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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
4,5/5
J'ai mis un peu de temps à rentrer dans l'histoire mais j'ai rapidement appris à me laisser transporter grâce à cette superbe écriture.
Un beau roman d'apprentissage.
J'ai mis un peu de temps à rentrer dans l'histoire mais j'ai rapidement appris à me laisser transporter grâce à cette superbe écriture.
Un beau roman d'apprentissage.
Oh wow, this book actually ended up punching me in the gut a lot more than I expected in the earlier sections. It was more of a YA novel than I had known going in, I had heard it recommended and I knew it has a young protagonist but wasn't quite expecting how young adult it felt to read, but once I got over that adjustment to my expectations I was pretty blown away by this book.
I feel like I don't even know how to talk about this book except to say that I think I cried like 4 separate times in the last 25% of the novel, everything with Greta's cry for help and the final scenes with Toby, and June admitting her love for Finn, and GOD, the scene of June's mom putting a hand on Toby and saying "sorry"... only, maybe she didn't maybe that's just June's wishful thinking? And her adding to the painting, and her additions staying on the painting, and the light reflecting and Toby's buttons and oof oof oof this was all so moving!
I think what impressed me most was the way that I could sense the way other characters were experiencing things even though June's perspective was so narrow and specific. I knew that Greta was begging for help, and every time June reiterated that "Greta hates her" now, I would wince, because of course that's what a 14-year-old might think, but it's so obviously not what's going on now. And while I, like June, have a hard time forgiving her mom for her decisions, you also understand the fear and grief that a person would be going through when something really scary happens to someone you love.
And I admired this novel for how blunt and direct it was about the messy, unclear feelings that develop between people sometimes. You can't draw this clear bright line in the sand and just tell your brain not to have the feelings that it's having. I feel like if Finn hadn't gotten sick and died, then June would have grown up and been able to laugh lightly about how when she was little she totally had a crush on her cool gay artist uncle, and that would have been it. But because of the specifics of the scenario, a young person going through a very vulnerable stage in life is also learning about grief and responsibility and the way her parents aren't always going to be right, and of course things aren't as clear cut as you would want them to be in a simpler world.
The concept of June and Toby knowing each other through Finn, even though June never even knew he existed, was really moving to me. Every little bit, like the guitar picks, or Finn having learned the napkin folding from Toby, it just really tugged at my heartstrings. What a beautiful way to memorialize a person who is gone, and also what an interesting idea about what it means to know each other. When you know someone, they are made up of pieces of people you might not even know exists. It's beautiful.
I couldn't quite go to five stars on this one and the main reason was that there was a little bit of goofiness in the way Finn's art was discussed? His "self portrait" where he's holding out his own heart and his chest is sewn shut with the word "empty"... and it's written about like it's the most brilliant work of genius and it totally lit up the art world... come on, now. Little things like that did sometimes make me roll my eyes.
But all in all, I'm so glad I heard about this book and decided to read it, I was gripped the whole way through!
I feel like I don't even know how to talk about this book except to say that I think I cried like 4 separate times in the last 25% of the novel, everything with Greta's cry for help and the final scenes with Toby, and June admitting her love for Finn, and GOD, the scene of June's mom putting a hand on Toby and saying "sorry"... only, maybe she didn't maybe that's just June's wishful thinking? And her adding to the painting, and her additions staying on the painting, and the light reflecting and Toby's buttons and oof oof oof this was all so moving!
I think what impressed me most was the way that I could sense the way other characters were experiencing things even though June's perspective was so narrow and specific. I knew that Greta was begging for help, and every time June reiterated that "Greta hates her" now, I would wince, because of course that's what a 14-year-old might think, but it's so obviously not what's going on now. And while I, like June, have a hard time forgiving her mom for her decisions, you also understand the fear and grief that a person would be going through when something really scary happens to someone you love.
And I admired this novel for how blunt and direct it was about the messy, unclear feelings that develop between people sometimes. You can't draw this clear bright line in the sand and just tell your brain not to have the feelings that it's having. I feel like if Finn hadn't gotten sick and died, then June would have grown up and been able to laugh lightly about how when she was little she totally had a crush on her cool gay artist uncle, and that would have been it. But because of the specifics of the scenario, a young person going through a very vulnerable stage in life is also learning about grief and responsibility and the way her parents aren't always going to be right, and of course things aren't as clear cut as you would want them to be in a simpler world.
The concept of June and Toby knowing each other through Finn, even though June never even knew he existed, was really moving to me. Every little bit, like the guitar picks, or Finn having learned the napkin folding from Toby, it just really tugged at my heartstrings. What a beautiful way to memorialize a person who is gone, and also what an interesting idea about what it means to know each other. When you know someone, they are made up of pieces of people you might not even know exists. It's beautiful.
I couldn't quite go to five stars on this one and the main reason was that there was a little bit of goofiness in the way Finn's art was discussed? His "self portrait" where he's holding out his own heart and his chest is sewn shut with the word "empty"... and it's written about like it's the most brilliant work of genius and it totally lit up the art world... come on, now. Little things like that did sometimes make me roll my eyes.
But all in all, I'm so glad I heard about this book and decided to read it, I was gripped the whole way through!
Incredible coming-of-age story. The protagonist, June, is so similar to how I was at that age, all shy and socially awkward and wanting to stay young and play make believe in the woods. The relationship that grows between her and Toby is lovely. The characters are lively and you hurt along with them. Definitely a book I would pick and read again as well as recommend to others.
This book is a poignant read with several love stories: the love between a girl and her uncle and then, the uncle's partner, the love between sisters and the love of family. Although HIV/AIDS is a major theme, I think this book is relatable for many people on many levels. It will touch a nerve with anyone who's ever felt like an outsider or an outcast.
I wanted to give this 3.5 stars. It was too beautiful for just three but too arduous for four. Unique and interesting while infuriating and real.
Took me awhile to get into this - I have no idea why all the books I bought at the beginning of the summer managed to be about familial death, geez - but once I did, I enjoyed it.
"Of course, I was relieved that the party was canceled. It wasn't only the shy thing, the total social retardation. It was more than that. I wasn't interest in drinking beer or vodka or smoking cigarettes or doing all the other things Greta thinks I can't even imagine. I don't want to imagine those things. Anyone can imagine things like that. I want to imagine wrinkled time, and forests thick with wolves, and bleak midnight moors. I dream about people who don't need to have sex to know they love each other. I dream about people who would only ever kiss you on the cheek."
"He patted me on the shoulder and told me that he knew what I meant. That usually the first version you hear is the one you'll love for the rest of your life."
"I stood there letting that animal sadness drape over my shoulders, waiting for it to tell me why it was there."
"He patted me on the shoulder and told me that he knew what I meant. That usually the first version you hear is the one you'll love for the rest of your life."
"I stood there letting that animal sadness drape over my shoulders, waiting for it to tell me why it was there."
This was such an interesting book for me. I would say that this book is not so much about the plot (it is definitely plodding in some parts), but more about the amazing characters that Brunt has drawn. I loved Greta and her sister, Uncle Finn, and Toby. I have never read a book set in a person's childhood of the 80's, so I found that to be a unique aspect as well.
Although it took me a while to get through the story, it's the kind of book that you keep thinking about weeks later. It made me think about art and what it means to us as human beings. It made me think about relationships - between relatives, between parents, between sisters, and between strangers. It also made me think about grief and how each one of us deals with a painful loss.
I've recommended the book for our book club and I hope that the members aren't disappointed.
Although it took me a while to get through the story, it's the kind of book that you keep thinking about weeks later. It made me think about art and what it means to us as human beings. It made me think about relationships - between relatives, between parents, between sisters, and between strangers. It also made me think about grief and how each one of us deals with a painful loss.
I've recommended the book for our book club and I hope that the members aren't disappointed.