Name: Better Than Running at Night
ISBN: 9780618250738

Hillary Frank

A freshman art student from Manhattan spends her first year away from home in New England.

Better Than Running at Night

Sarah Sammis

Better Than Running at Night turns out to be one of the best books I've read this year. This 2002 debut novel by Hillary Frank covers the first year Ladybug (Ellie) Yelinsky spends at the New England Collage of Art and Design.

Each chapter is short, not more than a couple pages. Each one has a funny title, illustrated by a tiny sketch the by the author.

Hillary Frank created a very realistic, likeable and believable character in Ellie. She's naive in the way that so many new adults are but she also has a strong personal code and even when her experiences at NECAD challenge her beliefs she stays true to herself as she adapts.

If you pick up a copy of Better Than Running at Night, I highly recommend reading it to the music of Sam Phillip's 2001 album, Fan Dance. The two complement each other beautifully.

Better Than Running at Night

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