About this title: Louise hates her sister. Everyone is dazzled by her lovely, talented, and delicate twin, while the dark, brooding Louise--who prefers rough outdoor work--struggles with her feelings of jealousy and inadequacy. Louise comes to accept her feelings when she is finally appreciated for herself, rather than compared to her sister. Winner of the 1981 ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: HARDCOVER
Publisher: Heinemann Educational Publishers
Date Published: 1983
ISBN-13:9780435122720ISBN:043512272X
Description: Fair. Hardcover, glossy illustrated boards, no dust jacket as published, a good reading copy. Your book will be securely packed and promptly dispatched from our UK warehouse. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Puffin, London
Date Published: 1995
ISBN-13:9780140373646ISBN:0140373640
Description: Very Good. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. One faint crease on spine, a little shelf wear/rubbing to the cover edges and surface and a very light tan to the page edges. Slight bump to the front, top edge of the book. Otherwise in very good condition. The pages are extremely clean and bright, there are no inscriptions and the book is tight. All my books are carefully packed and I make every effort to despatch orders the same day. If you have any questions regarding this book please do not hesitate to ... read more
Format: Audio Cassette
Label: Recorded Books, Inc
Date: 1998
UPC:0788720805
Description: Very Good. Ex-library Complete package in Very Good condition. Ship within 24 hours on weekdays with tracking no. Your satisfication is our priority. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Avon Books
Date Published: 1981-10
ISBN-13:9780380564996ISBN:0380564998
Description: Very Good. Mass market paperback. Very slight general wear. Front hinge crease. Sticker front. Name inside. Clean, tight, straight, otherwise unmarked. Vague tanning. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Scholastic
Date Published: 1990
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Nice soft cover, lightly read, light shelf wear to cover, light crease along spine, light aging, stk #2392L7. 244 p. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: HarperTrophy
Date Published: 1990
ISBN-13:9780064403689ISBN:0064403688
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 272 p. Audience: Children/juvenile. Great reading copy. Has a seriouse crease across the cover. read more
Description: Fair. No dust jacket as issued. Good Reader. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 256 p. Audience: Children/juvenile; Young adult. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: SCHOLASTIC
Date Published: 1990
ISBN-13:9780590434980ISBN:0590434985
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. WEAR ON EDGES OF COVER, PAGES ARE CLEAN AND TIGHT. NEWBERY AWARD BOOK. SCHOLASTIC, 1990. WEAR ON EDGES OF COVER, PAGES ARE CLEAN AND TIGHT. K-PATERSON. MAILS QUICKLY read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: SCHOLASTIC
Date Published: 1990
ISBN-13:9780590434980ISBN:0590434985
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. VERY GOOD ++ CONDITION. VERY GOOD ++ CONDITION, NEWBERY AWARD BOOK. VERY NICE COPY. Adolescence; Adolescence/Coming of Age; Award Winners; Chesapeake Bay Region (Md. and Va. ); Classics; Fiction; General; Juvenile Fiction; Social Issues; Twins. SCHOLASTIC, 1990. WEAR ON EDGES OF COVER, PAGES ARE CLEAN AND TIGHT. K-PATERSON. MAILS QUICKLY read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Scholastic
Date Published: 1990
ISBN-13:9780590434980ISBN:0590434985
Description: Good. NOT an ex-library; a little general wear including a light corner crease on decent cover; spine tight and solid; moderate age color on unmarked pages. read more
"I read this book several times as a teen. I was drawn to the story of the two sisters. I found myself both disturbed and fascinated by the cleft between them, and nursed Sarah Louise's injustices as if they were my own. I was also captivated by the beautiful imagery and the setting along the Chesapeake Bay that was, to me, strange and fascinating.
Recently I returned to the book, reading it for the first time as an adult. It was a completely different experience. It became a story about how we perceive ourselves, and how intricately that is linked to how we believe we are perceived by others. I saw how Sarah Louise's perception of reality becomes what is real to her. It shapes the decisions she makes, how she defines herself, how she relates to her sister.
As a teen reader, I failed to see the growth and resolution that come into Sarah Louise's life when she learns to set aside her perceptions and accept what is the truth. Once she finally listens to the Captain telling her, "You don't need anything given to you," and then accepts her parent's love for what it really is, she is free to leave her island home and find herself, and her destiny.
Destiny might seem a strong word to use. Sarah Louise herself is furious when Joseph Wojtkiewicz suggests that her arrival in the mountain-locked Appalachian community she eventually calls home has been predestined. But there is a wholeness and beauty to Sarah Louise's life, a calmness and completeness that is unmistakable. And echoing that is the cycle of life and death that is repeated in the images of the crabs, in the story Sarah Louise's birth, and in the death and life that occur in the book's final scenes.
I think Patterson expects a lot from her teen readers. As the story begins, an adult Sarah Louise acknowledges, "Life begins to turn upside down at thirteen. I know that now." That is not something I could have understood as I teenager, at least not with the same perspective as Sarah Louise. I was still there. Now it is different. Now I read those words and feel a pang in my chest because I know how true they are. But I'm glad I had the experience of reading this book both as a teenager and as an adult. It made Sarah Louise's story more meaningful and poignant to be able to see it both as she experienced it, and as she processed it later in life."
"I actually would have awarded the 1981 Newbery Medal to Jane Langton's "The Fledgling", but Katherine Paterson comes through beautifully once again in the telling of "Jacob Have I Loved". Tackling intriguing and even viscerally taboo subject matter, Katherine Paterson fleshes out a completely realized and deeply felt story of rivalry between sisters. It is a contentious relationship that will appeal not only to readers who have experienced similar family dynamics, but also to those of us who have felt bitter, angry or cynical about anything that has happened to us, especially if it involved credit being taken away that was felt to be rightly deserved. Katherine Paterson never seems to make a literary misstep in any of her work, and I fully enjoyed this volume from start to finish. In addition to the emotional factors of the story, the author also does an excellent job in creating a fascinating ambience for the background. The information given about the Chesapeake Bay area is both edifying and interesting (and I loved the fact that I was already so intimately familiar with the area through the writing of Cynthia Voigt in her Tillerman Cycle!)."
"I read this book as a "preview" for an 11 year old girl. I had purchased it for her as a gift (knowing that it is a "children's classic"), and as she was having so much trouble getting through the first few pages, I told her I would read it and help her with the setting, plot, vocabulary, etc. Well, it is a very well written book (much better than many of the books written for adults that I have read lately), but I don't think that the audience should be 8-12 year olds (as it says on the back). The themes are adult themes, although children have some experience with rivalry, jealousy, love, dementia and hardship, but I think I enjoyed the book quite a bit more now, at my age, than I would have at 11. This story takes place on a small island in Chesapeake Bay, and much of the beginning of the story requires some prior knowledge about crabbing, living in the early 1940s, and the beginnings of World War II. I recommend it as a well-written book for young adults, but even so, prior background or life experiences would be essential to fully understand the story.
This book is written by the same author as who wrote "Bridge to Terabithia"."
"I was, at first, drawn to the compelling premise of a sister living in her twin's shadows of perfection. Being an older sister, I myself have felt overshadowed by my younger sibling's talents and beauty (all coincidentally like the main character Wheeze) at the young age of 13. Before I began reading, I had the feeling that this was the book that I was supposed to discover at that odd age in school and use the story like a meaningful weapon to battle against all insecurities puberty could have brought in.
I was wrong.
In fact, I am glad that I did not read the book until today. As much as I would like to emphatize Wheeze's heart, I could not. Her passive-aggressive nature eats her up entirely throughout the story while she makes no advances at stopping it. She gets marred by jealousy on repeat at various stages of her life, page by page. Instead of blaming herself, we can only read about her detesting the more driven (and sensible) Caroline. The greatest enemy of Wheeze is, apparently, her wrathful self.
By saying so, I do agree that the plot is nothing short of depressing. I cannot say that I am glad that I did not find how bleak life can be at a younger age through this book. But at least I have saved my younger self from getting 'inspired' by the choleric Wheeze too early, who remains begrudged until her adult years without really knowing her true capabilities and self worth.
PS: Like Call, I did not get Wheeze's jokes either."
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