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The Tragedy Paper
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The Tragedy Paper
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The Tragedy Paper
Audiobook8 hours

The Tragedy Paper

Written by Elizabeth LaBan

Narrated by Nick Chamian and Jesse Bernstein

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

Perfect for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why and Looking for Alaska, Jennifer Weiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author, calls Elizabeth LaBan's The Tragedy Paper "a beguiling and beautifully written tale of first love and heartbreak."

It follows the story of Tim Macbeth, a seventeen-year-old albino and a recent transfer to the prestigious Irving School, where the motto is "Enter here to be and find a friend." A friend is the last thing Tim expects or wants-he just hopes to get through his senior year unnoticed. Yet, despite his efforts to blend into the background, he finds himself falling for the quintessential "It" girl, Vanessa Sheller, girlfriend of Irving's most popular boy. To Tim's surprise, Vanessa is into him, too, but she can kiss her social status goodbye if anyone ever finds out. Tim and Vanessa begin a clandestine romance, but looming over them is the Tragedy Paper, Irving's version of a senior year thesis, assigned by the school's least forgiving teacher.

Jumping between viewpoints of the love-struck Tim and Duncan, a current senior about to uncover the truth of Tim and Vanessa, The Tragedy Paper is a compelling tale of forbidden love and the lengths people will go to keep their secrets.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 8, 2013
ISBN9780804122009
Unavailable
The Tragedy Paper
Author

Elizabeth LaBan

Elizabeth LaBan is the author of The Tragedy Paper, which has been translated into eleven languages; The Grandparents Handbook, which has been translated into seven languages; The Restaurant Critic's Wife; and Pretty Little World. She lives in Philadelphia with her restaurant-critic husband and two children.

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Reviews for The Tragedy Paper

Rating: 3.689655132413793 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    "The Tragedy Paper" which was part romance, part mystery, turned out to be a really gripping read. A story within a story, it was told from two boys points of view - Duncan, the present day and Tim twelve months earlier. I found Tim's story the more engrossing of the two, although I thought his voice was a bit stilted for a teenage boy. He narrated his story on CDs for Duncan to listen to as his 'treasure' when he moved into his new room at the expensive boarding school, Irving. Duncan's story wasn't as well developed as Tim's but I shared his obsession to finish listening Tim's CDs.Tragedy hangs over the book, but I felt that the tragedy that actually occurred wasn't tragic enough after the build-up. Although Duncan already knows the tragedy, the reader doesn't which created a feeling of suspense, but when it was actually revealed I felt disappointed."The Tragedy Paper" was a quiet, beautifully written novel by a debut author and was a more literary YA novel than most, so it may not appeal to teens, but, despite its flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will look for future offerings by this author.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I just finished this one and my mind is going crazy....

    From the minute I opened the book I was consumed by an intense, wonderful story. My heart surrendered to Tim and I began to think about the story when I wasn't reading.

    It was about an Albino teen falling in love and getting twisted up in a forbidden romance... He isn't exactly normal so he isn't sure what to do when he is stuck in the middle of a love triangle. His feelings are all over the board. While struggling with that though his health takes a turn for the worse and at the end it plays a huge role in the outcome of the book.

    The story is told by recorded tapes. Duncan is the boy listening and we do get an insight into his life as well. Later in the book you will realize how the two are connected.

    That ending! I need more Tim... like yesterday!
    The reviews weren't great, but I gave it a chance and I am so glad that I did.

    I definitely recommend this story to everyone looking for a plot with meaning.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Tragedy Paper is an amazing debut novel. Told from two view-points (Duncan & Tim), this novel pulls you in from the very first page. I enjoyed the fact that the two main characters were males since so many YA books have been female dominant lately (not that I don't enjoy those books, but this was a nice change from what I've been reading lately). What I enjoyed even more is that there is) a love story (two, in fact) told from the male perspective. The plot is revealed by jumping from the past to present back to the past and it gets so twisted that reader can't possibly escape from it. The ending felt a little open, which has me hoping for a sequel but sometimes that's just the way life goes.I love that YA literature is so smart; the characters are intelligent and value school and still are very much teenagers. I think that sometimes people forget how smart young adults are and LaBan did an excellent job capturing real teenagers. I like the reference to Shakespeare and the fact that the whole story stems from an epic assignment given to all seniors. LaBlan's writing style and plot points reminded me of John Green (who I love) and I look forward to more of her writing.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I was enjoying this book but was a bit disappointed that it didn't go in the direction I thought it was. The "bad guy" didn't end up being so bad and the :"good guy" didn't end up being so good. The choice to make the main character a teen with Albinism was interesting. 
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Contemporary teen fiction set in a boarding school atmostsphere. Through the main character, you learn about a tragedy that happened at the school the previous year. Well written and a good read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    LaBan's The Tragedy Paper is contemplative and academic, sure to appeal to readers looking for a meatier, slower-paced read. It's a strange sort of book, though one that certainly has some good company. Though I didn't exactly fly through The Tragedy Paper or become caught up in the characters, I really enjoyed reading it, curious to find out what had happened during the previous year at the Irving School.

    There's a whole subset of young adult fiction about boarding schools. Something about them calls to the imagination, I guess: the freedom or how elite they seem, perhaps. The Irving School has an illustrious history, complex traditions, and the requisite quirky professor needed to help guide the main character to enlightenment in the style of Dead Poets' Society. The Irving School holds more appeal for me than many of the boarding school settings I've read (that don't have magic), from the archway to the custom of departing seniors leaving treasure behind for the student next to receive their dorm room.

    Duncan, ostensibly the main character of the piece, really only serves as a frame story, which is rather daring. The treasure left for Duncan is a stack of CDs, upon which Tim Macbeth has recorded the story of his tragic semester at Irving School. We really actually learn very little about Duncan throughout The Tragedy Paper, since he spends most of his time either listening to Tim's story or thinking about Tim's story. While ordinarily, I might find this framing device frustrating and unnecessary, I like it here because the way that Duncan becomes caught up in Tim's tale the same way I become entangled in a wonderful novel. I thought it was a wonderful sort of metaphor for the process of reading, becoming caught up in the journey of someone else and growing as a result of it, though you have actually been a passive observer.

    Tim Macbeth, like all tragic heroes, suffers from a fatal flaw: being too uncomfortable with himself as a result of his albinism. All his life, Tim has been stared at, feared, or pitied because he was born without the pigmentation most people have. He has never been particularly close to anyone outside of his family and resists connection with anyone new, sure that they will only ever see him as an albino, not as a deeper person. Of course, the person most obsessed with his albinism is Tim himself.

    From the beginning, it's clear that something awful happened during Tim's one semester (the second semester of his senior year) at Irving School. There's a girl, of course, beautiful and perfect and maybe even interested in him, but, unfortunately, she also has a boyfriend, the most popular guy in school. There were some echoes of Looking for Alaska in this, I think. The mystery of the harrowing event at the end of the year kept me rapt, but was a bit of a letdown when I finally got there, mostly because of the allusion to a literary work I didn't much care for in the first place.

    The Tragedy Paper will appear to a certain niche of reader, those who prefer high concept to action. At no point did I feel bored and LaBan sustained my curiosity about the mystery all the way through. LaBan's debut is impressive, and I will likely be reading more of her work in the future.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    On the surface, it's another coming-of-age boarding-school story featuring smart kids who make some bad decisions. Throw in a love triangle and you have Half The Books on the Teen Shelves. But there's something inexplicably more here. John Green's fans could do far worse than picking up this one; I'd pass it along to teens who are seeking the next Looking for Alaska.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    When Duncan arrives in his dorm room for his senior year at the Irving school, he is greeted with a gift from the room's former inhabitant, an albino named Tim Macbeth. Tim's gift for Duncan is a set of audio CDs, on which he has recorded the story of his tragic senior year and the love of his life, Vanessa. As Duncan attempts to write his own Tragedy Paper for his senior English class, he listens to Tim's story and learns more fully about what tragedy really means.I found this book to be interesting at first, but I felt like it lost a lot of steam at the end. The entire book is focused on the tragedy that happened to Tim during his senior year. The incident is referenced constantly throughout the book. And while the reader does have an idea as to what happened, the exact details of the event are not revealed until late in the book. This reveal was anti-climactic, and the rest of the book went downhill quickly from there. I think the author was trying to impart some profound thought with this story, but I didn't get it. When the book ended, I was left thinking, "that's it?" I was expecting something more and bigger from the ending.I did enjoy the story from the point of view of an albino character. I don't believe I have read a story about an albino before, and I found it to be interesting. I also liked the relationship between Tim and Vanessa, and I was sad that it was not more fully developed. Perhaps their unfinished story is part of the "tragedy" element of this story, but it left me unsatisfied in the end.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The storytelling in this book definitely makes it a worthwhile read. There is just enough foreshadowing to keep the reader wanting more.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Tragedy PaperbyElizabeth LeBanMy summary...short and sweet...The Irving School...private...an albino...lost love...and a mystery.My thoughts after reading this book...Is it unrequited love that Tim Macbeth feels for Vanessa? A chance meeting at the airport on the way to school seems to set the pace for this enchantingly sad novel. It's snowing...the flight is delayed...and Tim and Vanessa spend 18 hours together. But at school...Vanessa has a bully for a boyfriend and Tim...is pretty much always alone. He is an albino...and is used to stares and jeers...but he yearns for Vanessa. They have meetings but nothing is open about their relationship. And yet Tim continues to yearn for her. And then...seemingly out of nowhere...Patrick...Vanessa's boyfriend..."befriends" Tim. It is so wrong from the start...Patrick is one of those bad boy bullies...but Tim doesn't walk away from Patrick. He is cautious but it's his first time belonging...so he goes along with Patrick's wishes. It's all about a Senior Outing...a tradition at Irving School...and the outcome is...hmmm...sad and disastrous.What I loved about this book...Wow...I loved it all. I loved Tim's voice and I loved Vanessa and Mr. Simon and the local food in the cafeteria and the words over the entrance to school...ENTER HERE TO BE AND FIND A FRIEND.What I did not love...I strongly disliked old jock ish boyfriend Patrick. He will never change.Final thoughts...I loved this book. There was not one minute that I did not. When it ended...I was sad...I wanted more. It is beautiful. I love this author's writing.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Tim Macbeth is an albino teenager. In the middle of his senior year, Tim is transferring to the prestigious Irving School. Tim's stepfather Sid is an Irving School graduate and suggests Tim attend due to the constant agony Tim suffers from attending his regular high school. Tim has to make the journey from his home in Chicago to the Irving School in New York alone. Bad weather causes Tim's flight to be delayed which leads to a chance meeting with, Vanessa. Tim later finds out that Vanessa also attends Irving. What seems like a chance meeting changes Tim's life forever. The Irving School is likened to most private schools with its traditions, superstitions, and senior class requirements. The one senior requirement that looms heavy over everyone's head is the Tragedy Paper which is required by their English teacher, Mr. Simon. The Tragedy Paper has the magnitude of a thesis project. One tradition is that each out going senior has to leave a "treasure" behind in their room for the next occupant. Another tradition is the planning of the senior Game. There is also a superstition that every year one senior has to leave school due to a tragic event. Tim leaves his treasure and unique room to Duncan Meade. Tim leaves Duncan a collection of CDs that sheds new light on the Tragedy Paper, the senior Game, and takes control of Duncan's thoughts and entire senior year. Tim was a complex character but not a tragic one. He had his inner conflicts but he takes ownership of all his flaws. Duncan could have easily gotten lost in the narrative but he pushed through to the very end. Laban made you notice him. I'm sure most readers will automatically like Vanessa but from the very beginning I felt like she was a manipulator. Tim's overwhelming feelings for Vanessa masked her true nature to the reader unless you read Laban's clues. Tim and Duncan were dual narrators and it read like a perfect dance. The Irving School made me think of "Dead Poet's Society." (Don't compare the stories though.) Laban even wrote great locally grown food into the cafeteria. I wanted to eat there. The reason I chose this book was for one reason only: Tim was albino. I had to see how the author would spin it. Laban never allowed that fact to take over the narrative. Laban knows how to build a story. The Tragedy Paper literally "holds" you. ARC provided by NetGalley. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.This book has a release date of Jan 8, 2013.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    You are your own worst enemy. The Tragedy Paper, Elizabeth LaBan’s novel recently released in paperback, exemplifies how this statement is never more true than when you are a teenager.Duncan Meade is about to start his senior year at the Irving School, a private school on the East Coast. He arrives on campus anticipating and dreading two important senior traditions—the “gift” that will be in his room, left by the previous occupant, and the Tragedy Paper, a paper all seniors have to complete before graduation. But the gift is not what he expected. Duncan finds a set of CDs promising to reveal the truth behind what happened at the previous year’s Senior Game and, in the process, help him complete his Tragedy Paper.Tim MacBeth is the previous occupant of Duncan’s room and at the center of last year’s Senior Game accident. He recorded the CDs to describe how he ended up at the Irving School and what he went through once he was there.Tim, a teenager with albinism, meets Vanessa, the stereotypical pretty and popular girl, on his way to the school. They happily keep each other company when their flight is delayed, and Tim is amazed at his luck. But, Vanessa of course has a boyfriend, and when they arrive at school, said boyfriend intimidates Tim, so he and Vanessa are forced to maintain their budding friendship on the sly. But Vanessa’s boyfriend also makes a point of including Tim in the planning of the Senior Game. Tim believes he’s only recruited as a joke, but he goes along with everything because, for once, he’s enjoying being included.Tim, dealing with albinism, serves at the ultimate teenage outsider. While most teenagers find some way to fit in with their peers, Tim feels his very appearance, completely unalterable, keeps others away. Or does it? The CDs reveal that much of the distance between Tim and his peers is Tim’s misperception, and this misperception--that no one would possibly accept him--keeps him from befriending others. But others do try to befriend him, and as revealed by Duncan’s narrative, some people hardly noticed Tim at all.The Tragedy Paper alternates between Tim’s and Duncan’s point of view. Perhaps because Duncan so often plays the part of a passive listener, Tim’s quickly becomes the more engaging narrative.While The Tragedy Paper culminates by describing the fateful accident, the scope of the accident itself lacks the tragedy built up throughout the story. The accident does have horrible consequences, but weighing it against Tim’s own thoughts and actions as heard on the CDs, the outcome wasn't that unexpected. It felt that there was much ado about not so much. Much can be attributed to Tim’s lack of self-esteem, which has more to do with him being a typical teenager than it does with his albinism. But the book is full of teenage melodrama and angst, and teens should readily relate to the story.The Tragedy Paper lacks the emotional depth of fellow YA narrator-on-an-audio-device novel Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher or the intricate boarding school mystery of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History. But it illuminates the fragile teenage psyche using an unconventional narrator and explores the notion that everyone just wants to belong and the cost of making that happen. For that, teens should find The Tragedy Paper to be a worthwhile read.(Review copy source: Publisher via NetGalley)
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Narrated by Nick Chamian and Jesse Bernstein. The narrators' voices didn't quite reflect the characters in the way I expected, but other than that, the unspooling of Tim's story kept me in suspense. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't an actual tragedy paper as written by Duncan, but I guess that would be repeating the whole story!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Debut novel about life in a boarding school and the meaning of tragedy. It was something different from the fantasy/dystopian/death stories that dominate teen fiction today and I look forward to reading more by this author.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I really liked the structure of this book, the way the mystery is slowly revealed to the reader through the dual perspectives. The boarding school feel was also enjoyable. BUT. I didn't love that Vanessa's character is only seen through Tim's eyes, all her actions interpreted by someone ostensibly in love with her (though I'd say obsessed with rather than in love). I liked Duncan and Daisy's relationship more, if for no other reason than we got to "hear" Daisy's actual words, not her voice filtered through boys.

    I think what bothered me was that Tim sees Vanessa as being with this jerky but hot/popular guy, and he sees himself as a Nice Guy that is only not an option as a boyfriend because of his albinism and the social rejection that would follow dating him. And if there's anything that puts my back right up, it's Nice Guys who think that the only reason they aren't getting a date is because a girl is too shallow to appreciate them. See: anyone un-ironically wearing a trilby or fedora on Tumblr. Anyway, I'm getting off track, but I think the specter of the Nice Guy haunted me through this story, so I liked it less than I could have and that really won't be a problem with most readers so WHATEVER. I'm off to a great start on my year of reading things and liking them more. Ahem.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I wasn't too impressed with this book. I dived into the book with extremely high expectations that ended up not being met. I still remember the first time that I read the summary on Goodreads before the book had been published. It sounded amazing, no, it sounded spectacular. Looking back though, I think I fell in love with it because it wasn't about vampires, werewolves, and faeries. I always tend to drift towards books that aren't the current trend. I had my vampire and werewolf fix with Twilight, so at the time I was looking for books that did not even mention those two words.

    In the book the current senior class has to write a long thesis paper or they refer to it as The Tragedy Paper. Throughout the year, their teacher Mr. Simon would drop hints about what to include if they wanted extra credit on it. The students truly had free reign with this paper, because the guidelines Mr. Simon did give were quite frank but specific. Reading about the stress and anxiety given by this paper brought back memories of a research paper that I had to complete my eighth grade year. Although, we just had to stress about it for a semester, not a whole school year. I found the two assignments quite similar. I could choose what ever topic I wanted, as long as I followed the few specific guidelines that were given.

    My favorite character out of the whole novel is Mr. Simon. He, himself, attended Irving School, and now is the teacher for Senior English. He's one of those teachers who you want to dislike, because he is the giver of a difficult and lengthy assignment. However, he teaches the material in a way that makes you want to pay attention, and do well. He is charismatic, highly intelligent, gentle, and a bachelor who can bake amazing food. Do I need to say more?

    I was really hoping that The Tragedy Paper would be a winner for me, but it just didn't capture me enough to lose myself into the world of the characters. The writing was boring, and if it wasn't for my curiosity about what happened the year before I probably would have started reading something else. This is a fine example about how I hate reading books that I and others have created hype around. (That's why I haven't read The Fault in Our Stars yet - too much hype especially now that the movie is out.)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    4Q, 4PElizabeth LaBan sucks us in with a story within a story. Duncan begins senior year and finds a stack of CDs left in his new room from the previous occupant, Tim. Duncan recalls that something tragic and haunting happened to Tim last year -- listening to the CDs tells him what happened to Tim leading up to that terrible night Tim disappeared. There really isn't a mystery, but the way the story is written, through Duncan's experience and listening to Tim's own story pulls the reader in to make it a quick read to find out what happens after all the CDs are listened to. Great way to tell a story, especially with Duncan's and Tim's intertwining as the story goes on. I know some people were disappointed at the end, I can't say that I wasn't. However, it was still a great story and definitely one that leaves you thinking about your own actions and how they may affect others.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    *I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*This book is directed at a younger public, being of the young-adult genre, but even though I'm not really a young adult anymore, I still related with the characters. After all, I also went through many of the things they go through. Not all of them, thankfully...In my opinion, the title is just perfect because, all through the story there is the sensation of iminent tragedy. The book has two main characters, Tim and Duncan. Duncan was a junior the year Tim was a senior and we know Tim's story through the tapes he left for Duncan.Tim is a 17 year old albino kid who never really fitted in his school or with the other kids his age, and that is going to attend the prestigious Irving School on his last semester before College. He ends up meeting and falling for a collegue, Vanessa, a pretty girl who, surprisingly, seems to like him too. But Vanessa is dating the most popular boy in school which means their meetings have to be held in secrecy.As a proper prestigious private school should have, Irving School has a few traditions. One is the Tragedy Paper, a paper that all seniors are required to submit and whose theme is, well, tragedy. Another is the Game, played by the seniors, and organized by a comission whose members were picked the previous year, when they were juniors and were invited to attend it.Duncan was one of those students and it's up to him to organize the Game. But it's soon clear that something (a tragedy?) happened the previous year making Duncan not very anxious to repeat the experience... It's also evident that, whatever happened, Duncan feels guilty.This is a story of tragedy, of how bad choices and bad decisions can change our life forever. But it's also a story of hope and redemption. I liked it and I especially liked the way it is told. A good coming of age story.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I didn't like this as much as some other people have. It's like the worst parts of A Separate Peace hung on the framework of 13 Reasons Why.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Upon returning to school for his senior year, Duncan is disappointed to see that he has been assigned Will MacBeth's room from last year. At the end of the hall, it is the smallest and darkest room. But each year, the departing senior leaves a gift for the person coming into the room. Tim has left a stack of cds where he details what went wrong at the senior games the year before, saying that Duncan can use the story as the basis for his senior year project, the Tragedy Paper.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    While preparing for the most dreaded assignment at the prestigious Irving School, the Tragedy Paper, Duncan gets wrapped up in the tragic tale of Tim Macbeth, a former student who had a clandestine relationship with the wrong girl, and his own ill-fated romance with Daisy.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    First of all, I have to comment on how "clean" this book is. There's no swearing, no sex, no law breaking. Well, no major law breaking, anyway. It was refreshing to read a book that is free from all of that but still feels authentic and honest. I think too many times authors try to write teens with lots of bad language and actions because they are trying to seem more relevant to their audience. In The Tragedy Paper, the story will feel relevant because of great characters, great plot, and great writing.

    The book is written very well. The way the book was written - in scenes narrated and recorded by a main character - really reminded me of a movie. We open on one of the main characters, Duncan, arriving at The Irving School and looking to find which room he has been assigned to. In his room he finds a "treasure" left by the previous occupant. In this case, CD recordings left by Tim, an albino student involved in some kind of an incident last year. The book goes back and forth between Duncan in present day and Tim last year.

    The pacing is perfect. The book starts of a little slowly with Duncan arriving at school and then Tim meeting Vanessa, giving the feeling of anticipation and a little bit of apprehension. As the plot moves along we become more comfortable - just as Tim does - but at the same time a little more anxious because we know that we're being lead to some kind of big event or revelation by Duncan's reactions.

    I really loved the characters. I loved that they were "real" in that they were all flawed in some way. Tim views his entire life and everything he does through the slant of his albinism and has little confidence in himself. Vanessa is the popular pretty girl who has the popular boyfriend but she's the first person to treat Tim like a real person instead of some kind of a freak. Despite her attraction to him she strings him along, too afraid to give up her social status by being with Tim. Duncan is really innocent in everything that happens but has crippling guilt. Each character has good and bad traits.

    I loved the author's description's of Tim's feelings about Vanessa. She really captures those first feelings of infatuation where every glance and touch have meaning.
    ...she would make eye contact, or touch my arm gently. It was so subtle, and she was so good at it, like a fairy swooping in or a raindrop finding its way into a small space.... I never knew when it would be, but I started to crave it.

    I also loved the boarding school setting and all of the details that helped to round it out: the local ingredients used in the cafeteria, the treasure left by the residents of the rooms for next year's seniors to find, the hiding place in Duncan's room, the senior Game, Donut Day and so many other things. They all really made the setting real - and made me wish I went to that boarding school.

    I read this quickly - in about a day - because I was excited to see what was going to happen and how things would end up. However, I think this book would be a great re-read as there are a lot of scenes and ideas here that I would love to explore in more detail. There are a lot of layers to this book. Duncan's life, Tim's life, the relationship between Tim and Vanessa and her manipulative behavior, the idea of a tragedy paper and how the book itself can be seen as it's own tragedy paper. This book can be read as just a story about a bunch of kids at a boarding school - or it can go much deeper.

    My favorite read of 2013 - so far. I recommend it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I thought the Tragedy Paper was a good read as well as a thought provoking one. Here is my feedback:What I Liked: The two main characters, Tim and Duncan. Tim is an albino who has always felt like an outsider but he has a good heart and a beautiful spirit. Duncan is quiet and a bit shy but he is a decent person.What I loved: I loved the boarding school setting and the traditions that were revealed. I also loved the way the book was written it was a story within a story.What I didn't like: I felt like there was so much more to Vanessa character that was never explored. It felt like we just scratched the surface of who she truly was. I would have liked to have heard Vanessa's side of the story and what she truly felt for Tim.All in all this was an amazing book one that will get readers thinking and will also break their hearts. Well done, 4 stars!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    In the end I could only give this book 3 stars. This book had such promise -- the opening few chapters, when Tim and Vanessa are stranded at the airport together, are absolutely exquisite. Then the book gets bogged down in discussing the Literary Concept of Tragedy ad nauseum, and in describing a boarding school that has so many traditions (make your own donut day! seniors wear pajamas day! the senior game! leave behind a present in the room for the next senior who has it!) that the students apparently don't go to classes very often.In addition, while I thought that Mr. Simon mostly sounded like an awesome teacher, I cannot entirely respect a teacher who invents arbitrary rules and conditions such as "here are the instructions for your huge project. Don't lose this paper because I won't give you another one. If you share your copy with another student who lost theirs, I'll lower your grade by two full letter grades." WTF - these are just freakin' instructions for the project! And "If you correctly use the word 'magnitude' correctly in your paper exactly seven times, I'll give you ten extra points. If you tell anyone else about this, nobody will get extra points." What precisely does this teach students? That in the future, they'll have to put with employers' ridiculous arbitrariness?In the end, while I was somewhat moved by Tim and Vanessa's story, the payoff just wasn't there.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Another reviewer posted on Goodreads that The Tragedy Paper is a cross between Looking for Alaska and 13 Reasons Why. I totally agree! Switching POV between Tim and Duncan truly brings emotion to the reader. I was transfixed by Tim’s story and was just as frustrated as Duncan when each CD ended. Tim’s story connected two boys in a way I never expected, even though in the end it was a tragedy.As a middle school teacher, I wish all schools used things like a tragedy paper to get students thinking about connections in life. THIS is truly what Common Core is all about. Now, I’m not trying to flare up discussion about this topic–I know how heated it can get. But in Language Arts/Literature/English classes, it’s all about connecting literature and stories to our lives. I’m going to try something similar to this during school, but my focus will be on happiness or forgiveness or memories. Something a little less dark:)A definite MUST read for the summer!!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Duncan is starting his senior year at Irving School, where he gets more than he bargained for. He is left a set of cd’s which tell a tragic yet heartfelt story, one that you will never forget! You hear the story from two points of views, Duncan, and Tim who has recorded his story on the cd’s. It is all about something that happened the previous year, something that changed both their lives in various ways.

    Tim was a very fascinating character. The way he saw himself and the fact that he is an albino was a unique story with lots to reflect back on. Then there is Vanessa and Patrick – they have the kind of relationship that I have seen so many times before, a relationship that shouldn’t even be, but yet it is. And then there is Duncan. He is trying to get through his senior year, learning about love, regret and most of all forgiveness.

    I found both the cover and the title really aptly named and designed. It tells you a story and it reflects the novel very well. All in all a really profound novel that I wish I could elaborate more on, you will just have to read it and see for yourself!

    9/10
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    First, I just want to say there is nothing I didn’t like about this story…nothing! Elizabeth LaBan has written a debut novel that has set an incredibly high bar to meet in future books. It’s that good. Secondly, I know that we still have 11 months of the year left for me to discover some incredible stories, but I believe this will rank as one of the best books I’ll read in 2013. It’s that powerful, it’s that emotional…it hit me that hard.

    The Tragedy Paper is told from dual viewpoints, as a first-person narrative by Tim (who has left a batch of CD’s for Duncan to listen to and discover the story behind a tragic event that happened the year before at school) and in a third-person format from Duncan’s POV as he tries to come to terms with the tragedy and his feelings for fellow student Daisy. I loved the way this was handled by LaBan and felt I was part of the story, sitting in with Duncan as he listened to each CD and learned how events really unfolded the previous year. Just knowing that Tim’s romance with Vanessa would end in tragedy ratcheted up the tension from the start. Adding to the tension was the sense that Duncan was inextricably part of whatever occurred, from the way he shied away from attention and hints he dropped as he tried to have a normal year as a senior at the academy. I was drawn deeply into both stories, although there was a bit of relief whenever Duncan’s story took center stage as the third-person narrative gave me a chance to step back from things a little.

    Elizabeth LaBan masterfully builds that tension, and I found myself both anxious to find out what happened but nervous, as well. She takes her time to build the characters, to slowly piece the situation together, and to let events play out. What really surprised me though is how it played out – the actual tragedy that occurred. I was devastated right along with Tim and Duncan by the events, yet they weren’t quite what I expected…especially Tim’s ultimate confession. Which is a GOOD thing, because it is hard to come up with an original twist on things as LaBan has done. And I’ll say it again – it was powerful, it was emotional, and it was tragic. Like any tragedy, it didn’t have to happen. If even one person had made a different move – even the most minor character – things would have turned out differently. Yet somehow I still felt a ray of hope at the end.

    The structure of the story is strong, the narrative flows smoothly, and most of the characters are well-developed. Daisy is probably the weakest, simply because she has minimum page time; the focus is on Tim and Vanessa’s romance, and Duncan’s guilt. There is also a wonderful Q & A at the end of the book with author Elizabeth LaBan where she discusses how she came up with this story, and the process of developing Tim. I appreciated this, because it actually answered some of the questions I had (and, frankly, I love extras like this).

    The Tragedy Paper is a powerful, well-written, and gripping young adult contemporary debut novel from Elizabeth LaBan. With its engaging characters, carefully built tension, and stunning revelations, it grabbed my emotions and left me wrung out at the end - yet somehow still hopeful. It delivers heartbreak and romance, and I truly feel it will prove to be one of the best books I’ve read this year.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    First love and heartbreak causing personal tragedies. The 17-year old albino Tim Macbeth recently moved to the prestigious private Irving School, where the motto is, “Enter here to be and find a friend.” Tim doesn’t want to be noticed at all and doesn’t expect to find a friend either. Having missed an airplane he meets a girl, Vanessa Sheller. Tim’s mother pays the hotel stay for her son. Throwing snow balls, fantasies and a growing interest in each other set the tone for the next chapters. Then the misery. Vanessa has a boyfriend that doesn’t want to be another boy messing with his girlfriend.After that the book turns into telling stories from two alternating viewpoints. Tim, love-struck, tragic, and Duncan, a current senior, who step by step uncovers the truth behind Tim and Vanessa’s love story and will produce a great thesis, (Tragedy Paper in Irving School). The Tragedy Paper is a compelling tale of clandestine love and how much lovers are willing to sacrifice to keep their secrets. Laban borrowed Tim’s surname from Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s most tragic characters, certainly no coincidence. While not a classic tragedy in literary sense, young adults, wrestling to recuperate from broken first love(s) will relate to this story.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Tim Macbeth is a 17-year-old albino and a recent transfer to the prestigious Irving School, where the motto is, “Enter here to be and find a friend.” Tim does not expect to find a friend; all he really wants to do is escape his senior year unnoticed. Despite his efforts to blend into the background, he finds himself falling for the quintessential “it” girl, Vanessa Sheller, girlfriend of Irving’s most popular boy. To Tim’s surprise, Vanessa is into him, too, and she can kiss her social status goodbye if anyone finds out. Tim and Vanessa enter into a clandestine relationship, but looming over them is the Tragedy Paper, Irving’s version of a senior year thesis, assigned by the school’s least forgiving teacher.The story unfolds from two alternating viewpoints: Tim, the tragic, love-struck figure, and Duncan, a current senior, who uncovers the truth behind Tim and Vanessa’s story and will consequently produce the greatest Tragedy Paper in Irving’s history