Saturday 17 April 2010

ARC Review: Viola in Reel Life - Adriana Trigiani

Viola doesn't want to go to boarding school, but somehow she ends up at the Prefect Academy, which feels like a million miles away from her home in New York.

Viola's sure she won't survive the year - especially since her three new roommates all seem to like being at Prefect.  Her only comfort is her camera and her dreams of becoming a film maker.

But life at Prefect is nothing like Viola thought it would be and soon she realises that this could be the most incredible year of her life; if she can just learn to put the camera down and let the real world in...

Viola in Reel Life is already available in hardback but is being released in paperback in the UK on 29th April 2010 by Simon & Schuster

For more information visit Adriana Trigiani's author page on the Simon & Schuster website

Review:
Viola is a fairly typical 14 year old girl who thinks her life has ended when her parents send her away from her home in New York to attend a boarding school in Indiana.  She doesn't want to leave her friends or her family and she is convinced that she will hate every minute that she is away.  The only comfort is her trusty video camera which she uses to create a video diary.  But life at boarding school is nothing like she expects it to be and it may just be that she ends up having the time of her life.

This is a story about growing up, friendship and first love and was an enjoyable light read.  I'm 31 and although I enjoyed the story and love reading YA books I feel that this is more suited to a younger audience.  It is the kind of book I would have loved to read as a teenager.  Adriana Trigiani has done a great job of creating the life of a modern teenager using both instant messaging and texting to add to the characters.  I liked Viola and her roommates and the way they came together to help each other throughout the story. 

This may be Adriana's first young adult book and the first book of hers that I've read but I will definitely be looking out for some of her adult books in the future.  I would happily recommend this to teenagers but only to adults who are looking for a light hearted, entertaining read.

Source: Recieved for review from publisher Simon & Schuster

Other Reviews:
We Adore A Happy Ending
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

2 comments:

  1. This sounds like lots of fun for teens. Not exactly sure that it is my kind of book but still it has a certain appeal.

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  2. Hi Becky, I'd definitely recommend it for teens but not so much for adults, even YA fans like us :o) It was a likeable story but one I'd have enjoyed a lot more when I was younger - it didn't capture me as much as an adult

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