Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Review: Purity

PURITY
Jackson Pearce
Contemporary Young Adult
218 pages
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Available Now
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Before her mother died, Shelby promised three things: to listen to her father, to love as much as possible, and to live without restraint. Those Promises become harder to keep when Shelby's father joins the planning committee for the Princess Ball, an annual dance that ends with a ceremonial vow to live pure lives -- in other words, no "bad behavior," no breaking the rules, and definitely no sex.

Torn between Promises One and Three, Shelby makes a decision -- to exploit a loophole and lose her virginity before taking the vow. But somewhere between failed hookup attempts and helping her dad plan the ball, Shelby starts to understand what her mother really meant, what her father really needs, and who really has the right to her purity.


MY THOUGHTS
Purity is a beautiful tapestry of words; colorful emotional threads woven together to create a unique story rich with humor that still touches on more serious issues like God, sex, and growing up. For those (like me) who tend to steer clear of books that have prominent religious overtones, fear not, Ms. Pearce approaches the topic with an intriguing and appealing combination of gravity and levity, making Shelby’s story not so much one specifically about her faith, but rather about her confusion as to her beliefs in the years following the loss of her mother. Shelby’s struggle to make sense of the tragedy is something far more universal in nature than an exploration of the tenets of any particular religion, and is therefore something that instantly connects us to her regardless of our personal views.

Shelby is hilarious, at times utterly ridiculous (in an amusing way), and a complete jumble of flaws and strengths endearingly combined to create a very human, very down-to-earth young woman. Her devotion to her mother’s memory and the last promises she made to her is something we can’t help but respect despite our ability to recognize that her singular and strict interpretation of those promises is not what her mother intended for her only daughter, and it’s both painful and poignant to watch as she stumbles trying to follow her mother’s words to the very letter. She questions life, death, and God, she makes mistakes, and she seeks out a sexual relationship for all the wrong reasons, but through all of that she’s someone who has our support, and often our laughter, because we know for her to discover the intent behind her mother’s promises rather than the literal interpretation she has to walk a road of her own making.

A true highlight of Shelby’s entirely-too-short tale of self-discovery is Ms. Pearce’s extraordinary sense of humor. We spend much of the story in tears laughing at Shelby’s antics as she pursues a loophole in the principles that guide her life, with one scene in particular involving a locked glass case containing condoms at the pharmacy causing our stomachs to cramp with the force of our mirth, and our faces to turn an entertaining shade of red on her behalf. Overall, Purity is a quick and hugely entertaining read, its appeal bound to be wide in scope regardless of the religious and sexual threads that run through it as a result of a truly charming protagonist, a little romance, and a whole lot of less-than romantic escapades.

Rating: 4/5

37 comments:

  1. Mimi's review convinced me I need to read this so I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it too!

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  2. So I actually had this one from the library and returned it after reading some iffy reviews. I also read some good ones that still makes me want to read it, but I wasn't in the mood at the time. I do want to eventually pick it up.

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  3. Oh I'm now even more excited to read this. I love a good tale with humor in it and this one indeed sounds phenomenal! I'm so up for such a quick, light and fun read! Can't wait to pick up my copy!

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  4. This sounds like a great little contemporary read! I think it would be impossible to skirt the issue of God/religion after losing a parent so young, so I am glad that the author chose to include that.

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  5. YAY for this book! I think it was way too short too, but that's only because I had an absolute BLAST reading it and never wanted it to end! x) Hilarious, ridiculous, and endearing is my mantra with Shelby -- she made me smile, and I'm so happy you adored her and her story as much as I did. And I was really glad that Jackson Pearce wrote around the religion thing and focused on making this fun instead of preachy too :)

    I absolutely heart your review, Jenny, just like I heart this book! :) <3

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  6. I like self discovery tales and I like the sound of a ridiculous and amusing heroine. So long as this book doesn't read as preachy to me, we're golden!

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  7. First I've heard of this one....Looks good :)
    I like characters who are ridiculous sometimes

    Not a huge fan of the cover though
    Krazyyme @ Young Readers

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  8. Oh! I'm so glad you liked this one, Jenny! I have yet to read any of Pearce's books, but I desperately want to. I do love her humour from outside of the books though, so I'm definitely looking forward to picking this one up! Great review.

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  9. YEAH! I actually want to give this book as a gift to one of my friends that love YA Contemporaries! She likes humor along with her stories :)

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  10. Candace - I did! I honestly wasn't sure it would be a book for me, but I'm so glad I picked it up:)

    Alison - I hope you give it a try, it was a pleasant surprise for me!

    Danny - I think you'll get a kick out of this one, I was snorting the whole way through. Loved it:)

    Amanda - I agree. And I really liked how the religion aspect was handled - I don't like feeling like I'm reading a sermon and this was in no way that type of read.

    Mimi - Me too! I could hardly read some of the pages because I was crying laughing. Shelby was a brilliant heroine even though she made some choices that made me want to shake her.

    Asher - I didn't think it was preachy at all and I tend to be hypersensitive about that type of thing:)

    Krazyyme - I do too, as long as they're ridiculous in an endearing way and I thought Shelby definitely was.

    Rebecca - I adore her books! This one was much funnier than I anticipated, I hope she writes more contemporaries along with her fairytale series:)

    Felicia - Then she should love this one:)

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  11. When I first read a few reviews of this book, I wasn't sure what to make of it. I also try to avoid books with a religious overtone-more like preachy books. Now I'm wondering if I made a too quick decision about this one. I'm going to stick it in my maybe pile and wait and see if the library gets a copy.

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  12. I seriously can't wait for this book, I had my eye on it when I first saw it but now that you loved it I know that I will just love it too! Fab review Jenny! :)

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  13. Wow...this sounds like a such a great read...I was worried it would be weird and preachy but now I need to add it to my TBR.

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  14. This sounds so fun and silly. I can imagine it as a movie!

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  15. I've read a few reviews of this one, and I have it added to my wish list.

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  16. Rummanah - I do as well, and I had some concerns going into this one that the religious aspect would be too prominent, but I just adored how everything was handled:)

    Jasprit - Yay! Can't wait to see what you think.

    Melissa - I shared your worry but I was pleasantly surprised.

    Pam - It would make a great movie I think!

    Jennifer - Yay:)

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  17. Ahh I am defintely going to read this now, I even have a copy, I love that the main character is a jumble of flaws trying to find loopholes. I need a good laugh out loud book and this might be just what I need to get me out of the doldrums today. I,too, steer away from books with heavy religious themes ( like those freebies you get on Amazon and
    I am happily reading and then smack in my face god references..those sneaky #*%+ sneaked me a Christain book) ok what was I saying... oh yeah glad it is subtle. On another note when is your next dirty cover post? my eyes need to see some more filth!

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  18. I think I'm going to have to second what Heidi said...this one's definitely going on my to-read list now! From what I've heard around the book blogosphere, this book tackles a variety of issues, and it does it well. Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Jenny! :)

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  19. Ha! I love it when people get creative with loopholes. And I'm glad to know that with this one, I don't have to worry about overly zealous views on religion. That usually turns me off too. I've met Ms. Pearce. She is amazing!

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  20. Heidi - Hahahaha I haven't tried the tricky Amazon freebies, seems as though I should stay away:) And I'm hoping to bring the cover critiques back soon!

    Natalie - I thought it was done really well. I didn't feel like I was being given a "message" and Shelby is funny and flawed and very realistic.

    Missie - Lucky you! I'd love to meet her:)

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  21. I like that she questions everything. Makes me want to read this one. However, the humor (which I didn't expect) makes me want to read it more. Okay, you have me curious about this one now.

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  22. This could go two ways for me, I get annoyed..I liked it. And I fear the annoyed part

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  23. I really liked this one, too. I thought Jackson Pearce did a great job with this one, making it not too over religious and annoying to the non-religious readers. great review. :D

    Ashelynn @ gypsy book reviews.

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  24. I loved her humor! I loved her self-discorvery as well. Those part in books always get me. Thanks for the lovely review Jenny!

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  25. Jenny, that's great you enjoyed it so much. A book that makes us laugh is very worthy!

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  26. Sounds right up my alley. Thanks for mentioning the religious aspect. I like these kinds of themes, but not if they're thinly disguised dogma which this obviously isn't. I hope it'd out in ebook, koz I want it now.

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  27. No, it's not out in ebook yet. Pity, they may just have missed a sale, unless I can remember to look for it later.

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  28. At first I thought Purity was a more sombre book about a serious subject matter and sounds so different from what Jackson Pearce usually writes. But now I'm glad to find out that the story does have the humor that I love so much.

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  29. This looks like a really adorable book! I'm not a big contemporary girl but I definitely want to try this out! Thanks for the review!

    Sierra @ Yearning to Read
    www.yearningtoread.blogspot.com

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  30. I heard a lots of good thing about this book ... AWESOME review ... I will make sure to read it :)

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  31. It sounds amazing, I love to read funny books from time to time :) !! I wasn't planning to pick up a copy but I definitely want to read this one now .. Thanks Jenny :)

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  32. Ive heard so many mixed things about this one, but Im planning on reading it. I loved her last 3 books so Ill prob like this one too.....:)

    Super-duper review Jenny-Benny!!!!

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  33. Very nice review! Usually, I stay away from books that deal with religion, but it sounds like this one was nicely written.

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  34. "Shelby is hilarious, at times utterly ridiculous (in an amusing way), and a complete jumble of flaws and strengths endearingly combined to create a very human, very down-to-earth young woman." I've been reading books where the characters have been annoying me so this sounds perfect. I also really like Pearce's writing and the fact that she's so humorous.

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  35. I don't know how I missed that Jackson Pearce had a new book coming out, but hers are a must buy for me. Though very different from what I've read from her, if it's tear inducing laughter, I'm all for it! (Much like the much missed Friday Cover Critiques). Great review! On my TBR right now.

    Heather

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  36. This definitely sounds like an entertaining book and after all the great reviews I have seen for it, I'm hoping I enjoy it as much as everyone else! I'm glad you liked this Jenny. A quick and entertaining book is exactly what I'm after sometimes. Wonderful review! :)

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  37. Purity sounds like it's an absolutely beautiful book to read. It also sounds like it's one to pull at the heart strings as the reader goes along on Shelby's journey of unintentional self discovery. Great review Jenny.

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