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Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

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The Fourth Wall Kindle Edition

by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.1 55 ratings

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When Marin was little and monsters chased her through nightmares, she learned to weave her own dreams. Her mother called the lucid dreaming a gift, and when an accident takes her mother and leaves her baby brother an empty shell, Marin uses this gift to spin a new reality for herself. One without time or sorrow. A world without memory.

But just when Marin thinks she’s safe in her make-believe fantasy world, the monsters come back and her dream turns to a nightmare. Something in the dream doesn’t want Marin to wake up. In order to heal herself and her family, Marin must face the truth she’s forgotten and conquer what lies behind the fourth wall.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... part fantasy, part cold reality with descriptive, vivid storytelling." --Nutshell Newsletter Press
"The lush richness of Marin's dream world contrasts strongly with the stark bleakness of her waking world, and the reader is drawn to both." --The Reading Lark

"...wonderfully crafted, engaging, and kept me guessing until the very end." --Bethany Masone Harar, author Voices of the Sea

"A fabulously written first novel." --Women on Writing

"Alternates between chapters reflecting the dream world Marin has created for herself (where the descriptions are most vivid) and the real world....Classified as YA but it has a universal appeal." --Renee's Pages

About the Author

Elizabeth Maria Naranjo grew up in Cheyenne, Wyoming, before escaping the cold winters and settling in the Sonoran Desert. She lives in Tempe, Arizona, with her husband and two children.

Elizabeth also writes short fiction and creative nonfiction. Her work has been published in Brevity Magazine, Superstition Review, YA Review Net, Hospital Drive, Literary Mama, Babble, Brain, Child, Motherwell, Mothers Always Write, The Portland Review, and Phoenix New Times. Visit online at elizabethmarianaranjo.com.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00KGFRMIC
Publisher ‏ : ‎ WiDo Publishing (May 19, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 19, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 614 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 191 pages

Customer Reviews:
4.1 55 ratings

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Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

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Elizabeth Maria Naranjo is the award-winning author of The Fourth Wall (Wido Publishing, 2014) and The House on Linden Way (Kindle Direct Publishing, 2022). Her short fiction and creative nonfiction have been published in Brevity Magazine, Superstition Review, Fractured Lit, Reservoir Road, Hunger Mountain, Literary Mama, Hospital Drive, The Portland Review, Motherwell, and a few other places.

Elizabeth's work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best American Essays, and Best of the Net, and her short story "Windows" was selected for Best Microfiction 2023. She lives in Tempe, Arizona, with her husband and two children.

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4.1 out of 5

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clahain

The Uses of Enchantment

Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2014

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In THE FOURTH WALL, Elizabeth Maria Naranjo gives readers a touching and creative meditation on the nature of grief and emotional healing.

Marin has always had a unique dream life. She has the gift of lucid dreaming, meaning she is fully aware as she dreams and able to take action. After a car accident takes her mother's life and leaves her family in tatters, her dreams offer solace and sanctuary. This is fine until the unexpected intervention of a school psychologist--and contact with peers who are each damaged in his or her own way--makes Marin consider that maybe, just maybe, there's something for her back in the real world, though it means dealing with her pain and confusion. Only by now, her dream world has become a reality in its own right, and it won't set her free easily.

Naranjo's characters are rich and real, with a psychological complexity usual in YA fiction. There's a lyrical quality to her writing that echoes Marin's dreams. Reality and fantasy co-exist flawlessly. The ending is a huge surprise, yet there's so much raw emotional truth in Marin's experience, this resolution is both believable and satisfying.

There is nothing generic about this paranormal YA novel. It is a young adult's story told with depth and compassion. Naranjo's fantasy throws reality into stark relief so that, through the whirl and tumble of Marin's dreams, we more fully understand her and ourselves.

3 people found this helpful

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VeeGee

Wonderful and unique story!

Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2014

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This story was beautifully written. What an amazing debut! The characters were so believable, I almost felt like an intruder into their very realistic lives. There is nothing more you could ask for, as a reader, than to be so engrossed you have an emotional stake in the lives of the characters, of the story.
There were a few different spots, however, within Marin's dream state that tripped me up as to whether she had woken up, or exactly where she was or which state she was in. Even still, it took nothing away from the story or the feelings I took away from this strong debut novel.

A couple of my favorite passages:
"What struck him the other night when she'd crossed her last important milestone of childhood, was not how close she was to becoming a woman, but how all this time, she'd been nothing but a child."
"That time Mare, right before knowing a thing? When you can feel it but can't quite name it? That's the best part. Enjoy it, darling."

Ms. Naranjo has several published works online that are sure to enrapture anyone that enjoys her unique, sucks-you-in-every-time writing style.

5 people found this helpful

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LK

Vivid & Evocative

Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2015

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The Fourth Wall was a compelling novel that was profoundly sad at times. We see the aftermath of a family trying to cope with difficulties that life brings them. One of my favorite parts of the book is the love the father shows his children, and the struggle he goes through as he tries to do what is best for the family. That resonated with me and was quite moving. I think Naranjo has a gift with language. It is very vivid and evocative. While Naranjo could have made Marin very cynical and jaded, she didn’t (which I’m glad of). She was a just young girl who had to deal with very adult things. Overall, I enjoyed this novel very much and look forward to other stories that she writes.

4 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Grief and Healing

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2014

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This is a book that makes you think. Lucid dreaming hmm. Getting over the loss of a mother at a young age, that is so tragic. I like a few quotes from the book and saved them. One about the fourth wall I won't quote the whole thing here but just a portion : “I get it,” Marin said thoughtfully. “So in the movies , that’s why actors never look in the camera? Because—” “They’d break the fourth wall,” Greg said, nodding. “Magic gone.”

Good job Ms. Naranjo!

3 people found this helpful

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Dwayne Gill

This novel is why I like to occasionally pick a random book to read

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2018

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This novel falls outside of what I typically read, but I’m glad I stumbled across it. It’s a very well-written and inspiring story that keeps one wanting to read another page, then another chapter. The subtle descriptions in this novel were wonderful and challenged my own imagination to think harder, and deeper. I’m not sure why this author hasn’t published anything since. This was a great read.

Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2018

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This story took place mostly in Marin's mind. It might speak to someone else differently, but I found it hard to stay interested.

3 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Interesting

Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2020

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Interesting concept which I really enjoyed reading. The characters were well written and the storyline kept me engaged. I thoroughly enjoyed the story

Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2014

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Reading The Fourth Wall I felt as though I was back in junior high school with Marin, the main character. I could feel her hurts and her frustrations, and I found her to be a wonderfully dimensional character. The interplay of the real world issues and those of the dream world was masterful. This book was fresh, innovative, and captivating. I look forward to reading Ms. Naranjo's next novel.

One person found this helpful

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Craig Shepherd

Beautifully written story

Reviewed in Australia on March 23, 2017

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I just finished reading The Fourth Wall by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo, through WiDo Publishing. I was first drawn to Elizabeth’s writing through a short piece I read, so I was excited to see what she had to offer in the longer form and I definitely wasn’t disappointed.

The Fourth Wall tells the story of Marin, a teenage girl who has lost her mother, her baby brother has completely withdrawn from the world, and her father is doing his best to hold it all together. She has also created a vivid dream world she visits most nights, but even that sanctuary is starting to betray her. She is dealing with a new school, new relationships, a drastically changed home life, and through it all she needs to find a way to help her little brother, who most doctors have diagnosed on the autism spectrum.

Firstly, I really enjoyed the story. It was heartfelt and all of the characters are likeable. Some characters, you aren’t sure whether they are good or bad for a lot of the story, and I liked that ambiguity. All of us have been teenagers, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re male or female, the main character Marin was easy to identify with. The journey we are taken on with Marin would raise a lot of familiarity to most readers’ teenage years.

I also loved the way the dream sequences were written. It reminded me of Stephen King’s ‘Lisey’s Story’, which is a book I loved, so it was great to read something with a similar tone.

Elizabeth Naranjo has a way with words that not every writer shares. Her descriptions seem to use so few words, yet I was able to form a mental picture and put myself inside the story. She seems to do this with incredible ease, and it made this book flow really well. I found the dialogue and interaction between characters was believable, and this only added to the feeling that I was right there in the story.

All in all, The Fourth Wall tells a heart-warming story of family and the sacrifices people will make for their loved ones, woven into a fantastical story of one girl and the power of her dreams. Definitely gets a thumbs up from me, and I’d recommend this book to anybody!

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