Stasia Ward Kehoe

From the outside, Daisy’s life looks normal. A talented musician and good student, her future is bright and promising, but, at home, things are tense and complicated. Daisy’s younger brother, Steven, is autistic and, despite their constant efforts, living with an autistic family member is proving much harder now that he’s reaching maturity. Steven can now easily overpower Daisy and her parents and helping a teenage boy who doesn’t know his own strength and often reacts physically and show more violently when stressed and overwhelmed is putting a strain on the entire family. When Daisy’s parents decide to place Steven in a specialized institution where they feel his needs and happiness will be better met, Daisy is shocked. Part of her is relieved, but she mostly feels guilt, sadness, and anger. How can her parents just send her brother away? How can he possibly be better off without the people that love him most? As Daisy struggles with her parents’ choice and tries to come to terms with her feelings, her confusion and conflicted emotions about her home life seep into her school and social life. The darkness inside her manifests itself in her wardrobe, makeup, and even her love life, as she falls Dave, an old friend turned bad boy. She begins neglecting her responsibilities and the things she loves, including her music and friends. It’s Cal, a new Irish exchange student, that won’t give up on the old Daisy and reminds her of the powerful magic of music, finally bringing her back to herself and acceptance.

I don’t read nearly enough verse novels, but every time I read a novel by Stasia Ward Kehoe, I’m kick myself for neglecting the format. I loved Kehoe’s first novel, Audition, but I think I might appreciate The Sound of Letting Go more. Kehoe did an incredible job giving a voice to those families who include a individual with autism. My cousin is autistic and I remember how difficult it was when my cousin reached Steven’s age; Kehoe’s portrayal is painfully honest.

I can’t imagine having to make the decision to send my child to an institution, as Daisy’s parents do, even if I knew that he would be more comfortable in that setting than at home. If I were in Daisy’s shoes, dealing with the guilt and sadness of sending my brother away, I think I would have reacted much the same way. Daisy’s entire life has been devoted to order and consistency, carefully regulated so not to cause Steven stress, so it makes sense that everything she knows would be thrown into chaos. I can’t help but see Steven was as a powerful magnet that keeps everything centered… without him everything in Daisy’s life is spinning out of control.

I highly recommend both of Stasia Ward Kehoe’s verse novels. If you’ve never read a verse novel before, Kehoe’s offer a great introduction, showing just how versatile and beautiful the format can be! show less

AUDITION wasn't exactly what I was expecting... it was even better.

I'm not sure I didn't know this prior to reading, but AUDITION is told entirely in verse. I generally love novels told in this format, but I think it was a particularly good choice for this novel. AUDITION is about the pressures of becoming a professional ballerina while simultaneously leaving home for the first time, living in an foreign environment, and falling for an older, off-limits man... These are all rather intense show more events and nothing conveys intensity and emotion like verse. Interestingly enough, this format, with it's patterns and movement, almost reminds of a dance, which is appropriate.

I've been reading quite a few fine arts themed novels lately (dancers, pianists, violinists, etc.) and each has had it's own twist, but, much to my surprise, I found Sara to be the strongest main character of the group. At the beginning of the novel, I didn't think things would end well for our budding ballerina, but she proved me wrong... and I ended up quite proud of her.

I found Sara's story inspiring. For me, the aspect of the novel that was most important is the fact that, even though Sara was so invested in pursuing ballet, she still decided to do what was right for her. Forget that she left home and dedicated hours and hours of her life to ballet: when she realized her true passion was writing, she followed that dream. This might sound suspiciously like she gave up after experiencing the pressure of ballet, but, in Sara's case, she wasn't giving up, but growing up. I think many realize that they aren't doing what they truly love in life, but instead of making the effort to follow their dreams, they don't want to put in the effort or they worry that it's too late for them. I think Sara's story can teach each of us a thing or two about second chances. show less

(4.5 stars)“Am I lonelier nowThan when my sad imaginationHad him disappear?Heart torn,Loosing tiny dropletsOf sorrowNo tape can measureNo needle can mend.”I was ecstatic when I found out my library had a copy of Audition, as it was one of my highly anticipated books of the year. The greatest surprise was my library having a copy four days after its release date!! I wasted no time in downloading my copy (yes my great library does free e-books!!) and getting stuck in straight away. Let me show more tell you this book did not disappoint. Audition tells the story of Sara, who auditions for a dance scholarship and gets selected for a place to study at the Jersey Ballet. Initially Sara has a hard time fitting in with the other girls, she finds herself standing out from the other girls because of the style of her leotard, the colour of her legwarmers or she feels she’s always playing catch up as the other girls are more sleek and graceful in their positions and elegant in their posture and beauty.“While Simone and Madison,Who look high school age like me,Bonnie and Lisette,With their ballerina-straight backs, So where do I sit?”And then there’s Remington (Rem) one of the students/choreographers/ teachers, (he doesn’t really have a specific role, but sort of flits from one group to another). He has the confidence about him, the way he saunters around the studio and his brooding eyes always seem to distract Sara from her positions during rehearsals. Sara can’t help herself. She finds herself heating up at the slightest brush of his touch; her body has an unnatural aching for him that she can’t stop “Rem is like chocolate,Making me feel hungry and guiltyAlways and at the same time”And which she doesn’t really want to end. But does Rem have his own agenda for being with Sara?I really felt for Sara, she finds herself on a scholarship miles away from her close friends and family all alone. She doesn’t really talk much to the other girls or feel that she fits in, as they’ve been at the school longer than she has. And then her relationship with Rem, from first meeting his character I knew I wouldn’t like him, he just seemed really self-assured and full of himself and then how sometimes he didn’t even acknowledge Sara after they’d spent the night together infuriated me. I know that Sara was in a situation she hadn’t found herself in before, and that she didn’t have anyone, and that by spending time with Rem gave her a small amount of comfort that she had longed for. But I just wanted her to have the courage and stand up for herself and question exactly why she kept going back to Rem. Despite these minor irritations I did really enjoy reading Audition. This book gave me a huge insight into the life of a ballet dancer; about the extremely busy day to day schedules, the gruelling routines and techniques they have to learn, pushing their bodies to the furthest they could go and restricting their diets; “Dare I tell them that since I came here to danceI have been giving pieces of my body awayTo ridiculous diets,To repeated injuries,To Remington?And that maybeI thinkWith each bit of my bodyI lose a little piece of my soul”Also Stasia Ward Kehoe’s writing was beautiful, as you can tell from my review so far there were so many quotes that I adored and which left an aching in my chest. Audition was a book which I could have devoured in one sitting, but I took my time reading, so that I could savour the powerful verse. Audition has definitely left me with a longing for more verse books in the future. Also Stasia Ward Kehoe is very talented author; I look forward to reading what she publishes next! Some more of my favourite quotes (I know my review is already full of so many beautiful quotes, but I just couldn’t leave these out)“Today he will lift me into the air, Hold my hand, Support my back,And make me more beautifulThan I could ever be alone.”“Sitting in the back of a car behind a boy and a girlThe way I do each day in Jersey, pretendingThat I don’t ache all the time,That I’m not lonely,That such tenderness exists for meOutside my dreams” show less

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"In bed at night
When I can’t sleep,
I think of Rodya dreaming of horses,
Sonya’s pale face,
The misdirected loves of the Bennet sisters.
Wish my life were inside a book
So I could turn to the ending,
See if it is a love story
Or a gothic disaster."

“Audition” is only the second novel told in verse that I’ve read, although I doubt it’ll be my last. The story is about Sara, a high school junior, who receives a scholarship to study dance at the Jersey Ballet. Given show more her ‘small town’ training, Sara has a hard time finding her place in with the other students who have been studying with the Jersey Ballet from a young age. And it only gets worse when she starts her school year at Upton, a private prep school. Having attended public school her entire life, Sara finds herself overwhelmed and alone.

Watching as others find company in the arms of another, and hearing about her best friends relationship back at home, Sara finds herself more alone than ever. Until she meets Remington – who is not only older at twenty-two years old – but an aspiring choreographer at the Jersey Ballet. As Sara finds herself falling deeper for Remington, she rids herself of the girl she used to be. Allowing Rem to take her, believing that what they are, what they are doing is much more – that they are creating a dance.

"Dare I tell them that since I came here to dance
I have been giving pieces of my body away
To ridiculous diets,
To repeated injuries,
To Remington?

And that maybe I think With each bit of my body
I lose a little piece of my soul."

When Sara’s English teacher pulls her aside, to inform her that he feels she’s an excellent writer. Sara begins to see a potential future outside of dance, something she never once bothered to consider before. Is dance really the future she wants for herself? Is Rem’s bed the place she wishes to seek comfort? It takes some time to realize what she wants, but when Sara finally decides what exactly it is that she wants – she transforms into a whole other person, someone with a sort of confidence, someone who is able to let go of her mistakes, in hopes of new beginnings.

“Audition” is a stunning story about self discovery and finding the courage to believe in more.

Given the relationship between Sara and Rem, I would not recommend “Audition” for younger readers. show less