Thursday, August 11, 2011

What is Amy Reed reading?

Today's featured contributor at Writers Read: Amy Reed, author of Beautiful and Clean.

Her entry begins:
A book I read recently and absolutely adored was Room by Emma Donoghue. This is one of those books that deserves every bit of attention it’s received, which has been a lot--it’s been nominated for a ton of big awards and continues to be a best-seller in paperback. It’s the story of a young mother and her 5-year old son who are living together in an 11x11 foot room. The mother was kidnapped seven years earlier, and her son Jack has never known a world besides the room.

It would be easy for a book like this to use plot as a crutch--the stakes are always so high that the reader would probably stay hooked even if the writing was mediocre. But, my god, the...[read on]
Among the early praise for Clean:
"With deep, sympathetic characters and beautiful prose, Clean cuts to the heart. It's poignant and real. I can't stop thinking about it."
--Lisa McMann, bestselling author of Wake and Cryer's Cross

"An affecting drama about five teenagers in an upscale rehab facility for drug addiction. The author handles complex issues deftly and honestly, from family dysfunction to attempted rape…. The hard-hitting scenarios and abundance of white space make this a perfect suggestion for Ellen Hopkins fans."
--Kirkus

"Delivers some emotional and smart insights…. The use of multiple narrators results in a briskly paced, vignette-driven story that suits the frenetic lives of the teens."
--Publishers Weekly
Learn more about the book and author at Amy Reed's website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

Writers Read: Amy Reed (October 2009).

Writers Read: Amy Reed.

--Marshal Zeringue