Hard Love

First, let me say I'm almost 40 -- I picked this up because I saw that my 14-year-old daughter was hooked on this book and was just curious what she was into these days. I finished it in a couple hours. I won't go into the plot summary as it's been thoroughly covered here already. The writing (and this book is ALL about writing) is excellent. How Wittlinger gets right into the head of an angry, alienated teenage male (something I remember being, and not fondly) is astonishing. The character of John unleashes some of the most scathing blasts of brutal honesty (read the letters to his parents!) while lying (sort of) about so much else to the one person who is so important to his world. He is so conflicted, and Wittlinger just nails the character. [...]But that's missing the point -- this novel is only marginally about gay/lesbian issues. It's about the difference between honesty and lying (both to yourself as well as those who love you, or in the case of the parents, those who are supposed to love you). It's also about what it means to be touched by someone -- the physical touching referred to often in the book is really about breaking through the defensive barriers that alienated teens and their damaged parents are both victims of. It's about writing as a tool for self-discovery and healing, or "the magic words" as they are referred to by the characters in the book. And ultimately, it's about how gut-wrenching it can be to get really close to somebody and realize how much pain can be involved with that. I'm a little sad that this is classified as "young adult" fiction in that a lot of adults who appreciate great writing and three-dimensional characters probably won't read it. And truth be told, there are probably some teens who just won't understand what makes this such a great read. But for those teens who do get it and the adults lucky enough to stumble on this little gem of a book, it is well worth the effort.

Hi, I'm Alison...I read this book in a day. Hard Love is about a student in high school, a junior, and his name is John. His parents were divorced when he was ten and it made him grow cold. Ever since then his own mother hasn't even touched him. He doesn't fit in the in crowd at school ( like me ha ) and since it got hard to deal with, he started writing zines. While waiting in Tower Records in Boston while visiting his father one day, he picks up another zine written by this girl named Marisol. He finally meets this girl, and even though they only see one another on the weekends, they become best friends. You would think they hook up right then and there but no. She is indeed a lesbian, and does not lie. Does she turn straight for him? Read the book.But he still asks her to the prom ( just as friends he says ) but John makes a couple of wrong moves and she gets extremely mad. It leaves there friendship in shambles. But then he talks her into going to a zine convention and then and there on the beach he starts to understand the meaning of Hard Love.This book wrapped me with emotions I had been avoiding. It is very hard to admit when you feel alone. It is even more hard to admit when you fall in love with someone and you know it cant ever happen. I've been there. I'm there now. It's very tough on the heart, makes me feel all clamy. It has harsh language and things that would be better for teens ( like me ). THis book went by like a gush of wind through the air. I was amazed at how well this was written and well this women captured the very thought of a teenager. Thats not an easy task. When I read this I was forced to answer my emotions and I think it can open many peoples eyes. I wish adults would read it as well, cause then they could see what we go through day to day. They think we have it easy, HAHAHAHAHA thats real funny. Nope, not even close. I recommend to anyone with good sence to read this book, it is very well written, and is about something real. :)p.s im not 12 I had to put that cause I cant use the adult form. Im really barely 13,,,about two months....So I do know how it goes

There are lots of trite, silly, and thoroughly unimaginative books out there that call themselves "young-adult novels." Their intended audience is supposedly teenagers, but most intelligent teenagers who enjoy reading good books quickly give up on the genre entirely, turned off by the one-dimensional characters and sometimes astoundingly bad writing. People my age (high school/college age) who love to read do NOT usually turn to the young-adult genre for our books.HARD LOVE is the reason we should rethink our decision. For one thing, the writing is excellent, especially the dialogue. For another, the characters are entirely true to life, and Ellen Wittlinger is able to make you care deeply about what happens to them. (And they are decidedly NOT "teen flick" material, as the review from the Horn Book suggested!) She has also given her characters an interesting and emotionally complex story. But the best thing about this book is that it feels REAL. Everything about this book works, and it is a joy to read and reread. If you enjoy intelligent stories that are able to make you both think and feel, you must read this book, no matter what your age.

Looking for a smart, sensitive portrayal of teenagers growing up in the late nineties? Hard Love is the book for you. Jaded junior high and high school students, young college students and parents alike will be amazed at Wittlinger's perceptive, hard-hitting, complex young adult novel. As a graduate student, I expected to feel mildly engaged with Hard Love; but to my surprise, I became deeply involved with this work. The first-person narrative of the main character, a high school junior named John, held my attention from the somewhat inauspicious beginning.John is a young man who doesn't know if he's straight, gay, angry, happy, bored, or abandoned. His mother hasn't touched him at all since his father walked out on them years before, and his father is a wealthy playboy who gives John freedom--freedom to be ignored, freedom to turn into a block of ice.At first, John infuriated me. I wanted him to talk, to stop whining, to tell his parents what was really going on. He comes across as a loner, a loser of a kid who's intelligent enough but keeps the world at a huge distance.Luckily, John's world is blown open when he meets Marisol, who produces her own 'zine and calls herself a "Puerto Rican Cuban Yankee lesbian." I delighted in watching Wittlinger develop John's character from this point on as he discovers worlds of creativity, love, and strength. John's young, raw voice becomes a focal point for the labyrinth of teenage emotional life.By the conclusion, my emotions were so completely bound up with John's that I cried with both pain and joy at the resolutions--and non-resolutions--of the novel.The teenagers in Hard Love are complex. Alienated, motivated, creative, needy, dependent, raw, and discovering their place in a human community, they write 'zines, create music, run away from problems, face parental failings, and in general deal with the painful world in various original and authentic ways.In creating John and Marisol, Wittlinger combines skill, knowledge, and sensitivity. Added bonuses are references to Ani DiFranco and Bob Franke, plus great tips on the world of 'zines and lyrical descriptions of the Boston and Cape Cod areas.This 26-year-old found Hard Love an emotionally and intellectually satisfying, even fulfilling read. I'd suggest you buy it now!