The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan
The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan
Review of The Tragedy Paper
Title & Author:
The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan
Publisher:
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date:
January 08, 2013
Pages:
320
Source:
Finished Copy from PublisherTim Macbeth is a 17-year-old albino and a recent transfer to the prestigious Irving School, where the motto is, “Enter here to be and find a friend.” Tim does not expect to find a friend; all he really wants to do is escape his senior year unnoticed. Despite his efforts to blend into the background, he finds himself falling for the quintessential “it” girl, Vanessa Sheller, girlfriend of Irving’s most popular boy. To Tim’s surprise, Vanessa is into him, too, and she can kiss her social status goodbye if anyone finds out. Tim and Vanessa enter into a clandestine relationship, but looming over them is the Tragedy Paper, Irving’s version of a senior year thesis, assigned by the school’s least forgiving teacher.
The story unfolds from two alternating viewpoints: Tim, the tragic, love-struck figure, and Duncan, a current senior, who uncovers the truth behind Tim and Vanessa’s story and will consequently produce the greatest Tragedy Paper in Irving’s history. – Goodreads
The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan is a debut that kind of snuck up on me. It was a truly beautiful book and I think Elizabeth LaBan has definitely proven her story-telling capabilities.
The Tragedy Paper is Elizabeth LaBan’s debut YA and I thought she did a fantastic job. I loved the way the story was told, with mostly Tim but also bits of Duncan. I thought Elizabeth LaBan did an excellent job with connecting all the bits and pieces of The Tragedy Paper together into one cohesive story.
The story of The Tragedy Paper is extremely engaging – I expected a kind of quiet, slow book but I was quickly sucked into the story because of its interesting plot and unique protagonist.
The Tragedy Paper is very much a character driven story with a lot of emotion driving it. I loved the way the two characters were tied together and the growth of Duncan throughout the story. Tim was such a unique protagonist and I thought Elizabeth LaBan did an amazing job of writing a male POV in a realistic sounding way.
Elizabeth LaBan is definitely an author I can’t wait to read more from in the future. The Tragedy Paper was a well-written and compelling contemporary with a unique voice and realistic protagonists.
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This sounds so good. I’ve been in the mood for something like this.
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This book looks really good, and it’s a debut! Yay! I absolutely love character driven stories, and I’m glad this one works. Great review!
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I hadn’t really heard a lot about this book up until a few days ago. I think it’s really interesting in terms of plot, and I’m curious to find out how this tragic story plays out for all the characters. It certainly sounds like the kind of book that will move me when I read it, and I think I need a book like that in my life!
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The premise of this story sounds really interesting as do the characters. Beautiful cover too.
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I love your take on the book! Totally agree about how she worked with the male POV; when I think about it, I don’t often read books in that style, but she made it feel completely natural. And the character development for Duncan was wonderful, it was great to see him grow as he found out more about Tim’s story. All in all it’s such a fascinating book.
Thanks for linking my review! (:
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I plan to read this book soon too, it will be my entry for DAC mini-challenge since I rarely read Ya Contemporary and I don’t know if I read any from male pov. It’s good to know that the books is well written and interesting. Great review.
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