[18M]⋙ Read Gratis The Square Root of Summer Harriet Reuter Hapgood 9781509808281 Books

The Square Root of Summer Harriet Reuter Hapgood 9781509808281 Books

Download As PDF : The Square Root of Summer Harriet Reuter Hapgood 9781509808281 Books

The Square Root of Summer Harriet Reuter Hapgood 9781509808281 Books

PROS: I thought this story was well-plotted, though confusing in places. The love triangle was handled well, although I didn’t connect much with the secondary characters.

The jumping backward and forward in time was mostly believable, if not always clear. The careless, hippyish lifestyle of Ned and Margot/Gottie felt natural.

The plot was unsual and unique.

CONS: Setting. The story is supposed to take place in England, but the setting felt very much like California–or some other place in the U.S. The rhythms of the language and description of the village didn’t seem at all English. For comparison read Nick Hornby who uses words such as: “blokes” and “mum (for mother).” When people argue, they have a “row.”Hornby’s books feel authentic, this one–not so much.

Physics: Margot’s advanced understanding of physics wasn’t convincing. She gives facile explanations of concepts she’s supposed to understand, but doesn’t. She is only a teen, so I cut her some slack on this point–but some kind of genius? No.

At times I had to strain to figure outwhat was happening in the story, but usually adequate clues were given. I’m neutral about the German terms used throughout. They didn’t bother me, but didn’t add much either.

Also, the humor wasn’t very effective. The witticisms fell flat.


Tags : The Square Root of Summer [Harriet Reuter Hapgood] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. ABC,Harriet Reuter Hapgood,The Square Root of Summer,Macmillan,1509808280

The Square Root of Summer Harriet Reuter Hapgood 9781509808281 Books Reviews

Liked the writing.
4.5 stars. Let me start this review by saying that I do not like math at all. I have zero interest in the subject, so I wasn't quite sure if this was going to be a book for me or not. As it turned out, I loved it. The time-traveling element was quite fascinating, and Gottie was very likeable. This book had an interesting cast of characters who all added a little something fun to the story (eyeliner-wearing Ned and sweet baker Thomas were my favorites). This was a wonderful story about growing up, dealing with grief, and the dynamics of family. I enjoyed Harriet Reuter Hapgood's writing style, and I am looking forward to reading more from her in the future.
So, growing up there were two kinds of books I liked...SF and realistic. This book encompasses both while having a true story of sadness, love and loss and while telling us it is ok to grieve I our own way.
Margo "Grots" Oppenheimer has had a rough year. The previous Fall, her grandfather passed away suddenly, her secret boyfriend dumped her, her brother moved away to university, and her father, already a quiet man, became even more withdrawn. So, Margo did her best to push through, and follow all the steps laid out in a pamphlet from the hospital on what to do after someone dies. Cleaning out of possessions, organizing the funeral details, etc.
Somehow, though, she still finds herself losing hours, and conversations. Margo is a smart girl, off the charts smart, so when she begins to notice experiencing "wormholes," "screen wipes," and "reboots," in her daily life she takes her math and science and attempts to solve for x, so to speak. Using her grandfather's diaries, and her own scientific notation, Margo spends the summer skipping through timelines and realities in some pretty charming, if sometimes confusing, examples of magical realism. Thrown into the mix this summer is the reappearance of her childhood best friend, Thomas, with whom she rebuilds a somewhat complicated relationship.

As someone who recently lost a loved one, I could feel Margo's grief, and understand it well. Part of what makes her, as a character, relatable, and likeable, even when you can see her alienating herself from her life, is the knowledge that losing her grandfather has clearly broken something integral to her person. In terms of relating grief, this book is spot on. Other aspects of Margo's life, like her dealing with her breakup with her first love (who also happens to be her brother's best friend and band mate,) her unraveling friendship with her girlfriend, Sofia, and her encouraging Physics teacher are also pretty relatable to anyone who's ever had her heart broken.

Harriet Reuter Hapgood does a wonderful job of creating a complex, smart, and quirky main character, as well as a strong supporting cast. Little details like Margo, Ned (her brother) and her father's German speaking throughout the story add depth to the family without feeling forced. The specter of her deceased mother haunts her just enough to be understandable without being overkill, and her path back to a relationship with Thomas is endearing without being sappy. My challenge with this novel was that sometimes the timelines, and jumping around, and math science deal was a bit confusing to me. I couldn't tell what was actually real and what was maybe a grief induced fugue state? Even by the end of the novel, which felt resolved well enough, I wasn't 100% sure exactly what had happened. I'm ok with that though, because the overall enjoyment of the story made this worth the read.
PROS I thought this story was well-plotted, though confusing in places. The love triangle was handled well, although I didn’t connect much with the secondary characters.

The jumping backward and forward in time was mostly believable, if not always clear. The careless, hippyish lifestyle of Ned and Margot/Gottie felt natural.

The plot was unsual and unique.

CONS Setting. The story is supposed to take place in England, but the setting felt very much like California–or some other place in the U.S. The rhythms of the language and description of the village didn’t seem at all English. For comparison read Nick Hornby who uses words such as “blokes” and “mum (for mother).” When people argue, they have a “row.”Hornby’s books feel authentic, this one–not so much.

Physics Margot’s advanced understanding of physics wasn’t convincing. She gives facile explanations of concepts she’s supposed to understand, but doesn’t. She is only a teen, so I cut her some slack on this point–but some kind of genius? No.

At times I had to strain to figure outwhat was happening in the story, but usually adequate clues were given. I’m neutral about the German terms used throughout. They didn’t bother me, but didn’t add much either.

Also, the humor wasn’t very effective. The witticisms fell flat.