Viola in Reel Life

Do you believe in ghosts? I don't, but I still loved reading this book about Viola Chesterton from Brooklyn, New York stranded in a boarding school in Indiana for her ninth grade year. Viola, an only child, fails to get her requested single room and finds herself rooming with three other girls from whom she only wants to escape. When they leave her alone, she panics and realizes that she needs them more than they need her. While Viola is missing her parents who will spend the year in Afghanistan filming a documentary, she chronicles her misery in Indiana with her own camera. When she edits her first shots of the campus, she sees a woman in red that wasn't there when she filmed the segment. As Viola strives to untangle the mystery of the apparent ghost, she learns lessons in sharing, acceptance, love, and rejection. Adriana Trigiani, a filmmaker herself, uses images from Viola's perspective to show the reader the setting and the struggles Viola encounters. When it snows, unlike Brooklyn where the snow is gray and slushy, "high winds clear paths leaving sheets of ice underneath as though somebody shoveled it, but they haven't; it's just the way it settles in South Bend. Snow, like everything else in Indiana, is a new and different experience for me." Each of Viola's new and different experiences propels the reader to make these discoveries right along with her. And the ghost? Spurred by her new boyfriend's encouragement to enter a film competition, Viola researches the subject and creates a short biography of the mysterious woman using her roommates and family as performers in her submission. The outcome is satisfying and only by reading the book will you see how impressive Trigiani's storytelling abilities can be. by Susan M. Andrus for Story Circle Book Reviews reviewing books by, for, and about women

I grew up about 20 miles from Big Stone Gap, in Pennington Gap, so naturally I couldn't wait to read Big Stone Gap and after that I was hooked on Adriana's books. She has a wonderful way with words and all her books are great and this one is no exception. If I had realized it was written for teens, I might not have ordered it and then I would have missed a real treat!! Reading Viola in Reel Life took me back to my teen years and the trip was SO much fun!!! This is a book that any age person would love. Thanks Adri for another great story!!!

I will begin at the end and say I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the adventures of Viola at The Prefect Academy for Young Women. Highly recommended. I will also confess to being a man who happens to like reading YA Literature. The reason I decided to read Adriana Trigiani's book is because my wife said she likes her writing. I've never read anything by the author before VIOLA IN REEL LIFE, but I have to agree that A.T. is a terrific storyteller and has an ear for the way people speak, in this case an adolescent named Viola Chesterton. "From Brooklyn. New York." In Viola's words: "I wound up in this particular boarding school because my mother went here, which is, like, the worst reason to go anywhere. That makes me a legacy even though my mom only came here for one year in 1983. She told me that in the eighties she had a separate backpack just for hair gel. I believe her." (p. 12) The previous reviewers have written about Viola's dislike of boarding school, why she is sent there by her parents, her three roommates, her first kiss, her love of her video camera, and more, so I don't think I'll add anything to what has already been written. The reader will have to find out what happens for him/herself. If this book is typical of Adriana Trigiani's writing, then I'm going to follow my wife's suggestion and read one of her adult novels: e.g., LUCIA, LUCIA; VERY VALENTINE; or one of the books in The Big Stone Gap series. Too, I am looking forward to reading the next book in what I understand will be a series about the further adventures of Viola and her roommates Marisol, Romy, and Suzanne at The Prefect Academy.

Viola Chesterton is from Brooklyn and her parents are documentary filmmakers. When Viola's parents accept an assignment in Afghanistan, Viola is sent to Prefect Academy, a boarding school in South Bend, Indiana, for a year. Viola cries as they leave and is miserable at first. She feels abandoned and lonely, and she misses her best friend back in Brooklyn. With the help of her roommates, her grandmother, and her film making abilities, Viola not only survives her first year but gains new confidence and learns a lot about herself along the way. Viola says: "Marisol just says that word sister lightly, like right off the top of her head without thinking. But all my life, I have wished for a sister. I had hoped my parents would have a baby when I was small, and then when I got to be twelve I wanted them to go to China and adopt. But Mom would always smile and say, "We have our hands full with you." And maybe she was right. But what Mom never told me is that along the way, you find sisters, and they find you. Girls are very cool that way." Viola in Reel Life is Adriana Trigiani's first YA novel and I absolutely loved it! This isn't edgy YA, but rather a sweet story about growing up and gaining confidence. Viola is a great character because she's not perfect, but she tries to learn from her mistakes. I got teary-eyed in a few places as Viola grew stronger, gained some confidence and came to value her friends and family. I've read that this might become a series and I really hope so!

Teens back in school have their "required reading" ahead of them but in a spare moment or two taking a break with VIOLA IN REEL LIFE might be an enjoyable diversion. Young readers could relax with this novel and might feel a connection with the protagonist and her transition. It might be encouragement for others in similar situations. Ms. Trigiani's story is thought provoking and useful but perhaps most of all it's entertaining. Let's not forget the laughs generated throughout that are so necessary in today's REAL LIFE!