Charlotte Davis is in pieces. At seventeen she’s already lost more than most people do in a lifetime. But she’s learned how to forget. The broken glass washes away the sorrow until there is nothing but calm. You don’t have to think about your father and the river. Your best friend, who is gone forever. Or your mother, who has nothing left to give you. Every new scar hardens Charlie’s heart … Charlie’s heart just a little more, yet it still hurts so much. It hurts enough to not care anymore, which is sometimes what has to happen before you can find your way back from the edge.
A deeply moving portrait of a girl in a world that owes her nothing, and has taken so much, and the journey she undergoes to put herself back together. Kathleen Glasgow’s debut is heartbreakingly real and unflinchingly honest. It’s a story you won’t be able to look away from.
Fans of Girl, Interrupted, Thirteen Reasons Why, and All the Bright Places will love the New York Times bestselling novel Girl in Pieces.
”A haunting, beautiful, and necessary book that will stay with you long after you’ve read the last page.”—Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything
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A neighbor loaned me this book with the following warning: you will want to stop reading because it hurts too much. Don’t stop. Read through Charlie’s pain.
When I started reading, I, too, wanted to stop. It was too dark. Too painful. but I kept reading because all of the Charlie’s in this world deserve to have their pain heard. You won’t be sorry.
This book was amazing! As someone who has spent 12 years of my life battling severe Anorexia; institutionalized in hospitals and treatment centers through the country, I strongly relate to this book and every detail of the story. Kathleen is a brilliant writer focusing on raw, real and prevalent topics. I recommend everyone reads this. Wow!
I read this book the day I downloaded it. Still thinking about it. It is about cutting and the ramifications and the feelings afterword. I have never even thought about cutting, but the author put it in terms that I understood the reasons behind it. I think this should be a book that all tweens should have to read. I hope all cutters out there can get help and know that not all people will look at you and your scars like you are damaged.
Charlotte “Charlie” Davis has faced a lot in her life. When we meet her, she has just been dropped at the doors of a hospital, wrapped in nothing but a bloodstained sheet. The first part of the story follows her with her stay in the mental ward of Creeley, a hospital for cutters. There she meets so many other girls who all bear on their bodies the marks of self-abuse, and she begins to realize that maybe she is not alone.
But when the money runs out, she is forced to leave, and with no other option, she goes to Tucson, Arizona to try and make a life with her old friend’s help. There, she starts a relationship with a coworker, and things seem great for a while. But is she truly all better? Or is she just beginning to pick up the pieces of her shattered life? And if that’s the case, things could very well spiral out of control. Can Charlie avoid the temptation to fall back into her old habits, or will she give in and lose everything?
This book is BRUTAL. There is no denying it. But amidst the blood and broken glass is the story of a hurting teenager who has no coping skills for life. Charlie is so real, both her pain and her happiness, and it is a rough ride as she tries to keep herself from falling apart. The hope at the end of this novel has me smiling through tears, and the whole book is pretty freaking angelic.
If you have issues with self-harm, teens drinking and having sex, and mental health, this book is probably not for you. For the rest of you, if you want to look into the mind of one of the couple million girls who self-harm to find out why they might do something like that, this book is for you. Be warned that this book is emotional and at points, terrifying, but when you make it to the other side, you will see so much more clearly what internal pain can drive some people to do.
SPOILERS AND TRIGGER WARNING! This book is not for the faint of heart! This book for those who are triggered by self harm, alcoholism, and sexual abuse!!
“I cut because I can’t deal. It’s as simple as that. The world becomes an ocean, the ocean washes over me, the sound of the water is deafening, the water drowns my heart, my panic becomes as large as planets. I need release, I need to hurt myself more than the world can hurt me, and then I can comfort myself.” pg. 42
This book moved something deep down inside of me, something that I did not even know was there. I have never felt every emotion along side a character as much as I did Charlie. Kathleen Glasgow has done the impossible, and actually gave us a sliver of an idea what people with depression, mental illness, etc. go through every single day. This book has opened my eyes to things that I did not even notice I could not see. This book does not hold back, she has given us the bad, the ugly, and the worse possible outcome of self-harm. At the same time, she gave me hope! She gave me hope that people can overcome! This book definitely put a whole new perspective on making sure the people around you are ok, make sure they are not fighting their demons on their own! This book is a incredible read, and I could not put it down! I have never been so absorbed in a character in a long time! I found myself hurting for her, crying with her, getting mad with her, and celebrating her triumphs as well! This is definitely a book that everyone should read at least once in their life!
Audible Review:
Phenomenal!!! This story is so important, to let others who suffer from mental illness know that they are not alone. Especially, in this particular story, cutters. With all their scars showing on the outside, but the truest ones hidden on the inside. How they fight to go on in life, find their outlet to deal with what’s trapped inside. With Charlie her outlet was drawing. But also that group of true, and healthy, friends that you can talk to.
The author did an amazing job on this story, getting the message across in a way that we felt it and all the struggles Charlie dealt with. The narrators did a great job of taking the story and giving it life!!! Truly a touching story that I will NEVER forget!!!
FAVORITE BOOK
I finished this book a few months ago, but it’s stuck with me. Although Charlie’s story is one that’s painful and difficult to read at times, it has given me a whole new respect for anyone able to rise above difficult circumstances to build a new life. I’m a big supporter of creating literature with real-life representations of mental illness, and this book helped me to better-understand self-harm. Such an important book and a great read.
Can be a hard emotional read, but over all a good book.
It really opened my eyes to a new community of books. It also shows what type of world we live in and that everyone goes through different things.
just read it
This is the only book I have ever read cover to cover without getting up unless necessary. It is a heart breaking but interesting and real read.
This book had me a girl in pieces. So gripping and beautifully told. It was lyrical and difficult, but poignant. Watching the protagonist head down a dark path and wishing something different for her was harrowing. LOVED IT!
Wonderfully written and extremely realistic and emotional. I loved how real it was while also being interesting, dark, and very deep.
Despite it’s untraditional chapter structure, it’s a pleasant read. Touching on mental health in a very realistic way that I had to stop and take a break because it was a time too much to handle. That being said if your suffering from mental health please tread lightly. This book might be triggering for some.
The day I bought this book, I had regretted it… But after I decided to read it, I couldn’t stop. This book left me wondering what would happen next. I just couldn’t put the book down. This book shows that amazing relationships come with hard times and a hard back story.
Glasgow writes from personal experience, giving her characters a completely believable realism. This book brings to life the tragic practice of self mutilation through cutting, which is a far too common coping mechanism. It also talks of other ways in which “broken” people sabotage their own lives. The book is well written and completely engaging.
Amazing story so well written. I got a look inside a problem that I really never understood. Haunting, sad and very realistic.
It’s honestly a very realistic and vivid book, even though it could have had less swearing in it.
simply amazing. Charlie still sticks with me ,,<3