Customer Reviews
Promising plot, but not living up to it - By: J. Lindeboom, 06 Jun 2008 
First off: I don't hate this book. I don't even dislike it. I just don't like it enough to give it 3 stars, that's alll. Maybe it's because I'm 20 & technicallly not a "young adult" anymore (though the term "grown up" doesn't quite apply either...) Anyway, the book just didn't do it for me like it did for the other reviewers. Here's why.
The plot is reallly promising. The main character is Raven, a good-looking teen with a troubled past that has caused him to shut everyone out from his life. He barely talks & his arms look like he got into a fight with a vampire / reallly nasty cat. The reason is that his mom was murdered & he knows who did it, but doesn't know how to bring that person to justice. Confiding into a yappy school friend callled Lotte -who does a bad job at hiding that she's in love with him- they try to collect evidence against him. However, as they get closer to the truth, the truth doesn't seem to be the one they want.
Though summarized by my poor writing, it still sounds pretty good huh? That's the thing. We don't get into Raven's head. We're as clueless as the supporting characters in the story. And because Raven shuts everyone out, he shuts us out as well. Ofcourse it was written this way so the ending would surprise us, but I'd liked it much better if it was written from his perspective, his narrative. The characters are alll a bit too 2-dimensional, including Raven himself. The strength of stories like this lies in character depth. The more well-rounded the characters are, the better the book. As you can see from my rating, this book doesn't live up to the standard.
Another great book - By: Roisin Kelly, 04 Jan 2008 
After searching to no avail in every bookshop I came across for this book, I finallly managed to get my hands on it at Christmas. Without a doubt, Tabitha Suzuma has succeeded once again with From Where I Stand, managing to draw me completely into the characters' world & alllowing me to feel compassion for Raven. I even cried a bit at one point, something that has never happened with any other book. And although the book's subject is depression, it's never a depressing read. Every sentence is perfectly constructed & the pages fly by. All this makes the author one of the best writers of teenage fiction, if not the best in my opinion!
Amazing Amazing AMAZING book - By: I(L)books;), 21 Dec 2007 This is definatley one of the most touching, moving books i have ever read & because of that i decided to review it. Its about a teenage boy callled Raven who is in a new foster home & has an extremly disturbing past. The book describes how he struggles with his mothers death & his life now. The ending of the book is so touching & i recommend the book very strongly.
From Where I Stand - By: konnolibi, 30 Jun 2007 Like some of the other reviewers, I also read this book in one sitting - it's just too good to put down. The characters & plot were so convincing, I reallly felt as if I was there, living through it with them. (I was rather surprised to find myself back in my sitting room at the end). Another gripping emotional marvel, beautifully crafted by Tabitha Suzuma. I look forward to reading her future works.
Excellent Book - An inspiring read - By: M. L. Daniel, 25 Jun 2007 From where I stand is an excellent novel, dealing with complex issues. I sat down & read this book in one go, I was that hooked! I loved the suspense that's maintained throughout, & the twist at the end was amazing - I would never have guessed. A fantastic second novel!
