≫ Download Gratis Strings Attached Judy Blundell 9780545221269 Books

Strings Attached Judy Blundell 9780545221269 Books

Download As PDF : Strings Attached Judy Blundell 9780545221269 Books

Strings Attached Judy Blundell 9780545221269 Books

I was captivated by the powerful characters and surprised as the story unfolded. The descriptions are so rich in detail so that I was easily able to picture everything that took place. This book was a great read from start to finish.


Tags : Strings Attached [Judy Blundell] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <DIV>From National Book Award winner Judy Blundell, the tale of a sixteen-year-old girl caught in a mix of love, mystery,Judy Blundell,Strings Attached,Scholastic Press,0545221269,Historical - United States - 20th Century,Mysteries & Detective Stories,Dance,Dance;Fiction.,Dysfunctional families,Family problems,Family problems;Fiction.,Gangsters,High school dropouts,High school dropouts;Fiction.,Italian Americans,Murder,New York (N.Y.) - History - 1898-1951,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12),Crime & mystery fiction (Children's Teenage),Fiction,Historical Fiction (Young Adult),JUVENILE FICTION Family Parents,JUVENILE FICTION Historical United States 20th Century,JUVENILE FICTION Law & Crime,Juvenile FictionHistorical - United States - 20th Century,Law & Crime,Mysteries (Young Adult),YOUNG ADULT FICTION,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Historical United States 20th Century,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Mysteries & Detective Stories

Strings Attached Judy Blundell 9780545221269 Books Reviews

This was a fascinating look at New York in 1950 through the eyes of 17-year-old Kit Corrigan. Kit is the youngest of the Corrigan Three - triplets whose mother died at their birth. They were raised by her father Jimmy and her Aunt Delia. Their father made them public celebrities just because they were triplets. They got product endorsements and appeared at county fairs and other public celebrations. It was a way for the family to make money during the Depression but life was still hard. Kit embraced the performing life and is determined to become a Broadway star.

At first when I began the story, I thought that I had missed a previous book. There were so many allusions to previous events. As I kept reading, I discovered that there were numerous flashbacks in the book that helped me fill in the blanks. It did make the start of the book confusing and difficult for me. Once I got past them and started getting the big picture, I enjoyed the book much more.

The story is both a coming-of-age story and a story that does include, as the product description says, deceit, intrigue, and murder. Kit gradually learns family secrets that had been concealed from her all her life. She also gradually becomes involved with the Mob through her connection with Nate Benedict. It all starts with asking for and taking favors.

The Corrigans and the Benedicts have been involved since before the Corrigan Three were born. Jimmy, Delia, and Nate Benedict had been friends during Prohibition when they were bootlegging and running alcohol down from Canada. Delia and Nate had a romance but didn't marry because Nate wasn't going to go straight. They separated and their lives took much different paths. Nate became a successful lawyer who worked for organized crime. Jimmy, Delia and the kids lived a difficult, hand-to-mouth life.

Their lives entwined when Nate saves Delia from a hurricane. Their lives entwined again when Kit meets Billy who is Nate's son and they fall in love. But Billy has secrets of his own, anger issues and is jealous of Kit's other friends. When they fight, Billy runs off to join the Army and Kit runs to New York to start her search for stardom.

This was a complex but entertaining book filled with memorable characters and interesting situations. Readers who enjoy historical fiction would enjoy this one.
An interesting story which, as with some YA novels, I wish had actually been written instead as adult fiction so the author didn't have to pull any punches when talking about sex, violence or relationships. At the heart of it 'Strings Attached' is a pretty juicy noir-ish tale rooted in some beautifully researched tales about America during and after the war, but I think ultimately the author herself had too many strings she was attempting to weave together, and things got messy. The occasional devolution into a deus ex machina plot point or a convenient twist did nothing for the intriguing cast of characters. Also the element which utterly fascinated me - spoilers - the possible sexual relationship between the protagonist's brother and her boyfriend - was barely given the time of day, since of course it wasn't their story, but every time I came across even the vaguest mention of it I wanted the entire book to be about them instead. That would make for some fascinating reading.

Also heinous art direction on the cover. How hard is it to style a pretty girl into a 1950s costume and put up a decent-looking title? I'd probably buy this book on the cover alone if it looked early-Mad Men enough.
It's been a long time since I read Judy Blundell's first YA, WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED, but I think I preferred her debut. At least, my love for her debut novel is what made me want to read STRINGS ATTACHED in the first place. It's not that STRINGS ATTACHED is awful because it isn't. It just didn't strike me as much as WISAHIL.

Seventeen-year-old Kit Corrigan has moved to New York City, hoping to make it on Broadway. Instead, all she finds is a part as a chorus girl in a lousy, off-off-Broadway show. Until she runs into Nate Benedict, the father of her boyfriend and a lawyer with mob associations. He offers her an apartment and helps her get in a job dancing in a popular nightclub. In exchange, all she has to do is keep him updated on his son and occasionally do him small favors, like passing on a suitcase or passing on information about the nightclub's patrons. Kit's in a dangerous place, and she doesn't know how to get herself out.

Here's the thing about STRINGS ATTACHED. None of the characters are particularly likable. Take Kit. I really want to like her because she's not like a lot of female YA protagonists. She's not a Mary Sue; she's not a good student, she's not clumsy, and she's not overly dependent on a guy that she fell in love at first sight with. Kit's stubborn and has some spunk, but unfortunately, she's also an idiot. She seems like the kind of girl who would have a good head on her shoulders, between her spunk and her growing up in a poor neighborhood and her determination to make it in New York City, but she makes the decision to accept Nate Benedict's help, despite feeling that it's not the best idea. In addition, she's in an emotionally abusive relationship. Billy, her boyfriend and Nate's son, is a jerk. Sure, he had a challenging childhood and is under a lot of pressure from his father, but he's irrationally jealous. He's determined to make Kit into his enemy; he doesn't trust her at all, and yet Kit doesn't walk away. For a girl who seems like she could make it on her own, she has trouble standing up for herself when it really counts, and it's frustrating to read. She should be such a strong female character, and she isn't.

I think there's also perhaps too many things going on in this novel. It jumps back and forth in time, between Kit's life in New York City in November 1950 and events going back to her childhood. The jumps don't always seem to follow a logical pattern, and it means that a good portion of the book is not about Kit's current situation. Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of flashbacks, but the bigger problem is that a lot is going on for Kit in November 1950. She's working and dealing with being Nate Benedict's informant (possibly). She's wondering just what exactly is going on with Billy and if she should marry him. She's making friend with the neighbor's boy, whose parents are out-of-work teachers and suspected Communists. There are a lot of potentially interesting threads, but none of them really take off. None of them are developed enough to make a really interesting, compelling story. The ending is underwhelming and somewhat random as well, and since I didn't care about any of the characters, I was all very "whatever", and this isn't the kind of book that should have such a dull ending. It should be a novel filled with intrigue, and it isn't. It's just passably interesting.

I do like Blundell's writing, though; it's a quick read, and I do like the setting. There's not much YA set in the fifties, and I think Blundell does a good job at capturing the feeling of New York City after World War II. A lot of times, historical fiction doesn't feel authentic, but Blundell's does, so if you're a fan of historical fiction, this might be worth checking out.
this was an absolutely amazing book!!! im so glad i got it ... i couldnt put it down!! thanks for the great price, too!!
I was captivated by the powerful characters and surprised as the story unfolded. The descriptions are so rich in detail so that I was easily able to picture everything that took place. This book was a great read from start to finish.