Eighteen Roses
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
From the author of I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom, winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Youth Literature, comes a sharply observed YA novel about friendship, family, and self-discovery, amid a backdrop of a Filipino debut.
Lucia Cruz may be turning eighteen this year, but she is not the debutante type. Everything about a traditional Filipino debut feels all wrong for her. Besides, custom dictates that eighteen friends attend her for a special ceremony on her birthday, and Lucia only has one friend– Esmé Mares. They've stuck to each other's side all throughout high school, content to be friends with only each other. At least, Lucia thought they were content.
As it turns out, Esmé wants something different out of her senior year. And, on top of that, Lucia's mom has planned a debutante ball for her birthday behind her back. She'll be forced to cobble together a court of eighteen “friends” before her beloved lola arrives from the Philippines for this blessed occasion.
How far will Lucia stray from her comfort zone in order to play the role of dutiful daughter and granddaughter? Will she do the unthinkable– participating in a school sponsored activity? Will she discover that her sense of humor can be a way to connect with people, not just push them away?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Seventeen-year-old half white, half Filipino Lucia Elenemaria Cruz is grateful that her 18th birthday isn't going to be a traditional debut. It clashes with her casual style, the complexities of planning such a thing make her anxious, and after falling out with her only friend, it's not like she'd have anyone to invite. When, during her cousin's debutante ball, Lucia learns that her mother has secretly started planning one for Lucia, she's furious yet skeptical. Lucia is constantly comparing herself to her more affluent relatives, and her Filipino mother works two jobs. With little money to pay for the event, how will it even happen? Things change when Lucia learns that her beloved grandmother will be arriving from the Philippines for her debut. Lonely and unsure of herself, Lucia joins her school's comedy club, hoping that writing stand-up material will help her express herself over this period of rapid change. Rogers (I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom)attentively depicts issues surrounding race, gender, parental responsibility, divorce, and self-esteem via Lucia's numerous relationships, particularly with her mother. Lucia's stand-up comedy seeds humor throughout this cathartic read. Ages 15–up.
