Between the Lines

by Jodi Picoult

An enchanting YA novel from Number One bestselling author Jodi Picoult, co-written with her teenage daughter.

Delilah knows it's weird, but she can't stop reading her favourite fairy tale. Other girls her age are dating and cheerleading. But then, other girls are popular.

She loves the comfort of the happy ending, and knowing there will be no surprises.

Until she gets the biggest surprise of all, when Prince Oliver looks out from the page and speaks to her.

Now Delilah must decide: will she do as Oliver asks, and help him to break out of the book? Or is this her chance to escape into happily ever after?

Read between the lines for total enchantment . . .

• ISBN10: 1444740962
• ISBN13: 9781444740967
• Publish Date: 5 July 2012 (first published 1 January 2012)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 25 May 2015
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
• Imprint: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[jeannamichel]

It seemed a much younger YA than I was expecting. Still, it was unique and the formatting was incredible.

Jessamyn Jacobs is an author of a forgotten fairytale. That fairytale, however, finds its way in Delilah’s hands where she read it nonstop. Oliver, the main character of the fairytale, wishes more than anything to escape the confines of the book. He would rather explore the real world than go on his destined adventure repeatedly. With Delilah’s help, they work together to give Oliver what he most desires. Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer is a unique concept told in an intriguing format that will sure have you wanting more.

The concept is so unique and original. It’s very much A Night at the Museum meets books. When the book is closed, characters of the fairytale are able to live relatively normal lives within the confines of their book world.

The format will blow your mind. It certainly confused me at first before I put the pieces together, however when readers figure it out, it makes complete sense and makes the reading experience more magical. The physical books have different color fonts to show which narrator is speaking: the fairytale story, the real-life Delilah’s story or the fictional Oliver's story. The disadvantage here is for those who listen to it on audiobook which cannot show different colored fonts. The audiobook (I had begun listening to the book) made the section changes a bit more difficult to catch; it changes voice actors to depict which narrator is speaking. However, the narrator for Oliver’s story and the fairytale story sounded very similar, making it difficult to differentiate.

The target audience is YA, however Between the Lines takes on an almost middle grade voice. I mentioned this in my Off the Page review but it still stands. Between the Lines and Off the Page are marketed as YA, however with a children’s fairytale, a very young protagonist, and a silly subplot (via Oliver), it makes it incredibly middle grade.

The layers of the characters mingled with stereotypes and fairytale clichés. The big theme in both novels were that everyone should have their own happy ending. However, the only happy ending that I could see was the male protagonist’s. The other side characters didn’t receive their own happy ending. Sure, Oliver guessed that they were happy but readers were given enough depth into the side characters’ lives that we knew that some may be not as happy as others thought.

Who doesn't love books about books?

Despite having some issues with stereotypes and a misplaced target audience, I did enjoy Between the Lines. The plot may have been simple but the depths of the characters and the magical concept was enough to keep me thinking about the book long after it had ended. Overall, Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer is a novel that is both simple and sweet.

[liz089]

DNF - I really can not push myself to continue reading this one ! It sucks.. even though I do not like certain books, most of the time I still have to finish them. But why ? Why should I spend time reading something I don't like.. something that bores me ? So I'm sorry, but no more !

[readingwithwrin]

“I think that when you live in a world with limits... when you've met everyone and seem everything you're going to see - you lose the hope that something extraordinary will happen in your life”




It has taken me awhile to review this one because I've had a lot of mixed feelings about it.
While I did really enjoy this story and did fly through it, I couldn't help, but notice the repetitive nature of it, and how most of the time I was annoyed with the two main characters.
Delilah and Oliver were both very lovely characters on their own and that is how I liked them.

Delilah I went back and forth on being annoyed with her and understanding why she was so obsessed with this book and kept it hidden from everyone else so they wouldn't think she was crazy. What I didn't understand about Delilah though was how she didn't trust her best friend with this until the very end. If she had just explained what she thought was going on and shown her best friend what was happening in the story I think she would have tried to help her a lot sooner and made certain things easier.

I really loved seeing Olivers life inside the story and how it was all different then how it was written and how they played out the story while the reader was reading, but when no one was reading the whole story changed and all of the characters had their own lives.

As for Olivers character he seemed nice, but he was also rather naive which was to be expected because he had a very narrow viewpoint of the world, but at times that naivety made him rather annoying because he wanted certain things and was willing to risk everyone else to get those things.

For me what really made me love this story was the side characters in Olivers story. I loved how they all had their own little stories and things they enjoyed doing.


While I did like the ending I wasn't really in love with it and I'm still unsure how Delilah is going to explain certain things. It will be very interesting to read the companion book to this one to see how certain things get worked out.

See more reviews like this on my blog

[inlibrisveritas]

3.5 Stars

Between the Lines is one of those books that is pure fluff, but it’s the kind that makes you feel good and makes you want to keep it on your shelves just so you can re-read it. It’s a story we’ve all wanted to happen. Delilah finds herself in possession of a book where the swoony main character is alive and wants out of his story, and into hers.

Delilah is somewhat of a loner. She’s sort of made a name for herself as being an outcast at school (purely accidental), and as a result she spends most of her time reading. But lately she’s been spending most of her time reading a children’s fairy tale book, because it speaks to her. She understands what it’s like to grow up without a father, and she longs for that happy ending. Delilah is someone I think most of her can relate to. We’ve all found that one book that just make us want to shed our real lives for a few moments and be in it’s world. We’ve probably all had times where books were the only comfort we could find. Plus who wouldn’t want a main character to suddenly come to life and befriend you? Part of me wanted her to find a way to release Oliver from the pages of the book, and another part of me really wanted her to find solace in something substantial in the world around her. Because even though you as a reader know she’s telling the truth about Oliver, it sort of feels impossible to put full trust in what she’s going through. Especially when others are starting to question her sanity a bit. There were times when I just want to reach in and force her to stop talking, because there are just somethings that don’t translate into reality well.

I really loved the world inside of the book as well, as well as the characters. The whole idea that they live separate lives when the book is closed, and simply the play the part when it’s opened was really awesome. Most of the characters in the books are nothing like their story parts, and they each have a rather vibrant personality. I think outside of Oliver and Delilah I was really fond of Rapscullio, he had such a great personality outside of being the storybook villain and I loved his dedication to baking and butterflies.

Between the Lines is an extremely cute book that has ‘feel good’ written all over it. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Off the Page is going to be like, and how Oliver and Delilah are going to handle the new changes in their lives.

[Angie]

Usually books about books tend to be about people from the real world being sucked into the storybook to fulfill their destiny. Well, Between the Lines flips that around. Oliver is a prince, and the star of his story, but he's bored. He's sick of acting out the same story over and over. Then one day someone finally hears his pleas. Delilah loves to lose herself inside the pages of books, and feels a particularly strong connection to Oliver. At first, Delilah thinks she's going crazy, but eventually she agrees to help the prince escape his story.

I kind of adored Between the Lines. It's ridiculously cute and fun, but at times it did read a bit young. Delilah is 15 and a bit immature, so that probably had something to do with it. There's also a lot of corny jokes that are so bad that they're funny. And we get chapters from Oliver's story, which was a nice addition, but they were pages from a childrens' book, so of course that added to the young feel.

I really liked how everything was explained in Between the Lines. Basically, the story characters exist outside of the story when the book is closed. They're like actors, and just go about their own lives when someone isn't reading their tale. They know they're part of a story, and most enjoy being performers. It's just Oliver who dreams of more. I also liked how getting Oliver out wasn't just as simple as Delilah ripping him out. They try a lot of different ways to alter the book, and nothing works! At least not until Delilah tracks down the author for help.

The ending did disappoint me a bit. I found the solution to Oliver's dilemma to be interesting, but I had a hard time accepting it. I can't say what they do in order to make it work, but I highly suspect that the author would notice this change. Between the Lines just ends once Oliver is out of the book, so we don't know how his plan affects anything, which bothers me. It feels incomplete, but luckily that's what Off the Page is about!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Sam@WLABB]

Very inventive twist.

[zarahoffman]

Review to be posted when I have time.

[lizarodz]

This is such a cute story. It makes me think of, happy endings, fairies, fluffy clouds, pastel colors and hearts. Do you know what I mean? That ‘floating on air’ kind of feeling that goes hand in hand with first love.

The format of the book (and therefore, of the audio book) has alternating points of view and narrators. Oliver and Delilah talk in the first person and then, there is the narrator which is reading the actual book that Oliver is stuck in (titled “Between the Lines”). Are you with me so far?

Delilah has is having a really hard time in school. She is not popular due to a series of ‘freak’ accidents, her parents are divorced and she is a loner. To top it all, she becomes obsessed with a children fairy tale and that has her mom really worried. Oliver is sort of perfect, he is caring, realistic and really brave; I identified more with him that with Delilah.

The story is original and really cute. Most of the time Delilah and Oliver are coming up with different plans to get Oliver out of the book and it gets really complicated (maybe too much). The writing flows really easily and the fact that one of the authors is a teenager shows. I just felt like the book could have been longer and less complicated. I didn’t like the ending, I mean, I did, but it was too open for me.

Overall, Between the Lines tastes like a fairy tale and it’s a short and enjoyable read.

About the cover: I like the cover, it portraits Deliliah with Between the Lines on her hands and a castle in the background. I listen to this book, but I did check it out at the bookstore and it is really pretty, with illustrations and different color ink.