Crooked

by Louisa Luna

Book Overview

Melody is just out of prison. Faced with the absence of her brother, who's serving life in San Quentin, and hardened by her own experiences in lock-up, Mel sturggles to adjust to the harsh realities of life on the outside. She quickly discovers that freeedom is relative...she has no money, no prospects, no guidance.
Forced to return to her mother's apartment in Marin County and take a job houling portable toilets, Mel finds herself drinking too...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743439953
• ISBN13: 9780743439954
• Release Date: May 2002
• Publisher: MTV Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.1" x 7.1"

Customer Reviews

Crooked

This is a great novel by one creative author. i am 16 and live in miami.. and my parents were [upset] because i wouldnt put this book down. i read this book during dinner, at the beach, in the car, at red lights, everywhere. i loved it. i never knew i could speed read until i read this book. this novel doesnt follow a typical motif or theme, as in other works of literature. Melody (the main character) acts like someone in the real world.. not just someone in a false pretense existence. i truly thank god for freedom of speech after reading this novel. i would definitely recommend this book.

Astounding

This is a tightly written, sharply visualised novel -- really a work of literature, which might explain some of the disappointed reviews I've seen elsewhere from people who may have been expecting another link from the great sausage-factory of Music Television Books. Ms. Luna has created, in Melody Booth, a character whose inner essence is so coldly and clearly written that she actually suffuses the text with a luminous vitality. Despite what may appear to the prejudiced as a confusing or even pointless ending, I think it is ultimately a novel of redemption. Melody may well be a modern answer to Lermontov's 'Fatalist'.

Luna Keeps Me Grounded

I was skeptical of this book because I was afraid after reading so many of the other MTV books, they would all start to run together. But alas, MTV DOES know what variety is (off the air, that is...) Following 2001's Brave New Girl, Luna keeps me in my seat once again. The reason I think this is is the lack of larger, seemingly more important details, and the abundance of smaller, minute particulars. Scenes from the end come to mind here, and some of those tiny things she picks out and apart made me laugh out loud. The characters did not become cliche, as today cliches themselves are becoming cliche, and the plot was flowing, strong, and silently thrilling. Turning page after page, I goobled up this book entirely too quickly. Keep it coming, Louisa.

One Of The Best Books EVER!

This book is one of the best books ever!Louisa luna keeps you hooked on the book, and its really interesting!Very good ending!In other words,JUST READ THE FREAKING BOOK.:)

A must read book from a huge talent

To steal from the title of her first book, Louisa Luna is indeed a brave new girl. In her sophomore effort, Crooked, she proves beyond any doubt that she is a voice that will continue to sound for many years to come. In many ways, Crooked takes up where Brave New Girl left off. The characters are different, but the struggles remain. Ms. Luna's particular gift is to get directly to the grit of human existence, and its effects are sometimes appalling, sometimes hilarious, sometimes makes us clench our teeth and yell "no-no-no" -- much like life itself. But always, her accounts come across as infinitely true and brutally honest. At the core of her characters is a longing. Ms. Luna's ample talent requires us to see the despair in each and every character she has created, and yet also allows us to see/feel the universitality of the human experience. Ms. Luna is a literary gem.