Friday, August 21, 2009

How It Ends Blog Tour

I'm excited to be part of the Blog Tour for Laura Wiess's How It Ends.


How It Ends

Synopsis, courtesy of author's website:

All Hanna's wanted since sophomore year is Seth. She's gone out with other guys, even gained a rep for being a flirt, all the while hoping cool, guitar-playing Seth will choose her. Then she gets him - but their relationship is hurtful, stormy and critical, not at all what Hanna thinks perfect love should be. Bewildered by Seth's treatment of her and in need of understanding, Hanna decides to fulfill her school's community service requirement by spending time with Helen, her terminally ill neighbor, who she's turned to for comfort and wisdom throughout her life. But illness has changed Helen into someone Hanna hardly knows, and her home is not the refuge it once was. Feeling more alone than ever, Hanna gets drawn into an audiobook the older woman is listening to, a fierce unsettling love story of passion, sacrifice, and devotion. Hanna's fascinated by the idea that such all-encompassing love can truly exist, and without even realizing it, the story begins to change her.

Review:

The book holds two strong stories with Hanna at the center. First, the teenage love story of Hanna and Seth. Equally important is the close friendship that Hanna has with her older neighbor, Helen.

The first time we meet Hanna, she's a young child spending time with her neighbor while her parents go through a difficult patch. As far as Hanna and Helen are concerned,their longtime friendship has made them family. Although Hanna spends less time with Granna Helen as she gets older, their friendship means as much to them as it did when they had spent every afternoon together. But Helen is sick and wants to tell Hanna the truth about her life, to clear away all of the fairy tales that she'd woven for the young child Hanna had been.

Helen's point of view struck me as the clearest and most interesting in the novel, whether when grappling with how to disclose the truth to her friend Hanna or facing her own mortality.

The book is wonderfully written, with carefully crafted characters and an unusual plot. I recommend it highly.

Publisher: MTV (August 4, 2009), 368 pages.
Courtesy of the publisher.

About the Author, courtesy of Laura Weiss's website:

A native Jersey girl, Laura Battyanyi Wiess grew up on the outskirts of a peaceful little borough named Milltown, and next to the crazed, congested New Jersey Turnpike.

These warring influences left their mark, as Laura walks fast and talks faster, but can also sit completely still for long periods of time, reading, writing and watching wildlife.

She claims she inherited her patience, imagination and love of books from her mother, and her impatience, determination and passion for land from her father. Her stubbornness, however, she blames on the combined mega-whammy of genetics, birth order and astrological sign, as that pretty much lets her off the hook for the whole deal.

Visit Laura Weiss's website at http://www.laurawiess.com/ to learn more.

Participating Blogs

How It Ends Blog Tour

My Book Views: my-book-views.blogspot.com
Book Soulmates: http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com/
A Journey of Books: http://ajourneyofbooks.blogspot.com/
Just Jennifer Reading: http://justjenniferreading.blogspot.com/
Debbie’s World of Books: http://debbiesworldofbooks.com/
All About {n}: http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/
Chick with Books: www.chickwithbooks.blogspot.com
Bookin’ with Bingo: http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/
Starting Fresh: http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/
Booksie’s Blog: http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com/
Readaholic: http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/
Blog Business World: http://www.blogbusinessworld.blogspot.com/
Books and Needlepoint: http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com/
Bella’s Novella: http://www.bellasnovella.com/
Frugal Plus: http://frugalplus.com/
Eclectic Book Lover: http://www.eclecticbooklover.com
My Own Little Corner of the World: http://molcotw.blogspot.com/
Chick Loves Lit: http://www.chickloveslit.blogspot.com/
Poisoned Rationality: http://lastexilewords.blogspot.com/
So Many Books, So Little Time: http://purplg8r-somanybooks.blogspot.com/
Beth’s Book Review Blog: http://bethsbookreviewblog.blogspot.com/
Park Avenue Princess: http://aparkavenueprincess.blogspot.com/
Half Deserted Streets: http://www.halfdesertedstreets.com/
Power in the Blog: http://jesharris.wordpress.com/
Metroreader: http://metroreader.blogspot.com/
Crazy for Books: http://crazy-for-books.blogspot.com/
Angieville: http://angieville.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much to Sarah and Pocket Books for this opportunity!

2 comments:

  1. Wonderful review. It sounds like an incredible read. Thanks for the review. You piqued my interest! :)

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  2. I love Laura Weiss and I can't wait to read this book!

    ReplyDelete