Mary Pauline LowryRecensioni

This was exactly the novel I needed to turn my brain off for NaNoWriMo.

Oh my goodness, this book is an absolute delight! I lost track of the amount of times I laughed out loud. Normally I struggle with epistolary novels, Mary Pauline Lowry is so skilled at creating vivid characters, and Roxy's voice is totally capable of carrying the story through these (mostly) unsent letters to her ex-boyfriend/roommate.

At the beginning of the book, Roxy is almost a caricature of a millennial hipster, a mostly vegan almost full-time Whole Foods deli-maid with artist's block, struggling to make ends meet to support herself and her dog (Roscoe) and cat (Charlize Theron). In her first letter, Roxy complains:
"I was already in a funk last night that it was summer solstice and I had not gathered with an interesting coven of female friends to celebrate the longest day of the year with a series of elaborate rites. Rather, I'd been moping around in my room, trying to find solace in the poetry of Alice Notley and a pint of vegan ice cream, and wondering why it is I spend so much time home alone."
She's not always successful maintaining her vegan diet or bringing love, friendship, and art into the world, but she sure does try, invoking the goddess Venus, using crystals and tarot to guide her. I feel like I should be annoyed by this, but I find it all too relatable.

It seems like a lot of the reviewers so far have been totally turned off by Roxy's immaturity and selfishness, which does drive a lot of the decisions she makes throughout the novel. But Lowry performs her own bit of magic here in the way Roxy grows by the end. Roxy isn't let off the hook either; she's surrounded by a rich cast of supporting characters, all of whom are complex in their own ways. Even if Roxy brushes it off at the time, her friends and coworkers don't hesitate to call her out for her behavior. If those squicked out readers had stuck around, they would have also witnessed one of the best character arcs I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

There is much to love (or hate) about Roxy, and she has so much to learn. One of my favorite parts of her journey is her horror at the gentrification of Austin, TX. Roxy writes:
"Traffic down to the Hike and Bike Trail was hideous, the skyline full of cranes. I counted seven, each one building another towering upscale downtown condo that will soon be packed full of douchebags arriving from San Francisco and LA. Those D-bags may be in search of authenticity or the real America, but they will each contribute to diluting the essence and soul of this town that means everything to me. Oh how I wish I could do one tiny something to preserve this place that I love!"
Honestly, I GET it. As someone currently living in the fastest growing city in the US, the way Roxy bemoans gentrification is all too relatable. And while I don't picture myself ever going the route she does to try to combat the soulless, corporate spread, there is so much to admire in everything Roxy achieves in the end.

There are so many topics Lowry covers with humor, deftness, and compassion: loneliness, gentrification, addiction, mental illness, feminism, friendship, becoming an actual adult while still holding on the childhood dreams... It's a wild, hilarious, ultimately heartwarming ride. I cannot overstate how dearly I love this book!

(Note: The quotes are all from an uncorrected ARC, so they may change upon publication.)

Books told through letter format can go either way for me. Unfortunately, the narrative combined with this writing style just didn't hold my attention. I also really struggled to connect with the main character because of some of her language choices.

While the summary sounded appealing and quite cute, I ended up finding it over the top and cringe-worthy. It ended up distracted me more than anything else and I had to put this one down after struggling through the first quarter of it. Some of my favorite #bookstagrammers loved this one, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Actual review 3.5⭐ rounded up to 4.

I love a book that makes me laugh and this one made me laugh...A LOT! This is a story told in letter format. Roxy starts by writing a letter to her ex boyfriend turned roommate giving him the rules that he will have to follow if he is going to live with her. And from there the author takes you on a fun hysterical ride!

Such a fun, easy read! A little predictable in spots, but I was able to overlook that, because of how the book was written.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This is a Bridget Jones Diary like story, if Bridget Jones were about 10 years younger, a vegan and lived in the US instead of the UK. Rosy is 28, is completely stalled in her artistic pursuits and works at a dead end job at the local Whole Goods in Austin,TX. A chronically lonely young woman, who is financially challenged, Roxy invites her ex boyfriend,Everett, to stay in her spare room in exchange for rent. She starts writing a diary of sorts in the form of letters to Everett. Initially, many of her letter detail her frustrations with Everett as a roommate. As the story goes on she chronicles her various life struggles and triumphs. At first she does come off as a bit high strung and petty. Things do improve for her over time as she finally learns how to grow up a little bit. For that the story gets better as it goes on. Roxy genuinely blossoms from a floundering child-adult to a strong, well adjusted young woman. At times her trials and tribulations can be quite funny. In general this should appeal to fans of Bridget Jones. Thank you to Netgalley for the copy in an exchange for an honest review.

Roxy is a young Austinite trying to find her way in the world. The book is made up entirely of letters (sent and unsent) to her ex-boyfriend/roommate/ex-roommate/best friend. Through her letters she describes her fears, struggles and the mad cap adventures of her life. Some of these include orgasmic meditation and drag queens. This is book is laugh out loud funny at times but still grounded with real emotion.

bailed at 40% / 3:53:48

I so wanted to like this book. I spent too much time on it, hoping it would get better. I just can't anymore. It's juvenile, shallow, unrealistic, and exceedingly unlikeable.

Full review here: http://girlwellread.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-roxy-letters-by-mary-pauline-lowry.....

The Roxy Letters is an epistolary novel of letters from Roxy, a blocked artist who has rented a spare room to her ex-boyfriend to make ends meet. Of course, it’s epistolary in name only. The vast majority of the letters are never intended to be read and are safely tucked under her period panties in a drawer. Roxy works at Whole Foods in Austin, the original store. So there is no irony in her anger at the LuluLemon gentrifying her neighborhood, displacing her favorite video store.

Much of the story is about her friendships with two other women and less about the men in her life, though they play a role. There is romance, a fling and a crush, a crush that may develop into something more, but the real forces driving the story are her two women friends who both inspire and push her out of the doldrums and artistic block she is suffering.

I enjoyed The Roxy Letters for what it was, a light-hearted contemporary story of a millennial suffering the career doldrums that has snared many millenials. Roxy is a bit hotheaded and impulsive, but she’s equally quick to forgive and to admit it when she is wrong. I liked her. This is perfect quarantine reading, light and frothy and one that will make you smile.

I received an e-galley from The Roxy Letters the publisher through NetGalley.

The Roxy Letters at Simon & Schuster

Mary Pauline Lowry author site.

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2020/04/20/9781982121433/

DNF at 46%

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

The Roxy Letters are about Roxy (obvs). She writes letters to her ex-boyfriend who is also her new-and-now-ex-roommate, and tells him everything that's going on in her life (whether that's her work life, sex life, or just dumb stuff she did during the day). I didn't understand why the letters were being written to Everett in the first place... yes, he doesn't have a cell phone, so she would leave him notes, but these letters were long. They were full of dialogue, so they didn't really feel like letters. When Everett moved out the letters to him continued, although she never gave them to him. It would have made more sense if these letters had been journal entries, since Roxy was basically talking to herself.

Roxy's boss (Dirty Steve) definitely had a filthy mouth. He called her Poxy Roxy (due to the adult chicken pox she contracted), and loved to sling racial slurs at the other deli maids. Like, Señor Slowpoke. It was horrible, yet they easily excused his behavior. He was part of the original store, which was a "different" time, so his actions were tolerated. For a feminist like Roxy, her what-you-know-is-better-than-what-you-don't attitude was very frustrating.

I really didn't like Roxy, so it was hard to feel invested in her story. She was so entitled, and often called her parents to ask for money. She's the one choosing to work at Whole Foods instead of pursuing the artistic career she actually wants. Yes, and ex-boyfriend royally screwed her over, and essentially stole one of her ideas and used it for evil (her words), but that shouldn't have created the three-year rut she's currently in. She claims to be super independent, but she's emotionally and financially dependent on others. She can't even communicate to a guy that she wants him to pay attention to her lady parts, and instead just continues to give. Where was her self-respect? I would not continue to have sex with a guy that only cared about getting himself off.

I also disliked both Annie and Artemis. They weren't very good friends, and often laughed at Roxy's problems. They would give her advice, which mostly felt like Life Instructions, that Roxy would attempt to follow and then fail at spectacularly. Annie was on a mission to save animals in her position at Whole Foods, and Artemis clearly has a lot of secrets she's not willing to share. Her behavior was super shady, but I will admit that she seemed to have a somewhat positive influence on Roxy. At least she got her out of the house.

I wish there had been other perspectives, especially Everett's, since that's who Roxy has decided to spill all of her secrets and stories too. We learn certain things about his character, but everything is through Roxy's point of view. She's biased.

Everything about the Tweakers next door made zero sense. One minute they're claiming they would never hurt her dog and loving on Roscoe through the fence, and the next he's covered in Nicorette gum and devil horns. She called 311 and was told they "had bigger fish to fry," but I feel like that definitely deserved a 911 call. She prayed to Mars to give her a battle strategy, when SHE SHOULD HAVE CALLED THE ACTUAL POLICE. I just could not with this girl.

Basically, this book was a hot mess.

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"The Roxy Letters" is indeed written in epistolary format (meaning it is like a series of letters). I found Roxy to be hilarious and quirky. I enjoyed the format of the book, since the letters were just long enough to be interesting and short enough to keep the plot moving forward. Readers are advised that this book contains profanity and sexual innuendoes and situations.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Dear Everett,

I encourage anyone that gets their hands on this “diary” upon its April 7th release, to refrain from consuming food/drink or placing themselves in a quiet setting while reading.

While this is not a suggested read for those easily offended by colorful language, it IS a total laugh fest for those that don’t mind it at all.

Humor aside, one will find that within these pages is a story of finding ones place in the world, friendships, the many facets of love, mental health awareness, and ultimately the biggest lesson of all…that everyone deserves a chance.

Whether you are a wiener dog lover, whole foods consumer, Lulu lemon wearer, Venus worshiper or anything in between, I can promise that you will fall in love with me.

Happily,

Roxy

p.s. I really should not be compared to Bridget Jones or Bernadette…..I am so much better.

Readers seeking a light-hearted, farcical foray into twenty-something directionless misadventure will find much to enjoy in Mary Pauline Lowry’s epistolary novel, The Roxy Letters. The book consists of a series of one-way notes and letters between the eponymous main character and her ex-boyfriend, Everett. As the book opens, Roxy is reluctantly housing her ex as a temporary tenant to subsidize her meager income as a deli worker at Whole Foods. What begins as an effort to communicate some basic house rules morphs into more of a personal diary that delineates Roxy’s various escapades. An aspiring artist stuck in her own slacker mentality, Roxy’s insecurity and lack of motivation about her identity and future shines through in her writing. When she decides to embark on a crusade to protest the gentrification of Austin (epitomized by the opening of a Lululemon store in her neighborhood), she meets an interesting new friend who inspires her to take more risks in life and love. The Roxy Letters wants to be a more risqué and Americanized version of Bridget Jones’ Diary, and it somewhat succeeds in eliciting the same frantic, cringy tone. The form of the novel becomes a bit cumbersome and forced as the book goes on, however, and it becomes awkward and too expositional. The reader is expected to be tolerant of some extremely far-fetched and contrived scenarios and the repetitious discussion of sexual topics become excessive and tiresome. Lowry does a good job poking fun of young adulthood and the entitlement of progressive liberalism in the 2010s, and The Roxy Letters is certainly a fun read. The conclusion brings all the characters together in a chorus with a well-wrapped happy ending that is a refreshing change from the typical angst seen in some contemporary novels that take themselves too seriously. This book would appeal to fans of romantic and slapstick comedies who don’t mind some explicit sexual content and are prepared to endure some harmlessly unbelievable plotlines.

Thanks to the author, Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss Plus for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.½

[Wildfire] is a story of a young woman trying to escape her past and what is expected of her and finding where she belongs. It is a true coming of age novel of love, loss and discovery. [Mary Pauline Lowry] catches the true feeling of rebellion of the main character Julie as she tries to overcome the pain of her past with the Pikers, a hot shot crew, forest fire fighters who often hike or fly into the heart of fires all through fire season. This book kept me reading and was finished off in a day. It was a very well told story.

I had high hopes for The Earthquake Machine. The author has lead what seemed an unconventionally interesting life, and the premise of a young girl adventure, a girl learning independence and resourcefulness - in a book for young adults not shying away from topics of violence, sexuality, and spirituality - sounded incredibly promising.

Unfortunately, this novel fell dreadfully short of such expectations. The story was disjointed, confusing, and contrived to the point of unbelievability - and wholly inappropriate for the young adult age category of 12 and up. Well, I will say that with a grain of salt. It's slightly more explicit than what I remember of VC Andrews novels, and I may have read those when I was 13 or 14. But you don't find those on YA shelves at the bookstores. (For the record, Flowers in the Attic is a very deceptive title. I think I thought I was reading Flowers for Algernon or something classic. I was not.)

I am obligated to warn that this review will be replete with spoilers, as it is the only way I can offer the problems I had with story and the subject matter's presentation. Since I definitely do not recommend reading this book, I do recommend reading this synopsis, if you would like to know exactly why you shouldn't read it. This is going to be long. But I must share my pain.

To start, the book treats bipolarism as if it should not be treated with drugs. The first chapter sets us up: Rhonda's home life is boring and torturous - her pharmacist dad is drugging up her "crazy" mother - who it is implied is bipolar - without a proper doctor's prescription, which, yes, is bad, but we are offered no explanation as to why she wouldn't just see a proper psychiatrist. The drugs "flatten" her mother; Rhonda is convinced her mother would be much better without them, in her natural crazy state, it is assumed. This theme of not treating bipolarism is alluded to throughout the book.

Within the first 5 pages, Rhonda is masturbating in the bath, with her head underwater, assumedly having discovered autoerotic asphyxiation at the ripe old age of 14 ("the dizziness from not breathing made the colors brighter"). This is Rhonda who still maintains a boyish figure, and has not developed at all yet, nor started her period. But apparently she has been compelled to figure out the complicated female orgasm before her hormones have even kicked in, along with breath play. Oh, and her mother walks in on her and thinks she's drowning and flips out. Enter: shame, and self-blame for what follows. Really?

Rhonda has one real friend named Jesús, the family's gardener, who is an undocumented worker from Mexico. She has learned fluent Spanish - so fluent that she sounds "just like a Mexican" - simply by listening to him.After Rhonda's mom goes off the deep end, spurred by Rhonda's sexually precocious autoerotic asphyxiation episode, Jesús paints the bottoms of all the trees white. (These events are unrelated.) The neighbors get upset and retaliate by having him deported. And he is sent back to Mexico. Immediately. Because it's that fast and easy. He goes back to living with his mom. Being deported is that inconsequential.

Rhonda overhears her quietly evil father get a gun out of the closet, load it, and lay it on the desk, telling her mother to "do the right thing." Her mother then blows her head off. Rhonda gives us a lovely (read: unnecessarily graphic) description of the inside of her mother's head, as well as the brain matter on the wall. (We are still in the first chapter.) Neither she nor her father have much of an emotional reaction to this incident.

Next Rhonda is set to go on a father/daughter float trip in Big Bend National Park with two of her girlfriends from school. Her father predictably bails at the last second to hang out with his pharmacist mistress. Rhonda goes along anyway. While everyone is asleep, Rhonda approaches the guide with silver in his hair, motions for him to open his knees, and cuddles in between his legs with her back to him. Because that's completely natural. (No, seriously. This is presented as totally normal, acceptable behavior on 14-year-old Rhonda's part, Rhonda who has been described as quiet, thoughtful and bookish.) Then, of course, the dude can't help but feel her... down her pants, and she immediately has "the Feeling." She runs back to her tent. There is much inner talk of her wanting to stab him in the eye with her knife, or hoping he will have sex with her.

Now, I was lucky enough to have not been molested as a child, so I cannot speak to the normalcy of these feelings and do not pretend that I can. However, the book seems completely uncommitted to whether this was molestation or just a normal, totally okay sexual encounter for a 14-year-old to have with some dude that's three times her age. Maybe mid 30s and prematurely greying. But still. Wholly inappropriate, though not made to be so in the book.

The next day she decides she is suicidal and so falls off the raft to try to drown herself in the Rio Grande. (In Texas. In Big Bend. Is it ever deep enough for that to happen there? I didn't think so, but I'm no expert.) Mansk the molester morphs into savior, jumps in the water and rescues her. That night at camp Rhonda waits for everyone to go to sleep, and approaches the molester to solicit him for sex (" 'I want you to do it to me.' "). He laughs at her and says no way, that she's nuts. Rhonda is crushed and violently enraged by this rejection. More talk of stabbing him in the eye and other violence. Instead, she decides to run away to Mexico in the middle of the night to find Jesús, her only friend, who lives in Oaxaca (that's way south in Mexico, btw - and pronounced Wahackah - just fyi).

So she steals some money from one of the dads, who is also less than a stellar human being, surprise surprise, packs some food and clothes in her bag, walks down the river a little way, decides she should strip naked and pack her clothes in her bag too, to prevent them from getting wet, the Rio Grande being so very deep, floats down the deep river with a current, (is my dubiousness coming through loud and clear?) (in)conveniently has to let go of her pack with the clothes because she doesn't have enough energy to swim to the other side after floating for so long downstream (don't worry; she's conveniently tucked the money into her hair) and has to emerge from the river stark naked (REBIRTH!!), with just her sandals (those she left on, it being so easy to swim with shoes) , IN THE MEXICAN DESERT. She then... survives! She doesn't even get thirsty, she survives so fast. Conveniently, she finds some guy sleeping with a pack of burrows, hops on one, and within half an hour she's found a border town! How lucky! And no one molests or kills or even looks with unsavory eyes at the naked gringa. Totally believable, right?

So I think I'm just through chapter 2 by now. You can read the rest, after all, if you stop here! But I wouldn't recommend it. It doesn't get any better, and just gets more contrived and farfetched after that. Since you're probably not going to read, the highlights: After dressing as a boy, renaming herself Angel, tripping on peyote, taking a bus in the wrong direction than getting out in the middle of the night in the middle of a jungle, starving herself to keep her boyish figure, escaping a bandit-boy circle jerk in the jungle, tricking a smarmy artist dude and his carpenter wife (how offensive, the Mexicans think, a woman wants to be a carpenter?) into driving her to Mexico city, getting abducted by female banditas dressed as men (they weren't taken seriously as bandits dressed as women), having the smarmy dude's pin word come to her from the Virgin Mary (SLIT), bailing one of the banditas out of jail, and taking a taxi to the town where Jesús lives, she finds Jesús and starts living with him and his mom.

But he won't teach her how to carve alibrijes, as he'd promised, on the other side (of the river/border): men carve; women paint. That's only, it turns out, because his mom is old and not so good with the painting anymore. So Rhonda learns to cook and paint, befriends an elderly American woman in the neighborhood, reads a book about an old fashioned vibrator - great for curing hysteria, finds an old-fashioned vibrator ("the earthquake machine" - yup, this young adult novel is named after a vibrator), has "the Feeling" and feels less hysterical (because, you know, nothing cures an overly depressed or emotional woman/girl like a good lay... or orgasm... and this is definitely a message we want to give to young, impressionable girls), shares it with the neighbor elderly lady and watches her use it (um, what?), then travels with Jesús and his mama to Mexico City to sell their alibrijes. There, Jesús and the mom are crushed in the hotel after a massive earthquake, forcing Rhonda to return to Texas. Rhonda is devastated and angry and wants to grind away her pain. No really. With her hips. Because she's still totally and completely obsessed with sex and The Feeling.

On the way back home, she easily finds Mansk the molester, determined to stab him, or something vicious, but instead they have some violent, bloody but totally consensual sex (she's 15 now, so, very mature and in control), and then part ways. She bribes her dad into supporting her and her education while going to live with her fun-loving godmother. The end.

I've spent way too much time summarizing, but I didn't know how to explain my criticism otherwise, and I haven't even begun to explain how put off I was by this book. The feminist message is so weird and skewed and misguided and unabashedly in your face that it's completely lost in the preposterous ridiculousness of the story. I can see what the author was trying to accomplish; but the novel utterly fails on that point, especially with the violence with which sex is presented. I strongly believe girls can have non-harlequin, non-crazy-violent adventures that actually explore maturing and independence in a healthy way. This is just not that story.

I am not the last word - most reviews I found out there were gushing and raving about how fantastic this book is, or at worst lukewarm on the subject. Goodreads, normally a good like-ability barometer for me, averages the ratings at a 3.8. I am the sole 1 star, and I rarely rate books 1 star. Lowry herself seems like a really interesting and lovely lady; I just did not enjoy her book, nor do I think it's remotely appropriate for younger audiences. She kindly provided the book to me in exchange for my honest review. I hope I wasn't too harsh.

Some disclaimers about myself to help you decide whether or not my opinion or where I'm coming from might jive with your own tastes:
- I was raised Catholic, and attended Catholic school from kindergarden to 8th grade.
- I am no longer Catholic; have not been since I was a teenager.
- I do volunteer work with victims of sexual violence on a regular basis.
These factors may come into play more for myself than others when judging the violent nature of sexuality's portrayal in the book.

Rhonda lives a privileged, but very unhappy, life as a teenager in a home with two parents who have a chasm between them. Her father is thoughtless and self-absorbed, her mother teetering on the brink of insanity. After tragedy strikes, Rhonda throws herself into the Rio Grande and emerges in Mexico as a Mexican boy named Angel.

I really wanted to like this book. I really liked the author, aspects of the synopsis really intrigued me, and therefore I really wanted to love this story. But I just didn't.

Rhonda seemed totally unstable and all over the place-- not strong, as I thought she was supposed to be. She just seemed crazy, one second sounding like a murdering fanatic, and the next sounding like a forlorn lovesick teen. Later it appears that she hates her own "impending womanhood", and is simply seeking a way to escape her doom.

Then at about 40 pages in, the story took a really strange twist and became like a psychedelic ride. Soon after peyote enters the picture and things get really weird. The story maintains this very over-the-top and maniacal feel up to the town of Arrazola, like a three day peyote trip and vision quest. Once Arrazola is found, suddenly Rhonda is reborn again as a girl and a quiet peacefulness settles in.

Much of the story was disjointed and fragmented. Often ideas were linked together in a weird way and didn't flow fluidly, leaving it feeling clunky and awkward. And the story was rampant with sexuality. Sex was a big focus of fascination and confusion for Rhonda/Angel. It was definitely too sexualized for the younger YA crowd, and parents should consider it strictly NC-17.

Not all of it was bad. There were moments I loved her descriptive writing. But for the most part I found it just...uncomfortable.

My final word: So I wanted to be wowed by this story, and in the end I was left simply "blah". Not bad, not good. Just...eh. But many others are giving it quite good reviews, so perhaps it was just a poor fit for me, and maybe it would be the perfect fit for you!

The book will appeal to some readers, however it just wasn't for me. At all. And the synopsis doesn't really represent what this book is focused on. I was expecting a girl's adventure novel, full of challenges both physically and emotionally. That is not what The Earthquake Machine gives its reader, and I'm finding it really hard to figure out what I want to say about it.

There are positives to the book. Lowry obviously has a wonderful descriptive writing style. She brings to life the setting and really gives the reader an amazing view of Mexico.

That said, I felt really uncomfortable reading a lot of the book, and I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable if I knew my teenage niece was reading this book. I'm no prude, and I have no problem with sex, drugs, crude language, and violence in YA novels. They are real parts of many teens' lives. But there is such a focus on detailing the sexual aspects in this book, and combined with the crude language it just felt out of place. I'm not really interested reading a detailed account of a young girl figuring out how to masturbate (on p.5), or finding an 'earthquake machine' that will help her along.

There were so many events that I just didn't buy, because they seemed so unbelievable, especially when they are all combined together. And even those that were believable took a turn into the bizarre, including her obsessive love/hate for a much older man (aka pedophile). I just didn't buy it or most of the other things that happened.

This almost felt like a tirade against all the men in Rhonda's life, and that the whole book was her journey to finding a sexual identity. All of which is fine if I could have only believed that these things could have happened. There were a lot of aspects of a coming-of-age story, but I just don't think it is a YA novel. For a journey of self discovery, The Earthquake machine just left me with a sour taste in my mouth and the feeling that 10 years down the road Rhonda is going to be a bitter, man-bashing, single woman who blames everything wrong with her life on the men around her.

Originally posted on Little Book Owl

This was a very hard review to write - I feel very conflicted. The Earthquake Machine was a good book, and I see why others would enjoy it but for me personally... It just wasn't my kind of book.

I have always been a little turned off by books that are heavily influenced by religion - I have no issues with any religion and I have nothing against it, but it’s the atmosphere and context of the book which just doesn't entertain me as much as some other books.

The writing style was very different. I had trouble understanding some scenes, particularly towards the start of the book, and got easily confused. Aside from that, however, the writing style was interesting, descriptive and unique. It was so raw and honest, and very confrontational. The themes in this book are very heavy and dark and the scenes that address these issues are very descriptive and in some cases gruesome. This can be a little off-putting, but it contributes to the serious tone of the book.

The dialogue got a little confusing as well, with so many Spanish phrases. I don't speak any Spanish so I often had to look up the translations if I couldn't guess what it meant.

Rhonda was a very strong character with a lot of courage. She is very admirable, in being brave enough to confront her conflicted feelings with herself and her body head on, and make sacrifices and changes in order to achieve happiness. The journey she embarks on is very spontaneous and risky, yet I completely understand her reasoning. Her life back home was no where near happy or pleasant.

I really respect Mary Pauline Lowry and her writing on the serious topics of sexual awakening alongside so much tragedy and pain. Although this book didn't quite work with me, I definitely think everyone should give it a try.

This book, let me start off by saying is one that will leave a lasting impact on you. I know when I finished this book and walked away from it, all I could think about was this book.

When I fist saw this book, the over fascinated me. I thought in its own special way it was kind of trippy. I know it may sound weird but it's a good kid of trippiness.

Rhonda is the type of girl who is willing to risk anything to achieve what she sets her mind to. She is also crazy in the way she approached finding Jesus. However, a person would do crazy things to get whatever they have their mind set to done.

This book is not all excitement and it will bring some tears to you. So make sure that yuo have those tissues at hand.

Overall this book is one that tell the sexual coming of age for a teenage girl. This one book is one that I probably won't forget in a while.

I give this book 4 souls!

I have really mixed feelings about this book. On one hand I loved it. It is an interesting coming-of-age tale that is well-written, has sympathetic characters, and is honest and unapologetic in its portrayal of life and people. I enjoyed the author's ability to create the two startlingly different worlds of Mexico and the United States. I appreciated Rhonda figuring things out gradually, making mistakes and only after a time realizing where and how she erred or failed to see a more logical course of action. I liked that Rhonda's search for Jesús and her crossing the Rio Grande played both literal and metaphorical roles in the shaping of her identity. I was glad to see that the author detailed events that were significant for the story and glossed over the parts that didn't have any important developments or where Rhonda was too single-minded in her purpose to really pay attention to her surroundings. Even the predictability of the ending didn't spoil the experience for me and I smiled through much of the last chapter.
Sounds pretty perfect, right? Not quite, and it took me a while to figure out what it was exactly that was bothering me. Finally I decided that everything being about sex at the end of the day combined with the fact that the protagonist is only 14 years old rubbed me the wrong way. May be I'm naive and had a more sheltered adolescence than I realized, maybe that's how it is for a lot of teenagers, especially those who don't grow up in happy families and look for the affection and warmth of a loving relationship in all the wrong places, but the lascivious comments, the boldness of advances, the graphic descriptions of encounters made me uncomfortable. Rhonda is only 14 through most of the book, turning 15 towards the end, and yet the adults around her act as if she is one of them and even her own thoughts and actions seemed at times more fitting for an older young woman. Then again, none of the events rang false, none were hard to believe in the context of the novel, so my discomfort is not due to the author's inability to convince me but rather in her ability to convince me all too well.
I would recommend this novel to any reader who enjoys books about growing up, adventure and serious soul-searching. Just bear in mind, there are adult scenes and some pretty uncomfortable subjects.

Rhonda has a tough life. He father owns a big pharmacy and brings home drugs to keep her mother mellow. He only friend is Jesus, the Mexican gardener. When he paints the trees, the homeowners association rallies together and calls INS and has him deported. This along with other things sets Rhonda’s mom off. Her father doesn’t help matters when he challenges her to do the right thing for Rhonda.

Rhonda is asked on a father/daughter vacation with her friends. Other stuff happens on the camping trip, which makes her feel hurt and alone. She decides to cross the Rio Grande and find Jesus. She believes that if she finds her Jesus, then everything will be put right.

The story follows her as she looses everything, decides to reinvent herself, and meets a variety of people that help her on her way. These different encounters and events help her to fill the dark hole in her and help her to mature. I don’t want to go too much into the story and give away what happens.

I liked this book. I admit that it was a little hard to get into. But after the first fifty pages, I started getting sucked into Rhonda/Angels adventure. It is a heart-breaking journey that she goes on. There is everything from starvation, drug use, robbery, and rage amount a few things that happen. I felt so bad for Rhonda and came to accept her ask Angel.

I loved the ending. This poor girl that had so much happen to her but she uses it to grow into a strong young woman. This is a must read book. I admit that I’m not one that usually picks up stories like this. Step out of your comfort zone and read this book!

I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The teen years are a time of awakening for everyone. Each of us has our own set of circumstances, our own awakening. It is a time of leaving behind childhood, that which was created for you, and evolving into your own self.

The teen years are a time of making choices toward your future, by the steps you take. Consequences begin to have meaning. It is also a time when you become aware of the choices others are making, and the consequences they face, as well.

The Earthquake Machine takes us on Rhonda’s journey to herself. She is a fourteen year old girl coming into herself. She is becoming aware of life around her, and her place in it.

Rhonda sees her mentally ill mother with serious issues. Rhonda’s father deals with these issues by keeping her mother heavily medicated. Obviously neither parent is there for Rhonda. The person she feels closest to is the family gardener, Jesus. When he is deported back to his native Mexico, it affects Rhonda deeply.

Suddenly, Rhonda is on a mission to find Jesus. She makes choices about herself, her life, and takes steps to change things. Rhonda takes off on a journey across the border and into Mexico to find her friend. This forces her to change her identity to a male, to ensure her safety as she travels across the Mexican desert on the back of a burro.

This adventurous young adult novel deals with serious and immediate issues. Mary Pauline Lowry bravely writes of gender and sexism, as well as the cultural differences between the United States and Mexico. She has written a bold and important coming of age novel. I look forward to reading more from this insightful author.

This was the sort of book that after I finished, I had to walk away from for a little while. It’s themes and topics are hard hitting at first, but it’s after you walk away that you start really thinking about what was really going on. You remember scenes and conversations from the book long after you’ve stopped reading it and you try to figure out what the hell you think about it. Not only did the author’s personal story inspire me, but her self-publishing story did as well. I had high expectations for this book and I can tell you that it did not disappoint. On the author’s website, there is a disclaimer,

“Mary’s agent didn’t want to send out The Earthquake Machine to editors. The book was perhaps too edgy. Editors would be afraid to take a chance on such a wild ride. And so Mary decided to give readers a chance to find her.”

There are so many things to say about this disclaimer. First…how courageous is she? To be able to understand how different your book is from mainstream fiction and to take a chance on readers finding the book is inspiring. I love that she does not want to conform to what is mainstream or politically correct. And the disclaimer is absolutely true. This book is extremely edgy and I could see many people not understanding how to take this book in or appreciate what Lowry has written. I appreciate that Lowry decided to go a different route with this novel and I’m extremely grateful it fell into my hands.

The Good: The Earthquake Machine is a dirty novel. Really, I’m not lying. It’s dirty in the sense that it gets into your skin, deep down inside, scrubs all the clean out of you and then replaces everything with grit and dirt. Lowry strips away all conventions in this novel. Rhonda is not your typical girl nor will she ever be. It is so difficult to describe her as a character because by the end of the novel I grew to love her, but I was also so confused and appalled by her at points. This novel is about MANY things but a sexual awakening is very much a huge part of this novel. It’s something not a lot of people are comfortable with and this novel does NOT shy away from it. Lowry is unabashedly honest in her portrayal of the way some females discover who they are sexually, mentally and physically. Rhonda goes through an incredible transformation that includes actually living life successfully pretending to be a boy for a while. She cuts her hair, changes to her name to Angel and sets out on an adventure that very rarely exists for anyone, let alone a young teenager. Rhonda/Angel questions everything and I love that about her, especially in terms of religion. She doesn’t deny that it exists for some, but she doesn’t quite agree that it is all that it’s cracked up to be. Her strength and adversity inspire me and her discovery of who she is had me rooting for her the entire time. I think the thing I loved most about this book was the amount of Spanish and Hispanic culture that rippled through. I LOVE the Spanish language and I love Hispanic culture and this book had the perfect amount of Spanish and English within.

The Bad: I noticed on a couple of other reviews, many people felt the same way as I did about the cover. It’s not that it’s a terrible cover…. it’s just that the book is so heavy and so amazing, this cover does not do it justice. I understand why it IS the cover but I speaking from not only a reviewer’s point of view but just a wandering reader, I would not have picked this book up based on the cover. If I hadn’t of received this book for review, I probably wouldn’t have given it a second glance. While terrible and sad, it is unfortunately the sad truth about books. They DO get judge based on their covers and self-publishing authors need to realize that will end up being a HUGE determinate of their sales. When a cover looks and feels professional, people are drawn to it and will feel that the inside of the book will match the outside (which it should!) Other than that, the only other negative I have for the book is that some parts felt a little long winded, like they could have been cut down or cut out a bit.

Overall, I thought this book was a knockout and a truly amazing reading experience. One of the deepest, heaviest books I have read in quite a while. I give it an A!

**I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review. All the opinions are my own and I was not obligated to write a favorable review.

As life gets more and more intolerable, Rhonda is left with the feeling there are only two options left - to kill herself or to escape to Mexico and find Jesus. Her choice is to head out on her own and try to find a man named Jesus in Oaxaca State, Mexico. Masquerading as a Mexican boy named Angel, Rhonda crosses Mexico alone in a sort of vision quest.

This book reminded me somewhat of Judy Blume's Are You there God, it's Me Margaret in that there is a lot of very frank discussion about little girls changing into young women; sexual growth and exploration; and some rather uncomfortable child abuse disguised as exploration. These things together caused some rather uncomfortable moments for me as a reader.

Mary Lowry is a wonderful writer. Her story flows well and Rhonda reads as a very real fourteen-year old. The circumstances she finds herself in are unbelievable and, on some level, humorous. The ending of the story was supremely satisfying. I was thrilled that it didn't end the way I thought it would - and that is all I will say about that.

I am of two minds about The Earthquake Machine. One the one mind - it is a well written novel with well developed characters and an earthy, honest feel. On the other mind - much of the content made me uncomfortable. If you are less of a prude than I am, you might really enjoy Ms. Lowry's book.

Author's guest post at my blog:
http://bookfare.blogspot.com/2012/04/please-welcome-guest-mary-lowry-author.html