Carmen

Author: Walter Dean Meyers

Release Date: April 26th 2011

Summary: (goodreads) A retelling of the Bizet opera set in Spanish Harlem in which a teen with a fiery temper wants the one boy she can't have, with deadly consequences.

Review: I must confess that I haven't actually seen the original opera, but I still think even if you aren't a Carmen person, you may still enjoy this book. It is written as a play which is really awesome!

With plays though it is harder to judge them from the script because they are meant to be acted out and that would bring so much more emotion and characterization to the story. Some of that was lost in this adaptation. The characters seemed so far away while their love seemed so rushed and the story was filled with swirling images and details.

I've read plays before, so I understand that a lot is made through hearing the actual music and seeing the characters. Accounting for that, this story was great. The way that Myers brings it to the present in Harlem is realistic enough while keeping the drama high to make this a sharp read. Although the reader is very likely to know what is going to happen every step of the way, I was still compelled to read it and finished it in one sitting.

It is a short read. Excellent I think for slightly older teens even though it is an easy read because attention should be paid to everything so that the reader may build up the story from simply words. It helps if you like plays! If you guys decide to pick it up, I hope you can enjoy it much more than even I did.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 I really don't think I can rate this as accurately as I could a regular novel because it is written in play form which has quite a varied set of rules, I think. And I don't think I've ever read a YA one. This is definitely unique! :)