In Dear Venny, Dear Saffron, an unlikely pair of teenagers, become pen-pals through a school project. Saffron Duval lives in a penthouse apartment with her rich and snobby Aunt Beatrice in New York and Venero Merlo lives in Brisbane, Australia with his parents. As time passes, the characters mature, as does their relationship. Then, hopes and dreams are shattered as a tragedy unfolds. The main themes are growing up and romance. Secondary themes include, friendship and 'life and death.' It is interesting what you can write about to someone you have never met before and to see what can develop from it. There are some minor elements of teenage rebellion in this book, but not a lot. The only types of rebellion in the book, are alcohol, smoking and trying new things, for example when Venny tries modelling and sculpture. This book is not very good at communicating rebellion. Dear Venny, Dear Saffron, doesn't focus on rebellion, but tries to focus on other issues. The characters are very well done and are both sophisticated in their own ways. One of the most interesting aspects of the novel is the opportunity to read the story from two perspectives. The reader can always look back and marvel at how far the characters have developed. Dear Venny, Dear Saffron, is an intriguing story about romance, passion and growing up. It shows that life makes promises it cannot keep and most importantly it shows the emotional growth of two completely different individuals.
