Getting in the minds and hearts of teenage girls seems to be a talent of Sarah Dessen's. In her novel, Just Listen, Sarah Dessen tells the story of a teenage girl, Annabel Greene, who seems to have everything any teenage girl would ever want. She is a model, just like her older sisters, she is extremely popular at her high school, and has the “perfect” family. Then, one incident with Annabel’s best friend’s boyfriend changes everything. Annabel is nearly raped by her best friend, Sophie’s, boyfriend, but Sophie is reluctant to believe that it was her boyfriend that caused the situation. Sophie refused to talk to Annabel or listen to her side of the terrible story, and Sophie continues to date her dreadful boyfriend. When school begins the following year, Sophie turns everyone against Annabel, and she becomes an outcast, sitting alone at lunch. Just about this time, things turn from great to horrible at home. Annabel’s sister nearly dies of anorexia, and her parents are time consumed with her sister’s health. With no one to talk to, she slowly fades away, loses interest in her modeling, and letting grades slip. Then, Owen, a guy at school that everyone fears because of his great size, talks to Annabel at lunch. They build a close friendship and connect through Owen’s true obsession: music. The two become extremely close, and after Annabel’s friend gets raped by the same guy that hurt her, Owen convinces Annabel to go for help. With Owen’s help, she takes her case to court, and is finally truly happy and in control of life.
Just Listen was not only exceptionally enjoyable, it taught me a great lesson, as well. Having someone to talk to, someone with a good perspective on life, can get you through a lot of hard situations. Life is never easy, but the challenges can be handled a lot better if you have someone that will listen to you, and help guide you along the way. Just Listen never has a dull moment. The reader is constantly inside the mind of Annabel Greene, a character who is easy for any teenage girl to relate to. Any teenage girl would enjoy this novel. It’s easy to get into, and tells an unforgettable story about truly compelling characters.
As I was reading Just Listen, I wondered where Sarah Dessen got the ideas for her characters. Annabel Greene has such a unique personality, yet is so much like every other teenage girl I know. Sarah Dessen does a wonderful job at getting into the average teenage girl’s mind and reading her thoughts.
I also wondered why Sarah Dessen didn’t spend a little bit more time focusing on Annabel’s sister. She seemed like such an interesting person, and I constantly wanted to get into her mind the way I was in Annabel’s mind.
I recommend this novel, Just Listen, to all teenage girls that know what it’s like to be in tough high school situations. Its an entertaining story – one of the best I have ever read.
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Sarah Dessen is one of my all time favorite authors. I agree that she has a truly unique gift in way of explaining a teenage girl’s mind which makes her books so relatable for all girls. I have read all of her books and own most of them because I love her style of writing so much. Although I do not remember much about the plot of this book, I do remember loving it. I have been awaiting a new novel by Sarah Dessen to occupy my time. I think a good way to wait would be to reread this story.
ReplyDeleteI read this book about a year ago, and I found it to be truly inspirational. Sarah Dessen does a fantastic job of relating her stories to real-life high school experiences. The way she can incorporate normal moments in life to those moments that no one wishes would happen to them is just amazing. I believe that everyone can learn a lesson from her novels because each has somewhat of a unique moral to them. Her stories have very deep meanings to them, yet they are also very interesting. I am looking forward to reading more of her novels in the future.
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