Wednesday, April 22, 2009

"The Off Season" by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

The Off Season The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Britt's review

Rating: 2 of 5 stars
The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

The Off Season is the sequel to Murdock’s Dairy Queen which I read a couple years ago. I was excited when I saw that Murdock had written a follow-up book because I really enjoyed Dairy Queen. That said, I have mixed feelings about The Off Season.

The Off Season definitely has some great conflict and I really liked how Murdock resolved the conflicts she created. The protagonist, D.J. Schwenk, comes across as a real person, with real and believable teenage problems. I love that D.J. is a very emotionally strong girl and that she isn’t afraid of who she is as an individual. I also appreciated the way D.J.’s relationship with Brian resolved itself. It wasn’t the candy coated, Hollywood happily-ever-after type relationship.

The thing I didn’t like about this book was I felt there was too much edgy content in it. Most of this stems from the homosexual relationship between two of Murdock’s characters and a lot of making out between D.J. and her boyfriend Brian. I care for individuals who are homosexual, but I don’t believe it’s appropriate to promote homosexual behavior. The way Murdock deals with the homosexual relationship in her book is yet another way of making the practice of homosexuality acceptable and normal. This doesn’t sync with my personal values.

I listened to this book on CD. Which can really be a hit or miss kind of thing, and with this book, it was a major miss. I hated the voice of the reader and it made me like the book less. I do not recommend this book to young readers.
View all my reviews.
at 11:27 PM

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Meet Daniel and Brittany

The challenge that began with "Have a nice life, Daniel Burton" is progressing with favorable results. Surviving and thriving on lively discussions about books, Abby, or the post-grad school world, the Burtons show signs of excellent health and familial success.

Dan and Britt met on a hot July 4th in 2005. Shortly after inviting her to join him for a panoramic view of the Independence Day fireworks, and not long after her denial, Daniel and Britt agreed to break the ice over ice cream. They soon realized that they were both book geeks, decided a permanent union was worth evaluating, and were married just over a year later on another beautiful July day.

After graduating with a law degree from both he and Brittany's alma mater's rival, Daniel is corporate counsel at the Woodbury Corporation, a commercial real estate management and development company in Salt Lake City. Meanwhile, and far more interestingly, Brittany is raising a new generation of Burtons as full-time mother and family creative director. Abby is two and a half, and #2 is on the way, with arrival expected in late June of 2011. The Burtons look forward to many years of exploring canyons, creeks, and mountain tops, swapping novels, notes, and ideas, and enjoying great discussions about people, politics, and their family.

Daniel and Brittany are both graduates of the 2002 class of Brigham Young University. Abby is gunning to graduate from diapers, sooner than later.