In Zanesville Audiobook

" I love coming-of-age stories. "

" This novel thrived in the spaces in between the narrative. This is not to say that the story itself was lacking; both typical and unexpected events constitute an engaging and heartfelt tale, told by a narrator instantly likable and relatable, regardless of age or gender. However, the asides and other narrative connective tissues, those moments not crucial to the story buy invaluable to the reading experience, that were the most memorable to me. "

" Not one of those "can't put it down" books, but I really enjoyed it. If you were growing up in a small town in the late 70's, you'll really be able to relate. "

" This sounded like a book that would be right up my alley, but it fell flat for me. "

" Read the first 4 or so chapters and just couldnt really get into it. Dont think it was a BAD book, I just personally couldnt get into the material, which is strange for me since the story appeared to be around a teenager, which is a theme I usually gravitate towards. "

" There seems to be a whole genre of novels about the angst of teenage girls growing up in America in the later half of the twentieth century. This was capably and sensitively written but...been there, done that. "

" I love this narrator, the way this book moves, the characters. It's beautifully done. One of my favorite Coming of Age novels ever. "

" Loved this story of an unnamed lead female character who is in 9th grade and all the agony that comes with that...sister, friend, mom, dad, class...nothing is easy. Not to mention boys and school cheerleaders. "

" Didn't even finish this one... I felt like I was reading a book of short stories all stringed together, but nothing ever really happened. "

" One of the most beautifully written novels I've ever read about being a teenage girl. "

" This was a fun book to read. The author has an uncanny ability to get into the head of a jr. high school girl - the thoughts, dialogue and actions all rang so true to me. It's set in the 70's, but as part of the class of '82 it was still relevant. "

" Small town teenage girl coming of age book. Made me feel 16 all over again. Shocking and funny and sad and touching. I'm so glad to be off that hormone/new experience roller coaster, but it was good to re-experience and remember how fresh life could be at that time in my life. "

" Man, did this take me back! "

" Not a perfect book by any stretch of the imagination, but if you happened to come of age inteh 70s you will laugh with recognition of that particular era. A good story of friendship and the challenge of fitting in during those wonderful high school years. "

" It was fun to visit Zanesville. It was a nice coming of age story! Good summer read. "

" Two and a half stars, maybe. The characters were interesting, but where was the plot? "

" Somber undercurrents determine the course of this coming-of-age tale, set in the Midwest. While the story is engaging, the overall tone of a young girl's experiences during a pivotal year is, by turns, exhuberant and bewildering, as author Beard makes the trials of adolescence very real. "

" Though I could relate to the stories the narrator told I just didnt find it that interesting. Yes, being a teenager is hard and everyones family has issues but then what? "

" I had such high expectations for this book and ended it feeling let down. Perhaps because the main characters' life experiences were so different from my own, I couldn't connect to them despite the universal truths about adolescence. "

" There were several laugh-out-loud parts in this book and I thought it was fairly well written. But there wasn't enough plot or character development to keep me interested and I found myself skimming toward the end. "

" This book reminded me of my middle school life in the midwest. The book was interesting to me mainly for that reason. 3 stars does not seem like enough, but 4 might be a bit too many. "

" nancy pearl find--this is a fun book and was my first kindle purchase "

" 3 1/2 wonderfully written story of a 14 year old girl growing up in Zanesville, IL. "

" 3.5. Read this one quality of writing, and/or you're in the mood for people & place rather than plot. Cool characters/slice of '70's life/the akward nuances of adolescent female friendships/etc. In other words, not much happens, but...'tis ok. "

" made me laugh out loud... heavy identifying with the turmoil of adolescense in this novel. Entertaining "

" Had to abandon this book. Just could not get into the world of the fourteen year old kids; maybe my enjoyment of teaching this age group for so many years didn't allow me to reenter their world?????? "

" Maybe five stars is over-generous, but I love when an author is able to give credible voice to a young teen. This was slice-of-life, humorous, poignant stuff that captures the tragedy of an alcoholic father as deftly as sister-on-sister cruelty. "

" I loved this book. I'm a fan of Jo Ann Beard's "Boys of My Youth, a book of personal essays. This one is just as good. A touching, wry, insightful coming-of-age story. I couldn't put it down and at the same time I didn't want it to end. "

" I won this book on Goodreads. Thank you to the publisher!! I enjoyed this book and I will recommend my three girls to read it. I reall indentified with the mom in this story. I, in fact say the stupid things that she says to her kids! I probably shouldn't admit that but there you have it. "