The Pursuit of Happiness

Betsy knows that the surest social suicide is a summer job at the colonial village. Yet there she is. And who should be her co-worker but Liza Henske, the biggest freak at school. True, she has to remove all her piercings and cover her tattoos for work, but regardless, she doesn't want to work with her. Luckily, James, another boy who works at the village, is pretty cute. Then Betsy's mother dies, and things like social status and boys start to matter a lot less. She realizes that Liza isn't such a freak when you get to know her, and that the village is a great escape from her broken family and suddenly disappeared "friends." James starts making her wooden sculptures, and that inspires Betsy to take up her own artistic pursuits. If there ever seemed a time to pursue happiness, instead of letting it come to her, this is it. Altebrando's incredibly realistic writing style allows you to feel Betsy's every emotion -- embarrassment, sadness, drunkenness, hopefulness. Betsy, Liza, James, and the rest of the characters will soon seem like your best friends, and you'll want to finish this in one sittin. Who knows, when you're done, the novel may even inspire you to go out and pursue your own happiness.

this was an amazing book from start to end. the story and characters were so real and interesting and i didn't want it to end.

According to the book On Death and Dying by Elsabeth Kubler-Ross, the five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. If you ask Betsy Irving, though, Elsabeth got it all wrong. The five stages of grief are really agitation, intoxication, experimentation, resignation, and reinvigoration. Betsy's known for awhile that her mother is going to die. After all, with the type of breast cancer that her mother has, and the late stage that it's in, there's not a lot that can be done. But it's still a shock that hot, sticky Thursday in June when she leaves work at the Morrisville Historic Village early when her Aunt Patty and Uncle Jim show up to escort her home. Now her mother is gone, the funeral is over, the well-meaning guests have left, and it's just Betsy, her dad, and her younger brother, Ben, taking up space in the huge white Victorian house that they call home. In the beginning, Betsy's friends have only her best interests at heart, and her first real boyfriend, Brandon, tries to be there for her, but Betsy still feels as if nothing in her life is working out as planned. And when said friends seem to disappear off the face of the earth, and Brandon turns out not to be the great boyfriend she had hoped for when he dumps her, things in Betsy's life get even more off-kilter. As if it wasn't bad enough that she's spending the summer working at the Village (which she knows was a trick devised by her history-loving, professor father), dressed in stifling Early American clothes and demonstrating cornbread making to eager tourists, now she has to do it alone, without any real friends or a supportive boyfriend--and in the presence of Liza Henske, whose Goth Girl shield isn't allowed at the Village. It's amazing, though, what a new sort-of friend like Liza can teach a girl who just wants to get away form it all. And when James, the Village carpenter who will soon be leaving for Princeton, begins to comfort her with his soft-spoken words and small carvings, Betsy starts to learn that no matter what the actual stages of grief are, she just might be able to survive them after all. THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS is a poignant, heartfelt novel. It's one of the best books I've read dealing with grief, with dialogue that never seems out of place or too cheesy. Ms. Altebrando has written a stunning debut novel that will leave you thinking about the story of Betsy and her family and friends long after you've finished the book.

I found that this book was absolutley relatable in almost every aspect of the main character and plot. Everyone has lost someone close to them, has had some type of confusing love interest, and has made friends with someone initially thought unlikely. The dialogue is very "real" and the characters are just as enchanting. Though it's a fairly quick read, Tara makes every page enjoyable. The book definitely reminds me of Sarah Dessen's writing, but Tara has obviously made her own independent voice. I highly recommend it to any young adult.

In this dramatic and engaging story, a teenage girl named Betsy is grief-stricken when her mother loses her battle with cancer. Though Betsy typically gets along well with her younger brother and father, her mother's death causes the family members to pull apart quietly, each dealing with the loss in his or her own way. Summer has a lot of other changes in store for Betsy. Her boyfriend dumps her shortly after her mother's funeral. Her best friend Mary may not be her best friend any longer. Her job at the colonial village, where she has to dress up and play the part of the dutiful daughter, becomes more intriguing due to her co-workers Liza (complete with piercings and a bad reputation) and James (apprentice by day, surfer by night). She also finds herself with a new hobby: cutting silhouettes out of paper. As Betsy struggles with the five stages of grief, she occasionally falters, then later regrets what she said or did. Altebrando infuses her main character with a strong spirit. Betsy never stops trying to get back on her feet, and readers will cheer her on. This book moves along at a steady pace, with a first-person narrative enabling the reader to get inside Betsy's head. The coming-of-age tale greatly benefits from the summertime setting. The realistic dialogue will meet the approval of teen and adult readers. Tara Altebrando has written a wonderful tale about love, loss, family, and finding yourself. This is definitely one of the best books I've read this year, and I highly recommend it. If you enjoy The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen, The Alison Rules by Catherine Clark, or Good Grief by Lolly Winston, you will undoubtedly enjoy The Pursuit of Happiness.