- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Fourth Estate (4 Mar 2010)
- Language Unknown
- ISBN-10: 0007350627
- ISBN-13: 978-0007350629
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 771,228 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Mathilda Savitch
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Product Description
Review
'…the tension crackles as Mathilda's savage monologue rattles on, constantly surprising and heartbreakingly funny' Psychologies
'There cannot be a recent portrait of downbeat, defiant adolescence that is as convincing as that of Lodato's eponymous anti-heroine' Guardian
'Constantly surprising and heartbreakingly funny' Psychologies
Review
'…the tension crackles as Mathilda's savage monologue rattles on, constantly surprising and heartbreakingly funny' Psychologies
'There cannot be a recent portrait of downbeat, defiant adolescence that is as convincing as that of Lodato's eponymous anti-heroine' Guardian
'Constantly surprising and heartbreakingly funny' Psychologies
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This searing novel is as good as it gets and although I know I've said that before in other reviews there's still some room at the top. What a voice Mathilda Savitch has: funny, hurt, just about holding it together as she makes her murky way through a terrible family grief that we know will never heal. That Mathilda is only fourteen makes it all the more unbearable. And yet we also know that there is hope, for now just out of her grasp, whilst for her parents there seems to be none.
Triumphantly, what Victor Lodato has done here is shown us a life which, though tangled up in pain, has humour, authenticity, and above all a raw honesty that is miraculous to behold. His compassion is unfaltering and his obvious love for his character is a joy.
Like Lori Lansen's 'The Girls', Richard Ford's 'Wildlife' and David Mitchell's 'Black Swan Green' this story of a childhood on the cusp of adolescence is the very best of its kind. It's also the most impressive and memorable novel of any sort you're likely to read this year.
Triumphantly, what Victor Lodato has done here is shown us a life which, though tangled up in pain, has humour, authenticity, and above all a raw honesty that is miraculous to behold. His compassion is unfaltering and his obvious love for his character is a joy.
Like Lori Lansen's 'The Girls', Richard Ford's 'Wildlife' and David Mitchell's 'Black Swan Green' this story of a childhood on the cusp of adolescence is the very best of its kind. It's also the most impressive and memorable novel of any sort you're likely to read this year.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
From page 1, I was hooked on this book. It is a page turner, and the sort of book that you never want to finish; you just want it to go on forever.
The writing style reminded me of `The Catcher in the Rye' J.D. Salinger -- the main difference being that the narrator is a teenage girl instead of a teenage boy, but in essence, the way the story is told is very similar, especially as both characters also have issues in regard to their mental health. There are also a couple of references in the book to `Anne Frank's Diary', and again there are similarities in the way this character views the world, and the way it is written is almost like a diary; a teenager documenting events from her life. So although not an entirely original writing style, I feel the author has drawn from very solid, tried and tested, popular works as an inspiration for the style of this book.
The character of Mathilda Savitch is very realistic and the book deals well with how the death of a child affects a family, and in particular how the parents' grief can affect their other children.
Mathilda is a teenager trying to come to terms with the loss of her sixteen year old sister, and in a typical teenage fashion, she has invented stories to make the death easier to deal with. There is also the element of the child trying to find out more about this sister, who since dying has become more of a mystery, shrouded with some type of immortal quality in the younger sister's mind.
It's an entertaining read, and although it deals with some dark subject matter, the way it is seen through the eyes of a child makes it somehow easier to digest. The author deals well with the the naiveté of youth and touches upon some important social issues, including war, terrorism, racism, and suicide.
At a deeper level it appears to be a study into how the world is moving quickly towards an age of intolerance and eventual destruction, and how it could be detrimental to future generations if the danger signs are not picked up in time.
The writing style reminded me of `The Catcher in the Rye' J.D. Salinger -- the main difference being that the narrator is a teenage girl instead of a teenage boy, but in essence, the way the story is told is very similar, especially as both characters also have issues in regard to their mental health. There are also a couple of references in the book to `Anne Frank's Diary', and again there are similarities in the way this character views the world, and the way it is written is almost like a diary; a teenager documenting events from her life. So although not an entirely original writing style, I feel the author has drawn from very solid, tried and tested, popular works as an inspiration for the style of this book.
The character of Mathilda Savitch is very realistic and the book deals well with how the death of a child affects a family, and in particular how the parents' grief can affect their other children.
Mathilda is a teenager trying to come to terms with the loss of her sixteen year old sister, and in a typical teenage fashion, she has invented stories to make the death easier to deal with. There is also the element of the child trying to find out more about this sister, who since dying has become more of a mystery, shrouded with some type of immortal quality in the younger sister's mind.
It's an entertaining read, and although it deals with some dark subject matter, the way it is seen through the eyes of a child makes it somehow easier to digest. The author deals well with the the naiveté of youth and touches upon some important social issues, including war, terrorism, racism, and suicide.
At a deeper level it appears to be a study into how the world is moving quickly towards an age of intolerance and eventual destruction, and how it could be detrimental to future generations if the danger signs are not picked up in time.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
I want to be awful. "I want to do awful things and why not? Dull is dull is dull is my life."
22 Sep 2009
Format:Hardcover
Award-winning playwright Victor Lodato tries his hand at fiction in this quirky novel about Mathilda Savitch, a disturbed thirteen-year old who has been unable to come to grips with the violent death of her sister, a year ago. Helene, sixteen at the time of her death, is believed to have been pushed in front of an oncoming train, but no one has been identified as the assailant, and no one knows why Helene was at the train station. Mathilda's grief-stricken parents, both college teachers, have their own problems dealing with grief, both of them withdrawing to the point that no one is "at home" for Mathilda. She believes that her mother despises her, while she considers her mother to be "just a planet with a face."
Mathilda's tormented inner world parallels the real world around her, a world of repeated terrorist acts. She responds to the stress by pulling out her hair, strand by strand; she believes there's "another person inside [her]... just starting to squirm her way out like a sprout"; she hordes things that belonged to Helene; and she plans a very "special" commemoration of the anniversary of Helene's death, one which is intended to jar her mother out of her passivity. In the meantime, Mathilda hangs out with her friend Anna McDougal, deals with her growing sexual awareness, and wonders about the invisible "watchers" who seem to be keeping tabs on her.
As Lodato explores issues of growing up in an uncertain world, he also raises questions about how individuals learn to accept the violent deaths of loved ones, how we deal with the stages of grieving, the role of religion or other support systems, and the obligations, if any, that the individual has toward the people around him/her. Mathilda is a strange protagonist, someone to whom we might be drawn because of her problems, but someone who also "pushes buttons," a person who takes extreme action. This action often feels superficial, making it difficult to take her seriously. At times Mathilda appears to be "cute," rather than a seriously disturbed character with hidden depths. Her dark sense of humor and her malevolence sometimes get in the way of the reader's sympathy, and as she acts and reacts, she reveals so many conflicting aspects of her personality that it is difficult to understand and identify with her.
Lodato's experience as a dramatist, however, allows him to create some stunning individual scenes, but as in a play, this action is obvious, more physical than subtle. His pacing keeps the reader attentive and hoping for Mathilda's success in dealing with her world, and in the final scenes he builds to a dramatic resolution which is effective in showing how Mathilda has grown during the action, becoming someone who is finally able to go beyond her own needs, for once, and come into her own as a thinking and caring character. Though the novel is uneven and somewhat inconsistent in its characterization and tone, Lodato is a huge talent whose unconventional approach to this novel suggests original and thought-provoking works to come. n Mary Whipple
Mathilda's tormented inner world parallels the real world around her, a world of repeated terrorist acts. She responds to the stress by pulling out her hair, strand by strand; she believes there's "another person inside [her]... just starting to squirm her way out like a sprout"; she hordes things that belonged to Helene; and she plans a very "special" commemoration of the anniversary of Helene's death, one which is intended to jar her mother out of her passivity. In the meantime, Mathilda hangs out with her friend Anna McDougal, deals with her growing sexual awareness, and wonders about the invisible "watchers" who seem to be keeping tabs on her.
As Lodato explores issues of growing up in an uncertain world, he also raises questions about how individuals learn to accept the violent deaths of loved ones, how we deal with the stages of grieving, the role of religion or other support systems, and the obligations, if any, that the individual has toward the people around him/her. Mathilda is a strange protagonist, someone to whom we might be drawn because of her problems, but someone who also "pushes buttons," a person who takes extreme action. This action often feels superficial, making it difficult to take her seriously. At times Mathilda appears to be "cute," rather than a seriously disturbed character with hidden depths. Her dark sense of humor and her malevolence sometimes get in the way of the reader's sympathy, and as she acts and reacts, she reveals so many conflicting aspects of her personality that it is difficult to understand and identify with her.
Lodato's experience as a dramatist, however, allows him to create some stunning individual scenes, but as in a play, this action is obvious, more physical than subtle. His pacing keeps the reader attentive and hoping for Mathilda's success in dealing with her world, and in the final scenes he builds to a dramatic resolution which is effective in showing how Mathilda has grown during the action, becoming someone who is finally able to go beyond her own needs, for once, and come into her own as a thinking and caring character. Though the novel is uneven and somewhat inconsistent in its characterization and tone, Lodato is a huge talent whose unconventional approach to this novel suggests original and thought-provoking works to come. n Mary Whipple
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Vanquish is an element of particular note
This is basically a combination of the previous two items, but still very worthy of consideration in my opinion. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Ed Meister
Grief is an Island - Mathilda Savitch
The most beautiful book I've ever read. As a 19 year-old guy I may say it went straight to the core of my heart. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Giacinto Poli
A revelation
The blurb on this book intrigued me. It proved to be surprisingly gripping and I couldn't put it down. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Aunty Pog
Brilliant really!
Mathilda Savitch believes her sister was murdered by someone who is still at large and nobody is chasing him. Read more
Published on 26 April 2010 by Miss C. L. Cole
A touching read
Mathilda is a schoolgirl who is plunged in traumatic and savage circumstances due to the death of her sister. Read more
Published on 18 Jan 2010 by M. P. Sammut
Unforgettable
This searing novel is as good as it gets and although I know I've said that before in other reviews there's still some room at the top. Read more
Published on 29 Nov 2009 by Jonathan Posner
The female Holden Caulfield for a new generation
Many characters of the last half century have received this title, but Mathilda Savitch truly deserves it. Read more
Published on 25 Nov 2009 by L. Cooney
Could not put it down ...
This was a brilliant novel, I was completely hooked from the start.
The story follows a troubled teen dealing with the death of her sister and the breakdown of her... Read more
The story follows a troubled teen dealing with the death of her sister and the breakdown of her... Read more
Published on 17 Nov 2009 by Cee-Gee
Teenage angst in a climate of fear
Mathilda Savitch, a 13 year old girl, narrates this beautifully observed and deeply touching view of her life. Read more
Published on 4 Nov 2009 by Ripple
Looking for Helene
Mathilda Savitch is the only (thirteen year old) child of her Ma and Da, two high school teachers. Only she wasn't always an only child; her 16 year old sister the more beautiful... Read more
Published on 19 Oct 2009 by tallpete33
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