Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

By: Gabrielle Zevin

Narrated by: Caitlin Greer

Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's Summary

If Naomi had picked tails, she would have won the coin toss. She wouldn't have had to go back for the yearbook camera, and she wouldn't have hit her head on the steps. She wouldn't have woken up in an ambulance with amnesia. She certainly would have remembered her boyfriend, Ace. She might even have remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place. She would understand why her best friend, Will, keeps calling her "Chief". She'd know about her mom's new family. She'd know about her dad's fiancee. She never would have met James, the boy with the questionable past and the even fuzzier future, who tells her he once wanted to kiss her. She wouldn't have wanted to kiss him back.

But Naomi picked heads.

©2007 Gabrielle Zevin (P)2007 Random House Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic Reviews

"Sensitive, joyful....Pulled by the heart-bruising love story, listeners will stop to contemplate irresistible questions." ( Booklist)

Great Story

I loved this book. It was very unique, add the story was so interesting. I loved the characters and plot, and the author's writing style. Highly recommend this novel.

REAL

Any additional comments?

This book pretty much has it all - a great premise, thoroughly explored; realistic characters and situations; twists with maximum impact - with a bow of great narration on top!

This book steers clear of the fantasy land that dominates many YA contemporaries, which I greatly appreciated because it allowed the author to more fully discuss what would happen to this character and those around her in a thought-provoking way.

My quip comes with the main character not always making decisions I agreed with. She is supposed to make mistakes - which I love, and makes the story more real - but there was a portion where I didn't feel or understand her motivation.

I also couldn't help comparing this book to Zevin's more recent trilogy (All These Things I've Done, which I HIGHLY recommend) which was longer and with more of a wow factor (because of the setting) that this book lacked.

Greer was an ideal narrator - she didn't stand out, but in a good way. I was just immersed in the story.