Reminded me a lot of the Wired series by Robin Wasserman except for the stark contrast that Jenna is alone.

This is a really interesting look at what advances are possible in science and it asks serious questions about how far it should go, especially the age old question, should we do things just because we can? It keeps you reading to find out what's going on.

I enjoyed this book. I thought it probably could have been longer. The main character has been in a terrible accident, but can't remember any of it. She has just woken up from her coma, but things are strange and she is trying to figure out what is going on. Interesting idea.

Pretty solid. This was my book group selection, and I certainly enjoyed it. However, it was missing that special something that would have pushed it into being GREAT. Ah well, I'd still recommend it!

Bon voilà, je tenais à parler d'un livre d'un genre encore unique "Jenna Fox, pour toujours".

Le titre peut sembler un peu journal intime d'une fille type Meg Cabot mais c'est un roman formidable et époustouflant.

En voici un court résumé:

Jenna est amnésique après un an passé dans le coma. Elle est chérie par
ses parents, adorée. On lui demande de regarder les cassettes vidéos de
son enfance. Docilement, elle obéit à tout ce qu'on lui dit. Puis, petit
à petit, elle se détache de ses parents, se révolte. Des bribes de
conversations, quelques souvenirs lui reviennent de son ancienne vie.
Tout cela soulève une multitude de questions auxquels ses parents sont
bien embarrassés de répondre.

(je continue en essayant de ne pas trop dévoiler l'intrigue, qui, soit
dit, en passant constitue l'un des points forts du livre).

Puis Jenna découvre plein de choses sur son ancienne vie, découvre les
mystères qui l'entourent. Elle se pose des questions, s'interroge, elle
réapprend à vivre.

Elle comprend qu'on essaye de lui faire avaler des mensonges, on lui
cache une partie de la vérité. Méthodiquement, au fur et à mesure de sa
renaissance, Jenna se redécouvre et questionne ses parents.

Même si c'est un roman de jeunesse, les adultes pourront le lire sans s'ennuyer (enfin j'espère).

C'est un superbe roman qui trempe dans la bioéthique. Pour mieux le
comprendre, il faut savoir que l'auteure Mary E. Pearson a écrit son
roman alors que sa fille était gravement malade, en convalescence. Selon
ses propres dires: "L'idée de ce roman a germé dans mon esprit quand
j'ai appris que ma fille était gravement malade. Je me suis demandée
jusqu'où des parents pouvaient aller pour sauver leur enfant."

Pour l'histoire, la susnommée Jenna Fox apprend les secrets (de famille
et les siens) par éclats, petits bouts, morceaux. Donc vous devrez
prendre votre mal en patience. L'avantage, c'est que cela nous permet
d'élaborer des hypothèses tout aussi farfelues les unes que les autres
sur l'identité de Jenna Fox. Que du suspense, développant notre
imagination.

Le roman (surtout vers le dénouement) est imprégné de questions
d'éthique à propos de la médecine. Il remet notre jugement en cause et
nous permet de méditer sur certains sujets sensibles. Les autres thèmes
abordés, mais en importance moindre, sont l'amour des parents pour leur
fille, l'école (abordée d'une façon très spéciale) et l'Amour
(évidemment!).

Par contre, je déplore le style d'écriture un peu faiblard, peu
recherché (mais qui évolue par la fin). Bref, du vocabulaire basique
(étant que Jenna est amnésique et qu'on est dans sa peau, elle cherche
tout le temps la signification des mots au dictionnaire).

Le livre n'est pas très long et découpé en tout petit chapitres (moins d'une dizaine de pages) afin d'en faciliter la lecture.

Pour les plus jeunes (qui auraient éventuellement du mal à comprendre),
certains chapitres sont entièrement dédiés aux pensées de Jenna. Elle
nous fait part des ses sentiments par rapport à la situation. Cela nous
guide un peu dans notre lecture.

Les dialogues sont assez nombreux (aussi bien intérieurs qu'avec deux
personne physiques). Dans ce livre, chaque mot, phrase, allusion peut
avoir son importance.

A propos du suspense, il n'est que peu souvent tari car l'histoire colporte de nombreux et palpitants rebondissements.

Je salue encore une fois encore l'imagination de Mary E. Pearson.

Le genre du livre est peu anodin, il ne risquera pas trop de vous lasser, on est peu habitués à lire des livres sur ce sujet.

Au début, le démarrage est un peu long, on en a envie d'arrêter de lire
mais la suite en vaut bien la peine. Notamment, le thème de l'amnésie
qui peut sembler facile à développer.

A propos de l'illustration, vous comprendrez à la moitié du livre, le véritable sens du "papillon".

Si je n'ai pas pu vous convaincre, sachez que le livre a obtenu le prix Millespage 2010

Je recommande cette lecture assez originale et intéressante.

This is a really, really good book. In addition to the YA standard issues of authority, expectations, independence, isolation, acceptance, and identity, Pearson weaves in an assortment of less standard questions of ethics, humanity, death, freedom, entitlement, and even idolatry. There are the obligatory parent-child conflicts--though the circumstances and reasons for the conflicts are less conventional--and the equally obligatory adolescent romance. In many ways, the story could be an excellent introduction to science/speculative fiction for those young female readers who prefer standard coming-of-age fodder.

Like most good science fiction, this book asks more questions than it answers. The ending seems a bit tidy; it seemed like many of the questions Jenna struggled with throughout the book were tidily swept away in a hasty epilogue. But then, I'm not sure there was any other way to conclude the story, since the questions are inherently unanswerable--and with young adult fiction, an unresolved ending isn't likely. Ethical conundrums make great problems, but resolutions are hard to come by, unless you're willing to cheat a bit.

And the climax of the story--though well executed--relies on a conflict that rings false. Jenna, as written, seems unlikely to be so torn, so conflicted. Her belated sense of self-preservation is an unconvincing basis for resisting the solution dictated by her own memories and experiences.

Still, it was a compelling read, and Pearson builds the suspense quite effectively, even if many reveals are heavily foreshadowed. The story is filled with conflict, yet villains and heroes are nowhere to be found--it's just a bunch of people in a mess, making decisions the best they know how (which is, I think a much more effective narrative choice than mere good v. evil, at least in this context). Some of those decisions are bad, but the people who make them . . . well, each person (with one small exception) is generally trying to do the right thing. Even if the result turns out to be very, very wrong.

I was particularly struck by Pearson's indictment of child idolatry, and its effect on the child. In the closing interview, she notes that the inspiration for the story came from her own daughters' struggle with cancer, so she is not writing as some distant critic, but as a parent who faced the illness and potential death of the children she loves. Yet notwithstanding her love for her children, Pearson seems quite critical of a parent's willingness to save a child, whatever the cost. Jenna's parents are written with sympathy and sensitivity, but Pearson questions the choices they made, and their almost fanatical love for their daughter. Yet they are not villains. And there are hints that their love for Jenna--and Jenna's perception of it--are not quite as unique as Jenna (and the reader) thought; perhaps the difference lies more in their ability to act on their love than in the love (or idolatry) itself.

Ultimately, there is more here than can be expounded upon in a short(ish) review. Suffice to say, the book is well-written--I found myself wanting very much to know what happened next, and now that I am done reading, I continue to wrestle with the issues raised. The ability to create that kind of suspense and interest in a reader, even after the story is told, is a rare thing indeed. Pearson deserves credit for producing a such thought-provoking read.

The audiobook is particularly well done, as Lamia invests the narrator with a youthful innocence that at times makes Jenna seems younger than her seventeen years. And in many ways, she is. The other characters each have their own distinct voice, without descending into caricature. However, I suspect that the paragraphing and typeface choices in the written version add a good deal to the story, so I will probably try to read the actual book at some point.

I would give this 3 1/2 stars. I liked the story of this girl and her accident and finding her identity. Bio-ethics, the future of medicine, what it means to be human. Very intriguing.

Science fiction at its best. I loved the bio in it, and the questions of morals and ethics.

Not really what I expected but good!

I thought this was a very interesting book. I kind of figured out what was going on beforehand, but am glad everything was explained. I really like Jenna's new friends and how loyal and non-judging they were.

http://dragonflowersandbooks.blogspot.com/2010/11/adoration-of-jenna-fox.html