Belzhar Audiobook

Quotes

• “Wolitzer has imagined a world for young readers that celebrates the sacred, transcendent power of reading and writing.”

  — New York Times Book Review

• “A clever and engaging story, Wolitzer’s first dip into the YA pool is a success. Readers will be intrigued by each character’s journey into the transient world of Belzhar…A unique novel with an interesting twist.”

  — RT Book Reviews (4 stars)

• “Making her YA debut, acclaimed author Wolitzer writes crisply and sometimes humorously about sadness, guilt, and anger…A strong, original book.”

  — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

• “As narrator Jorjeana Marie renders Jam’s haunting vulnerability and her past slowly unfolds, listeners will feel themselves in the role of confidant. Marie uses pitch and pacing to her advantage—both to differentiate characters and to suggest concealed facts and feelings. She can infuse a few words with a character’s unique suffering or hope, making her overall narration a touching and intimate experience.”

  — AudioFile

• “Wolitzer spins a smart and engrossing tale of trauma, trust, and triumph. She is respectful of the intelligence and sophistication of the teens while acknowledging their vulnerability and lack of life experience. Their voices ring true and the emotional truths are authentic—even for those readers unwilling or unable to embrace the magical realism. Exploring the themes of self-reflection and the recurring notion that ‘words matter’ make this title a perfect choice for book groups and discussions.”

  — Library Journal (starred review)

• “When Jam suffers a terrible trauma and feels isolated by grief, her parents send her to the Wooden Barn, a boarding school for ‘highly intelligent, emotionally fragile’ teens…Wolitzer handles Jam’s increasingly complex psychological state with delicate, nonjudgmental nuance—the first-person narrative slowly reveals the sticky circumstances of her trauma as well as her growing realization that living in the past is paralyzing.”

  — Booklist