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Girl in the Arena | LitPick Book Reviews
Girl in the Arena
Girl in the Arena
Girl in the Arena
Lise Haines
During the week, Lyn lives in a big house in Cambridge and hangs out with friends in Harvard Square. But over the weekend, she cheers her father on as he gears up for neo-gladiator competition-a high-profile televised blood sport that rivals the NFL. Lyn's father is the top player in the league, and the paparazzi that have always swarmed him have started to dog Lyn's every move. All this fame comes with another price--Lyn's family lives with the constant presence of violence, uncertainty, and a strict cultural code set by the Gladiator Sports Association. When a skilled young fighter slays Lyn's father, the GSA imposes an unthinkable sentence-Lyn must marry her father's murderer. Though her mother has made a career out of marrying into Glad culture, Lyn is prepared to do whatever it takes to claim her independence. Even if it means going into the arena herself. . . .Lise Haines' debut novel, a dark satire for our time, is a mesmerizing look at a modern world addicted to violence, fame, and greed-a world eerily close to our own.

Book Details

Genre: 

  • Fiction
  • Juvenile Fiction

Age Level: 

  • 12 and up
Profile Picture

Lyn,the daughter of a neo-gladiator, has grown up knowing the strange TV gladiator rules and traditions. Tommy, Lyn'sseventh gladiator stepfather, is finishing up his TV contract, and can't wait to get out of the business. Then suddenly everything goes wrong and Tommy dies in the arena; but that's not the only problem. Uber, Tommy's arena opponent, has captured Lyn's dowry bracelet, and now Lyn must decide whether to marry him and save her family's fortune, or to be banned from society-but there just might be another option.

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