Page 1 of 4 The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci
Submitted by @llie  (May 08, 2006)This book was and is one of my all-time favorites. It details some of the things I have been finding in my school, how people treat each other. It's amazing that an adult, who is out of school and has her head above all of this can still remember just how it was and how vicious things can be, and wrote it down in the most eloquent, beautiful way. Thanks to her for opening peoples eyes to it, probably many who were a part of it. Not to mention, this book has the best ending I have ever read. ever. Submitted by Allie Aughe  (Jan 11, 2006)This book was absolutely amazing. I couldn't stop reading it. It gave me a whole new outlook on things and I didn't want to put it down. The conclusion was outstanding it really made you feel like the book was real. This book is astonishing and should really be read. Submitted by 2QUICK  (Nov 30, 2005)This book was an excellent book and I believe anybody would enjoy reading it. From the blog on the back of this book many other teens have came across with the questions as to where they could find a boo like this. The book builds suspense well and just when you think you have it figured it out something else strange pops up. The only thing that kept this book from 5 stars is the language. Other than that this is a book I believe everyone should read so that they can get a good outlook on bullying and the fact that it should be stopped. This was an excellent book and I will enjoy reading her other books. Submitted by Anonymous  (Nov 28, 2005)I thought this book was very intriging especially to young readers. It keeps you guessing and wondering what actually happened to Chris Creed during the book and even after your done reading it. This book makes you sure of yourself and what is going to happen and then takes you for a turn around. This book should have had a sequel and I'm very disappointed that it didn't. Submitted by Kathleen  (Nov 21, 2005)The Body of Christopher Creed was both lovely and terrible. I thought the book started out rather slowly, with a scene in which the main character (Victor "Torey" Adams) is at college, bellowing at so-far-in-the-closet-he's-finding-Christmas-presents gay guy who dares to enter his room without knocking. There is, however, a bit of meat in what I consider to be a rather fatty scene and it is these scraps of meat that keep the reader plodding along through the exposition.
While the main character is likeable, he is not quite engaging. His thoughts are too...bland...in the beginning (an attempt to create a point from which Torey will change throughout the story, no doubt).
The minor characters, also, are not as well-developed as I would have liked. I would have liked the lives of Renee, Alex, Ryan, Ali and Bo to be delved into a bit more deeply. I would also have liked to see a bit more of Leandra, who had a great deal of potential for characterization, but who ended up playing the part of the "token uber-sensitive girlfriend". Sure, there are strained paragraphs in which Plum-Ucci tries to give us a glimpse of each character, but that is all she offers: a glimpse. The characters came across as two-and-a-half dimensional rather than the intended three.
The dialogue was rather strained as well and not true to actual dialogue between teenagers. The profanity was oddly placed, also. I often found myself wondering, "Why does this character use the 'f' bomb here, but not here, in this similar situation?" This faulty dialogue only contributed to the characterization problem.
Also, the scenes were rather erratically placed. The book begins with the afore-mentioned dorm-room scene, then delves deep into the past and then doesn't find the surface of the present again for another two-hundred-fifty pages. This pacing was unrealistic, in my opinion, and weakened the book's spell over its readers.
However, The Body of Christopher Creed had its redeeming qualities. Once I waded through the exposition, the story progressed nicely, though the "twist" at the end was fairly obviously hinted at earlier. I did like the portion in which Torey's mind warps after discovering the body in the woods. It was simply delightful and I was pleasantly surprised in the quality of that particular scene, though I was disappointed in its length.
At the end, though, I adored the last letter with its subtle (but not too subtle) message. That letter and the stylish way it was presented made up for almost everything that disappointed me in the book.
All in all, I give the book a three and would recommend it to most teenagers in search of a good read for a rainy day.
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