The Divorce Girl by Caryn Mirriam Goldberg - Review

Divorce has become a common part of our culture. We accept it, we claim to understand it, but often we're looking at it from an adult's point of view. What does divorce look like from the other side? Do the kids see divorce as a new beginning,the bridge to a better life, as something that just "happens"? 

In Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg's debut novel The Divorce Girl, readers are invited to look at divorce through the eyes of Deborah, a teenager who is an unwilling witness to her parents' divorce and new lives. The divorce of this average couple in the New Jersey suburbs during the 1970s propels Deborah into an odd new world--one that she sees only through the lens of her new camera. Will Deborah ever find the strength to face her life without a camera lens as a buffer? This debut novel combines humor, sadness, and the many faces of love while recording the transformation of a broken girl into a strong woman.

About The Divorce Girl

Meet Deborah Shapiro, a New Jersey teenage photographer whose parents' outrageous divorce lands her in the biggest flea market in the free world, a Greek diner with immigration issues, a New York City taxi company, a radical suburban synagogue, a hippie-owned boutique, and bowling alleys, beaches and bagel shops. As her home explodes apart, a first love, a series of almost-mothers, and a comical collection of eccentric mentors show Deborah how to make art out of life, and life from the wreckage of a broken home. 

This debut novel of Kansas Poet Laureate Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg travels through wild loss, untended grief and bad behavior with humor and imagination. Reminiscent of the works of Wally Lamb, Stephanie Kallos, and Kaye Gibbons, this coming of age story illuminates how a daring heart can turn a broken girl into a woman strong enough to craft a life of art, soul and beauty.

My Take:
4-Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book from the teenage daughter's perspective. It's about Divorce. Divorce. Is it ever good? Especially for children who get into the tug and pull of the parents. Is that right? Deborah and her brother get put in front of a Judge and is each asked who they want to live with. Each has a different answer. Does this happen in the real world? Do adults really think about the children enough when they divorce? Here is one story that will captivate you and help answer any questions you may have. At least it did me.
Deborah hides behind her camera and shoots every aspect of life. She lives with her father, and works for him on weekends at a flea market selling plus-size women's clothing. She may even learn to grab an extra dollar or two to help get her what she wants. Dad doesn't have a clue about his own daughter, nor does he necessarily care at times. 
Deborah gets the chance to take a photography class and she puts her all into it. This Hippie  Instructor ends up becoming Deborah's mentor for the things that happen in her life. She helps Deborah through quite a bit. I really like how this story ended and the guidance she received.

Caryn Mirriam Goldberg writes in a different approach to divorce by looking at it through this teenager's eyes. It's quite an interesting perspective, one I liked a lot. 

I would not suggest this book for kids going through divorce, as this is a fictional story, not a self-help book or something to help them cope. This book is better for the over 18 crowd.

I received this book for FREE from WOW, Women on Writing and the Author, through a Book Reviewers Program in exchange to read this book and write a review about it.  It is NOT required for this review to be either positive or negative, but, of my own honest opinion. “Free” means I was NOT provided with ANY MONIES to read this book nor to write this review, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading the book. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html

Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

About the Author:

Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg is the Poet Laureate of Kansas, and the author of 14 books, including a forthcoming non-fiction book, Needle in the Bone: How a Holocaust Survivor and Polish Resistance Fighter Beat the Odds and Found Each Other (Potomac Books); The Sky Begins At Your Feet: A Memoir on Cancer, Community & Coming Home to the Body (Ice Cube Books); the anthologies An Endless Skyway: Poetry from the State Poets Laureate (co-editor, Ice Cube Books) and Begin Again: 150 Kansas Poems (editor, Woodley Press); and four collections of poetry. Founder of Transformative Language Arts - a master's program in social and personal transformation through the written, spoken and sung word - at Goddard College where she teaches, Mirriam-Goldberg also leads writing workshops widely. With singer Kelley Hunt, she co-writes songs, offers collaborative performances, and leads writing and singing Brave Voice retreats.    
Find out more about Caryn by visiting her online:

Caryn's website: http://carynmirriamgoldberg.com 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/carynmg 

You can catch an Author Interview and find out MORE information about this Book Tour, along with all the other Blogs that are hosting this book by going to this website: http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/2012/07/caryn-mirriam-goldberg-author-of.html 

If you are interested in purchasing this book, here's the link! Click on the photo!

Enjoy!

Laurie