The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde - UPDATED REVIEW

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde  Genre : Classics Blurb (on back of book) : Oscar Wilde’s only novel is the dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. In this celebrated work Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind. UPDATED REVIEW MY OPINION : ****** I would like to start out this review by stating that this is undoubtedly m...
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Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe - Preston Norton

Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe by Preston Norton
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Image result for neanderthal opens the door to the universeBlurb (on back of book): Cliff Hubbard is a huge loser. Literally. His nickname at Happy Valley High School is Neanderthal because he's so enormous — 6'6" and 250 pounds to be exact. He has no one at school and life in his trailer park home has gone from bad to worse ever since his older brother's suicide.
There's no one Cliff hates more than the nauseatingly cool quarterback, Aaron Zimmerman. Then Aaron returns to school after a near-death experience with a bizarre claim: while he was unconscious he saw God, who gave him a list of things to do to make Happy Valley High suck less. And God said there's only one person who can help: Neanderthal.
To his own surprise, Cliff says he's in. As he and Aaron make their way through the List, which involves a vindictive English teacher, a mysterious computer hacker, a decidedly unchristian cult of Jesus Teens, the local drug dealers, and the meanest bully at HVHS — Cliff feels like he's part of something for the first time since losing his brother. But fixing a broken school isn't as simple as it seems, and just when Cliff thinks they've completed the List, he realizes their mission hits closer to home than he ever imagined.

MY OPINION: ****

This book started off not too interesting but as it went on, I was more and more intrigued. The book centers around a 6'6", 250-pound boy named Cliff "Neanderthal" Hubbard. He lives in a trailer park with his alcoholic, abusive father and his "weak" mother who doesn't know how to fight back and speak up. His older brother, Shane, killed himself without any warning.

Cliff and Shane have always been best friends. Cliff thought he knew everything about his brother, which makes his sudden death all the more confusing and heartbreaking.

At school, Cliff hates nobody more than Aaron Zimmerman, the star quarterback. Then Aaron gets in an accident, and suffers some brain damage. He returns to school with a message from God, telling him how to change Happy Valley for the better. According to Aaron, the only person who can help him is Cliff.

Cliff surprisingly agrees to help Aaron with the list. It's fairly simple, but soon they find themselves wrapped up in a mystery behind a computer hacker. Cliff finds out that he may not know as much about his brother as he thought.

I won't go into any more of the plot but I want to take a moment to talk about the writing itself. Preston Norton manages to create unique and hilarious characters who all have their own traits and personalities. The writing style is different, and it makes the characters seem more realistic. The beginning was slow to get moving but as time went on, it started to make more sense.

The ending of the book was shocking and I did not see it coming at all. This might be a different case for somebody else but to me, I was very easily surprised. It was sad and tragic but I loved it.

Cliff and Tegan were cute.

I would recommend this book to readers looking for a new, different, contemporary novel for young adults.

Main Character: Cliff
Sidekick(s): Aaron, Tegan, etc
Villain(s): Dad, death, suicide, bullying, Esther, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was real to life.

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