About book This Is All: The Pillow Book Of Cordelia Kenn (2006)
I read this book when I was a Freshman in high school. I can genuinely say it's one of the most intriguing, honest books that I've read. Cordelia Kenn propositions a boy that she's liked for some time, William Blacklin. Now, I think this is what really got me interested in the book; she is very straight forward, and that seems a rarity now a days when it comes to a female protagonist. What was her proposition? That William has sex with her before her sixteenth birthday, because according to studies, the average teenager loses her virginity at age sixteen. Of course, Cordelia couldn't have this, because she doesn't want to be average.Fast forward, and you have two awkward teenagers who don't quite know what they're doing, but seem to do quite well together despite that fact. There happen to be some...cliche moments in their relationship--which lasts until the end of the book, kind of-- A couple years later, when Cordelia visits Will in college, she becomes obsessed with the idea that Will is having an affair with one of his best friends. In Cordelia's mind, Will can't have a good female friend without there being some type of sexual element. When she becomes set on the idea that Will is being unfaithful--which may be in part because Will spends more time with his gal friend than with Cordelia. Cordelia then embarks in an affair of her own, whom happens to be her boss. And plenty more happens, which I honestly shouldn't tell you; if you're so interested, just read the fricken book yourself.Now, you may be wondering, If you like the book so much, why give it only four stars? I'll tell you why!Because the complete middle of the book is split literally in two: one page marked "A" and and the opposite "B." To be honest, I simple brain couldn't figure out which part to read."A" contained some of her poetry and some stories, which were quite frankly not very interesting; "B" continued on like the first section of the book. If I remember correctly, this section contains Will and Cordelia's rough break-up, which promptly thereafter the story goes into another part, structurally the same as the first "Pillow Book." When the reader reaches the Epilogue, there is surprise and a cascade of tears. I think I would ruin completely the shock of it if I wrote more about it, so I shall end there.All in all, I think I was most impressed on how Aidan Chambers, a male author, was able to so authentically capture the teenage female psyche. Now, I've read quite a few books about a female written by a male author, but there was something incredibly sincere about Cordelia, even when you wanted to punch her fictional face because sometimes she could just be so incredibly naive. Despite the sometimes incredibly explicit content, this book is incredibly insightful, in the mind of a teenage girl who is really just trying to find herself. “There are times when you don't know yourself. There are times when you don't want to know yourself. There are times when you want to be what you have never allowed yourself to be before.”
I cannot believe I actually read this book. Okay, I kind of skimmed the first few hundred pages. But I was so sucked into Cordelia's story that I read the remaining six hundred. (Mostly after midnight and in increments of 150-200 pages. Damn two week check outs.)It's not a book I'd have thought I'd like. The writing style is kind of lyrical at times, and I have limited patience for writing like that. There's also the a/b page phenomenon, which was odd. (I preferred the b pages.) As other reviews said, the voice is odd for a 15-19 year old. Honestly, to me, it felt like Vicky Austin in L'Engle's books. The same sort of conversations and word choices that I've never run across in other books or in real life. I love the Austin books, although it felt odd to me there, too. But there is precedence. *g*When I got it, I never thought I'd read the whole thing, so I skimmed the end. All I could think was that if I'd read 768 pages only to read that first line of the last book (there are six total in here), I would be furious. So I at least knew what I was getting into, but I was still upset when it happened. Honestly, despite all the things about it that would normally put me off, I loved every bit of it. Cordelia was a great character, real and flawed and lovely, and I'm glad I knew her.
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Although This Is All is not really a plot driven novel, I still found myself unable to put it down. I kept wanting to go on to find out what Cordelia would talk about next. As the narrator discusses how her soon-to-be-born child came to be, readers will be drawn in by Cordelia's honesty and openness in discussing her life, her choices, and how both have led her to where she is at the beginning of the novel. I don't know that this book has universal appeal, but if you tend to enjoy novels that take time to develop their characters, then you will enjoy Cordelia and the tales she tells.
—Katrina
There are certain books which you read and have a profound effect on you. This is one such book.I read it at around 16, and discovered a character to whom I could relate probably more then any character I had ever come across till then. Here was an average girl, neither popular nor unpopular, who loved reading as much as I did.In many respects it's a classic Bildungsroman, following Cordelia from 16 as she comes of age. The teenage angst, the first boyfriend, the first time, figuring out who she is and what she wants to do, all told through her diaries or 'pillow books' as she terms them. On the surface nothing extraordinary from most teenage fiction, albeit a well executed example of a coming of age novel. But for whatever reason, at the age I was at when I read it, it spoke to me. It is a book which should only be read between the ages of 14 and 18 when the readers experiences mirror those of Cordelia. I have never gone back and read it since I was 18, though I read and reread it numerous times between 16 and 18. I know that to do so would destroyed the magic and dim the powerful effect it had as a 16 year discovering her literary sister.
—Emma Flanagan
This is one of the thickest books I've ever conquered in such short time. But Aidan Chambers makes it such an easy read. I fell in love with his main characters, as I suppose was the intention. It reads as a diary, from a girl who is astoundingly committed to maintaining it. I envy her for her determination. The ending is abrupt and unfair, but then again so is life. Point made.I must admit it is almost insulting how much Aidan Chambers understands about young females. We think we're so mysterious and complicated, but perhaps we're easier to figure out than we'd want, or maybe we are more surface than we admit to, hoping someone, anyone will just 'get us' for once.
—| J
