4.5 starsAs Bindy would say, I devoured this book. It's long, but I actually ripped through it. And I loved it. I want to give this book to the people who treat YA as some kind of bastard genre -- I've been wrestling with On The Road for weeks. I zipped through this in one night.Jaclyn Moriarty - you are one clever bitch (that's supposed to be a term of endearment). Bindy Mackenzie compelled me all the way. Until the last 70ish pages, it remains a fairly typical (but still very good!) high-school read about finding yourself and maybe toning down your more obnoxious features. What I loved about this book was that it didn't perpetuate the negative you-must-change-everything-about-yourself-to-get-what-you-want message, but it was realistic about Bindy's flawed, unlikeable but oddly endearing personality: it didn't make her (m)any friends. However, I can't help but compare this to Finding Cassie Crazy, and I preferred the latter in many ways. But why didn't this earn the full five stars? The writing is funny, excellent, speedy and surprisingly subtle for what initially appears to be quite an unsubtle book. It's a winner in the writing stakes -- but it wasn't an all-out winner for me until the last section. I know that Jaclyn Moriarty doesn't redo this until Dreaming of Amelia, but I miss her multiple narrators, especially her boys! My favourite parts were those that dealt with other narrators. It's not that I didn't enjoy Bindy immensely, I did, but this is a case of Moriarty's greatest strength being one of her few weaknesses (did that sound pretentious enough? :D): Bindy is such a full-on narrator, so idiosyncratic and relentless, and that is very enjoyable, but such an extreme personality. Besides, I still have huge crushes on all the boys (except Matthew Dunlop, you nasty scumbug!) from Finding Cassie Crazy. I couldn't quite get there with Finnegan A. Blonde, and I wanted to. I just found myself occasionally tiring of Bindy going around in circles for portions of the plot.Moriarty does a simply superb job of balancing Bindy's flaws (numerous!) with her..."inner vulnerability" is such a cliche, but there's no better way to describe Bindy. She denies all her weaknesses, pushing them down as far as she can, but no-one can deny that she's lonely. However, while Bindy is extremely endearing to the reader, Moriarty is also a great writer for showing us exactly why her classmates dislike her so much. While I was desperately flipping to the next page, I couldn't help saying to myself "would you want to be friends with Bindy Mackenzie?" The truth is, although we are similar in many ways, at the start of the book, I would not. This sounds like a criticism of Moriarty - it isn't. I have a special respect for authors who can make their first-person narrators very well-balanced. Bindy is.The supporting cast is, for the most part, great. I loved meeting up with Emily again and getting updates on all the other Ashbury girls. However, contributing towards that half-star off perfect score, I couldn't feel for Astrid. Moriarty did her best, and Moriarty really is *the* best, but she couldn't make me feel for petty, shallow, mean Astrid. While I said above that I totally understood where the supporting characters were coming from with their disdain for Bindy, I felt that what Astrid did at Hill End, while not the worst thing ever, was a horrible thing to do. The effect it had on Bindy had me cringing for her. Although Moriarty tries to redeem Astrid, and it was only right because no-one is 100% cruel and unsympathetic, her idiosyncratic voice (although the "like you knows" did make me laugh) made it difficult for Moriarty to truly communicate Astrid's regret. It also slightly (only slightly) spoiled Emily for me, to think that she could be hanging around such a mean girl. However, the rest of the supporting characters are typically Moriarty endearing. Especially Sergio, and yes, Finnegan. While I couldn't have the same kind of emotional engagement with them that I felt with the Cassie guys, I still loved them.Honestly, and trust me on this one, it's better if you go into the book knowing pretty much no more than what I've written up there. The less you know about the plotline I am going to discuss, the better it is. And it really is fantastic -- the sheer enjoyment and rollercoaster relish of it is one of my favourite reading feelings. While I'm not going to into specific plot details, I didn't see this change of pace coming, and it's better if you don't, either. This section of the book more than earned the half-star, but because of issues mentioned above, I can't really give this the perfect five. However, for those who have read it, have no intention of reading it or are one of those people who just have to look under spoiler tags (I sympathise): (view spoiler)[the TWIST that this book takes in its latter half! Wow. The last section of the book was 5-star all the way with me, because it literally had me a) rocking backwards and forwards in fear for Bindy; b) gasping at the brilliance of every plot twist; c) panicking about what was going to happen next; d) going "JACLYN MORIARTY I WANT TO DANCE AROUND IN YOUR BRAIN FOR YOUR INTELLIGENCE/BRILLIANCE/WRITING TALENT." When Bindy was writing the letter to Finnegan, I was screaming for her. When the other FAD members took over, I was cheering for them. It was just...despite the audacity, despite the plot twists, despite the larger and life characters...it was so real to me. The supporting cast really came into their own (save for Astrid), and I LOVED it when Sergio *climbed the school* to try and save Bindy. It was amazing, unpredictable and a true rollercoaster ride. (hide spoiler)]
The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie can only be described as a literary delight. Once again, Moriarty's epistolary format not only surprises, but stuns, in its genius. With this installment in the Ashbury/Brookfield Series, Moriarty follows the tale of Bindy Mackenzie, a top student whose life is slowly turning upside down. For starters, she's living with her aunt and uncle while her parents pursue their careers. For another, there's a strange new class called Friendship and Development (FAD) in which Bindy is stuck with the Venomous Seven. On top of all that, Bindy is forgetting her assignments, baby-sitting, sending frantic e-mails to her parents, and transcribing conversations she overhears. With so much crazy going on, there can be only one explanation for Bindy's change in behavior: she's being - slowly - murdered. Easily one of the highlights of this novel is friendship. When we first meet Bindy, she is quick to judge - instantly disliking the "Venomous Seven" in her FAD class - and goes out of her way to be rude. And yet, as the novel progresses, we begin to see Bindy's side of the situation; of her past and the small actions that have caused Bindy to slowly hate the majority of her classmates. As she works to win them back, though, the friendships formed are ones to look out for. Not only are they achingly realistic, but also heartfelt. Furthermore, it's impossible not to love Bindy. After all, this is the girl who is vying for her parents affections, who sends them long e-mails but never receives any responses. Moriarty manages to weave so much depth into this one piece, all while retaining her humor and light voice. Sadly, what really prevented me from giving this book a higher rating - despite the fact that I teared up during a scene or two and completely LOVED the growth arc of this novel - was the "murder" plot. We see this really emerge during the last third and while I cannot deny that it is brilliantly woven into the story, never taking away from the depth of the novel and only adding to its enjoyability, it did take away one thing from the novel that I particularly enjoyed. Bindy experiences what it's like to suddenly become so involved in what others think of her and redeem herself to her friends that she often pushes aside her school work. I feel as if this is a very natural direction for many teens to take and loved that Bindy's isolation from everything - even school, which she formerly excelled in - was a part of this novel. Thus, to have it explained away in the end was a bit of disappointment. Furthermore, I wanted more closure when it came to Bindy and her parents. I simply wish we could have seen a greater source of interaction between them. Nevertheless, this is a definite winner. I do think Feeling Sorry for Celia is a slightly stronger story overall - and I loved seeing Elizabeth re-appear in this novel and witnessing the direction her story arc took was enriching - but The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie is certainly a worthy piece of YA Fiction. One of the few out there. Bonuses: Mysteriously Missing Brothers, Unknown Nail Polish Senders, Creepy Babysitting Hirers, and...Murder?
Do You like book The Murder Of Bindy Mackenzie (2006)?
I adored this book. Adored it.The children's librarian at my library has been recommending this for months, and it finally floated to the top of my to-read pile.Bindy Mackenzie, the narrator, is a teenage genius with a decided lack of skill in social interaction. She constantly types on her laptop-transcripts of conversations of the people around her, philosophical musings and a general record of what's going on in her life. She sends a lot of memos. She has personalized stationery, and for a small fee, she'd be happy to design some for you. Bindy watches people but is often puzzled or frustrated by their actions. Bindy judges and holds grudges. Bindy wishes for friends. She is in turn obnoxious, hilarious, shocking, infuriating and lovable. As a reader, I just wanted everything to turn out OK for her.The format of this book took some getting used to-it's Bindy's transcripts, philosophical musings and memos for a large chunk of the book, until she is later on the receiving end of the memos. It feels disjointed at first, but as I continued reading, the story pieced itself together into both a compelling mystery and a touching, often laugh-out-loud funny story of friendship and growing up.Highly recommended. I know it's listed as the 3rd in a series, but it worked fine as a stand-alone novel. I will definitely be picking up the others.
—Emily
Bindy Mackenzie is the smartest, most focused student at Ashbury High. She works hard to be the best and encourages her peers to fulfill their potential as well, holding lunchtime seminars and offering constructive criticism. In that respect, she’s the nicest, kindest student at Ashbury. The problem is that she’s the only one who thinks so. The fact that most of her classmates hate her comes to light during her 11th grade year, when she’s forced to take a Friendship and Development class (FAD) that puts her with her peers. As the year progresses and Bindy becomes less socially awkward and more aware of the consequences of her actions, she also starts to realize that someone might be trying to kill her.Like Moriarty’s other works, The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie is told in an epistolary manner, for the most part. Unlike Moriarty’s other works, though, this story is told almost exclusively through the eyes and mind of Bindy Mackenzie herself. Through Bindy’s diary, transcripts, and letters, the reader gains insight into a girl who is often funny and even more often self-righteous. As her story unfolds, however, the reader starts to understand that Bindy’s pretty complicated: her parents are emotionally and physically absent, she doesn’t have friends to confide in, and the amount of pressure that she’s putting on herself to be successful might just be making her sick. Moriarty’s talent is clear here, as she crafts a character that is both annoying and oddly sympathetic. Bindy is irritating, don’t get me wrong: she’s self-righteous to a fault, completely oblivious to how snide she comes off towards her peers and teachers, and seems to be unaware of or in denial about the fact that she is a teenager. But she is also lonely, and funny, and wants to be loved, and that shines through the air of pomp that she puts on when in the company of others.Fans of her other work will also be glad to see the appearances of characters from her previous Ashbury novels. Moriarty writes characters that are quirky (almost too much, sometimes) and funny and self-aware. She understands teenagers and writes them well. Her talent for writing funny, smart dialogue is illustrated in this book as well. Moriarty presents heroines in her books that are funny, smart, and flawed, and none of them are completely defined by romantic interests.All was not well with my reading of this book, though. Like The Ghosts of Ashbury High, Bindy Mackenzie suffers from being overly-long. Coming in at nearly 500 pages, the story gets bogged down in details and anecdotes that don’t come to a head until way too late (or not at all). The last 200 pages are the strongest, but by then the reader has sloshed through nearly 300 pages of build up to something that not only did they not see coming but doesn’t make complete sense. It is Moriarty’s tendency to include a darker element to her stories about teenagers doing silly things, but this one is dark in a way that doesn’t quite work, because it comes out of nowhere.That being said, it’s still an enjoyable read for fans of Moriarty’s books. If you’re just entering the author’s oeuvre, though, I’d recommend starting with Feeling Sorry for Celia, which remains, to this day, her best work.
—Clementine
Oh, Bindy. There is no other character like her out there. Most are quick to mention how funny and quirky this book is, and that's undeniably true, but what really stood out for me was the sadness and hardship of Bindy's life and being a teenager in general. Bindy's family life was not good and she suffered through some terribly cruel things and learned to cope by totally losing herself in her transcripts and musings and memos. This is a great story for illustrating how hard it is to grow up and what it means to be compassionate and forgiving.
—Brittany
