Jacob Have I Loved

Synopsis:
"With wry humor, Sara Louise recalls her turbulent adolescence on Rass Island and her intense jealousy of her own twin sister. Strength of characterization and memorable external and internal action mark this superbly crafted novel as a quest for self-knowledge."--1991 Newbery Committee (ALA). Newbery Medal; ALA Notable Children's Book; ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Who Recommended it to me: my Sister
Who I would recommend it to: every young girl.

I'm so impressed with this book. Sara Louise is one of those rare, spectacular REAL characters, with real thoughts and real reactions. Katherine Paterson is a beautiful writer and I have loved all of her books. This one, I think, is my favorite along with Lyddie . It made me think a lot about, in a word, sisterhood .

Caroline is beautiful, smart, talented, and many more things. She has a lovely singing voice and has always been the prettier, more intellectual, more popular sister. Though Louise's parents claim they love their twin daughters equally, it is evident that they favor Caroline. Louise is just there. Not a minute's worry, as the book says. She's like a shadow. There, but hardly noticeable. Louise has known all along that Caroline will be the successful one. She'll be a singer. An actress. A dancer. And yet Louise doesn't know what she'll do with herself. She aspires to be a doctor, yet she knows it won't happen in the back of her mind, because Caroline's career is more important than Louise's. 

In plain words, this book was a very sad book. I don't cry when I read books (usually), but this book gave me a very sad feeling, like I'd lost something, even though it ended happily, her life joyful and sort of how she wanted it to turn out. The edges of her life are still rounded, but it's a start. Though happy, it is very sad. 

Five stars for Jacob Have I Loved. Amazing, heartfelt, and all around fantastic. It doesn't surprise me that this book won the Newbery Medal.