Wintergirls

by Laurie Halse Anderson

The New York Times bestselling story of a friendship frozen between life and death.

“A fearless, riveting account of a young woman in the grip of a deadly illness.” —The New York Times

Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in fragile bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the thinnest. But then Cassie suffers the ultimate loss—her life—and Lia is left behind, haunted by her friend's memory and racked with guilt for not being able to help save her. In her most powerfully moving novel since Speak, award-winning author Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia's struggle, her painful path to recovery, and her desperate attempts to hold on to the most important thing of all: hope.

• ISBN10: 014241557X
• ISBN13: 9780142415573
• Publish Date: 23 February 2010 (first published 19 March 2009)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Penguin USA
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780142415573

Reviews

[Bianca]

Look in a mirror and find a ghost. Hear every heartbeat scream that everysinglething is wrong with you. Why? is the wrong question. Ask Why not?

[rakesandrogues]

I wasn't really into the whole stream of consciousness type of narrative that was in this book. It made it really difficult to get into the book for me. Also, the more I read the book, the more weight-conscious it made me feel.

[britmlewis]

It's rare that I read books that make me truly uncomfortable. I'm not thrown off easily and can usually cut through all the awkwardness and keep reading. Wintergirls, however, stopped me in my tracks a few times. This is not because the book is bad or impossible to read. Instead, it is brilliant. It delves into the world of an 18-year-old girl who suffers from anorexia and other inner demons. Lia finds out in the beginning of the novel that her ex-best friend has been found dead in a motel room. The novel unwraps from there, detailing definitive moments in Lia's past that have shaped who she has become. The pain and truth leaks out of this novel, causing the reader to really contemplate the issues that arise. It is a necessary read for teenage girls because these are topics that are all too common in reality but are generally avoided by the literary world. In general, I believe readers gravitate towards books that can escape into and leave behindwhatever issues they're dealing with in their own life. This isn't wrong. I do it, too. But if you're willing to stray from the general reading formula, read this book. It'll make you uncomfortable. It'll make you want to cry. It'll make you wonder why the hell you haven't read anything like this before.