Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny Torres Sanchez
Author: Jenny Torres Sanchez
Published Date: May 28, 2013
Published by: Running Press Kids
Tour Hosted by: Book Nerd Tours
Summary:
Frenchie Garcia can’t come to grips with the death of Andy Cooper. Her friends didn’t know she had a crush on him. And they don’t know she was the last person with him before he committed suicide. But Frenchie’s biggest concern is how she blindly helped him die that night.
Frenchie’s already insane obsession with death and Emily Dickinson won’t help her understand the role she played during Andy’s “one night of adventure.” But when she meets Colin, she may have found the perfect opportunity to recreate that night. While exploring the emotional depth of loss and transition to adulthood, Sanchez’s sharp humor and clever observations bring forth a richly developed voice.
My Review:
I am a native Floridian, so I automatically love books set in Florida 10x more than other books! I meant Jenny at the Sunshine Author Tour, which was chock-a-block with Florida authors, of which Jenny was one. She was there to promote her first book, The Downside of Being Charlie, which was amazing, and she teased about her next book, Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia, First off, with a title like that, who can say no? Secondly, set in Orlando? Done!
But seriously this book was fantastic! Frenchie is a high school senior who is newly graduated and facing some big problems heading to the future. But with a sharp wit and faith in herself, she is able to overcome on of the biggest obstacles of all, being the last one to see Andy Cooper, who is Frenchie's ultimate crush, alive. One of those hit 'em where it hurts stories, Sanchez takes us on a wild ride through downtown Orlando with Andy all the while the reader knows what will happen to him. But in the end the story circles back to the local cemetery where Frenchie spends most of time conversing with Emily Dickinson, but not the Emily Dickinson, and here is where she finally comes to terms with what happened.
As you can tell Sanchez has a morbi sense of humor, but it really works as a springboard for contemplation and expression. The real Emily Dickinson's poems are sprinkled throughout the book, used as tools for Frenchie to gain some perspective on her problems. Being a literature geek, I loved this so much. There are a lot of lit-hits like that, I suppose it helps that Sanchez was an English teacher! ; )
This book is very real, wrapping a scary and intense situation in humor and weirdness, just like situations of this kind usually are. On par with some other great contemporary novels, The Fault in Our Stars, Deadline, and Thirteen Reasons Why to name a few, Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny Torres Sanchez definitely deserves a place on your bookshelf!
FINAL VERDICT: 5 STARS!
Excerpt:
“The old man across the street is dead. School has been out for three weeks. I estimate that would have been the last time I saw him. Alive”
(Page 1)
About Jenny Torres Sanchez
Jenny Torres Sanchez lives in Florida with her husband and children where she currently writes full time. Before her debut novel The Downside of Being Charlie she taught high school for several years, where she credits her eclectic students for inspiring her to write young adult novels.
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Get your hands on a copy of the book here:
Oh, and you can enter to win a copy for your very self!
Giveaway:
- 3 Winners will receive a Signed Copy+Swag of Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny Torres Sanchez
- 1 Winner will receive a Poster and Bookmark of a Surprise Art by James Vallesteros
- 10 Winners will receive One bookmark of a Surprise Art by James Vallesteros
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