Violet & Claire

by Francesca Lia Block

Book Overview

In search of material for a screenplay they are developing, seventeen-year-old Violet and her new friend Claire try to make life a movie as they chase their dreams through dangerously beautiful Los... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0064472531
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: HarperTeen
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.1" x 0.5" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

Like an art film put into words

This is a great book. Francesca Lia Block's writing style feels fresh, although her way of narrating is slightly confusing at times. The themes and events in the story are, mostly, nothing new to the female young adult category; it's its original, out-of-the-ordinary characters and Block's style that make Violet and Claire a compelling read. I only wish I had discovered Block's books sooner.

"Violet and Claire" my review

"Violet and Claire" is a book about two young girls, two completely opposite girls, who find each other in high school to make a perfect pair. They protect each other from the dangers of school, show business, men, drugs, and LA. I liked "Violet and Claire" a lot because of how much I related to both of the main characters. This, as all other books by Francesca Lia Block are, isn't a book you just sit back and read for the fun of it. It is something people can relate to, especially teenage girls like me. This is a book to learn from, if one lets themselves. I learned a little about myself. Violet is a dark, rich, somewhat jaded, depressed but tough up-and-coming screenplay writer, and Claire is a quiet, poetry-writing, insecure, home-wrecked, strange girl who believes she is a descendent of a lost race of faeries. In the book it was saying how if you put the two girls together, they make "the perfect image of a girl". This is somewhat true. Together they make an average (not perfect) girl struggling to survive in a world of love, hate, insecurity, murder, drugs, cruelty, jealousy, friendship, and violence. A world where everything goes so fast, that it's too hard to live without someone there to help. I recommend this book to any and every girl from the ages of 14 to 20. Reading this book gave me a sense of security that even though all teenage girls don't get along with each other, there are characteristics and such that give us a little unity in our lives. It gave me the knowledge that even when I'm feeling alone or misunderstood, there's someone else out there who feels just the same right at that moment. No one is ever alone.

Sweet and entertaining.

This is a beautiful young adult book... i am not a young adult (i am 21 and a college grad.), but this book was a very sweet read. It tells the story of two girls - both who are outcasts in their own way - and how they meet and help each other tackle life. I read it in 2 days, and it was entirely entertaining, andi highly reccomend it. I expected a lesbian undertone... and was a bit disappointed that there is only heterosexual/platonic loving... but it is sweet just the same. Besides, the hardcover edition is pocketsize and the cover art is beautiful - very cute. ENJOY this delightful, magical, frivolous book.

Mezmerizing and Impossible to Put Down

Violet & Claire became my all-time favorite book before I was even finished reading it. It's easy to connect with, which I did, on a very deep level. It was like this book was the story of my life, and the absolute description of me--I'm just like Claire, with a Violety edge. I also happen to be a very huge Toriphile (a follower of Tori Amos) and I was so excited when I saw the excerpts from the song Bells for Her! The first part of the book is narrated by Violet. She talks about her passion for screenwriting, and about her life. She's dark, cynical, sarcastic, and different from other people, therefore rejected by all her peers. Then she meets Claire. The second part of the book is narrated by Claire, who is sparkly, poetic, pure, innocent, and honest. She not only believes in faeries, she believes she is a faerie. The third part of the book is narrated in the third person, both Violet and Claire. This book is the story of how their friendship was strong enough to overcome anything.The two girls are almost metaphorical, the two sides of every girl. Every girl has an innocent side and a dark side. Violet is the dark, and Claire is the light. Violet & Claire is classified as Young Adult, and I was a little put off by that at first, but I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't belong there. There was some sex in it, along with bad language, and a few drug issues. In my opinion, that only serves to make the book more realistic, but if you're thinking of getting this book for a younger kid, definitely think twice-- it really should go in the adult section. In short, I would recommend this book to the teenage girl or woman who is not weak at heart.