Hawkes Harbor

I got this at a library book sale and read it in two nights. What an incredibly compelling book and wonderful find. I LOVED IT. I'm pretty sure I fell in love with Jamie Sommers and maybe even Grenville a little bit. Their journey to friendship was a beautiful thing to read. I'll be keeping this as one of my special books instead of passing it on as I normally would.

I had no idea this book would be so compelling. Really took me by surprise - I have never read anything quite like it. Just finished reading it last night and stayed up late to do so. Very interesting and unusual writing style - I was very impressed. A must read. Kathleen Wyatt

This is my favorite book of Hinton's so far. I'm a bit perplexed by the reviews so far. I think people have had some pretty fixed expectations. I've seen vampire story fans here hating this book. That may be why. I was disappointed when I read enough into it to realize it was a vampire story. I was also very confused that Hinton would go that route. I figured maybe she needed some spending money or something. Then it took a sharp right turn and got REALLY good. So, if you want a good read, get this book but don't expect anything going into this. The first two thirds of this book are a vampire story. The vampire is a stereotype vampire, the protagonist is a stereotype warf rat. It's like two completely different cliches mixed. It's weird. Then, the vampire is cured. That's when it gets interesting. It's sick and disturbing in a very realistic, truthful way, all of a sudden. This is when she makes her point. This is when she really starts examining some raw humanity. Don't read this story is you're looking for a vampire story. This story is NOT about vampires. It just has a vampire in it. This book is as much a vampire story as Lunar Park by Bret Ellis was a horror story. In fact, I would only reccomend this book for people who don't particularly enjoy vampire stories and think Ann Rice is a bit too full of herself for no good reason.

S.E. Hinton has been one of my favorite authors since I read The Outsiders in seventh grade and I was SO excited when I found out about Hawkes Harbor. I'm a little too old for her young adult stuff now, but everything that was appealing to me when I read her earlier books is still ever present in Hawkes Harbor. One of the things that I adore about Hinton's novels is how great she develops her characters and by the end of Hawkes Harbor I truly felt like I knew Jamie Sommers and my heart went out to him. Although Hawkes Harbor is just as appealing as Hinton's other works, it is not quite what you would expect! I've never really been a fan of horror or science fiction novels, and I was a little disappointed to find out that Grenville Hawkes was a vampire. That being my only complaint I would definitely give this book an A+. Parts of it were actually laugh out loud funny and parts of it were sad enough to nearly make me cry! If you are a fan of S.E. Hinton's earlier novels, I would definitely recommend this book to you!

I really loved this book. Very character-driven, like Hinton's other books, but an enjoyably tricky narrative and adult adventures added alot. At times humorous, others tragic, the tone of the book changes with the tones of Jamie's life. Dialog was great, especially that between Jamie and Grenville, and Kell Quinn was one of the most vivid characters I've met this year. And unlike other readers, I wasn't offened (or surprised, there are plenty of hints) to find out there was a vampire in the novel. A great character is a great charater.