| Book Reviews |
| Review on YABooksCentral Written by Kimberly Pauley 4/2003 "Perhaps the best way to sum up this book is this quote from the author, E. S. Pahls: "As a mother of teens, I wanted them to know that being uncertain or undecided about their career choices or feeling a little scared of crossing that line between adolescence and adulthood is something most of us can relate to. I wanted to write a book that is easy-to-read and has characters and situations that will appeal to the most reluctant teen reader." I believe that she has accomplished those things in this novel. The characters seem very real and true-to-life. They are dealing with problems and issues that real teens deal with. And, most of all, the novel is not judgemental in any way...All in all, this is an enjoyable book and a fast read. There are some typos that I found distracting, but that many readers would not even notice. I recommend this book primarily for older teens, as the characters are college age and up." Read the complete review on www.yabookscentral.com |
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| Visitor Review Written by Jeff Jakubik 5/2003 "It's My Heaven is an excellent book dealing with both sides of that crazy emotion love. This book follows the life of Katie and shows her maturing into a woman and the emotions and thoughts that falling in love bring. This story is really sweet mixed in with some of the sour that life brings. I don't like to admit it because I'm a man but my eyes got a little teary eyed at some parts. The story deals with many of the hopes and fears that we all have growing up. It also shows the reality of love that many of us either have felt or one day will experience." |
| Review on About Written by Paula Kirman 2/2003 "E. S. Pahls has written a very daring book for mature young adults. It's My Heaven is the story of Katie who is entering her first year of university in the shadow of her "perfect" older sister. Soon, she meets Bryan, and embarks on her first romantic relationship, with bittersweet results. The subject matter is quite mature for a Young Adult novel, but Pahls deals with it sensitively." Read the complete review on www.about.com |
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| Visitor Review Written by Jean 11/2002 "When Katie and her friends start their first year of college, they think their future is set because they're where they're supposed to be and they know what they need to know. They find reality to be a little more complicated. E.S. Pahls brings together various characters who are very real, giving each a distinct personality. Each character is the support for another while dealing with his or her own obstacle encountered by many in their teen years such as sex, drugs, uncertainty, and depression." |
| Review on WomenWriters.net Written by Zsófia Anna Toth 5/2004 I must confess E. S Pahls tricked me. When I started reading It’s My Heaven, it just seemed to be a light reading for adolescent girls, but it turned out to be a well-organized, strictly planned and powerful novel in which everything was deliberately written. I can recommend it to everyone and especially to those who are at a loss about the issue of love or about human relationships. This novel contains almost everything that can happen in a relationship. The story begins with a scene dated the summer of 2001 where a young happy mother is taking care of her sweet little baby on a sunny morning while daddy is still sleeping. The family has just moved into a new apartment and boxes are all over the place, full of memories. While searching through the boxes, Katie (the heroine of the story) gets lost in her memories. Not only the first scene but also the following chapters, which are dated back to 1998, are quite idyllic and delightful...The story is not only a good fable about love, but its structure and the way it was written is also noteworthy. As it has been partly mentioned, this is “a framed story.” It starts in the summer of 2001 and arrives back there at the end of the novel. The story between the first and fiftieth chapter takes place in the past, but is not simply recounted; the story-telling is diversified by letters, diary entries, and the characters’ thoughts within conversations are signaled by italics. The conversations are interesting, often witty, always telling and sometimes even funny. From time to time slang terms or everyday expressions are used. This makes the conversations even more vivid. The vividness of the story not only lies in the conversations but also in the situations which are depicted. What is very captivating about this novel is that it was written in an arresting and fascinating manner. It is really impressive and even thrilling after a certain point. You only have to be able to reach that point because the beginning is a bit elongated. It also happens sometimes that there is a bit more time and attention dedicated to certain issues like whether “he loves me or not” or “Katie’s jealousy about a Bryan’s childhood love” and the like. In spite of this, this novel is vivid and makes you live the story yourself. The secret of its powerful and impressive effect must be the author’s true sense of reality, slight irony and marvelous skill to visualize the events; the way the movements, the actions, the minute physical changes are depicted is really remarkable. Read the complete review on www.womenwriters.net |
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