Alive and Well in Prague, New York

I admit it, Alive and Well in Prague, New York is not a book that I would have chosen off of the bookshelf on my own. I'll even admit that the only reason that I chose to read it at this point, is to fulfill a letter in the A-Z Challenge.

BUT

I won the second quarter contest at classof2k8.com and won four autographed hardcover books by first time authors. One such book was Alive and Well in Prague, New York by Daphne Grab. I am actually surprised to say that I enjoyed this book.

Sixteen-year old Matisse Osgood is the new girl in the small town of Prague, New York (cue Miranda Lambert's "Famous in a Small Town" as it happens to be playing as I type this sentence). She hoped it would be more like the Prague, but unfortunately, she's more likely to be attacked by a goose than visit a famed museum. Not only can she not visit a museum, but even her art teacher is clueless about art, recognizing that Matisse was named after an artist but mistaking Matisse for Monet; and seriously? How could anyone confuse the two? Prague is hopeless. It is nothing like New York City, where Matisse grew up. Then again, moving to Prague does have its perks. No one at Milo High knows Matisse's secret. Matisse can walk down the halls without receiving pitying looks from all of her classmates. And that suits her just fine. She is happy to keep her secret. She does not want her classmates to know that her dad has Parkinson's Disease. That her family moved to Prague because his doctor does not want him to build sculptures anymore. That she is hiding all of the hurt deep down so that even she might not be able to see it. How long can she keep her secret without being exposed? Will her friends support her when she is?

I really did enjoy this book. It was a quick read, but I became attached to Matisse and cried a few times. During scenes between Matisse and her parents, Grab did a good job of allowing the audience to view both sides. Although Matisse was quick to point out her opinion, her descriptions of her mother were a little bit too adolescent so I could tell that her mother was more likely acting or feeling differently. Parkinson's Disease was well represented in the book as well. True, Matisse's father may act like a ninny (yes, I did just say ninny) throughout much of the book, but he gets to. It's Parkinson's and it's taking over his life.

If you want to read a book filled with lovey-dovey romance? This isn't it. But if you want to read the story of a girl who is learning to be herself and to accept her family as it is, this is a good choice.

A-Z Challenge
completed - *Alive and Well in Prague, New York - Daphne Grab*
currently reading - *Vincent, Zu - The Lucky Place*