*The book, Beach Lane, was originally published as The Au Pairs. (Just in case of confusion)*
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5 out of 5 stars The Hamptons are IT! November 14, 2005
A Kid's Review
This review is from The Au Pairs (Hardcover)
Three girls from three different walks of life are joined together in the IT place, the Hamptons. Eliza, Mara and Jacqui are the au pairs of the four spoiled Perry kids.
Eliza, a former New Yorker, took the job to escape her now boring Buffalo lifestyle and to rejoin her old crew. The only problem is that in order to be in the IT crew, you have to have IT and most certainly, she did not have it anymore. Her parents declared bankruptcy and moved away from the city and
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It's a total brain vacation.
I didn't much care about the main character Jacqui. She brings absolutely nothing to the story. She considers herself worldly and experienced, but she came across very naive. But not a lot happens to her so she was easily ignored. Eliza is one of the most horrible characters I've ever read about. She wasn't written badly, she's just a bad person. She's shallow and vapid. Only considers people who are rich and beautiful, and is unbearably rude to those who aren't. She's has some seriously unhealthy views on life in general and love in particular. Mara was great. She's a smart girl from a small time, has a firm grasp on reality and on what in life really counts. Though she does give in to peer pressure a couple of times, but that's not surprising considering she likes to keep the peace and avoids conflict at all costs. After my initial disgust at how Eliza and in smaller dose also Jacqui behaved and thought about things, I started to really get into the story. Unfortunately, the moment they get a reality check never came, but toward the end Eliza and Jacqui do make some strides toward becoming half decent people, though they still have a long way to go. I am quite looking forward to reading about them again and seeing more of their personal growth. And Mara too, though she's already pretty great, she still needs to learn no to always be such a pushover.
24 of 29 people found
The chapters that describe the characters’ pasts make the reader feel as if they are watching that character’s personality develop over their lifetime even though it is only a couple pages. The most enjoyable part was the chapter over Herman Husband that tells about his entire past and how his beliefs and opinions were influenced. I was able to have a closer connection with this character because there was a lot of information given about him. Also because from the author’s perspective he was portrayed as someone brave and understanding. Which is why when the book ended there was a sadness to it, the readers could feel a sense of emotion for the man in the cell and a stronger effect left behind by his parting words. Another enjoyable moment was when the author described the rebels and how people felt when they finally saw them after they were defeated. It created a very vivid image that explained why the people watching felt a sense of disappointment at seeing them. There was a lot of depth over the characters and how each had their part in influencing the Whiskey Rebellion however Hogeland only briefly talks about the last battle of the Rebellion that led to the rebels being captured and forced to walk for miles. More information could have been added to give the reader a better understanding as to why exactly they may have lost or what led the most to their downfall.
The conclusion of the story is she saves her little sister. Even though it was a sad ending she did what she knew was best and what she wanted to do. Jessa will be fine but they might find out when they figure out that she has gifted. Logan and the mom end up alright. It was a good and sad happy ending.
I saw that trevor was reformed for his actions. I saw the outcome of all the characters. Lily changes schools because she wanted a fresh start. Truman Middle school went back to normal. I wonder why lily's old friends didn’t care for Lily.
The main characters, both good and evil, are well-fleshed out. Robert is the typical hero: he is always doing the honorable thing and fighting the enemy to save the princess - even if it means dying in the process. Simmonne is sweet and honest; however, at times I felt that the author depicted her as a weak female in a world dominated by men. Oul’sor, Robert’s worthy enemy, is blinded by
When reading the book, I knew who my favorite character and least favorite character were right away. My favorite character was Lily. she is a very relatable character who goes against all odds to try to find out what happened to her mother. My least favorite character was T. Ray. He was a lazy and abusive excuse for a parent who should be put in jail for what he's done to Lily.
"It's not fair first we get abducted now we're forced to be slaves in modeling, Mona shouted." "Look it's fine I have already found a way out of here, Ruth said." Everyone looked at her like she has lost her mind. "I know what you're thinking but you guys know I'm the smart one, she added." Ruth told the girls her plan to break free from Fat Tony. All of the girls gathered around even the ones who weren't leaving. "Another thing Fat Tony is MIA right now so we have a good chance of freedom, Ruth added." The girls had faith they would make it back home safe.
The boys are living in an apartment at the Henry Horner housing complex with their mother, LaJoe, their younger brother and sisters – the triplets, and a constant stream of people from their father Paul to their sister’s boyfriend’s brother staying on and off with them. Henry Horner is a housing
It’s interesting watching each character develop for better or worse, especially the father who continues to incite the same emotion from you throughout the whole story until the end as well as the oldest daughter. But as much as you remember they are just characters in a book, you know that there are people out there that share the views as these close-minded characters. There are moments when I wanted to scream, cry and just throw the book across the room because of certain events that occurred, but I could not turn the book
One complaint many reviewers share is that the characters were all connected in sometimes implausible ways. What are the chances Cruncher would be at the exact right time and place for the funeral? Or that Defarge would find Dr. Manette's letter? What are the chances Lucie and Dr. Manette arrive just in time to save Darnay? But it is hard to criticize these necessary deus ex machina, for they make plot possible. I feel like Lucy was one of the least developed characters. Dickens represents her as an angel, always kind and loving, never complaining. There is very little depth to her character, and she can be interpreted as a symbol of love and peace, not a fleshed out character. However, despite flaws, the book possesses many
There were a lot of characters almost too much but it fits the book and didn’t ruin the plot (whole book). One of the characters the in the book the author described well was Vera Claythorn (3,4,5). It talked about her personality and her previous job as a games mistress (4). She has to take any job she can get to have some extra money. Also, the author does a good job talking about Dr.Armstrong (10,11,12). Even though the suffix gives it away Dr.Armstrong is a doctor. Dr.Armstrong is also pretty wealthy.
Will, the protagonist, was very likable as well. However, his character only evolved for me as a result of Harlen’s unconditional and relentless friendship with him. In short, Will’s character would’ve lacked without the likeness of a Harlen Bigbear. The character naming was also very ingenious. The Oldpersons, Prettywomans, baby South Wing, and others were interesting and clever last names that made the notion of identifying with the characters even more interesting and the reading, fun.
Jack is the youngest and a rising musician. Jeremiah is settled down and happily married with two children. Angel is a lady’s man and former marine. Bobby being the oldest and a hothead. As the movie goes on they find out their suspension were right and that their mother was killed on purpose and the robbery wasn’t random.
The characters, or should I say people, were a big part of the story. For most of them we knew them from the start until the end. I especially liked how they showed both sides of each person, the good
Mia is the stereotypical, good-girl, nerd who is bribed into being Ryder's tutor for a month on the tour. I loved her at first, she was a hardcore fangirl who was determined to hide it so as not to make herself look like a dork - as a hardcore fangirl who has met a few of my favorite authors, I can relate. But, that was where the ability to relate ended. When one thinks of the good girl/nerd, the last thing that comes to mind is someone who is extremely snarky. Now, I don't know if that aspect was done deliberately to try and dispel the stereotypes, but the product was an inconsistent character who was very hard to understand, and therefore relate with. I consider myself somewhat of a nerd, so I usually love reading from the point of view of someone who is a slight know-it-all (Clare from Morganville Vampires), but Mia was not what I would consider a nerd. She was a nerd in one aspect only, and that was her apparent love for studying and the chaste appearance her parents forced upon her - but it seemed at the end of the book she didn't even care about studying anymore. Every single time it was brought up throughout, it felt as if it were only to kill time and space the book did not have. It was a very short read, and I think that those pages of "studying" could have been put to better use to expand upon the relationships of the characters. What about the rest of the band members? The only reason we know anything at all about the rest of the band is because
Now, as for the characters - I loved them. Maas has this ability to make terrifyingly strong main characters that are also completely broken and fragile on the inside. Feyre, Tamlin, Lucien, and Rhsyand are all prime examples of this. Of course, Feyre is human and bound to be fragile when compared to the higher Fae - and she knows it. I love this about her.