All These Things I've Done
By Gabrielle Zevin
(Square Fish, Hardcover, 9780374302108, 384pp.)
Publication Date: May 8, 2012
Other Editions of This Title: Google eBook, Paperback, Compact Disc
Categories: Love & Romance, Law & Crime, Family - General
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In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city’s most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.’s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures, and the police think she’s to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight—at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.
Gabrielle Zevin is the author of award-winning books for young adults including Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac and Elsewhere. Her books for adults include The Hole We’re In and Margarettown. She was also the screenwriter for Conversations with Other Women, which received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. Of her writing, The New York Times Book Review said, “Zevin’s touch is marvelously light even as she considers profundities.” A dog lover and Harvard graduate, she lives in New York City.
“Anya’s attractive blend of strength and innocence makes her such a likable heroine. . . . The achingly realistic romance between this latter-day Romeo and Juliet, told in Anya’s earnest voice, will attract readers as surely as chocolate attracts . . . mobsters.” —The Horn Book
“Zevin excels at inviting readers into Anya’s mafiya paranoia. . . . Anya is a likable character. . . . The love story’s to die for, and the tangled web of relationships will keep readers intrigued to the last page.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Offering the excitement of a crime drama and the allure of forbidden romance, this introduction to a reluctant Godfather-in-the making will pique the interest of dystopia-hungry readers.” —Publishers Weekly
ELSEWHERE
* “A work of powerful beauty. This inventive novel slices right to the bone of human yearning, offering up an indelible vision of life and death as equally rich sides of the same coin.” —Booklist, starred review
* “With an intriguing and well-developed premise, thoughtful characterization, and refreshing style, Zevin’s poignant novel rewards readers with a view of death that celebrates the rich complexities of being alive.” —The Horn Book, starred review
* “Intriguing. Surely guides readers through the bumpy landscape of strongly delineated characters dealing with the most difficult issue that faces all of us. Provides much to think about and discuss.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“Zevin’s touch is marvelously light even as she considers profundities, easily moving among humor, wisdom and lyricism. . . . No plot synopsis can convey what a rich, wise spell this book casts.” —The New York Times Book Review
MEMOIRS OF A TEENAGE AMNESIAC
“Zevin is completely convincing on the intensity of early passion and the way it can evaporate in the rays of something new, and she has a light touch with the deceptively shallow anguish of adolescence.” —The New York Times Book Review
* “Sensitive, joyful . . . Pulled by the heart-bruising love story, readers will stop to contemplate irresistible questions.” —Booklist, starred review
This book is on these lists:
My Love List by hannahleTeensReadToo's Wish List by TeensReadToo
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