I really enjoyed this book. I loved that it was filled with so much art work, it was nice reading a book with pictures for a change, since I haven't read a picture since I was really little. Seeing as this book takes place around Christmas/New Year's time, it was a perfect time to read it now. This book was such a quick read and I loved everything, the characters (except for Evan's dad, didn't really like him), the story, Evan and Lucy's relationship, everything was just great. Speaking of Evan and Lucy's relationship, I loved how realistic it was. Neither of them were perfect and their relationship was full of flaws but it was a realistic portrayal. I think more authors can learn a lot about realistic portrayals of relationships from this book. I really liked the character development in this book as well and watching Evan and Lucy grow and finding their own paths. The only thing I wish was different is I wished I knew more about what happened to Lucy in the end when she returned home. I would have like to see what happened with her and her family. Otherwise this was a really great book and I'm really start to warm up to contemporary books, this is only my second contemporary so far but it's good second. ( )

2.5 Stars ( )

Every winter break, Evan's best friend Lucy returns to visit her father. This year is no exception...however, Lucy has changed. Evan struggles to reunite and reconnect with his closest friend, while Lucy struggles to reconcile her behavior while living with her mom in Georgia with who she is around Evan and his family. Nothing earth shattering happens, no zombies are released, no vampires sparkle. The conversations and relationship dynamics between Lucy and Evan shift from friends, to boyfriend and girlfriend and back again.
Lucy's exploits with drugs, boys and homelessness are detailed briefly midway through the novel along with her obvious regret. Evan struggles to become his own person, trying to figure out a way to please his parents and himself. The story takes place primarily during the two weeks of winter break and the author does a masterful job of characterization with Lucy, Evan, Evan's friends and family. In the short amount of time, the characters are developed and fully realized. The author adds a second layer of storytelling by including the comic strips that Evan creates about the imaginary world he and Lucy created when they were kids.
The only disappointment to me was the giant skip to one year later at the end of the novel. So much is left unexplained (spoilers!)...what happened to Lucy during that year? Has she reformed her Georgia life? What made Evan decide to take a year off and move to New York? The author's choice to emphasize Evan and Lucy's lack of communication after this winter break was strange and the ending leaves so much (maybe too much...it's a fine line) open to the imagination and possible sequels, although it really feels like the author was done with these characters far before the novel itself finishes.

Julie K. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

( )

Word Fest

At the risk of sounding like an Apprentice contestant on a book marketing task, the USP of Winter Town has to be its combination of prose and images. Think the opening visuals of Juno, and then go darker, add wry humour and more than a little heart, and leave to soak into your brain grapes for 300 plus pages. Result? Book Love. Emond’s writing style itself is fairly straightforward and unshowy, like a low-key John Green or David Levithan, with all the filmic. music and literary references that you might expect from that particular sub-genre.* Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? Check. Salinger? Check. On prose alone, then, Winter Town, is a good, sweet, clever read. But — and big butts do not lie — Emond’s illustrations are beautiful and/or hilarious and it is these, and their role in the narrative, that make Winter Town a great read. I particularly liked how Lucy and Evan are shown to have different styles, in keeping with their personalities and backgrounds, and the way in which Aelysthia, Evan and Lucy’s made-up world and Evan’s comic strip, mirrors their real life coming of age journey (yes, this maybe the most hokey word in existence but it has a context. Believe me. Actually, don’t stop believing.)

* Not going to label sub-genre as any attempt will be reductive and may negate my very real and abiding love for hyper articulate teenagers who are smarter and cooler than me, and occasionally, and for the good of us all, write and star in musicals.

Wonder Boy?

In real life, I think I would probably make Evan cry, or at least cause him to draw a very chin-heavy caricature of me. The Goodreads blurb name checks Garden State which is apt, since Evan definitely gives off a sensitive, hipsterish Zach Braff, these are my 500-days-of-Summer-how-soon-is-now, vibe. He’s a good guy, perhaps too good. Like in John Green’s Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns, the male protagonist has unfair preconceptions and expectations of his … friend? love interest? other shudder half? that say more about his personality than hers.

Evan: Take off the beanie and then we’ll talk. Briefly.

Despite a slightly sketchy backstory (one dimensional mother and loutish jock boyfriend), Lucy is a more interesting, spikier character. She is arguably more self-aware than Evan, and her section of the book was a welcome reprieve from Evan’s occasionally annoying neurosis (read whining).

Lucy: Wonder Girl but not Evan’s Wonder Girl.

The Terry Crabtree Award for Best Supporting Character


After strong competition from Evan’s zombie filmmaking friends Tim and Marshall, and Marshall’s emotional uber-dad, the winner has to be —cue suspenseful music please — Evan’s sexually supportive Gram!

“Oh, Evan, no one’s judging,” Gram said. “Be young! That’s all I’m saying. You should be proud you have a family so open and who cares about you. You could date a man who’s a different colour and turn your willy into a hoo-hoo for all I care. I’ll love you just the same!” Evan imagined that last part, though it didn’t sound out of place (p. 21-22).

Lady, I’m not the tattoo type but you’ve got yourself a slow clap.

The Love Parade

Once Evan and Lucy enter into boyfriend-girlfriend territory, Emond segues into a nice balance of angst and sweetness. He does not ignore the fact that Evan and Lucy have become very different people, and that in their current situations, are not entirely right for each other. Because I am a grumpy old lady, I would have liked their relationship to remain platonic, or at least less sudden, though I’m sure to be in the minority on that. I did love the creative connection that Evan and Lucy shared, especially the wink to The Bridge of Terabithia in their creation of Aelysthia. Just so you know, what happens in Terabithia does not happen here, okay? Nor will Vada be worrying about Thomas J.’s vision anytime soon. Yeah, I need to work on my vagueness.

Verdict

Whilst I have reservations about the ending (a little too…see title of author’s first novel), Winter Town is an enjoyable story bolstered by truly brilliant illustrations.


( )

I read this a while ago, but I remember thinking it was just okay. Nice artwork though.

See full review here: http://tahleenreads.blogspot.com/2012/01/review-winter-town-by-stephen-emond.htm... ( )