Monday, October 15, 2012

Review: Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally


Title: Stealing Parker 

Author: Miranda Kenneally 

Rating: 2.5 Stars 

Stealing Parker is, logistically speaking, not a bad book. In fact, I have an immense amount of respect for Miranda Kenneally for tackling on real-life, modern-day issues such as lesbian parents, gay friends, and even student-teacher relationships. Yet, I found myself to be sorely disappointed by this one. While I will admit that Catching Jordan had its flaws, mostly stemming from its dramaticism, it never altered by enjoyment and emotional investment of the novel. Stealing Parker, on the other hand, make me increasingly uncomfortable, leaving me with a sour taste in my mouth at the way many of the situations in it were handled and ultimately yearning for more closure.

When Parker's mother comes out about being a lesbian, divorcing her father and leaving her family to live with her best friend, Parker's life is turned upside down. Not only is she confused, torn, and upset that her mother has abandoned her, but the church which is such a huge part of her life has turned against Parker and her family, publicly ostracizing them. Furthermore, Parker must now leave behind her good-girl image to prove that unlike her mother, she isn't a lesbian, and as she begins to earn a not-so-good reputation, she also quits playing softball, the sport whose love she shared with her mother. Thus, when a hot new baseball coach comes into the picture, Parker can't help but want more - even if it's from a teacher. In the middle of this mix is her growing friendship with ex-valedictorian-rival, Will, more commonly known as Corndog, and her emerging suspicions about her gay best friend. Now, Parker must struggle to come to terms with what happened to her family, her passion for softball, and ultimately, what's really the right thing to do.

I think the premises of Stealing Parker is fascinating, and honestly, I wish Kenneally had simply stuck with it. We don't have many contemporary novels taking on lesbian mothers and the impact that that situation has on a family, so I was looking forward to reading this one. Unfortunately, however, while Parker's mother is a huge part of this novel and Parker's life, an equally large portion is Parker's student-teacher relationship with Coach Brian Hoffmann. In all honesty, I felt uncomfortable reading about their relationship, simply because of the subject matter, but more than that, I wasn't a fan of the way in which it was handled. I feel as if student-teacher relationships stem from issues in both the student and the teacher's life and while I definitely understood Parker, I didn't quite come to understand Brian the same way. Furthermore, the ultimate conclusion to this relationship wasn't what I was hoping for in terms of punishment and my biggest qualm has to lie with the fact that this relationship took away from many of the other qualities that Stealing Parkerhad going for it.

You see, Parker's student-teacher relationship took time out of her friendship with Corndog, which I wanted to see more of, her rocky relationship with her father and brother, which I wished had more depth, and even her own tangled feelings towards her mother. While I did appreciate that Kenneally touched upon all these issues, I wanted more. I didn't feel as if a student-teacher relationship was necessary to drive the point about this novel home and towards the end, it felt as if things came together a little too easily, simply because their complex plot threads couldn't be further explored because the student-teacher relationship exhausted practically everything else. Thus, while I found myself enjoying the story of Parker's growth and her very cute romance with Corndog, I wasn't completely satisfied with it by the end of this novel. (Or the lingering questions about Parker's church, friendships, brother, or her father's potential girlfriend for that matter...)

Alll of that aside, Stealing Parker is still a novel I enjoyed reading. It was a quick-read, although not a read-in-one-sitting novel likeCatching Jordan, but it kept my interest and my eagerness for Kenneally's next contemporary novel is still present. I have a feeling that fans of contemporary novels will adore this one and for someone like me, who always looks for something more in a story and for whom contemporary is not a favorite genre, this is simply bound to be another "black sheep" read. Nevertheless, if you're looking for another character to connect with, another sports-oriented novel to pick up, or just another story with fantastic friendships, Stealing Parker is, without a doubt, the book for you.

21 comments:

  1. Well! I know most bloggers are clamouring over this one and I haven't read either book yet. I am sorry this left a sour taste in your mouth, but glad to hear there were some positives. I don't delve into contemporary much either and so I totally understand where you are coming from. It isn't easy to be the black sheep and I appreciate the genuine review!

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  2. Wow, this book has so many plot threads going on! I think I would totally be uncomfortable reading about a student-teacher relationship as well, ESPECIALLY if I didn't know the teacher's POV. I hate it when a book kind of leaves you hanging/wraps up too quickly! I'm sad to hear that this was the case in Stealing Parker. Thanks for being so honest though, Keertana! Brilliant review, as always. :)

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  3. It sounds like a few aspects could have done well with some added depth. Yours is one of the few negative reviews I've read for this, but I do trust your opinion completely, especially where contemporary novels are concerned. I might start with Catching Jordan actually as that sounds more like my sort of thing... but even then, it's a little out of my comfort zone.

    Anyway, fantastic review as always!

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  4. Oh, it is tough to be the Black Sheep, sometimes! I know, I've been there (I think I'm the only person on the face on the earth that really disliked The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer!)

    I actually liked Stealing Parker quit a bit, more than Catching Jordan. I felt like the character of Parker was easier for me to relate to than Jordan. And though I had plenty of morality issues with Parker and the Coach's relationship, it didn't deter me from liking the book and ultimately appreciating the story. Sorry this one was a miss for you, but I respect your honest review!

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  5. I just read this one and really liked it but I think I do agree that her relationship with her coach took up too much of the story. I wanted more interaction with Corndog. I also would have liked more resolution when it came to the church stuff. I didn't really think of it so much until I read your review though.
    I liked Catching Jordan a bit more but I still liked this one a lot. I kept going back and forth between 3.5 and 4 stars and decided on 4. But it too a bit of debating to decide.
    Thanks for the honest review and sorry you didn't like it more!

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  6. Wonderful review, Keertana. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it as much as you wanted to, but actually you made me want to read it more! See, I was a bit concerned about how all the religion stuff was going to be handled since I am not a huge fan of that in fiction, but it doesn't sound like it was very preachy at ALL. Which is good for me. I'm interested to see if I get the same impressions as you did. So thanks! Hopefully your next book will be a better one!

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  7. Hmm! This sounds... interesting :) I've read lots of reviews for book one but not many for this book as I am yet to read the both of them. Student/teacher relationships can be very tricky to write about and it's a much more drama-filled plot line compared to her mother's story which I agree, sounds more interesting.

    Great, balanced review, hun!

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  8. I always have fun visiting your blog Keertana, you know why? Because you and I are more often than not at opposite ends of the spectrum in our opinions on books, and that makes reading your reviews really fun for me (not that it's not fun when we agree). I love finding out why what worked for me didn't work for you and vice versa:) Despite some of your issues with this one, I'm glad you at least had fun reading it!

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  9. I thought this book was centered more on Parker's struggle to come to terms with her mother's leaving, ignorance of the church, and how her family was a little bit broken at the moment.

    Brian was a huge distraction, an escape and I think someone who goes through something that big will focus on what's not important/throw themselves full force into this other thing. Sure I would have loved more time with Corndog, but I liked what the author did here. We had to watch the character at her lowest, most frustrating point.

    While there are a ton of storylines going on, I could have done without the plot with her best friend. That seemed to add some unnecessary drama and was almost too perfect?

    All in all, I think the author came away with a book that can spark a ton of conversation about religion and sexuality without being preachy in the least. Not to mention, while I really really liked Catching Jordan, this is one of the deeper contemporaries I wish I explored more.

    I've seen a good amount of reviews on it, and case in point, each one is so different and focuses on such diverse thoughts. I love that and I think that's the sign of a well written book that tackles important issues.

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  10. *sneaks in and pretends I'm not painfully behind on commenting*

    Hiiiiii!!!! I'm slowly catching up on blogs and I've missed everyones reviews so terribly much!

    Ah dang. Such a shame to hear Stealing Parker didn't turn out to be the novel you were hoping, especially since you loved Catching Jordan. Disappointing that Brian's reasons aren't very concrete... I mean, it's wrong that he engages in a student/teacher relationship, but there has to be some REASON, some solid explanation as to what would drive a person of that position. Still, I'm glad it was an enjoyable read. Hopefully Miranda's next novel will bring back the spark for you! Fabulous review!

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  11. Sorry this didn't work out for you, Keertana. I can definitely see your point about the time spent on the romance with the coach as opposed to the one with Corndog. I would've rather had more Corndog too. Nice honest review. :)

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  12. Oh, what a letdown. With such touchy subject matter, it doesn't seem as if the author explored it in a very thorough manner. I've only read one YA book with a teacher/studen relationship, Drowning Instinct, and I assure you that the author handled the theme exceedingly well. If you decide to read it sometime, I'll be cheering and fangirling in the background while stalking you at the same time. :D

    And brilliant review, Keertana! :) Hopefully, Dairy Queen will impress you more than this one. :)

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  13. Aw, well it sucks that you didn't like this one but I can undertsand why. Now I'm a little worried about how I will like this book but I will be sure to check it out! Great review!

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  14. Oh sorry this didn't work out for you as you'd hoped Keertana! I know you adored Catching Jordan, so it must have been disappointing when this fell way short. The relationship between Brian and Parker did grate on me too as she was blind to see the greatness standing right in front of her. Well at least you gave this a shot. We still have Things I can't Forget to look forward to. Here's hoping you'll enjoy that a lot more! :)

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  15. Love this excellently balanced review, Keertana! I have yet to read either of Kennealy's books (I'm so neglectful of contemp), but you've convinced me that when the time comes, I'll go for Catching Jordan rather than Stealing Parker. As you said, this book touches on some very interesting issues with potential for growth, but I just feel as if I would be too uncomfortable reading about the student teacher relationship, and it would deter my enjoyment of other aspects of the book.

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  16. So on the one hand, I really want to read this book, because I loved Catching Jordan; but on the other, I'm not sure how I'm going to feel about the student-teacher relationship. Those always creep me out--it's, like, the main reason I can't stand watching the movie Never Been Kissed. I think this is a book I'll check out from the library rather than buy.

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  17. Wow, I was busy for just a few days and already I've missed so much! Sorry, sorry, I'll be better now, I promise! :)
    I have a confession to make: I really didn't like Catching Jordan at all. In fact, I ended up just skimming through the second half. Therefore, I was never even tempted to read this book, but your review just convinced me further that I was right. I appreciate that it tackles difficult subjects, but it's just not for me.
    Amazing review, Keertana!

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  18. Thanks Heidi! I'd definitely recommend Catching Jordan since I adored that one and if you do pick this one up, I hope you have a better experience with it than I did! :)

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  19. Thanks Jen! I agree - it was simply uncomfortable not to know the teacher's perspective, so I wished more had been done with that. I do hope you enjoy this one if you pick it up though, dear! :)

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  20. Thanks Sam! You definitely need to pick up Catching Jordan ASAP and you might enjoy this one too, especially since I know practically everyone else did. I hope her next book isn't as much of a miss for me!

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  21. Nope, I disliked Mara Dyer too! I'm the Black Sheep for like...EVERYTHING! Still, I'm glad you were able to enjoy this one and, unlike you, I connected with Jordan instead of Parker which made me like Catching Jordan more than this one. I'm hoping Kenneally's next book is a better fit for me though! *fingers crossed*

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