A Map Of The Known World (ISBN 054506970X)

Poignant and heartbreakingly sweet.....:
This story of a teenage girl whose brother died in a car crash is a touching memorial to the spirits of all those who have lost a loved one far too early, and who are searching for answers that might provide relief of that type of heartache and pain. Cora's brother Nate was a rebel -- always in trouble at school, arguing against expectations and resentful of his parents and the limits that life placed on him. After he dies in The Accident, his family disintegrates -- dad heads to the study with his gin and tonic and mom to the sewing room -- both shutting themselves away from facing further pain and unable to love and continue to raise their daughter Cora. Both are so paralyzed with grief that they do not notice as Cora begins to develop a life for herself - resentful of the rules and bonds they have insisted upon in an attempt to keep her safe -- all the while ignoring her emotional needs as they are locked in their memories and sunk deep into the quicksand of emotional pain. Cora discovers her talents as an artist and finds that her wild and crazy brother hid a secret from them all -- he too was artistically gifted and had hidden that from everyone except for his best friend Damian. Cora and Damian begin a fragile relationship -- a bit odd considering that she's a freshman and he's a senior in high school (the only piece that seems out of place - the author should have made Cora older to make some of the plot more believable) -- but they do have Nate and art in common and both are emotionally fragile and in need of support and motivation. All in all a very sweet story about the redemptive power of love. A reminder that life goes on despite horrific tragedy. An achingly beautiful and hopeful story that gives credence to the hope we all have to find the meaning of life -- our purpose in it, and our way through it. Recommend: Buy

The Known World/The Real World:
I enjoyed this book very much, and found it to be what I would imagine as true to life. I must say, however, that my 14 year old daughter did not like it, as she thought it was too "angry" and she quit reading it about mid-way through the book. Cora, who is 14, is dealing with the loss of her older brother, as she begins high school. I felt that the emotions and situations that occurred during the year following his death were realistic. Cora has her ups and downs - in fact she has many downs and a few ups - but she plays the hand she is dealt in a reasonable and mature manner. I thought her anger was justified, and not overdone. I appreciated the glimpse into Cora's life and I would recommend this to any teenage girl, making her aware that it is not a totally uplifting book, but is hopeful in its nature.

A Map of the Known World:
As the book opens, we're firmly in "Speak" territory: the social climbing best friend, the disintegrating marriage of the protagonist's folks, and the art-loving, acerbic protagonist being forced to deal with not only the usual indignities of starting high school, but the entire school knowing about her tragedy. In "Speak" it was a rape; here it's the death of her older brother, Nate, who died in a car accident. Through Nate's former friend, Cora discovers that Nate had more in common with her than she realized. Both she and her family need to find ways to come to terms with their unresolved feelings about Nate and begin to heal. Personally, I found the book to be very uneven. Some parts were vivid and moving, but some parts were clichéd and poorly written. It did capture the intensity of experience that one has at age fourteen, the way even little things become a life or death drama. The story had a lot of potential. I wanted to like it more than I actually did.

Such a beautiful work:
Since the death of her older and beloved if reckless brother Nate, Cora has been a little lost. Sure, she can skillfully sketch beautiful maps of foreign places, places she'll probably never see, but she doesn't know how to think or act. Her parents don't seem to notice much anymore unless Cora breaks one of their many strict rules, and even Cora's best friend Rachel seems distant. It's all Cora can do just not to get lost within her fried and confusion. The start of high school brings its own trials, but surprisingly, it also brings Cora some solace in the form of art class and Damian, the boy who was Nate's best friend--the only person who was there when Nate died. Cora finds herself drawn to Damian and his artwork, even if her parents forbid their association because of Damian's connection to Nate's death; but Cora can't stay away, especially after Damian reveals a side of Nate that Cora never knew existed. In this beautiful story lies a truth of loss, love, and finding the strength to move on. A Map of the Known World was so much better than I ever expected. Sandell's writing is so beautiful that I could go on praising it for quite a long time. Her words paint vivid pictures in the reader's mind, her lyrical prose is like flowing music, her writing is art. There is something so captivating about Sandell's style that brings her stories and characters to life. Sandell successfully captures the awkward transition between middle and high school in a way all teens can relate to, complete with the family and friendship problems, and the inclusion of art and its importance to Nate's memory is woven in so gracefully. Cora's and Damian's characters are so wonderfully constructed, although they did have their awkward moments. There are so many scenes that are so well written and beautiful that they made me cry for these characters that I felt such a connection to. A Map of the Known World is just one of those incredible stories that makes one appreciate the beauty in life. A Map of the Known World is a novel for artistic types or anyone looking for a moving and hopeful read. Despite its dreary subject of death, this story isn't depressing at all, and fans of Alyson Noël's Saving Zoë will enjoy it. I consider A Map of the Known World pretty close to being a masterpiece and a huge step up from the similar Goldengrove by Francine Prose.

Not the Best Choice For an Adult Reader:
Not quite halfway through the book I had my rating decided: two stars, with a rant to go with them. I stuck through to the end to be sure I'd review it fairly, and I'm glad I did, since although I can't say I fully enjoyed my trip through Cora's known world I found a few things in the landscape to admire. My original rant still mostly stands. There's a way to write young adult novels and make them interesting to any age group, and it doesn't involve writing *down*. Something is wrong when all the characters sound twelve years old whether they're thirteen or sixteen or thirty or more--melodramatic shrieks punctuated liberally by exclamation points get old fast. Much of the dialogue is wooden and fake. The many, many speech indicators chop the prose up terribly... yeah, I know that shouldn't be a big deal, but that's sort of the problem; I'm not talking about an extraneous 'he said' or two here but an overload of tags and adverbs that threw me out of the story repeatedly. Cora's old friend Rachel is a walking stereotype. Cora's new friend Helena is cardboard, existing only to prop up everything Cora wants to do. Damian's interest in Cora isn't built up or explained all that well. The ending ties everything up too neatly and quickly, and it has as much sugar as a Full House episode. All of that's a shame because there are the bones of a good story underneath. Alone, thinking to herself, Cora is less of a ball of shrieking teenage angst or cliched teenage romance. She becomes a thoughtful girl both bitter and clinging to hope. It's interesting to be in her head in those moments, and her reflections on the world usually contain the book's best prose. Cora's father is a sympathetic figure. The idea of the maps is absolutely wonderful. Nate himself is a shadowy mystery that's never solved--and that's fine. He *can't* be solved; that's what death has done to him. In the stretches between the nails-on-chalkboard fight scenes I started to like what I was reading enough to think that, while this is not the book I was hoping for, it's something another reader could enjoy. (Also, I don't know if it's fair to slam the book altogether for failing to meet my expectations--I'm not sure whose fault it is that neither the Vine page nor the book flap mentioned it's a young adult novel. I ordered it expecting a more mature story of death, love, and self-discovery... how much of my disappointment is due to that I couldn't say. Of course, I think YA can handle such themes better than this--look at Harry Potter!--so that argument only goes so far.) One could do worse for a read than _Map of the Known World_ and there's probably much worse young adult fiction out there. I can't recommend it as an adult buy, but I give it three stars because I think I might have liked it when I was nine or ten. That's more the target age. I just wish I'd realized that ahead of time.