Impossible

Reader reviewed by Misty (Book Rat)

Lucy Scarborough has a fairly normal life for a 17 year old.  That is,
until she is attacked and finds herself pregnant and under a curse that
has plagued the women in her family for generations.  Now, Lucy has 9
months to figure out a way to perform 3 impossible tasks and break the
curse before her daughter is born and Lucy is taken by madness.  Lucy
must break the curse not just for herself, but to keep it from happening
to her own daughter, just as it did to her mother and all of the lonely
Scarborough women, and now to her.

But unlike her own mother, and their mothers before them, Lucy is not
alone; but will it be enough?

Based on the "Scarbarough Fair" ballad, Impossible is a retelling with a
disturbing twist.





  You may recall from a past Friday Face Off that I was excited for this
one because of this gorgeous winning cover.  And in some ways, it lived
up to my excitement, while at the same time, falling short in others. 
Werlin presents a very modern, disturbing slant on the age old ballad. 
She layers the book with enough realism and negativity (nothing is ever
falsely sugar-coated; Lucy is a realist, if nothing else) that I was
able to believe that things may not be wrapped up with the expected
"happily ever after."  I like having that doubt when I read a story,
because I like thinking that an author is going to do what's right for
the story and the characters they have created, and not cop out with an
easy, happy ending.  Because of this realistic streak and
clearheadedness from Lucy, the magical elements of the story, no matter
how far-fetched, seemed more balanced and true, which I definitely
liked.  Lucy felt real, and I cared about her and the plight of the
Scarborough women.



And I liked what Werlin did with the ballad.  In her afterword, Werlin
talks about how the book came about, saying she loved the Simon and
Garfunkel version as a kid, but as she got older and really listened to
the words (in which a man requests that a woman complete impossible
tasks to be his true love), she had an epiphany: he doesn't love her, he
hates her.  Faced with this new 'understanding' of the ballad,
Werlin set about fleshing out their story; clearly, there was once
something between them, but something soured it.  Her story of
Impossible grew from this seed.  This idea really struck me.  I liked
the idea that she was revisiting something and approaching it from a
fresh angle, and that whole "thin line between love and hate" element
was brilliant, I think, and a very adult take for a YA novel.  I really
liked this aspect.



Unfortunately, it was inconsistent.  Werlin's adult application to the
story wasn't carried throughout.  Sometimes the writing was very adult
and forward, and sometimes it was almost juvenile and a bit weak for
me.  The characters, too, were inconsistent.  The Elfin Knight (bad guy
of yore) was very villainous, for sure; at times he made my skin crawl,
which was great*.  But there are more fine lines than the one between
?/hate, and his villain-line was occasionally crossed into cheese
territory.  I wish she would have dialed it back just a bit at
the end.  And though Lucy felt fleshed out and real to me, the other
important characters felt occasionally cardboard.  Not always, by any
means, but I just found myself wishing for a little more from them.



Now, all this being said, I didn't dislike the story.  It didn't live up
to the excitement generated by its cover or the subject matter, or to
the really good threads I saw running through it -- but it wasn't a
failure, either, and I don't regret buying it.  I could tell it was well
researched and plotted out, but it just had a tendency, especially in
the beginning, to feel a little clunky and young.  In spite of this, I
found myself engaged, and I didn't ever not want** to read it; I found
myself thinking about Lucy and the tasks, and the story in general, and
that's a good sign. With a little more finesse, I think I'd give it an
enthusiastic recommend, but instead it's a reserved one.  If you like
fairytale retellings and stories that make you a little uncomfortable,
you'll like this one and will likely be able to overlook the issues; if
you don't, I'm just not sure...



*Yep.  Great skin-crawling.  But that means it was effective, so that's
a  + in my opinion.

**If that made any sense...

Originally posted:  http://bookrat-misty.blogspot.com/2010/04/impossible-by-nancy-werlin.html

Reader reviewed by Suzanne

This novel had a ton of twists, turns, and surprises, and that made it all the better ! Lucy's mom abandoned her when she was young, and left her to her grandparents. Now she's all grown up, and going to prom. Right on time, comes her lifelong friend Zach comes along,and figures out that he's in love with her. While getting ready for prom, a man shows up at her house claiming to be her grandmother's new co-worker. Everyone is a little suspicious, but it claimed over by the excitement of prom. After prom, when her and her date are heading to an afterparty, her date takes her into a closet and rapes her. Now she is pregnant, and she doesnt know what to do. Then she finds her mom's old diary and gets wrapped up in what her mom was like before she went crazy. But then the man who claims to be her grandmother's co-worker keeps getting closer and closer, and one day catches Lucy by herself. He renew's the curse that has taken down all the women in her family for centuries. She has to follow a poem to try and break the curse. With help from her family and soulmate, she beats the curse and ends it forever. Based on the Scarbourough Fair poem, this story has it all !

Reader reviewed by Hillary

Seventeen year old Lucy Scarborough has always been a very level headed person. But, when she realizes the truth behind her mothers mental illness, she will need the all the help she can get to prevent herself from following a similar path. When Lucy is raped by her date at the school prom, the ancient process begins. Now, Lucy must try to save herself, as well as her daughter, from a problem that all the women in her family have been encountered with.

A terrible curse has plagued all the women of her family for generations. Each woman must attempt to complete the three nearly impossible tasks listed in the ballad "Scarborough Fair," before her daughter is born. If she is unable to complete the tasks, she will end up in the same position as her mother, insane with a daughter in foster care. Luckily Lucy has her foster parents, Soledad and Leo Markowitz, as well as her friend, Zach, to help her accomplish these tasks. But, as the deadline rapidly approaches, Lucy becomes increasingly unsure about how the horrible situation will play out.

Impossible was a fantastic book written by Nancy Werlin. The story as exciting and suspenseful and so realistic, despite the mentions of magic. Although it is a fantasy, it is still easy to relate to Lucy's story. It is definitely a very enjoyable book that can be read over and over. Readers will love /Lucy's story and sympathize with her, even if they're not normally fantasy readers. Werlin's second novel is an amazing story and is sure to captivate any audience.

Reader reviewed by mearley

Lucy Scarborough is a descendent of the woman about whom the original version of the ballad "Scarborough Fair" was written. The song lists three impossible tasks which must be completed before the curse affecting all generations of Scarborough women may be lifted. All Scarborough women become pregnant at age 17 and must complete the three tasks before their daughter is born or they will forever belong to the Elfin King.

Lucy becomes pregnant after being raped on her prom night. R...more Lucy Scarborough is a descendent of the woman about whom the original version of the ballad "Scarborough Fair" was written. The song lists three impossible tasks which must be completed before the curse affecting all generations of Scarborough women may be lifted. All Scarborough women become pregnant at age 17 and must complete the three tasks before their daughter is born or they will forever belong to the Elfin King.

Lucy becomes pregnant after being raped on her prom night. Reading her birth mother's diary leads her to discover the curse. Determined that her daughter will not live under the Elfin King's control, Lucy enlists her foster parents and longtime friend Zach to help her.

When most authors write about a heroine facing a supernatural foe, they have the heroine working alone or with her peers. Most such heroines have absent or clueless parents who are conveniently distracted by their career or social life so they never notice their daughter running off to break a spell or save the world. Nancy Werlin took a different approach and made Lucy's foster parents a vital part of the Elfin King's defeat. I found this refreshing and appropriate since the curse affected generations, it would take more than one generation to break the curse.

Lucy is an engaging heroine--appropriately scared by her situation, but able to laugh and lighten the mood when necessary. Zach is the kind of boy who always knows the perfect thing to say, and I found myself rooting for him just as much as I was rooting for Lucy.

Because of the rape, I'd recommend this for older teens and adults. You can enjoy this book even if you aren't familiar with the song "Scarborough Fair" because the lyrics are included in the book.

Reprinted here with author's permission.