Burned

Again, another beautifully written book that left me speechless. I mean, I had no words. I wanted to talk about it, but wasn't sure where even to begin.

This book not only gave me a whole new aspect to think about, but it angered me to hell. It's these kinds of people or situations that make Christians look bad. People who present this "holy roller, I'm so good and your not attitude" when they are the ones that are in sin themselves. Jesus said it in the bible, Matt 23: 1-39 "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not show more willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, ..." Basically saying, that they make look good on the outside, but in the inside, their heart is not right. So they do good deeds to show how right they are.

So this book, I REALLY loved. I mean from start to finish, I was captured. Pattyn knew that what is going on in her household is not right. I was glad that she had the chance to go away, but of course going away doesn't mean your past no longer follows you. Pattyn is brought back to horrible things, things I could never even imagine. Ms. Hopkins, once again captured an experience so vastly hidden, yet exposed. I love how Ms. Hopkins can capture the reader and make them fall right into Pattyn shoes.

The whole situation that Pattyn goes through, leaves the reader heartbroken. I admit that I cried in the end, for my heart could no longer take it anymore. No one should suffer or go through that ever. I can say that in the end, even though Pattyn went through a lot, I was glad that it was over.

Look, I don't know what else to say but if you want a real life changing, take my heart out of my chest and step on it experience, read this book. It will blow your mind, break your heart, but give you something you have never ever read before. show less

This was certainly a cautionary tale -- a cautionary tale against believing that true love only happens once -- in your teens no less; a cautionary tale about lying to the women in our lives and keeping them oppressed ... a cautionary tale against religion, especially a religion that oppresses women and treats them as possessions.

I was disappointed by a few points ... the ending being one because I wish it had continued!
I was disappointed that the teen believed in "true love" so strongly and what happened to her because of that ... but at the same time, that was the story and that was the point ...

As much as you want to believe it's just a work of fiction, you also know that for some poor teen out there, being oppressed by a religion show more that says she's nothing more than a baby making machine, to be owned by her future husband, this is reality.

Adrianne show less

Wow. I found this book... original, disturbing, horrific and completely nothing like I expected it to be.

Firstly, I didn't realise it was in verse form and when it arrived I was a bit reluctant to begin seeing as my past experiences with novels in verse are Dante's Inferno and Paradise Lost. Must I say anymore? But... I went against my initial instinct and found that I loved the way the style just flowed, I read page after page and suddenly realised I'd devoured half the book in less than an hour (this is a book with nearly 600 pages). The story wasn't lost in the poetry and, if anything, it only served to make the story more effective.

The basic plot is that of a strictly religious mormon family, the father is a violent drunk and the show more mother takes the beatings and verbal abuse simply because she is a woman and her husband is in charge of her. Yeah, seriously. My feminist stomach clenched with anger at that one. Especially when Brother Crandell (I think - I don't have the book to hand) told Pattyn that the only way she could be redeemed for being born female is to fulfill God's wishes and have lots of babies (because that's a woman's role). This is the kind of book that makes you want to tear your hair out with frustration and violently maim several of the characters. As a woman, I felt the indignity and anger with her. And yes, I'm sure you could argue that not all mormons believe that women are essentially useless without men (but Stephenie Meyer helped to spread the rumour) and this may not be the typical situation, but this does happen. Not in some other time, a couple of centuries ago, but right now. Even in the supposedly civilised West.

The plot takes a rebellious Pattyn, fuelled by teenage hormones, out of this strict, religious world. She is sent to live with her Aunt and finds how different life can be when a relationship is based on love, not fear. But good things can't last forever and eventually her past starts calling her back. I won't spoil the ending, but know this: Burned made me cry, made me angry, made me curious... it is a book I know I'll never forget. show less

Goodreads Synopsis:
Raised in a religious -- yet abusive -- family, Pattyn Von Stratten starts asking questions -- about God, a woman's role, sex, love. She experiences the first stirrings of passion, but when her father catches her in a compromising position, events spiral out of control. Pattyn is sent to live with an aunt in the wilds of Nevada to find salvation and redemption. What she finds instead is love and acceptance -- until she realizes that her old demons will not let her go.

My Review:
Pattyn, a little suicidal at times, tries to be a perfect Mormon girl but tends to feel like a stranger living in her own body. Living with six younger sisters, her dad is abusive and alcoholic despite their religion, and her mom is lazy and show more doesn't care about anything except popping out her next child, sitting at home all day making her older kids, mostly Pattyn, take care of the younger ones. Through the years she's discovered books, her secret treasure, mostly fantasy and horror, but that's about it for her. The librarian buys her a diary one day, and despite feeling a little weird about it, she begins to journal. She wants more out of like than just popping out babies for a husband she doesn't have yet. She thinks despite what her religion tells her, that having babies should be something beautiful rather than another chore. This tells her that woman are inferior, and that god likes it that way. She wants to be different, but doesn't know how to be. Her father has a past that haunts him, and it bleeds into his present life, never having another son and drinking away the pain of a dead son, a gay son, and a first wife lost to suicide. He hates his new family for being all female, and he never stops trying for a new start with another son. Pattyn is able to regain control of her life through her actions, although it seems like she just snapped one day, and is sent to live on her aunts farm. This book is unlike anything I've read lately, and I loved it even though it was hard to read at times because of the abuse the characters suffered. Pattyn really grew as a character throughout the book and I'm happy for her. The ending was a shock ad I really want to know what happens next! I'm so glad I read it, it kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what would happen next. Definitely check it out if you haven't already.
Thanks for reading. Check out this review and more at my blog.
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I loved the style in which this book was told. The poetic nature changes from page to page and adds to the overall impact of the story. I also felt the story was honest in its depiction of teenage life and the struggles that face teenagers. This book should be in school libraries because of its style and brutal honesty. While not for everyone, this story would be enjoyable to many readers.

Raised in a religious family with firm beliefs as to the proper place of women, Pattyn Von Stratten knows she wants more out of life than to be a perpetually spewing womb. With an alcoholic, physically abusive father to cope with, she's learned how to be background, but it's increasingly difficult as her life seems more and more repressive. She acts out and as punishment is sent to Nevada to stay with an estranged aunt. In a story rife with amazing verbal imagery and emotional highs and lows, ultimately, Pattyn is left with no way out.

Hopkins' characters tend to be young adults coping serius issues, and the outcomes are not usually "happy" in the fluffy-bunnies sense, but this one seems especially grim. Is Pattyn *SPOILER ALERT* sitting show more on an overpass with a gun, plotting the deaths of everyone whose actions culminated in her loss really the answer that should be suggested to young adults? Yes, it's dramatic; yes, it's realistic.... But it's not the only ending possible. Burned is incredibly powerful and fluidly told, but I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth when the final pages unfolded. show less

I just read this book last week, and it was one of the most elegantly yet truthfully written novel I've ever read. The use of poetic form in a novel is not something I'm used to, but I very quickly learned to love it; and I don't doubt for one second that Mrs. Hopkins choice of form had something to do with it.

From the moment, I started reading I hardly put it down. The characters are so authentic and the circumstances so realistic that I could see myself and my friends as different characters throughout the novel. And the emotional connection I felt while reading it was so intense, and touched me so much that I burst into tears as I came to the end of the novel. When that happens, it is undeniable that this is a great novel!