The first thing I saw after reading the title was the words "winner of the Guardian Fiction Prize." So.. yeah... you can imagine I went a bit overboarThe first thing I saw after reading the title was the words "winner of the Guardian Fiction Prize." So.. yeah... you can imagine I went a bit overboard with the expectation. I personally find books about children in the WWII hard to get into, but this one was especially difficult, mostly because I couldn't connect with the main character Daisy and the fact that she and her 14-year-old cousin started banging each other and called it true love really bothered me. And that they had cellphone and email in 1938, which I assume is the time in which this story takes place because Daisy was sent to England before the WWII broke out and HEY CHECK YOUR FACT! Except when I missed the fact that this book is somehow set in an alternative universe because I picked it up in a library and on the cover there was no mention of that.
So... one thing at a time. 1. Daisy is your typical New York city girl who lives in an apartment and has never in her life breathed the fresh country air and blablabla... Yeah, she's pretty typical, even down to the fact that she fell in love with an honest country boy and later loved living there to be with him. I'm totally fine with a character like that, but have seen enough films and read enough books to find it a bit boring. But honestly with the WWII setting the author had the a pretty good chance to make her interesting. So what went wrong here? - She's 15, but if I hadn't pay attention as she said she was one year younger than her 16-year-old cousin I'd have thought she was way younger. I blame it on the child-like inner monologues of hers, with its run-on sentences and her lack of the ability to use punctuation. - She is so self-centered! I can understand that for children, as long as they can't see the war, it can't touch them (I guess it's sort of like a mental protective bubble? And plus the fact that they live in a secluded spot in the countryside) But here we have Daisy, 15 years old, and the world have to revolve around her and her rich-girl-got-kicked-out-of-home problem. I find it especially disturbing to read this part:
That was a bomb that went off in the middle of a big train station in London the day after Aunt Penn went to Oslo and something like seven or seventy thousand people got killed. This obviously went over very badly with the populace at large and was pretty scary etc. but to be honest it didn’t seem to have that much to do with us way off in the country.
HOW COULD SHE JUST SO CASUALLY MENTION THAT!?? It's like, "Hey, it's gonna be like 30 or 35 degree today. It's so hot right?" And please could you PLEASE not say shits like "seven or seventy thousand" got killed? It's a very big difference! It's not childish ignorance anymore it's SICK! And beside, 15 is already way too old for "childish ignorance". I'd have (may be) believed that if she were 7 or 8 years old. Or 6. So I suppose it's not too harsh to say the author simply picked the wrong age for his character. - The so-called "love" between her and her cousin felt surreal. It consisted of nothing more than he supposedly "read her thoughts" and being creepy and then they had sex because they were so in love. At least it was the impression I got.
2. I also didn't like that the setting of the book was unclear. I mean, sure, it was the second World War, it's countryside England, but, as I've mentioned before, I just don't understand where the cellphones and emails came from! The bare concept of a wireless network didn't appear until the 50s and cellphone wasn't invented until 1973. The book didn't need all that anyway, so why bother adding them? And then I saw the Sci-fi tag on ŷ. WTF! It's Sci-fi because the author casually mentioned Daisy checking her phone and sending emails a few times? No. Just.. no.
3. And I'd like to mention the side characters a bit. Through Daisy's warped perception of reality, they all appear distant and one-dimensional and unworthy of her. There's the perfect and pure little sister who is really below Daisy's level because she couldn't gut a fish and Daisy could. The sullen brother who didn't like human interaction and just stuck with the animals (or may be he just didn't like interacting with Daisy. If that's the case, I totally feel you dude). The I'm-mega-cool-but-I-have-to-take-care-of-my-family-and-it-bothers-me brother, who also annoyed Daisy with the attitude and whom Daisy thought to be a weakling because he joined the army and had to follow orders of his superior, which is to send Daisy (and Piper) away from home (which is actually not in his control so have a bit of understanding you little brat). And last but not least, the quiet, sensitive, intuitive, mysterious brother, who, with all these characteristics was immediately recognized as the love-interest. And here you can see another problem. Because this book is written in first person, and from the later half of the book you only see Daisy and Piper together, the other characters just had to stay the cardboard cut out they weren't supposed to be.
4. Did I say the writing created the very distant feeling that was the second main reason I couldn't connect with the characters? And the lack of punctuation and quote mark and the annoying all caps?
But of course I can't complain the whole time. There's still some good to this book. The second part, where Daisy and Piper started life at the McEnvoy, was significantly better and I enjoyed the very close portrayal of the girls' trying to survive on the road. The coping mechanism of the children was also briefly mentioned at the end of the book, and even though I really hated Daisy's snobby voice when she talked about it, I have to admit she was right.
So all in all this wasn't a total waste of time. I'm glad that the book saved itself toward the end, but I still don't understand how this could have won the Guardian Fiction Prize.
What a disappointment! I really really loved her book Before I Fall and had reread it many times, because the story, the writing, the characters, EVERWhat a disappointment! I really really loved her book Before I Fall and had reread it many times, because the story, the writing, the characters, EVERYTHING was perfect (to me.) And then I read Delirium with the same expectation.
Well you could probably guess how it went down.....
First, Lena is a boring character. But I know I don't have the right to say that because I didn't even got past the first half of the book. So let me rephrase it for you: Lena starts out as a boring character, and it didn't improve very quickly. She thinks lowly of herself, is jealous of her best friend for being beautiful and rich (ok fine I'd have been a bit jealous too, but I won't remind it to you every times I see her face) and refuses to accept that her best friend has a different mindset. Lena clings on to her belief, which she considers as something like the ultimate truth of her existence (she is plain and is the total opposite of her beautiful vibrant mother who committed suicide because of love and therefore she should just get on with the operation and put an end to her ability to love. And love is evil.) Seriously, I can't help but roll my eyes every times she repeat the same thing in different words. It's a wonder that they haven't fallen out of their sockets.
Secondly, THE INSTALOVE!! It's lazy, and I expected more from the person who has written Before I Fall.
More like 4.5 stars, since it was kind of an insta-love between Jacob and Emma(view spoiler)[, not to mention she was his gramp's girlfriend... (hide More like 4.5 stars, since it was kind of an insta-love between Jacob and Emma(view spoiler)[, not to mention she was his gramp's girlfriend... (hide spoiler)]. Otherwise, I enjoyed the book immensely. Especially the pictures!,...more
**spoiler alert** Honestly, I was expecting more. I mean, look at all the five stars!! They're literally everywhere!! They talk about compelling chara**spoiler alert** Honestly, I was expecting more. I mean, look at all the five stars!! They're literally everywhere!! They talk about compelling characters, compelling plot, compelling writing, basically everything is compelling so you should be sucked right into the story and live the lives, fear the fears and joy the joys of the very-realistic men and women Amalie Jahn has portrayed.
I felt nothing.
Absolutely NOTHING!
You know where I decided to give my poor soul a break? At 40% of the book. FORTY FREAKING PERCENT! That is not even half of the book in case you don't want to do the math.
So, who was there?
Mia She had a talent. She saw people's auras, which told her if that person was good or bad. Aside from that talent she had absolutely nothing else. No interest, no personality, almost no past (aside from a few word about how people didn't believe her when she was little). She met this guy at a line up at the police station whose aura she couldn't see and became obsessed with him.
Thomas He was the no-aura guy. He had a very abusive past which in my opinion did nothing aside from proving that he had that freakingly convenient ability of being able to sense danger and music was a wonderful escape for abusive children (No irony intended. Music is a really good escape).
Kate She was the one who lived in Ukraine with her poor family that doesn't even know how to take a chance when it come, had totally nothing to do with Mia and Thomas (at least until the point I stopped reading) and complained a lot. Like, A LOT!! All her chapters were filled with complaints and I admit I probably skimmed a few paragraphs.
What happened before the 40% checkpoint? Nothing. Mia and Thomas met, and we had something that is obviously going to be a romance later. I mean, they met twice and decided to have lunch together and the next thing I know he was inviting her to a picnic and she was inviting him over to her house with a homecooked meal or something. Kate was in Ukraine, joining an obviously faux convention advertising American investors' interest in helping Ukraine students where some ominous guys whispered in her ears that she was gonna be chosen (she was wearing a very pretty dress and she took time to look very pretty) and then she was boarding a cargo plane to the U.S.
THAT WAS WHAT HAPPENED AT 40% OF THIS MOTHERFUCKING BOOK! I practically summarized it in 100 words whereas it usually takes me longer than this to rant about a book. How surprising.
Writing I don't know. I was too busy skimming the pages waiting for something more interesting to read to actually pay attention to anything else.
In conclusion, I'm very tempted to write to great Father Time to demand my morning back....more
**spoiler alert** I usually stick around in YAland, and this trip into Romance territory was quite unexpected. But who care, since the rating of this **spoiler alert** I usually stick around in YAland, and this trip into Romance territory was quite unexpected. But who care, since the rating of this book was sooooooo highhhhh!! Despite all that, reading this book, to me, was like looking at an expectation-reality photo but the photo got the last laugh. Still confused? Allow me to help.
This book got a freaking 4.23 rating. 64% of people gave it 5 stars. Who-knows-many compliments have been given to it. So yes, I wanted to read this book. And the sequel, too.
With those incredible feedback in mind, I set my hope as high as a skyscraper and began reading Out of the Box Awakening.
EXPECTATION 1. Likable, Relatable characters. 2. Good writing. 3. Some heart swooning moments. As simple as that.
REALITY: Mind you that I was only able to read a couple of chapters at the beginning. The book was dropped! *gasp!*
1. Likable, Relatable characters: NONE EXISTENCE Olivia, the star of our story She was as interesting as a stick!! And believe me, sticks have more uses than her. She was fifty-something, living a pathetic life as the shadow of her husband and the mother of his child and nothing more than that. The only interest she had was music. She drank, and smoked, and do that as a mother-daughter bonding activity.
She "loved" her husband, who was constantly away on business trips. After he got a job transfer, she was relocated at his friend's house, who happens to be so dang hot and sexy and manly and rich and everything that she got wet the moment she set eyes on him. So much for faithfulness! And then she got cozy with her husband. And then texted Mr. Sexy.
[image]
Ash: Of course he had to be such a perfect man, otherwise Olivia wouldn't have felt that "attraction" to him. Cliche.
2. Good writing: NONE EXISTENCE My impression of OBA's writing style was:
[image] AUTHOR, WAKE UP!!!!
The book was written in a manner that made me think of my gibberish when someone calls me when I'm sleeping. The sentences were so short it was practically curt. Personal pronouns was used in the beginning of EVERYFUCKINSENTENCES! I felt no flow, no connection whatsoever in the writing that it was so hard to force myself to read chapter two. I actually expected it to get better, but NO!, I was denied even that. Look at this paragraph,
"We talked for a while longer. He's very easy to talk to, and I can sense that he is enjoying my company as well. Since I don't know him, I hestitantly ask about his mother, not knowing if he is okay talking about her. He tells me that he is basically the black sheep of the family. He begins to open up to me."
And I wonder if Mrs. Theriot has some taboo against using quotation marks or something because she constantly used passive voice. It was like: normal active voice, annoying passive voice, normal active voice, annoying passive voice, normal active voice, annoying passive voice, etc. Of course, it's not used all the times, thankfully, but there's enough that it irritates me. Like this:
[image]
Oh, and I forgot, she likes the word "babe" A LOT! She likes it so much that she had to include it in every lines spoken between Olivia and her husband.
3. Some heart swooning moments: I think I dropped the book before something like that could happen. And if they happens, I won't be able to "swoon", I assure you. The writing killed everything.
In conclusion: I hate the book. I'm wishing I didn't read it. I regret every moments spent on it. As simple as that....more
Frankly, I hate insta loves, and when I sense the insta love/lust coming, I'll drop the book, regardless of the sparkling reviews.Frankly, I hate insta loves, and when I sense the insta love/lust coming, I'll drop the book, regardless of the sparkling reviews....more
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