As She Grows
by Lesley Anne Cowan
Synopsis
As She Grows is an honest and sometimes shocking story about incredible teenage hardship, overcoming your past and how difficult it can be to love when you can’t even trust.
15 year old Snow has spent a lifetime wishing for a different life. Raised by her crazy, alcoholic grandmother after her mother died when she was just a baby, Snow is determined to break free of the mold she was born into, desperate not to repeat the patterns that seem to be her destiny. When the very thing she was avoiding occurs, Snow struggles to do better than those that went before her, but isn’t sure if it will ever be enough.
Review
As She Grows is a well written and incredibly insightful book that offers a frank look at teenagers in trouble. As someone who’s had some experience with troubled teens, I believe Snow’s story is an unfortunate truth that desperately needs to be told. Lesley Anne Cowan has done a wonderful job handling potentially controversial topics with grace and honesty. The characters in As She Grows are so real that their grit and desperation are tangible through the pages. I found myself cringing through some of the more shocking scenes, but I also felt that these were some of the most truthful moments in the book. Snow’s journey, while troubled is also filled with hope and this glimmer of hope despite all the heartache is what makes Snow so captivating. The ending does not wrap the story up into a nice little bow, which has kept me thinking about Snow and her journey. Much like life, the story never ends with a nice little bow.
Verdict
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Filled with characters that won’t soon be forgotten, As She Grows is a captivating story that will make you think twice about judging that person on the street, and one that reminded me that there’s always another side to every story.
*As She Grows is book #6 for the TwentyTen Reading Challenge.
I bought this book a little while ago but haven’t gotten to it yet. I was so excited when I saw that someone had reviewed it! I’m glad you enjoyed this one and thanks for the review!
Thanks Michelle! It’s a really good story. Enjoy!
Wow, sounds like a really powerful book. I’ve definitely looking for more books dealing with difficult subject matter like this one. Thanks for the recommendation!
[...] you’re unfamiliar with Lesley’s work you can read my review of As She Grows here, and be sure to check back June 1 for my review of Something Wicked and a great interview with [...]
[...] first novel are the secondary support characters who also helped Snow (from Cowan’s first novel As She Grows) with her troubles, such as Eric the counselor and Mrs. Dally the teacher at the school for [...]
[...] it must be 2 Canadian authors I haven’t read before. 1. As She Grows by Lesley Anne Cowan (Review Posted) 2. This entry was written by Jody on February 5, 2010 at 9:30 pm, filed under Challenges, [...]