The Clearing

Reader: Elizabeth S
Age: 16
Title: The Clearing
Author: Heather Davis
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group
Pub Date: 04/2010
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: No
Did the cover tempt you: I liked the cover of this book, actually. I'm usually not a fan of sentences on the front (not "blurbs," per se, but sentences describing the contents of the book). I liked the separation between both pictures, characters, and fonts on the cover. I thought this was a great way to reflect the contents of this book and the way the eras were separated. I also liked the "foggy" quality of the cover. I thought it made the title and the center picture clearer and more eye-catching. I disliked, however, the trees on the top of the cover. It distracted me a little from the focus of the cover and drew my eye away from both the title and the author.
Recommend: No
Convince us to read the book: I wouldn't recommend this book because I don't think it had many new ideas to offer. It didn't draw me in as much as other time-crossed love stories have, and I found it to be a little clichéd.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: I can't really think of one distinct compelling aspect of this book. I wanted to like the characterization, but as soon as a secondary character was introduced
that I thought would be interesting to read about, they were pulled out of the story or made so one-sided that I didn't care to read about them anymore. Henry could have been a very interesting character, but he was a very one-sided character. He was too innocent and too unrelatable; though he was from a different era, I feel that he still could have had more characteristics that made me relate to him. Amy was an interesting character, but I feel like she was underdeveloped and her conclusion was rushed. Aunt Mae, in my opinion, was the most compelling character. She had a hidden past that made her more three-dimensional, and, though she was more of a guiding character than a central player, I felt like she was the most interesting to read about.
Did you finish: Yes
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I was particularly disappointed with the ending. While I don't necessarily feel as if all love stories must end happily, I think it was really unresolved. Amy and Henry separated, and I know the past would have changed, but I felt as if this distinct change was a little implausible. It left me with too many questions to be perfectly content with the book. Did Henry remember what had happened? Did Amy remember any of it? It was too abrupt to feel resolute. I did like, however, the foreshadowing hinting at Amy's happy future with Jackson that was somewhat resolved in the ending. I just feel as if the author was trying to end it all super fast. It was also told implausibly. It felt awkward and forced, and I think the book would have been much better with a better-developed ending.
Age Range: 14-17
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal