Difference between revisions of "Tiger Eyes"

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[[Image:.jpg|thumb|256x256px|US hardcover, first edition.]]
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[[Image:Tiger Eyes - Hardcover - USA - Bradbury - 1981 - 1st Edition.jpg|thumb|256x256px|US hardcover, first edition.]]
  
 
'''''Tiger Eyes''''' is a novel by [[Judy Blume]] published in 1981 and written for a teenage audience. The story revolves around a 15-year-old girl named Davey whose father was recently murdered. The family has a very difficult time coping with their loss, so they decide to stay with Davey's Aunt on the other side of the country. The novel contains several themes which are common among teenagers including the death of a parent, alcoholism, coping with a parent dating someone new, racism, relatives trying to encroach into your family, and falling in love. The book has been adapted into a movie with the [[Tiger Eyes (film)|same name]].
 
'''''Tiger Eyes''''' is a novel by [[Judy Blume]] published in 1981 and written for a teenage audience. The story revolves around a 15-year-old girl named Davey whose father was recently murdered. The family has a very difficult time coping with their loss, so they decide to stay with Davey's Aunt on the other side of the country. The novel contains several themes which are common among teenagers including the death of a parent, alcoholism, coping with a parent dating someone new, racism, relatives trying to encroach into your family, and falling in love. The book has been adapted into a movie with the [[Tiger Eyes (film)|same name]].
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==Media==
 
==Media==
 
===Covers===
 
===Covers===
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''Tiger Eyes'' has been reprinted over a dozen times throughout the years. Most of the book covers depict a dismayed teenage girl with a canyon backdrop, which is generally fitting, though it doesn't really convey any specific message.
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<gallery>
 
<gallery>
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Tiger Eyes - Hardcover - USA - Bradbury - 1981 - 1st Edition.jpg|'''Hardcover, USA - Bradbury (1981)'''<br/><br/>Davey's face is a bit malformed and discolored.
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Tiger Eyes - Hardcover - Heinemann - 1984.jpg|'''Hardcover, USA - Heinemann (1984)'''<br/><br/>Poorly painted possible rapist.
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Tiger Eyes - Mass Market - Unknown - Unknown.jpg|'''Mass Market, Unknown'''<br/><br/>Davey looks like she's impatiently waiting for something.
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Tiger Eyes - Mass Market - USA - Piper Books - 1988.jpg|'''Mass Market, USA - Piper Books (1988)'''<br/><br/>Rather than look sad, Davey looks just a bit completely crazy.
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Tiger Eyes - Mass Market - USA - Dell.jpg|'''Mass Market, USA - Dell'''<br/><br/>Nice painting of the standard scene. My favorite cover.
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Tiger Eyes - Unknown.jpg|'''Unknown'''<br/><br/>Teenage girl pissed that her parents dragged her to the Grand Canyon. Why does the light source between the canyon and her face magically changes direction?
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Tiger Eyes - Hardcover - Israel - Keter - 1991.jpg|'''Hardcover, Israel - Keter (1991)'''<br/><br/>Davey doesn't look that upset about her father being murdered.
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Tiger Eyes - Mass Market - USA - Laurel Leaf.jpg|'''Mass Market, USA - Laurel Leaf'''<br/><br/>Slightly cross-eyed 90s teen is being stalked by Slater from ''[[Saved By the Bell]]''. I like the collage, with the lizard and Native pattern, but the faces look terrible.
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Tiger Eyes - Hardcover - USA - Atheneum.jpg|'''Hardcover, USA - Atheneum'''<br/><br/>A poorly contrasted photo of a teen model with wet hair. Lame.
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Tiger Eyes - Paperback - USA - MacMillan - 2005.jpg|'''Paperback, USA - MacMilla (2005)'''<br/><br/>This refers to the Spanish lizard quote. Too plain looking, and a bit of obscure reference for a cover.
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Tiger Eyes - Paperback - USA - Dell Laurel-Leaf - 2005.jpg|'''Paperback, USA - Dell Laurel-Leaf (2005)'''<br/><br/>Bored teen model with digitally altered eye color. Also used on the audio book.
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Tiger Eyes - Paperback - USA - Pan MacMillan - 2006.jpg|'''Paperback, USA - Pan MacMillan (2006)'''<br/><br/>Cheery teen model blowing dandelions even though they are never once mentioned in the book, but teen girls like how they symbolize freedom, so...
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Tiger Eyes - Paperback - Canada - Delacorte - 2010.jpg|'''Paperback, Canada - Delacorte (2010)'''<br/><br/>Adult model with doctored eyes seems happy because she has lilies... which are also never featured in the book. Terrible.
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Tiger Eyes - Paperback - USA - Atheneum - 2014.jpg|'''Paperback, USA - Atheneum (2014)'''<br/><br/>Uses the film poster. Davey look too old, and more pensive than upset.
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Tiger Eyes - Paperback - USA - Pan MacMillan - 2014.jpg|'''Paperback, USA - Pan MacMillan (2014)'''<br/><br/>Pan MacMillan's inappropriate dandelion fetish ruins another cover.
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Tiger Eyes - Paperback - USA - Simon & Schuster.jpg|'''Paperback, USA - Simon & Schuster'''<br/><br/>Blanket-wearing hippie in a field?
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  

Revision as of 13:14, 28 May 2019

US hardcover, first edition.

Tiger Eyes is a novel by Judy Blume published in 1981 and written for a teenage audience. The story revolves around a 15-year-old girl named Davey whose father was recently murdered. The family has a very difficult time coping with their loss, so they decide to stay with Davey's Aunt on the other side of the country. The novel contains several themes which are common among teenagers including the death of a parent, alcoholism, coping with a parent dating someone new, racism, relatives trying to encroach into your family, and falling in love. The book has been adapted into a movie with the same name.

Becoming the father, I started to re-read some of Judy Blume's work to find which would be best for my daughters, and discovered that she wrote several adult and teenage novels as well. After really enjoying some of them, I found Tiger Eyes and read it as well.

Status

I do not own this book, but I have listened to an audio book (read by Emma Galvin). I finished it on 2019-05-27.

Review

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • The story, despite it depressing content, is really interesting and, at times, uplifting.
  • Blume does a good job at covering a lot of teen issues without ever making them seem like caricatures.
  • I like how Blume doesn't hide the overt racism of white Americans against Hispanics, even when they're living in a region that, by all rights, belongs to them.
  • I really like how the book ends.

Bad

  • I feel like a couple threads in the book, specifically the whereabouts of Wolf and Jane's alcoholism, were left unresolved.
  • I feel like Blume missed a chance at some tension with Davey and alcohol. Davey never even considered using alcohol as a coping mechanism, the story mostly uses Jane as a cautionary tale.
  • In Places I Never Meant to Be, Blume explained that she voluntarily censored a scene from Tiger Eyes in which Davey masturbates while thinking of Wolf in order to appeal to a larger audience. This is a shame, not just because I don't like when authors feel pressured to censor their work, but also because I really think it fits with the story. Davey, with nobody to turn to to comfort or friendship, would most certainly resort to an active fantasy life.

Ugly

  • Nothing.

Media

Covers

Tiger Eyes has been reprinted over a dozen times throughout the years. Most of the book covers depict a dismayed teenage girl with a canyon backdrop, which is generally fitting, though it doesn't really convey any specific message.

Links

Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-GoodReads.png  Link-TVTropes.png