The Book of Essie

A Novel

De: Meghan MacLean Weir

Narrado por: Robbie Daymond, Tara Sands, Erin Spencer

Finalist for the 2018 New England Book Award

"Both timelessly beautiful and unbelievably timely." (Chris Bohjalian, New York Times best-selling author of Midwives and The Flight Attendant)

A captivating novel of family, fame, and religion that tells the story of the 17-year-old daughter of an evangelical preacher, star of the family's hit reality show, and the secret pregnancy that threatens to blow their entire world apart.

Esther Ann Hicks - Essie - is the youngest child on Six for Hicks, a reality television phenomenon. She's grown up in the spotlight, both idolized and despised for her family's fire-and-brimstone brand of faith. When Essie's mother, Celia, discovers that Essie is pregnant, she arranges an emergency meeting with the show's producers: Do they sneak Essie out of the country for an abortion? Do they pass the child off as Celia's? Or do they try to arrange a marriage - and a ratings-blockbuster wedding?

Meanwhile, Essie is quietly pairing herself up with Roarke Richards, a senior at her school with a secret of his own to protect. As the newly formed couple attempt to sell their fabricated love story to the media - through exclusive interviews with an infamously conservative reporter named Liberty Bell - Essie finds she has questions of her own: What was the real reason for her older sister leaving home? Whom can she trust with the truth about her family? And how much is she willing to sacrifice to win her own freedom?

©2018 Meghan MacLean Weir (P)2018 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“I was immediately captivated by The Book of Essie, a unique and moving story about a young woman whose life has been hijacked by fame, family and faith - and her spectacular, surprising plot to take it back.” (Vanessa Diffenbaugh, best-selling author of The Language of Flowers and We Never Asked for Wings)

"A resourceful, resilient teen heroine is at the heart of Meghan MacLean Weir's propulsive debut novel... Weir is also adept at using the language of evangelical life, lending an authenticity that takes the book beyond a Duggar-family pastiche. The tentative trust that grows between Essie and Roarke gives The Book of Essie emotional depth, and the questions at its center have a surprising moral weight. Readers will root for Essie through every twist and turn of her story." (Trisha Ping, BookPage)

"The youngest daughter of an Evangelical preacher-turned-reality TV star hatches a plan to wrangle her freedom - and expose the dark truth about her family - in Weir's debut novel... Deeply sympathetic...well-paced...and the unexpected tenderness between Essie and Roarke gives the novel genuine emotional punch." (Kirkus)

Great! I finished the book in one day.

Great! I finished the book and one day. I see some resemblance to stories from the news about a few mega families and Christian churches. The narrator's did a great job.

Mediocre, but Entertaining

While I enjoyed this one overall, I'm disappointed because I expected more from it. The Book of Essie deals with some very serious issues, but the writing itself doesn't carry enough weight do any of them justice. The narrative is filled with one dimensional and stereotypical characters, cliched and awkward dialogue, and predictable plot points.

Meghan MacLean Weir's saving grace is her ability to blend what is presently happening in the narrative with the exposition of the story's past events and characters' back story. The pacing of the story is smooth and the time spent with each Point of View character is adequate. I hope she continues to hone her skill because I think she has potential to be an great writer.

There is a separate narrator for each of the protagonists. I liked the narrator for Essie the best and Rourke's was tolerable, but Liberty's narrator really grated on my nerves both with the tonal quality of her voice and her performance.

Great listen!!!

I listened to this book very quickly. It is a very engaging book. I highly recommend it!!!

Interesting

I loved this book. Very interesting subject with reality tv and today’s world. Definitely worth a credit.

Book of Essie

Great story and hits a lot of present day issues!
Such a great reminder of always live for your true self.

Interesting concept--but drags

Maybe I'm not part of the intended audience for this book, because I have little to no interest in reality TV, televangelists, or the politics of the religious right. I thought the concept for the storyline here was unique, but the story went on for way to long and led to a predictable conclusion.

Not what I expected

This story was slow to get started but I stayed with it. I won’t be listening to this one again.

Wow

Wow. Wow. Wow. What a story. Definitely worth a read or listen. Highly recommend this book.

Riveting!!!

I do not give many reviews. I read the other reviews on this story before. I took a chance on this book and i loved every moment of it. The narrator and the story are wonderful. I loved the different points of view throughout the book. This book makes you think about so many things. The whole moral of the story is captivating. This was worth the credit used and one i will probably listen to again.

Surprisingly good!

I took a chance on this book not really knowing anything about it. When I first started I had to double check to see if it was a YA book ( not that it really mattered). As the story developed and I got to know the characters, I really got into this book. Not something I would normally choose but I had a hard time putting it down. I love the character of Rourke. I agree, it was important that he told his story and the narration for him was excellent. I could really feel this young man and I liked him. Essie's narration was also very good- both perfect for their characters. I had a little trouble with Liberty's story. It was a bit confusing and difficult to get into. Eventually, of course her relevance and her story became clear but I think it could have been handled a little bit better. I really enjoyed this book! I think it is very relevant in today's world and a story that needs to be told. It might be appropriate for some mature teens.