I'm not sure if all editions of this book have the same cover but I loved the one I had (I borrowed it from my local library) it sort of resembles a diary, with the elastic band holding it together and the worn edges, and the title and love hearts look like they've been scribbled on.
Inside there are little poems and little conversations between Lennie and Bailey that Lennie has jotted down on random things. I really liked how Jandy Nelson incorporated that into the book, like for example on a sweet wrapper or on a tree...
I think it made the book a lot more unique.
I didn't really like Lennies character for most of the book because she only saw her own and Tobys (Baileys boyfriend) grief and thought that she and him were the only ones who loved Bailey, she doesn't consider that other people could be grieving for her as well. Such as her Grandma and Uncle, so I thought it made her a bit selfish. Also the way it portrayed her as suddenly becoming this horny little minx as soon as her sister dies, I mean whats that about? I didn't quite grasp why that little bit was important in the story.
Also I wanted more information on her mum and why she wasn't there, it does explain a little bit but it just felt like all the effort and stories Lennie and Bailey made up about their mum and what kind of life she might be living, that Lennie just accepts what her Grandma tells her in the end and forgets about it. I don't know about you but I wanted more from that part of the story.I didn't have a favourite character but I liked the fact that Joe (Lennies love interest) brought Lennies family together again if only in the mornings to have breakfast, I thought he was sweet and wanted to help Lennie deal with her grief.
My favourite quote of the book is,
'This is our story to tell. He says it in his Ten Commandments way and it hits me that way: profoundly. You’d think for all the reading I do, I would have thought about this before, but I haven’t. I’ve never once thought about the interpretative, the storytelling aspect of life, of my life. I always felt like I was in a story, yes, but not like I was the author of it, or like I had any say in its telling whatsoever. You can tell your story any way you damn well please. It’s your solo.'
Oh and this one...
“There once was a girl who found herself dead.
She peered over the ledge of heaven
and saw that back on earth
her sister missed her too much,
was way too sad,
so she crossed some paths
that would not have crossed,
took some moments in her hand
shook them up
and spilled them like dice
over the living world.
It worked.
The boy with the guitar collided
with her sister."There you go, Len," she whispered. "The rest is up to you.”
Oh and this one...
“There once was a girl who found herself dead.
She peered over the ledge of heaven
and saw that back on earth
her sister missed her too much,
was way too sad,
so she crossed some paths
that would not have crossed,
took some moments in her hand
shook them up
and spilled them like dice
over the living world.
It worked.
The boy with the guitar collided
with her sister."There you go, Len," she whispered. "The rest is up to you.”
Such a good and in depth review, thanks for sharing! I love the cover of the book.
ReplyDeleteHannah x
http://b-l-a-b.blogspot.co.uk/
Thank you, I always worry when I write book reviews if I give too much of the story away and ruin it for other people D: x
DeleteHi Kim,
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely review, I've really enjoyed reading your posts this morning!!
I'm now following you, my blog is still a baby so I'd love it if you could stop by and give me a bit of feedback!!
beleza-byems.blogspot.co.uk
Emily xxx
Hey, wow, thank you! And thanks for following. :)
DeleteYeah, of course I'll look at it now. xx
Great review, and I absolutely love the cover of the book. I'm a sucker for an interesting book cover. ;-) x
ReplyDelete