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Sleepers, Awake
Overeducated and underemployed, Ivy League graduate Agnes Larch spends every day steeped in failure and sleeps every night without dreaming…that is, until the unexpected death of Ian Millbrook, the boy she’s silently loved her whole life. Grieving and forced to confront her long-buried feelings for Ian, Agnes undergoes an arduous physical and spiritual journey to unearth her past and untangle her future. She walks in two worlds, the waking and the dreaming, each world filled with secrets, mysteries, and maybe, if she believes enough, miracles.
322 pages, ebook
First published June 23, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 24, 2013
The story of Agnes and Ian will stay with you for the rest of your life. This stunning journey reminds us that love should be unconditional. Barber expertly gives us two stories that melt into one. The dreaming showcases the author's expertise with imagery. The waking takes us on a path that shows how painfully necessary love can be. You'll hope and dream with Agnes and fall desperately in love with Ian as well. Welcome to an author who values her readers' intelligence and dares us to believe in miracles. Ms. Barber will be an automatic buy for you as soon as you finish savoring this book.
September 7, 2017
This is a lovely, quite original tale woven with skillful figurative and descriptive language that makes it a joy to read. The insights conveyed in this character-driven story resonated with me straightaway, and I found myself readily engrossed in its world.
I would go on, but I've got a different bone to pick and will let my five stars speak for themselves. Now, for those who didn't rate it as highly, when it comes to differences of opinion on what people like or don't, to each his/her own, especially when it comes to the subjectivity of art and literature. That's why there are so many genres and styles for us to choose from, after all; there's no one-size fits all.
But regarding the one-star raters who seem to have sabotaged this novel's ratings here out of ill-founded spite, I just have to say that I could give a flying f*** about fanfiction and whether a previous fanfic is later published as an original work. The few converted fics I've read bear no resemblance whatsoever to the stories that may have initially inspired them, so that revision renders them original to the authors and for them to do with as they please as is their proprietary right. So what if they're now paid for their efforts? And if you've already read these stories for free online, then what's it to you? There's too much else out there to read for me to be bothered with reading something twice. Or if I do love a book enough to read multiple times, I'm willing to cough up a few bucks to buy it. And if former fanfic titles ever do bear any lingering similarity to works that inspired them, it's usually far less to do with origins in another specific story than the presence of universal archetypes in character and plot that have been around as long as oral and written storytelling tradition has existed. There is nothing new under the sun. I can't help but laugh that an "Unethically Published" badge of violation has actually been slapped on here. Really? Who can spare the time to even design one of those let alone perpetuate their use as if backed by credible authority? Someone needs a timeout from their computer and the Internet, methinks, until they can learn to handle such responsibility maturely, because what I'm observing here is nothing less than a witch hunt...of Monty Python comedic proportions.
But I don't typically go by others' reviews anyway. When it comes to what I read and enjoy, I'LL be the judge. I hope other readers will give Sleepers, Awake that objective chance, too, relying on their own minds when they go into it--because this is one book that does encourage you to think. More readers' (and reviewers') brains could do with the exercise.
I would go on, but I've got a different bone to pick and will let my five stars speak for themselves. Now, for those who didn't rate it as highly, when it comes to differences of opinion on what people like or don't, to each his/her own, especially when it comes to the subjectivity of art and literature. That's why there are so many genres and styles for us to choose from, after all; there's no one-size fits all.
But regarding the one-star raters who seem to have sabotaged this novel's ratings here out of ill-founded spite, I just have to say that I could give a flying f*** about fanfiction and whether a previous fanfic is later published as an original work. The few converted fics I've read bear no resemblance whatsoever to the stories that may have initially inspired them, so that revision renders them original to the authors and for them to do with as they please as is their proprietary right. So what if they're now paid for their efforts? And if you've already read these stories for free online, then what's it to you? There's too much else out there to read for me to be bothered with reading something twice. Or if I do love a book enough to read multiple times, I'm willing to cough up a few bucks to buy it. And if former fanfic titles ever do bear any lingering similarity to works that inspired them, it's usually far less to do with origins in another specific story than the presence of universal archetypes in character and plot that have been around as long as oral and written storytelling tradition has existed. There is nothing new under the sun. I can't help but laugh that an "Unethically Published" badge of violation has actually been slapped on here. Really? Who can spare the time to even design one of those let alone perpetuate their use as if backed by credible authority? Someone needs a timeout from their computer and the Internet, methinks, until they can learn to handle such responsibility maturely, because what I'm observing here is nothing less than a witch hunt...of Monty Python comedic proportions.
But I don't typically go by others' reviews anyway. When it comes to what I read and enjoy, I'LL be the judge. I hope other readers will give Sleepers, Awake that objective chance, too, relying on their own minds when they go into it--because this is one book that does encourage you to think. More readers' (and reviewers') brains could do with the exercise.
June 26, 2013
I'm going to go ahead and give this one five stars right now based on the creative premise and the wonderful things I've heard about it - plus I think it's only fair to offset the mean-spirited and undeserved one stars that have popped up.
June 20, 2013
I can't express enough how much I love this story. Heartbreaking and beautiful with a twist of hope.
June 26, 2013
One of the most beautiful stories I've ever read...
Shelved as 'pulled-to-publish-fan-fiction'
October 22, 2014Was originally published Twilight fan fic by the same name. Author claimed to have rewritten it.
June 23, 2013
Previously the Twilight fanfic Sleeper, Awake by Feisty Y Beden.
June 26, 2013
Original premise, beautiful writing, and engaging characters. Fabulous story!
August 26, 2013
It took me a long time to find the courage to read this book. I knew it was a story of loss, and I've had quite enough loss in my life. But the author is a dear friend, and it always bothered me that I didn't have the strength to read what I knew was a beautiful and heartfelt tale of love that transcends the mortal world. And so I picked it up ... and found I couldn't put it down.
Elevator pitch: Agnes Larch leads a life of quiet desperation. Art school drop-out, temp secretary, wallflower, she lives in silent acceptance of nothingness until the death of her long-time crush shatters her protective bubble. Ian's death gives her the courage to face a lifetime of fears: fear of flying, her mother's abandonment, fear of failure, fear of living. In doing so, Agnes re-awakens her connection with a half-life where she once served as princess and protector. As her dream world becomes more real, Agnes attempts to come to terms with Ian's death in this world. And when her two realities collide, she makes the ultimate choice to sacrifice her own life on the chance that Ian might live again.
What works: Eden Barber is simply a good writer. I don't know if I'd call this book a romance, but it's certainly a love story on multiple levels. From unrequited romantic love, to the unflagging loyalty of true friendship, to the bond between parent and child, this story speaks eloquently of love in many forms. Agnes' despair at losing Ian - a man who was barely aware of her existence - is painfully real. The blend of fantasy and reality is skillfully done, and I found myself anticipating the next sequence no matter which world I was reading at the time.
What doesn't work: I prefer Artemis to Hestia, admittedly, and I wish Agnes spent more time being the former versus the latter. I have a bias for heroines who are very active and assertive, so I struggle Agnes' passivity in spots. I loved the interplay between Agnes and Vivian, but I also wondered what in Agnes spurred such friendship in Vivian. There must have been part of Agnes that inspired deep loyalty and adoration. I didn't see enough of that part of her, but I would have liked to.
After all these years, I'm glad to have finally read this book, especially at this point in my life. It was a poignant reminder that nothing lasts forever, that we never know when the thing we love most could be taken from us. This story will stay with me for a very long time. Beautifully done.
Elevator pitch: Agnes Larch leads a life of quiet desperation. Art school drop-out, temp secretary, wallflower, she lives in silent acceptance of nothingness until the death of her long-time crush shatters her protective bubble. Ian's death gives her the courage to face a lifetime of fears: fear of flying, her mother's abandonment, fear of failure, fear of living. In doing so, Agnes re-awakens her connection with a half-life where she once served as princess and protector. As her dream world becomes more real, Agnes attempts to come to terms with Ian's death in this world. And when her two realities collide, she makes the ultimate choice to sacrifice her own life on the chance that Ian might live again.
What works: Eden Barber is simply a good writer. I don't know if I'd call this book a romance, but it's certainly a love story on multiple levels. From unrequited romantic love, to the unflagging loyalty of true friendship, to the bond between parent and child, this story speaks eloquently of love in many forms. Agnes' despair at losing Ian - a man who was barely aware of her existence - is painfully real. The blend of fantasy and reality is skillfully done, and I found myself anticipating the next sequence no matter which world I was reading at the time.
What doesn't work: I prefer Artemis to Hestia, admittedly, and I wish Agnes spent more time being the former versus the latter. I have a bias for heroines who are very active and assertive, so I struggle Agnes' passivity in spots. I loved the interplay between Agnes and Vivian, but I also wondered what in Agnes spurred such friendship in Vivian. There must have been part of Agnes that inspired deep loyalty and adoration. I didn't see enough of that part of her, but I would have liked to.
After all these years, I'm glad to have finally read this book, especially at this point in my life. It was a poignant reminder that nothing lasts forever, that we never know when the thing we love most could be taken from us. This story will stay with me for a very long time. Beautifully done.
August 1, 2013
REVIEWED FOR SWOON WORTHY BOOKS:
I can honestly say I am spell bound by the beauty of the writing in this haunting story of unrequited love and how deeply it embeds into the soul of Agnes Larch. If it wasn’t so beautifully written she could have come off as a stalker, but the writing captures the purity of her youthful crush and the loss she feels when it’s ripped from her world. The details are eloquently written, although I did feel that it could have been cut down on a bit as we got to the middle of the story. At that point I wanted the story to pick up speed and break out of the fog of details, although it was still beautiful. I am not sure what this book has been classified as, although I assume NA because of the language and some darker elements. I really think this would be a beautiful YA or even younger audience story with its magical dreamland and protective creatures if the language was cleaned up and the dark moment near the end where she tries to complete her task on her own was deleted. I also think that Agnes would need to be in high school rather than college. I think the target audience is off for this book and needs to be cleaned up to find the appropriate readers. I LOVE YA and NA, so it worked for me, but I think the audience is limited by the NA in this case because of the “young” feel of the story, writing, and characters. I love and hate the ending only for the fact that it was beautiful and appropriate, but I wanted the cookie cutter ending in my heart. This story had me sad, haunted, hopeful, and heartbroken. I would highly recommend this to everyone that likes to read young stories with a mythical edge. I want to say this would be a great story for pre-teenagers, but only if it’s cleaned up. If I could do half rating this would be a 4.5. If the audience didn’t seem off I would have rated it a 5! Very creative and beautifully written!
I can honestly say I am spell bound by the beauty of the writing in this haunting story of unrequited love and how deeply it embeds into the soul of Agnes Larch. If it wasn’t so beautifully written she could have come off as a stalker, but the writing captures the purity of her youthful crush and the loss she feels when it’s ripped from her world. The details are eloquently written, although I did feel that it could have been cut down on a bit as we got to the middle of the story. At that point I wanted the story to pick up speed and break out of the fog of details, although it was still beautiful. I am not sure what this book has been classified as, although I assume NA because of the language and some darker elements. I really think this would be a beautiful YA or even younger audience story with its magical dreamland and protective creatures if the language was cleaned up and the dark moment near the end where she tries to complete her task on her own was deleted. I also think that Agnes would need to be in high school rather than college. I think the target audience is off for this book and needs to be cleaned up to find the appropriate readers. I LOVE YA and NA, so it worked for me, but I think the audience is limited by the NA in this case because of the “young” feel of the story, writing, and characters. I love and hate the ending only for the fact that it was beautiful and appropriate, but I wanted the cookie cutter ending in my heart. This story had me sad, haunted, hopeful, and heartbroken. I would highly recommend this to everyone that likes to read young stories with a mythical edge. I want to say this would be a great story for pre-teenagers, but only if it’s cleaned up. If I could do half rating this would be a 4.5. If the audience didn’t seem off I would have rated it a 5! Very creative and beautifully written!
September 9, 2013
This book ended up moving me deeply.The dream world felt odd to me but that being said, I am so glad I saw the book through to the end. This isn't the type of book I usually read but an online friend was very excited about the book and I am glad I took a chance on purchasing it. Rarely does a book move me to tears with the ending. I'm a fussy, jaded reader so it takes something special in a book to make my heart ache this way. Now all I have to do is decide who I'm going to pass this special book on to. If you pick this book up...trust me...see it through to the last word.
November 27, 2013
A complicated story, and beautifully written. Agnes grows on you, becomes you, and dares to dream and love the way you wish you could. And her best friend is the absolute best. All the people grab you as real, and the main character's choices and her obsessions and her wolves are flawed and perfect at the same time.
Also a book that takes brains; not for the faint of heart or those wishing for mindless forgettable read.
Also a book that takes brains; not for the faint of heart or those wishing for mindless forgettable read.
June 24, 2013
I'm running out of ways to mock this crap. Or these speshul snowflakes that believed their own hype from the fandom circle jerks that told them their stories are 'sooooo good, it should be published!' when, in reality, no one was allowed to tell the truth or give criticism. You think authors and fangirl/boys on Goodreads are ridiculous? It has nothing on fandom. Any fandom. And you can clearly see the continuation of the sycophantic clit-sucking here on Goodreads through the bevy of five star reviews that pop up for all of these fics.
I was basically scammed into reading this thing by a friend who was supposed to read a story of my choosing but didn't. Now I'm even more pissed off than I was at the time.
The worst, and most pathetic, part of this particular instance is this fic writer could have written original fiction with her own characters and it probably would have been worth reading. And now anything she ever writes will be suspect and not worth touching.
I'll concede the story was creative. Definitely. But it was also so fucking boring I wanted to start physically harming myself for something interesting to distract me. Bella, or whatever she's parading as in this fanfic masquerading as a book, is just as weak and pathetic as she is in the source material. It's basically what would have happened if book!Bella continued into adulthood without supernatural intervention. You slog through this entire snoozefest waiting for her to grow a fucking spine, become a real live girl, or something. And then when she finally does show signs of life outside her crazy-ass dream world — it's rendered . . . immaterial.
Don't waste your time. And if you insist on doing so, download the original online free and don't support this fic writer or her fandom "publisher". Oh, and tell the wolves I said what's up.
October 5, 2013
I'm really mixed on this book, and I am just going to say what I liked and didn't like about it.
Agnes seemed to act much younger than she was. Some of her choices, and the way she talked to Vivian didn't seem like what a young adult would do. I also found that despite her intelligence, she made some odd choices and I was shaking my head at her. I found her obsession with Ian sweet at first, but then it got rather strange. She had herself convinced that she loved Ian, but barely knew him. She seemed a bit like a stalker actually. I found it quite a stretch when she slept with his friend that she had only met a few hours before. I couldn't believe what she did to Ash, and then was even more shocked that she would just decide to end her life based on some dreams. I was pissed off at the ending, and was hoping for more than just Ian's body to be found. I was also pissed off that Vivian didn't show up for Agnes' funeral....sorry, but real friends wouldn't do that.
I really liked the descriptive writing and most of the story. I found the wolves beautiful and I liked their personalities. I was so sad when Agnes met her mom, and the way her mom treated her. I liked when Agnes was with her dad, and the love they had for each other.
I hope this doesn't sound like I hated the book, because I certainly didn't. It just seemed like Agnes's character was sane, and then she just switched and did things that left me confused.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Thank you!
Agnes seemed to act much younger than she was. Some of her choices, and the way she talked to Vivian didn't seem like what a young adult would do. I also found that despite her intelligence, she made some odd choices and I was shaking my head at her. I found her obsession with Ian sweet at first, but then it got rather strange. She had herself convinced that she loved Ian, but barely knew him. She seemed a bit like a stalker actually. I found it quite a stretch when she slept with his friend that she had only met a few hours before. I couldn't believe what she did to Ash, and then was even more shocked that she would just decide to end her life based on some dreams. I was pissed off at the ending, and was hoping for more than just Ian's body to be found. I was also pissed off that Vivian didn't show up for Agnes' funeral....sorry, but real friends wouldn't do that.
I really liked the descriptive writing and most of the story. I found the wolves beautiful and I liked their personalities. I was so sad when Agnes met her mom, and the way her mom treated her. I liked when Agnes was with her dad, and the love they had for each other.
I hope this doesn't sound like I hated the book, because I certainly didn't. It just seemed like Agnes's character was sane, and then she just switched and did things that left me confused.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Thank you!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2013
(This review may contain spoilers).
I have a few mixed feelings about this book. It wasn't quite what I expected, but I still liked it anyway.
I could really identify with the creativity of the main character, Agnes. I really liked the fact that she drew all of the wolves and I also liked the constant switching and differences between the two separate worlds.
I did think that Agnes came across a bit of a stalker when it came to Ian. She was clearly really obsessed with him and there were certain things she did that I was really unhappy with. (I actually cried at the scene with Ash. I loved him and I hated Agnes for a while after that).
I liked the style most of the book was written in, but the fact that the flashbacks were suddenly changed to past tense in the middle of a scene was really jarring. It did throw me out of the story a little bit.
I liked a lot of the supporting characters and Agnes did come across as quite human. I really identified with her feelings of being torn between two different places and two different people - it was a feeling I had when visiting between my mum and dad.
How things ended was a bit surprising, but I really did like the thing with Meg. I would have liked to see more of what happened after going through the door. And it would have been really nice to see the wolves again.
But I really did like this book. It affected me quite a lot and I think that, if there was a sequel, I'd want to read it.
I have a few mixed feelings about this book. It wasn't quite what I expected, but I still liked it anyway.
I could really identify with the creativity of the main character, Agnes. I really liked the fact that she drew all of the wolves and I also liked the constant switching and differences between the two separate worlds.
I did think that Agnes came across a bit of a stalker when it came to Ian. She was clearly really obsessed with him and there were certain things she did that I was really unhappy with. (I actually cried at the scene with Ash. I loved him and I hated Agnes for a while after that).
I liked the style most of the book was written in, but the fact that the flashbacks were suddenly changed to past tense in the middle of a scene was really jarring. It did throw me out of the story a little bit.
I liked a lot of the supporting characters and Agnes did come across as quite human. I really identified with her feelings of being torn between two different places and two different people - it was a feeling I had when visiting between my mum and dad.
How things ended was a bit surprising, but I really did like the thing with Meg. I would have liked to see more of what happened after going through the door. And it would have been really nice to see the wolves again.
But I really did like this book. It affected me quite a lot and I think that, if there was a sequel, I'd want to read it.
December 13, 2016
In Sleepers, Awake, Eden Barber has written a beautiful tale of love -- a love so pure it flows through the life of her character, Agnes Larch, without regard to time or space.
Forever mourning her undeclared love, Ian, Agnes suffers through the pain of her grief through both realms of the conscious and the unconscious. Awake or dreaming, Agnes seeks out sanctuary from the pain in her life, offering herself up for the redemption of others. And in doing so, Agnes finds her own purpose, her own truth, her own redemption.
Masterfully crafted, Barber leaves the reader contemplating the transcendent nature of love. This story will break your heart as it feeds your soul. It is a gem of a love story that is to be treasured.
Absolutely five stars.
Forever mourning her undeclared love, Ian, Agnes suffers through the pain of her grief through both realms of the conscious and the unconscious. Awake or dreaming, Agnes seeks out sanctuary from the pain in her life, offering herself up for the redemption of others. And in doing so, Agnes finds her own purpose, her own truth, her own redemption.
Masterfully crafted, Barber leaves the reader contemplating the transcendent nature of love. This story will break your heart as it feeds your soul. It is a gem of a love story that is to be treasured.
Absolutely five stars.
February 24, 2016
I bought this story a couple of years ago and attempted to read it but just couldn't get into it at the time. I tried again and tossed it onto my 2016 Mount TBR Challenge but again, I just can't get into this story. Typically I try to read at least 30% of a story before I fight or flounce but at 11% I'm just done. The protagonist is just too much in her head and her dream sequences are eerily too similar to those in Meg Wolitzer's Belzhar.
May 9, 2015
I originally read this story when it was posted online. Even then, the tale clearly transcended the genre and made much more sense as an original novel, which I'm glad to see that it is now. I've never read anything like it. The subject matter is ambitious and poignant. This one sticks to your bones, long after you put it down. Years later, I still think about it.
Shelved as 'not-my-cup-of-tea'
June 24, 2013Actually, the original is on my nook waiting to be read.
November 5, 2013
Beautiful and tragic. Well worth the read. Read my full review here.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews