Conditions of Love

by Ruth Pennebaker

Book Overview

Teens starting at a new school will be able to relate to this realistic and witty portrayal of a freshman girl's struggle to survive the trauma of losing her father and the pitfalls of adolescence. Pennebaker's first novel, Don't Think Twice, was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

• Format: Library Binding
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0606197435
• ISBN13: 9780606197434
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Turtleback Books
• Weight: 0.43 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.4" x 7.0"
• Age Range: 13 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 8 to 12

Customer Reviews

In response to the September 4th's review.

I'm fourteen years old and I have a ferm belief in God and I am a southern baptist. You know what? If this book upsets you so much then maybe you need to reafirm your faith and if a teenager reads it and they get that impression you talked about which only a dumbass would then thats their opinion and their choice.This book is awesome!

Conditions of Love

Dealing with her parents divorce, Sarah Morgan's life took a big twist when her father died of a heart attack and she moved to a new town, and school. Sarah idolized her father, and even loved him more than her mother, without him she felt like life was cruel, and not worth living. Her day to day life consisted of her being the typical outsider in school, dealing with her friend's issues, and her mother trying to be her friend rather than the mother that she needed. The author's diction gave Sarah a realistic teenage attitude. As I read the book I could almost put myself in Sarah's place as she described her relationship with her father and how she felt about her parents' divorce. The mood completely changed after Sarah found out that her father was a drunk and often hurt her mother. Matters really got worst as her mother got into a deeper relationship with her soon to be step father Mr. Cooper. Sarah wanted to express her feelings to Ben, and wanted to help her friend over come her problems and solve environmental issues by wrting letters to the governor. Upon her friend's death she felt dissapionted but relief as a sign to move on with her life and make the best out of it. This book is very realistic, honest, and unbelievable. I highly recommend it, espeacially for those in a parallel structure to Sarah.

A great coming-of-age story.

The story didn't really have a major conflict in it. It was subtle; generally it was about Sarah's learning the truth about her father, and about her drifting apart from her best friend. I would have liked to know more about Madeleine, but all in all it was a great book. It had a wistful tone to it throughout the entire story. Sarah's relationship with Ellie reminded me of mine with my former best friend, though our break was nowhere near as gentle. Not much actually happened in the story, but that's not a problem if the characters are good enough, which they were.

Enjoyed Condtitions of Love

I enjoyed Conditions of Love. It showed me all the different types of love you could have for a person. I enjoyed the characters in this book. At some particular points in the novel, Sarah reminds me of my teen years and myself. Different parts of the novel made me feel sad for Sarah and all she had to go through in her teen years. Her friend, Ellie, is her only friend. Friends are the main things you need during your high school years along with family. One thing I didn't like about the book was Ellie's mom was so dysfunctional. Ellie's mother was a depressed alcoholic. Ellie's mom was always slamming her ex-husband and trying to get her daughters to hate him also. The girls were friends, but Ellie couldn't always be there for Sarah because she had to take care of her mother. Overall I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to teens. I enjoyed Conditions of Love. It showed me all the different types of love you could have for a person. I enjoyed the characters in this book. At some particular points in the novel, Sarah reminds me of my teen years and myself. Different parts of the novel made me feel sad for Sarah and all she had to go through in her teen years. Her friend, Ellie, is her only friend. Friends are the main things you need during your high school years along with family. One thing I didn't like about the book was Ellie's mom was so dysfunctional. Ellie's mother was a depressed alcoholic. Ellie's mom was always slamming her ex-husband and trying to get her daughters to hate him also. The girls were friends, but Ellie couldn't always be there for Sarah because she had to take care of her mother. Overall I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to teens.

Funny, engaging, and poignant

I very much enjoyed this book. The satirical approach to the highschool scene was funny but not distracting from the deep emotional journey. Pennebaker captures the bittersweetness of growing up--that moment when we all have to somehow realize that life and people are rarely what we'd imagined.