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Romance. Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. HTML:Perfect for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why and Looking for Alaska, Jennifer Weiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author, calls Elizabeth LaBan�s The Tragedy Paper �a beguiling and beautifully written tale of first love and heartbreak.� It follows the story of Tim Macbeth, a seventeen-year-old albino and a recent transfer to the prestigious Irving School, where the motto is �Enter here to be and find a friend.� A friend is the last thing Tim expects or wants�he just hopes to get through his senior year unnoticed. Yet, despite his efforts to blend into the background, he finds himself falling for the quintessential �It� girl, Vanessa Sheller, girlfriend of Irving�s most popular boy. To Tim's surprise, Vanessa is into him, too, but she can kiss her social status goodbye if anyone ever finds out. Tim and Vanessa begin a clandestine romance, but looming over them is the Tragedy Paper, Irving�s version of a senior year thesis, assigned by the school�s least forgiving teacher. Jumping between viewpoints of the love-struck Tim and Duncan, a current senior about to uncover the truth of Tim and Vanessa, The Tragedy Paper is a compelling tale of forbidden love and the lengths people will go to keep their secrets.… (more)
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There's a whole subset of young adult fiction about boarding schools. Something about them calls to the imagination, I guess: the freedom or how elite they seem, perhaps. The Irving School has an illustrious history, complex traditions, and the requisite quirky professor needed to help guide the main character to enlightenment in the style of Dead Poets' Society. The Irving School holds more appeal for me than many of the boarding school settings I've read (that don't have magic), from the archway to the custom of departing seniors leaving treasure behind for the student next to receive their dorm room.
Duncan, ostensibly the main character of the piece, really only serves as a frame story, which is rather daring. The treasure left for Duncan is a stack of CDs, upon which Tim Macbeth has recorded the story of his tragic semester at Irving School. We really actually learn very little about Duncan throughout The Tragedy Paper, since he spends most of his time either listening to Tim's story or thinking about Tim's story. While ordinarily, I might find this framing device frustrating and unnecessary, I like it here because the way that Duncan becomes caught up in Tim's tale the same way I become entangled in a wonderful novel. I thought it was a wonderful sort of metaphor for the process of reading, becoming caught up in the journey of someone else and growing as a result of it, though you have actually been a passive observer.
Tim Macbeth, like all tragic heroes, suffers from a fatal flaw: being too uncomfortable with himself as a result of his albinism. All his life, Tim has been stared at, feared, or pitied because he was born without the pigmentation most people have. He has never been particularly close to anyone outside of his family and resists connection with anyone new, sure that they will only ever see him as an albino, not as a deeper person. Of course, the person most obsessed with his albinism is Tim himself.
From the beginning, it's clear that something awful happened during Tim's one semester (the second semester of his senior year) at Irving School. There's a girl, of course, beautiful and perfect and maybe even interested in him, but, unfortunately, she also has a boyfriend, the most popular guy in school. There were some echoes of Looking for Alaska in this, I think. The mystery of the harrowing event at the end of the year kept me rapt, but was a bit of a letdown when I finally got there, mostly because of the allusion to a literary work I didn't much care for in the first place.
The Tragedy Paper will appear to a certain niche of reader, those who prefer high concept to action. At no point did I feel bored and LaBan sustained my curiosity about the mystery all the way through. LaBan's debut is impressive, and I will likely be reading more of her work in the future.
In addition, while I thought that Mr. Simon mostly sounded like an awesome teacher, I cannot entirely respect a teacher who invents arbitrary rules and conditions such as "here are the instructions for your huge project. Don't lose this paper because I won't give you another one. If you share your copy with another student who lost theirs, I'll lower your grade by two full letter grades." WTF - these are just freakin' instructions for the project! And "If you correctly use the word 'magnitude' correctly in your paper exactly seven times, I'll give you ten extra points. If you tell anyone else about this, nobody will get extra points." What precisely does this teach students? That in the future, they'll have to put with employers' ridiculous arbitrariness?
In the end, while I was somewhat moved by Tim and Vanessa's story, the payoff just wasn't there.
The story unfolds from two alternating viewpoints: Tim, the tragic, love-struck figure, and Duncan, a current senior, who uncovers the truth behind Tim and Vanessa’s story and will consequently produce the greatest Tragedy Paper in Irving’s history
After that the book turns into telling stories from two alternating viewpoints. Tim, love-struck, tragic, and Duncan, a current senior, who step by step uncovers the truth behind Tim and Vanessa’s love story and will produce a great thesis, (Tragedy Paper in Irving School). The Tragedy Paper is a compelling tale of clandestine love and how much lovers are willing to sacrifice to keep their secrets. Laban borrowed Tim’s surname from Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s most tragic characters, certainly no coincidence. While not a classic tragedy in literary sense, young adults, wrestling to recuperate from broken first love(s) will relate to this story.
I found this book to be interesting at first, but I felt like it lost a lot of steam at the end. The entire book is focused on the tragedy that happened to Tim during his senior year. The incident is referenced constantly throughout the book. And while the reader does have an idea as to what happened, the exact details of the event are not revealed until late in the book. This reveal was anti-climactic, and the rest of the book went downhill quickly from there. I think the author was trying to impart some profound thought with this story, but I didn't get it. When the book ended, I was left thinking, "that's it?" I was expecting something more and bigger from the ending.
I did enjoy the story from the point of view of an albino character. I don't believe I have read a story about an albino before, and I found it to be interesting. I also liked the relationship between Tim and Vanessa, and I was sad that it was not more fully developed. Perhaps their unfinished story is part of the "tragedy" element of this story, but it left me unsatisfied in the end.
I love that YA literature is so smart; the characters are intelligent and value school and still are very much teenagers. I think that sometimes people forget how smart young adults are and LaBan did an excellent job capturing real teenagers. I like the reference to Shakespeare and the fact that the whole story stems from an epic assignment given to all seniors. LaBlan's writing style and plot points reminded me of John Green (who I love) and I look forward to more of her writing.
What I Liked: The two main characters, Tim and Duncan. Tim is an albino who has always felt like an outsider but he has a good heart and a beautiful spirit. Duncan is quiet and a bit shy but he is a
What I loved: I loved the boarding school setting and the traditions that were revealed. I also loved the way the book was written it was a story within a story.
What I didn't like: I felt like there was so much more to Vanessa character that was never explored. It felt like we just scratched the surface of who she truly was. I would have liked to have heard Vanessa's side of the story and what she truly felt for Tim.
All in all this was an amazing book one that will get readers thinking and will also break their hearts. Well done, 4 stars!
The book is written very well. The way the book was written - in scenes narrated and recorded by a main character - really reminded me of a movie. We open on one of the main characters, Duncan, arriving at The Irving School and looking to find which room he has been assigned to. In his room he finds a "treasure" left by the previous occupant. In this case, CD recordings left by Tim, an albino student involved in some kind of an incident last year. The book goes back and forth between Duncan in present day and Tim last year.
The pacing is perfect. The book starts of a little slowly with Duncan arriving at school and then Tim meeting Vanessa, giving the feeling of anticipation and a little bit of apprehension. As the plot moves along we become more comfortable - just as Tim does - but at the same time a little more anxious because we know that we're being lead to some kind of big event or revelation by Duncan's reactions.
I really loved the characters. I loved that they were "real" in that they were all flawed in some way. Tim views his entire life and everything he does through the slant of his albinism and has little confidence in himself. Vanessa is the popular pretty girl who has the popular boyfriend but she's the first person to treat Tim like a real person instead of some kind of a freak. Despite her attraction to him she strings him along, too afraid to give up her social status by being with Tim. Duncan is really innocent in everything that happens but has crippling guilt. Each character has good and bad traits.
I loved the author's description's of Tim's feelings about Vanessa. She really captures those first feelings of infatuation where every glance and touch have meaning.
...she would make eye contact, or touch my arm gently. It was so subtle, and she was so good at it, like a fairy swooping in or a raindrop finding its way into a small space.... I never knew when it would be, but I started to crave it.
I also loved the boarding school setting and all of the details that helped to round it out: the local ingredients used in the cafeteria, the treasure left by the residents of the rooms for next year's seniors to find, the hiding place in Duncan's room, the senior Game, Donut Day and so many other things. They all really made the setting real - and made me wish I went to that boarding school.
I read this quickly - in about a day - because I was excited to see what was going to happen and how things would end up. However, I think this book would be a great re-read as there are a lot of scenes and ideas here that I would love to explore in more detail. There are a lot of layers to this book. Duncan's life, Tim's life, the relationship between Tim and Vanessa and her manipulative behavior, the idea of a tragedy paper and how the book itself can be seen as it's own tragedy paper. This book can be read as just a story about a bunch of kids at a boarding school - or it can go much deeper.
My favorite read of 2013 - so far. I recommend it.
by
Elizabeth LeBan
My summary...short and sweet...
The Irving School...private...an albino...lost love...and a mystery.
My thoughts after reading this book...
Is it unrequited love that Tim Macbeth feels for Vanessa? A chance meeting at the airport on the way to school seems to set the
It is so wrong from the start...Patrick is one of those bad boy bullies...but Tim doesn't walk away from Patrick. He is cautious but it's his first time belonging...so he goes along with Patrick's wishes. It's all about a Senior Outing...a tradition at Irving School...and the outcome is...hmmm...sad and disastrous.
What I loved about this book...
Wow...I loved it all. I loved Tim's voice and I loved Vanessa and Mr. Simon and the local food in the cafeteria and the words over the entrance to school...ENTER HERE TO BE AND FIND A FRIEND.
What I did not love...
I strongly disliked old jock ish boyfriend Patrick. He will never change.
Final thoughts...
I loved this book. There was not one minute that I did not. When it ended...I was sad...I wanted more. It is beautiful. I love this author's writing.
Tim was a very fascinating character. The way he saw himself and the fact that he is an albino was a unique story with lots to reflect back on. Then there is Vanessa and Patrick – they have the kind of relationship that I have seen so many times before, a relationship that shouldn’t even be, but yet it is. And then there is Duncan. He is trying to get through his senior year, learning about love, regret and most of all forgiveness.
I found both the cover and the title really aptly named and designed. It tells you a story and it reflects the novel very well. All in all a really profound novel that I wish I could elaborate more on, you will just have to read it and see for yourself!
9/10
This book is directed at a younger public, being of the young-adult genre, but even though I'm not really a young adult anymore, I still related with the characters. After all, I also went through many of the things they go
In my opinion, the title is just perfect because, all through the story there is the sensation of iminent tragedy. The book has two main characters, Tim and Duncan. Duncan was a junior the year Tim was a senior and we know Tim's story through the tapes he left for Duncan.
Tim is a 17 year old albino kid who never really fitted in his school or with the other kids his age, and that is going to attend the prestigious Irving School on his last semester before College. He ends up meeting and falling for a collegue, Vanessa, a pretty girl who, surprisingly, seems to like him too. But Vanessa is dating the most popular boy in school which means their meetings have to be held in secrecy.
As a proper prestigious private school should have, Irving School has a few traditions. One is the Tragedy Paper, a paper that all seniors are required to submit and whose theme is, well, tragedy. Another is the Game, played by the seniors, and organized by a comission whose members were picked the previous year, when they were juniors and were invited to attend it.
Duncan was one of those students and it's up to him to organize the Game. But it's soon clear that something (a tragedy?) happened the previous year making Duncan not very anxious to repeat the experience... It's also evident that, whatever happened, Duncan feels guilty.
This is a story of tragedy, of how bad choices and bad decisions can change our life forever. But it's also a story of hope and redemption. I liked it and I especially liked the way it is told. A good coming of age story.
Duncan Meade is about to start his senior year at the Irving School, a private school on the East Coast. He
Tim MacBeth is the previous occupant of Duncan’s room and at the center of last year’s Senior Game accident. He recorded the CDs to describe how he ended up at the Irving School and what he went through once he was there.
Tim, a teenager with albinism, meets Vanessa, the stereotypical pretty and popular girl, on his way to the school. They happily keep each other company when their flight is delayed, and Tim is amazed at his luck. But, Vanessa of course has a boyfriend, and when they arrive at school, said boyfriend intimidates Tim, so he and Vanessa are forced to maintain their budding friendship on the sly. But Vanessa’s boyfriend also makes a point of including Tim in the planning of the Senior Game. Tim believes he’s only recruited as a joke, but he goes along with everything because, for once, he’s enjoying being included.
Tim, dealing with albinism, serves at the ultimate teenage outsider. While most teenagers find some way to fit in with their peers, Tim feels his very appearance, completely unalterable, keeps others away. Or does it? The CDs reveal that much of the distance between Tim and his peers is Tim’s misperception, and this misperception--that no one would possibly accept him--keeps him from befriending others. But others do try to befriend him, and as revealed by Duncan’s narrative, some people hardly noticed Tim at all.
The Tragedy Paper alternates between Tim’s and Duncan’s point of view. Perhaps because Duncan so often plays the part of a passive listener, Tim’s quickly becomes the more engaging narrative.
While The Tragedy Paper culminates by describing the fateful accident, the scope of the accident itself lacks the tragedy built up throughout the story. The accident does have horrible consequences, but weighing it against Tim’s own thoughts and actions as heard on the CDs, the outcome wasn't that unexpected. It felt that there was much ado about not so much. Much can be attributed to Tim’s lack of self-esteem, which has more to do with him being a typical teenager than it does with his albinism. But the book is full of teenage melodrama and angst, and teens should readily relate to the story.
The Tragedy Paper lacks the emotional depth of fellow YA narrator-on-an-audio-device novel Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher or the intricate boarding school mystery of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History. But it illuminates the fragile teenage psyche using an unconventional narrator and explores the notion that everyone just wants to belong and the cost of making that happen. For that, teens should find The Tragedy Paper to be a worthwhile read.
(Review copy source: Publisher via NetGalley)
Elizabeth LaBan sucks us in with a story within a story. Duncan begins senior year and finds a stack of CDs left in his new room from the previous occupant, Tim. Duncan recalls that something tragic and haunting happened to Tim last year -- listening to the CDs tells him what happened to Tim
Great way to tell a story, especially with Duncan's and Tim's intertwining as the story goes on. I know some people were disappointed at the end, I can't say that I wasn't. However, it was still a great story and definitely one that leaves you thinking about your own actions and how they may affect others.
As a middle school teacher, I wish all schools used things like a tragedy paper to get students thinking about connections in life. THIS is truly what Common Core is all about. Now, I’m not trying to flare up discussion about this topic–I know how heated it can get. But in Language Arts/Literature/English classes, it’s all about connecting literature and stories to our lives. I’m going to try something similar to this during school, but my focus will be on happiness or forgiveness or memories. Something a little less dark:)
A definite MUST read for the summer!!
In the book the current senior class has to write a long thesis paper or they refer to it as The Tragedy Paper. Throughout the year, their teacher Mr. Simon would drop hints about what to include if they wanted extra credit on it. The students truly had free reign with this paper, because the guidelines Mr. Simon did give were quite frank but specific. Reading about the stress and anxiety given by this paper brought back memories of a research paper that I had to complete my eighth grade year. Although, we just had to stress about it for a semester, not a whole school year. I found the two assignments quite similar. I could choose what ever topic I wanted, as long as I followed the few specific guidelines that were given.
My favorite character out of the whole novel is Mr. Simon. He, himself, attended Irving School, and now is the teacher for Senior English. He's one of those teachers who you want to dislike, because he is the giver of a difficult and lengthy assignment. However, he teaches the material in a way that makes you want to pay attention, and do well. He is charismatic, highly intelligent, gentle, and a bachelor who can bake amazing food. Do I need to say more?
I was really hoping that The Tragedy Paper would be a winner for me, but it just didn't capture me enough to lose myself into the world of the characters. The writing was boring, and if it wasn't for my curiosity about what happened the year before I probably would have started reading something else. This is a fine example about how I hate reading books that I and others have created hype around. (That's why I haven't read The Fault in Our Stars yet - too much hype especially now that the movie is out.)
From the minute I opened the book I was consumed by an intense, wonderful story. My heart surrendered to Tim and I began to think about the story when I wasn't reading.
It was about an Albino teen falling in love and getting twisted up in a
The story is told by recorded tapes. Duncan is the boy listening and we do get an insight into his life as well. Later in the book you will realize how the two are connected.
That ending! I need more Tim... like yesterday!
The reviews weren't great, but I gave it a chance and I am so glad that I did.
I definitely recommend this story to everyone looking for a plot with meaning.
Tragedy hangs over the book, but I felt that the tragedy that actually occurred wasn't tragic enough after the build-up. Although Duncan already knows the tragedy, the reader doesn't which created a feeling of suspense, but when it was actually revealed I felt disappointed.
"The Tragedy Paper" was a quiet, beautifully written novel by a debut author and was a more literary YA novel than most, so it may not appeal to teens, but, despite its flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will look for future offerings by this author.