Angry

A Novel

$12.99	Item Added to Cart Electronic Item Added to Cart
Item Added to Cart

Emma's life is crazily careening out of control. In the midst of her anger and hurt, can she choose a different direction?

Description: Emma is angry. She’s angry at her siblings, who she always has to baby sit; her parents, who are divorcing and ruining her life in the process; and herself for not measuring up to anyone’s standards.

With her simmering feelings ready to spill over at any time, Emma's self-worth plummets. Her faith in God is tested in the face of overwhelming hurt that threatens to send her over the edge. Can she turn back in time?

Online study guide companion available.

Angry

This is a good easy read for teens. Emma tries to balance caring for her younger siblings, time with friends, preparinmg for an upcoming school musical, and her anger over her parents' divorce. Through it all she senses God speaking to her and has to decide if she will trust Him with her life. I look forward to giving this to some teen girls that I work wih as a youth group leader.
Posted by Heather Jones on 1/8/2011 9:36:56 PM

Angry

Thrust into the center of her parents’ bitter divorce, Emma Monaghan is surrounded by pure anger and confusion, in Laura L. Smith’s Angry: a Novel. Being the oldest of six children, she has the weighty responsibility of caring for her siblings. Things only get more intense as her father seems to spontaneously have an affair and leave their family. Emma feels as if everyone is blaming her for the divorce. Her only escape comes from the theatre as she assumes the role of Eponine for Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables. The play serves as metaphor for Emma’s own life. Many teenagers will be able to easily relate to Emma’s experiences. In addition to divorce, the short novel addresses many other serious issues such as adultery, alcoholism, eating disorders and teenage pregnancy. Mixed into these issues are the average teenage concerns of fashion, cars, friends and gossip. Although religion does eventually play a large role in the novel, it does not dominate the text. Emma finds herself turning to God during hard times, but does not seem to devoutly believe in Him. Her conversations with God gradually move from casual comments to heartfelt exchanges. Angry is a great novel that accurately describes what it is like to be a teenage girl. I highly recommend this book to teenagers looking for a novel to identify with. Adults wanting insight into the teenage girl mind will also benefit from this great novel.
Posted by Dessie on 12/24/2010 6:45:31 PM

Teen Issues

This is a really good book for teens. Quick and easy to understand yet gives you help through teen issues. The issue worked through in this book is “Anger”. Emma a junior in high school can’t wait for the school year to start, she auditioned for the school’s musical, “Les Mis”, plus she wants to get out of her house where her world has been turned upside-down. Emma’s dad has left the family for another women, and her mom started drinking. Emma’s fuse is short and she is yelling at everyone and is angry with the world and with God. I see a lot of myself in Emma. I have a short fuse, but I also have been turning myself around and trying to rely on God more, which is hard. Emma had to learn this same lesson. The only thing I didn’t like about this book and how short the ending was. She asks God to take control of her life and everything is ok. But over all the book was really good and it was hard to put down. Laura L Smith, the author, has a few more books that fit into the teen category that I would like to read. I like her writing style, it’s easy for me to understand and has a good story line. ------------------- Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising
Posted by Erica K on 12/19/2010 9:17:19 PM

Angry by Laura Smith

This book was well written and you could feel the anger from Emma. The author does a great job of capturing the thoughts and emotions of some teens today as they struggle to grow up with out a relationship with God. Towards the end, Ms Smith brings all of it full circle back to God. Emma realizes that God needs to be part of her life and heal her anger. This book is definitely geared for teens and adults. Overall I loved the book and would like to read her others.
Posted by Kelli on 12/14/2010 9:14:34 AM

Angry

Emma is angry. Angry because, when she only wants to have the life of a normal teenage girl, things seem to be out of control. She’s angry at her father for having an affair and splitting her family. She’s angry at her siblings because she always has to watch them. She’s angry at her mother for avoiding much of the responsibility after her parents’ separation. Emma is angry at God, too. She feels like in the midst of all her family trouble, he has abandoned her. This book was interesting. It was a short, quick read, and I managed it in an afternoon. It was a good book, and I would recommend it for anyone who feels anger towards a divorce in their family or something of that sort. It wasn’t relevant to me. The story seemed to develop too quickly, and Emma’s character lacked depth. I felt like the author would forget about the main plot line, Emma’s anger, during the drama scenes and such. When she came back to that, it was somewhat sudden and unexpected. Other than that, the book was enjoyable. Personally, it wasn’t a favorite, but I think that you could give it a try.
Posted by Katie on 12/13/2010 5:57:50 PM

Realistic teen read

Written from the perspective of 16 year-old Emma, "Angry" by Laura L. Smith is a perfect book for teenagers to read. Emma is struggling with her parents getting divorced, her dad's new girlfriend, her mother's drinking problem and caring for her younger siblings. Along with this, Emma is involved with the school play and "drama" with friends and boyfriends. Emma prays to God throughout the book when she is in the midst of crisis, however she does not really appear to have a real relationship with God or really rely on Him. However, she is on a journey to really placing her trust in God. This is the third book in a series that deals with teen issues. I thought this book was a quick, easy read and would hold the attention of a teenager. This book could be a great resource to use with a youth group, probably with the girls, as I felt like I was part of a group of teenage girls as I was privy to their thoughts and conversations. I think that by using this book, great discussions could result. Emma deals with real issues and her reaction to everything going on in her life is typical, teen girls would be able to really relate or know someone who could. *I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Posted by Kristie on 12/7/2010 8:56:21 AM

Angry

Emma Monaghan is angry! But more than that she really just wants someone to acknowledge her, to notice her. Emma's parents are getting a divorce, and while it is hard for Emma to figure out who is to blame, all she knows is she is tired of always babysitting her younger siblings while her mom goes to work. It seems to her that her parents are so involved in their problems that they don't understand where she is coming from, add to that Emma is insecure, she is always criticizing herself. She "messed" around with a boy last school year, staying out all night with him, and even having a pregnancy scare, her parents grounded her for staying out, they never found out about the pregnancy thing, and while she was grounded he found another girlfriend. For Emma the relationship was more about having someone to pay attention to her. Emma loves to sing and when she sets her hopes on getting a part in Les Mis, will she achieve her goal? Even though she has a relationship with God will she learn to turn her problems over to him? I enjoyed this story the way the author portrayed Emma's character it almost seemed as if a teen was actually writing the story. Emma comes off as a girl that feels neglected by her parents with a lot of responsibility for taking care of her siblings. It was interesting to see Emma chide her mother for using alcohol to cope with the impending divorce, almost as if she were taking care of her. This book deals with some pretty heavy topics such as adultry, divorce, and alcoholism, but it also delivers a pretty stong message as well. That God is always with us, and we need to trust and turn our problems over to him! Even though I was provided a copy of this book for review it in no way alters my opinion of this book.
Posted by Brenda on 11/30/2010 8:25:31 PM

Great young adult read!

I chose Angry by Laura L. Smith to see what young adult fiction looks like these days. I was pleasantly surprised! Angry is a short, quick read. The third book in the THINK series, readers follow Emma as she learns of her parents' divorce. Struggling with taking care of her five younger siblings, dealing with her anger at her dad and his new girlfriend, wondering why her mom is drinking so much, and fighting to fit in with her friends, Emma is generally angry. (Hence, the title of the book.) Things begin to look up when she makes the school play, but will she figure out that God is in control of everything and look to Him for guidance? This book read a lot more realistically than much of the high school fiction I read back in the day. It addresses difficult issues and reveals feelings that most youth can identify with. This series is probably for a more mature teen reader as this book alone mentions/addresses teen pregnancy, eating disorders, divorce, adultery, and alcoholism. An involved parent or youth leader would be useful in discussing the issues brought up. The writing style of the author is in-tune with teenagers. Told from the perspective of Emma, I felt like I was in the midst of a high school girls conversation for most of the book. Well done! The only complaint I really had about this book is that it wraps up a little fast. Emma suddenly recognizes her need for God and jumps to the conclusion that everything is going to work out in the last two very short chapters. Just seemed a bit quick and neat for me. Overall, though, this was a great read! Check out the first two books in the series if you like this one: Hot and Skinny. I received a free copy of this book from NavPress in exchange for my fair and honest review.
Posted by L. Miller on 11/30/2010 7:48:45 AM

My Review of Angry a Novel

Angry: A Novel Written by: Laura L. Smith Published by: NavPress This is a fiction book about a girl named Emma. Emma’s world seems to be falling apart, her parents are divorcing and it feels she must comfort and care for her younger siblings. Emma is angry! Throughout the course of this book Emma finds that she must trust God and in the end finds that things will be alright after all. Who the book is for: This book was written for teens, but I am not a teen and I still find this story somewhat enjoyable. What I liked: This story had enough tension to keep it interesting. The chapters are short and the book is easy to read. What I didn’t like: The story could have been better, not as touching as I hoped and the ending felt kind of rushed. My conclusion: This is an okay book for a teen or young twenty something. Nothing spectacular about it, but may be worth your time. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. I received this book free to review from NavPress. The opinions expressed in this review are my true thoughts and feeling regarding this book. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Posted by Emily Acker on 11/26/2010 12:07:40 PM

Not what I expected

Although Angry by Laura L. Smith is marketed as “teen fiction”, I don’t believe I would allow my teenage daughter to read this. (if I had one) Divorce, adultery and alcoholism are some of the sensitive topics mentioned in this book and I strongly suggest that parents read this for themselves before handing it over to their teenager. Readers should also be aware that “slang” is used in this book and the main character talks about losing her virginity. All of these issues are very hot topics and I think that parents will have to decide for themselves whether or not this is an appropriate book for their child to read. The book is about an angry teenage girl whose parents are divorcing after an extramarital affair. This story details the thoughts, feelings and emotions that a teenager might experience while going through this. Emma, (the main character) is also angry at God. Based on the book’s description of this family, they do not appear to be actively practicing any type of faith so I’m not sure how the main character even knows about God. There’s no mention of church attendance (past or present) or religious beliefs and God, family and marriage aren’t a high priority in this family. The parents have both thrown themselves into their careers, neglecting each other and leaving their teenage daughter to care for her siblings. Emma is confused, frustrated and battling low self esteem. At the end of the book, Emma talks about a “warm golden feeling” which she attributes to God, but the reader doesn’t walk away with a sense of reconciliation. There’s nothing to indicate that Emma is making major changes in her life other than not being so angry at God anymore. While she “talks” to God and asks Him for things, that’s about the extent of her relationship with Him. She doesn’t seek out a pastor, counseling or a church, she doesn’t read the Bible; there’s just a lot of conversation between her and God in which she supposes what He says back to her. I have to say I was a little disappointed in this book. It didn't convey the message of Christ that I thought it would. Granted, you don’t have to be preachy to get the Gospel across but this title didn’t share much of any message, in my opinion.
Posted by CafeLilyBookReviews on 11/19/2010 6:11:41 AM

Angry

Laura Smith writes to the heart of teenage girls. This is the first I have read in her series but I understand it is the third she has written. This book deals with the issue of anger in the life of Emma, the oldest of six children. Emma has many of the typical issues of a normal teenage, and in addition, her parents are getting a divorce. Angry takes you through her thoughts as she processes the anger she has about the divorce that just seems to put the icing on the cake, so to speak. This isn’t a long read and would be great for the middle to older teen girl. It might be a little much for the preteen crowd. The book is written from Emma’s perspective so you are getting a first hand experience of her life. In the midst of her anger, she finds herself talking to God. Does he answer and what will he say to just a little teenage girl? This is the part you will have to find out on your own by reading the book. I wouldn’t want to tell you all the details and give away all the secrets, now would I? After all, aren’t good friends for keeping secrets? Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Posted by Miriam Allen on 11/8/2010 1:40:21 AM

NavPress

Search

Angry

A Novel

Other Links of Interest:

You May Also Like:

Angry

Angry

Teen Issues

Angry by Laura Smith

Angry

Realistic teen read

Angry

Great young adult read!

My Review of Angry a Novel

Not what I expected

Angry

Mission

Navigation

Other NavPress Sites

Contact