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| Book #1 of 2010 |
| Title: Wild Roses |
| Author: Deb Caletti |
| Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing |
| Pub Date: August 30, 2005 |
| Grade: B+ |
| Comments: Wild Roses is the story of Cassie and her step-father, violin great, Dino Cavalli. Dino bears all the marks of a genius, as tempermental as he is talented. He is working on three new pieces for a concert as it draws closer to the date, he becomes increasingly irritable, often cutting down Cassie with directed attacks. He has taken on a student, Ian Walters, to whom Cassie is immediately attracted and soon begins a relatsionship with. Dino makes it clear that this is unacceptible and they attempt to date in secret. It is clear throughout the book that Dino is suffering from a severe mental illness which is compounded by the fact that he believes his medication is inhibiting his creativity. He is at best difficult, and at worst, paranoid to the point of delusion.
The book bears a resemblance to Honey, Baby, Sweetheart or The Secret Life of Prince Charming in the fact that the writing is often lovely, but what it lacks is a compelling narrator. Cassie is a nice girl and it is devastating to see the affect that Dino’s volatility has on her, but the book is so focused on Dino that it seems more like it is his story. Even in her romantic relationship Cassie seems to be more of an observer than a participant so it is hard to get behind her. I’ll certainly read more of Caletti’s books but this one just wasn’t my favorite.
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| In Depth Reviews: Laughing Stars, Book Addiction, Reading is Sexy |
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