane crash which starts a downward spiral in their friendship that no one saw coming and no one could prevent.
There are so many characters that I actually made a family tree and a cast of characters on a separate piece of paper just to keep track of who is who. Each person added to the overall story and being able to refer to my notes made it a lot easier for me.
I would have to say that while this is touted as an adult book, it would very easily fit in to the young adult category as well.
Congrats Judy Blume, you have another successful book on your hands.
I was absolutely blown away by the subject matter in the book. Captivated by the title and the connection it has to the history of the Newark, NJ airport, I of course dug a little deeper and researched the actual events. Three plane crashes in under 2 months at the same airport! Unbelievable, but true. How Judy wove the fictional into the actual is pure magic.
The disasters no doubt affected hundreds if not thousands of people and how it affected those in Elizabeth New Jersey is where the artistry of Ms. Blume shines through. Miri and Natalie are the best of friends, inseparable until the first plane crash which starts a downward spiral in their friendship that no one saw coming and no one could prevent.
There are so many characters that I actually made a family tree and a cast of characters on a separate piece of paper just to keep track of who is who. Each person added to the overall story and being able to refer to my notes made it a lot easier for me.
I would have to say that while this is touted as an adult book, it would very easily fit in to the young adult category as well.
Congrats Judy Blume, you have another successful book on your hands.
Helpful Score: 4
In the early 1950's the residents of Elizabeth were terrorized when not one, not two, but three planes crashed in their community. The legendary author, Judy Blume,used these events to inspire her story of multiple generations trying to come to terms with these events, while still going on with the struggles of their everyday lives.
The lives of these characters would be a good story on their own. Miri is a fifteen year old daughter of a single mother experiencing her first love and finally learning the mystery of her father. Meanwhile the people around her have secrets of their own from unhappy marriages to secret loves. When these events are added to the dramatic world events of the plane crashes, the Korean Conflict and McCarthyism, the story becomes great. Blume really shows how a community would be affected when the world thinks of them as "Plane Crash City". The adults try to protect the youth, but it's all they can think/talk about; speculating conspiracies ranging from aliens to communists. I highly recommend this book, just don't read it right before a plane trip.
The lives of these characters would be a good story on their own. Miri is a fifteen year old daughter of a single mother experiencing her first love and finally learning the mystery of her father. Meanwhile the people around her have secrets of their own from unhappy marriages to secret loves. When these events are added to the dramatic world events of the plane crashes, the Korean Conflict and McCarthyism, the story becomes great. Blume really shows how a community would be affected when the world thinks of them as "Plane Crash City". The adults try to protect the youth, but it's all they can think/talk about; speculating conspiracies ranging from aliens to communists. I highly recommend this book, just don't read it right before a plane trip.
Interesting premise about the three airplane disasters that happened within a 60 day period in the early 1950's. They all crashed in Elizabeth, NJ causing horror and fright among the citizens there. Some thought they were being attacked by aliens!
I didn't care too much for the main characters and couldn't relate or care about anyone.
It was an okay read.
I didn't care too much for the main characters and couldn't relate or care about anyone.
It was an okay read.
WOW! What a GREAT book!
Loved the way Blume was able to take real events and add just enough fiction to make it an outstanding novel!
Loved the way Blume was able to take real events and add just enough fiction to make it an outstanding novel!
These books I'm reading for book clubs are starting to get to me.
Here we have yet another of these "best sellers". For the life of me, I cannot figure out why many of these books ever even reach a "best-seller" status. The only reason that I can think of as to why this one may have is because the author is still riding on her name and former greatness as a children's author.
This book was a hot mess. There were SO many characters that it really was hard to know where and when you were in the story. I felt like I was getting whiplash.
The "main" characters were not really all that likable. It seemed as though everyone was busy stabbing each other in the back, while around them a series of three plane crashes occurred. The crashes were supposed to be the thing "linking" all of these MANY characters together, but it was just too much.
I understand that the author was trying to write a story around some real-life events that happened in the town she grew up in, but for me- this book was a depressing miss.
Here we have yet another of these "best sellers". For the life of me, I cannot figure out why many of these books ever even reach a "best-seller" status. The only reason that I can think of as to why this one may have is because the author is still riding on her name and former greatness as a children's author.
This book was a hot mess. There were SO many characters that it really was hard to know where and when you were in the story. I felt like I was getting whiplash.
The "main" characters were not really all that likable. It seemed as though everyone was busy stabbing each other in the back, while around them a series of three plane crashes occurred. The crashes were supposed to be the thing "linking" all of these MANY characters together, but it was just too much.
I understand that the author was trying to write a story around some real-life events that happened in the town she grew up in, but for me- this book was a depressing miss.
As a Judy Blume fan, I waited a long time to get this book but I was a bit disappointed. The story is there, and it is a good story, but there are so many characters to keep track of. And when you get to the end of the book, I'm not sure reading it was worth the effort it took to follow along.
I always love Judy Blume's stories and this one was great!! I loved all the characters and watching how all their lives were intertwined! I would recommend this book to friends!!
This is two in a row for me about plane crashes-and this book had several! You needed a scorecard to keep track of the characters here, but they all were well defined, and all had their own stories to tell. Generational stories are my favorites. This one tells of several families in Elizabeth, New Jersey who were all involved in several plane crashes that occurred in the 1950's. Based on true stories, these fictional characters all lived through the aftermaths of the accidents in different ways.
I love Judy Blume's books for adults just as much as I loved her books for teens when I was growing up. She has a gift for drawing you in to the characters. Loved everything about this book and found it so interesting that these three plane crashes were actual events. I cried when it ended because I didn't want to say goodbye to the characters.
I could NOT keep the characters straight. New person's view- now, who is this? Jumped way too much. I couldn't feel a connection with anyone, so I stopped reading. Glad there are 81 people here on PBS who want to read it!
I loved this novel. It's the first adult book by Judy Blume I've read and it was a delightful surprise, with good characters, great historical details and mood, and enough mystery to make you read one more chapter each time you plan to put the book down. Blume really captures the early days of jet travel and of Las Vegas while creating characters you care about. I'd love to see a sequel to this...
