A short review of a short book of short stories by a short reviewer

And that short book is:

Cleavage Edited by Deb Loughead and Jocelyn Shipley

Summary (from the back of the book, amazon link here): Stories a girl can get a grip on! A brand new collection of fifteen original stories about girls who challenge convention, and girls who wish they could. These young women make us think about taking pride in wearing our bodies just the way they are.

Hilarious, edgy, comforting, intense, these stories are full spectrum, from the crazy antics around town of a giant 'regina' to bittersweet moments with a mom who has cancer. A pubescent girl longs for breast implants, a teen carries on a tongue-in-cheek correspondence with a glam magazine columnist, a painter's daughter experiences the first awakenings of gay sexuality ... These stories are about holding back and letting loose, about sex and glamour and common sense.

Review (and I'm not quite sure how to review a book of short stories, so please be patient with me as I try it.): Cleavage was quite a cute book, surprising at times in its emotional depth. There was one story in particular that nearly made me cry, but at other times it was funny enough to make me laugh. I wouldn't call it groundbreaking or anything, but it's a good read, and would be great for a younger girl, especially. I probably missed out on really reading this at the right time, but it'd be perfect for a girl thirteen or fourteen or even younger, and it's a great read for anyone, really.

Most of the stories are written in first person, with a few written in third, which I liked. Being a short book, only one hundred and eighty-six pages, all of the stories are pretty short, but they hit the mark each time. Oh, and a rather cool thing is that most of the authors of the stories in the book were Canadian. Not all, but most.

Cover notes: Much like the book, the cover is cute. I'm not sure if you can tell in the picture, but it's not actually yellow, but lime green.

Conclusion: To me, it wasn't extraordinary, and I wouldn't exactly say edgy, but good nonetheless and totally worth reading. Three and a half roses out of five, as it's not groundbreaking or anything but is a very good book.



Sorry it's so short, I didn't know what else to say!
Peace and cookies,
Laina