E-book
Capricious
Record details
- ISBN: 9781459802681
- ISBN: 1459802683
- ISBN: 9781459802698
- ISBN: 1459802691
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Physical Description:
remote
1 online resource - Publisher: Victoria, British Columbia : Orca Book Publishers, 2014.
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| Genre: | Electronic books. Fiction. |
Electronic resources
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2017 February #1
After the legal fallout from the provocative eleventh-grade art project chronicled in Audacious (2015), Ella returns to high school for senior year to confront her tattered social image, as well as unresolved, complicated relationships with two different boys. She has passionate chemistry with Samir, but he keeps their relationship secret, partly because Ella is practically a pariah at school, and partly because they're having sex, which goes against Samir's devout Muslim family's beliefs. At the same time, Ella is captivated by David, ironically the catalyst for all her troubles last year. She admires David's compassion, composure, understanding, and friendshipâand she may even be falling in love with him. Ella's obsession with the boys absorbs most of the novel, and the intrusion of a perpetually optimistic and perceptive disabled character comes across as contrived. Nevertheless, Ella is certainly audacious, capricious, and ultimately resilient as she maturely handles her delicate situation with both boys and reclaims her identity. Prendergast's compilation of various verse styles makes Ella's story approachable and poignant. Copyright 2017 Booklist Reviews. - Horn Book Guide Reviews : Horn Book Guide Reviews 2014 Fall
In this sequel, Ella (of the vagina self-portrait that got her into so much trouble in Audacious) is juggling the affections of Samir--whose devout Muslim upbringing forbids him from openly dating her--and straight-arrow(ish) David. She's also trying to protect her little sister, who, in Ella's opinion, is growing up too fast. Flawed heroine Ella's whip-smart observations add immediacy to this verse novel. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2014 March #1
This verse novel follows a girl juggling two boyfriends and trying to cope with her rival at school. Sixteen-year-old Ella loves two boys. She's sleeping with Samir and cares for him, but she also loves David. She insists David is just her good friend but knows that underneath, it's really a romance, and she may even prefer David to Samir. Meanwhile, she tries to avoid Genie, a girl at her high school who hates her because of her own crush on Samir. Things with Genie come to a head when circumstances force her to agree to participate in a bikini carwash. Samir strongly disapproves, but Ella shows up in a vintage 1950s two-piece bathing suit that allows her to attract more attention than anyone else while showing far less skin. To retaliate, Genie and her clique take Ella's clothes, leaving her stranded in the bikini behind a gas station for hours into the night. Eventually Ella must come to terms with her relationships with both boys and with the girls. Prendergast's unrhymed verse not only tells the tale, but varies form and line length, the clipped rhythms capturing Ella's emotional turmoil. The story touches on different religions with nuance: Samir is a devout Muslim; David is a Jew; Ella and her family are Catholic; Ella's sister is dating a Mormon. Sensitive and compelling. (Verse fiction. 12-18) Copyright Kirkus 2014 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. - School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2014 April
Gr 10 UpâSixteen-year-old Ella says she is not like other girls. She is a rebel: she lies, has sex, and takes naked pictures of herself. Still reeling from the fallout of her provocative art project, arrest, and acquittal of pornography chargesâin Audacious (Orca 2013)âElla is adrift. She is sleeping with Samir and leading him to believe that she is just friends with David, though that is not exactly true. "Isn't that the point?/To Frankenstein/Two boys together/Making a perfect boyfriend?" she asks. But a boyfriend will not fix Ella's desire for identity and acceptance, and things fall apart in a predictable way. This novel in verse is a quick read, thanks to the format and the dramatic plot. Prendergast varies the style of the narrative, seamlessly integrating rhymed couplets, acrostics, and more. The narrative feels inflated at times, as Samir deals with his estranged gay brother, David copes with his brother's drug addiction, and Ella navigates myriad thorny relationships. The secondary characters are largely reduced to two-dimensional traits (the Muslim boy, the asthmatic sister, the wise disabled friend), but Ella stands out as realistic and nuanced. Though Ella's story is one of alienation and discontent, it ends on a hopeful note as she begins to repair her relationships and her own fragile sense of self-worth. Her candid approach to sex, lies, and friendship should attract a wide audience, especially readers who are drawn to deep and sometimes dark issues.âAmanda MacGregor, formerly at Apollo High School Library, St. Cloud, MN
[Page 173]. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. - Voice of Youth Advocates Reviews : VOYA Reviews 2014 April
Capricious is the sequel to Audacious (Orca, 2013/VOYA December 2013), Prendergast's debut young adult novel. The series, which follows the life of artist Raphaelle, is told entirely in verse. Despite being labeled a juvenile delinquent, Raphaelle, now Ella, wades through the scorn of her classmates to return to school. Ella also maintains her friendships with Samir and David. The cover hints at misery for all, with three broken hearts. Capricious struggles as a stand-alone novel, and it is challenging to settle into the plot without having read the first book. The relationships formed in Audacious set the stage for Capricious, and book two relies heavily on the reader being familiar with past events. In general, the emotions of the book are muted, possibly by the confusing plot. Often key events go unnoticed, meriting a re-read of passages for clarification. The novel is populated with flat and uninspired characters. Prendergast hints at some intriguing backstory with younger sister Kayli, but this family history is never expanded. Ella's family is considered dysfunctional, but they just seem boring. Perhaps the verse medium was not the best choice for the story. While Capricious covers a wide variety of issues, a focus on feminist concerns may have made the story bolder.âLaura Perenic 2Q 3P S Copyright 2011 Voya Reviews.
