The View from the Top

by Hillary Frank and Christopher Paolini

Book Overview

Eighteen-year-old Anabelle's last few months in her coastal hometown are bittersweet. Instead of the quiet precollege summer she expects, Anabelle makes some surprising discoveries about herself as she navigates romantic entanglements and changing friendships. Through shifting points of view in seven interconnected stories, we glimpse the limits of how well her friends really know Anabelle . . . and how little she grasps about the way they see her...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525422412
• ISBN13: 9780525422419
• Release Date: May 2010
• Publisher: Dutton Books
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

Very touching

The View From The Top was an intersting YA read. I even hesitate to say YA because, unlike many other YA books other there, the main character Annabelle is actually older than the "norm" at 18 years old. Interestingly, the author has chosen to take this character and give her some "life altering" experiences at this age - very daring choice. This book worked for me. It is loaded with imagery - such as the entire Ferris Wheel - where our main character's life echoes the ferris wheel - going up and around - and, in many instances, looking down and realizing that you are "not in Kansas anymore". Loved it. I thought that the main premise of having Annabelle surrounded by guys that like her or that she likes (not necessarily the same thing) was a bit much - but, it did make the point that the author was trying to get across, so it was easier to accept as part of the storyline. This is definitely a coming of age story - which shows that there truly is no real age to start "growing up". In fact, the entire message of this book is basically that you will keep learning life lessons -all through your life - but it is how you deal with them and what you do with the lessons that are truly important. Very well written and engrossing, I loved this book.

Give This Book A Chance

My Thoughts: Wow! I did not expect this book to be sooo good and to enjoy it as much as I did. I loved the alternating chapters as well. I liked knowing what each character thought. We meet Annabelle who connects all the other characters in this book. She is dating Matt, but she has feelings for Jonah but Tobin has feelings for her. Than there's Mary Tyler who has secrets all of her own and the same with Lexi. This book was really good. Who does she end up with? Matt? Tobin? Jonah? Or someone else entirely? We get to go through each characters feelings and discover how they think. My favorite scene was either the sand scene between Annabelle and Mary Tyler or the Ferris wheel scene towards the end of the book. This book was a favorite of mine! Overall: This book was a definite good one! Fans of Susane Colasanti will probably like this. It had the same vibe. I enjoyed it A LOT! Cover: Love It. At first, I didn't think it related to the story but there is a Ferris wheel scene in the book. The cover is really pretty!