Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
- really fun book
- great characters and all very relatable
- also a very relatable situation
- main character, silver, is living a pretty sad divorced life, and has to juggle his ex-wife getting remarried, a teenage daughter who got pregnant, and now a life-threatening heart problem that needs surgery or he'll die
- he's so sad about his life that he declines the surgery
- needless to say, his friends and family don't approve
- what i liked about this book is that it shows just how sad/hilarious a person's own life can be when they're brutally honest with themselves. due to his heart problem, silver accidentally starts narrating all his internal monologue, which involves a lot of self-realization. he stirs up a lot of trouble for himself this way, which makes for really good reading, but also forces all the other characters to confront shitty truths too. his ex-wife and daughter and friends all have their own baggage, and he sort of forces everyone to deal with it, for better or worse
- the book is sort of about building up the courage to start fresh
- it's easy to just wait for the world to push you to do something better with your life, but it's just going to sit back and watch you wither. you have to make your own decisions. and i know that's a cliche moral, nothing new, but i like how this book went about showing it. silver trying to reconnect with his daughter, trying really hard to be there for her but still screwing up, and then thinking she's better of without him anyway, it just all goes to shit in the end. but she forgives him, and it's her sticking with him that gives him the courage to keep going. and she's scared too, young and pregnant, and she goes to her estranged dad for advice and gets nothing, but still finds some sort of comfort in being with him -- maybe the solace that pushed her to find him in the first place with her bombshell news, rather than going to her mom or her soon to be stepdad. i like how they help each other even though they screw up. and i think that's something important that a family has. that you love each other and want happiness for each other, no matter how frustrated or hateful you are of each other. you're always hanging on, even by the thinnest thread, for a reason to pull that other person back.
- and i like that this book is about forgiveness, without it being explicitly shoved in our faces. casey's forgiveness of silver, rich's forgiveness of denise, silver's forgiveness in his wasted life by deciding not to turn it in, and even oliver's son's forgiveness of oliver. i liked the balance of action and monologue, and how lots of events are perfectly (terribly) timed in a way that only fiction can be, but in between all the crap, there are little pockets of hope and happiness that really make you root for silver and his family.
- also one of my favourite characters has to be silver's dad. what a champ. humourous and loving and dealing with his own heartbreak of seeing his son give up on life, and he, a rabbi, has to marry off his ex-daughter in law too, but he takes it all in as well as he can while still trying to convince his son to have the operation. he's a good dad.
- actually, silver is surrounded by good people who love him, despite his screwed up life. it's not like silver was a serial killer or anything -- his greatest failures were to be absent in the lives of people (casey) who depended on him, and all this lost time he can't make up for. but it was humbling to read that despite all this social support he was getting, he still felt lonely and bumbling and a loser, and this lasts even to the end, when everything starts fitting together, e.g. when he's at denise's wedding. he's happy for her but really sad at the same time because even though he's accepted that he's lost her, and is happy for her happiness, the wedding has a finality to it that makes him feel all over again that she's gone from him. and i think this kind of acceptance that no matter how optimistic the future looks, there will always be sadness and regret of the past lingering in you, that's very... mature, i guess.
- anyway, getting off track. good read, well paced, well balanced, not too light but not too dark, very poignant sentimental moments that really squeeze you, also some really funny moments, and fun characters, and a loneliness and subsequent hopefulness everyone can connect to, and maybe not something so inspirational that it requires rereads, it nevertheless was a very enjoyable book. belatedly realized that "this is where i leave you" is the jonathan tropper book getting the film adaptation w jason bateman and tina fey, not this one, but i'm very happy i read it anyway
- oh also just to say that there are some dialogue-only chapters with silver and casey whose pattern threw me off in the beginning, but i got used to them. also there are some rare chapters that are denise's pov or casey's pov, but they're not jarring style-wise, only because you expect silver pov throughout
- also i really liked the ending
- tbh the one redeeming thing of silver throughout the book is his love for casey, and it's what pulls him through everything, and pulls us through too
- great characters and all very relatable
- also a very relatable situation
- main character, silver, is living a pretty sad divorced life, and has to juggle his ex-wife getting remarried, a teenage daughter who got pregnant, and now a life-threatening heart problem that needs surgery or he'll die
- he's so sad about his life that he declines the surgery
- needless to say, his friends and family don't approve
- what i liked about this book is that it shows just how sad/hilarious a person's own life can be when they're brutally honest with themselves. due to his heart problem, silver accidentally starts narrating all his internal monologue, which involves a lot of self-realization. he stirs up a lot of trouble for himself this way, which makes for really good reading, but also forces all the other characters to confront shitty truths too. his ex-wife and daughter and friends all have their own baggage, and he sort of forces everyone to deal with it, for better or worse
- the book is sort of about building up the courage to start fresh
- it's easy to just wait for the world to push you to do something better with your life, but it's just going to sit back and watch you wither. you have to make your own decisions. and i know that's a cliche moral, nothing new, but i like how this book went about showing it. silver trying to reconnect with his daughter, trying really hard to be there for her but still screwing up, and then thinking she's better of without him anyway, it just all goes to shit in the end. but she forgives him, and it's her sticking with him that gives him the courage to keep going. and she's scared too, young and pregnant, and she goes to her estranged dad for advice and gets nothing, but still finds some sort of comfort in being with him -- maybe the solace that pushed her to find him in the first place with her bombshell news, rather than going to her mom or her soon to be stepdad. i like how they help each other even though they screw up. and i think that's something important that a family has. that you love each other and want happiness for each other, no matter how frustrated or hateful you are of each other. you're always hanging on, even by the thinnest thread, for a reason to pull that other person back.
- and i like that this book is about forgiveness, without it being explicitly shoved in our faces. casey's forgiveness of silver, rich's forgiveness of denise, silver's forgiveness in his wasted life by deciding not to turn it in, and even oliver's son's forgiveness of oliver. i liked the balance of action and monologue, and how lots of events are perfectly (terribly) timed in a way that only fiction can be, but in between all the crap, there are little pockets of hope and happiness that really make you root for silver and his family.
- also one of my favourite characters has to be silver's dad. what a champ. humourous and loving and dealing with his own heartbreak of seeing his son give up on life, and he, a rabbi, has to marry off his ex-daughter in law too, but he takes it all in as well as he can while still trying to convince his son to have the operation. he's a good dad.
- actually, silver is surrounded by good people who love him, despite his screwed up life. it's not like silver was a serial killer or anything -- his greatest failures were to be absent in the lives of people (casey) who depended on him, and all this lost time he can't make up for. but it was humbling to read that despite all this social support he was getting, he still felt lonely and bumbling and a loser, and this lasts even to the end, when everything starts fitting together, e.g. when he's at denise's wedding. he's happy for her but really sad at the same time because even though he's accepted that he's lost her, and is happy for her happiness, the wedding has a finality to it that makes him feel all over again that she's gone from him. and i think this kind of acceptance that no matter how optimistic the future looks, there will always be sadness and regret of the past lingering in you, that's very... mature, i guess.
- anyway, getting off track. good read, well paced, well balanced, not too light but not too dark, very poignant sentimental moments that really squeeze you, also some really funny moments, and fun characters, and a loneliness and subsequent hopefulness everyone can connect to, and maybe not something so inspirational that it requires rereads, it nevertheless was a very enjoyable book. belatedly realized that "this is where i leave you" is the jonathan tropper book getting the film adaptation w jason bateman and tina fey, not this one, but i'm very happy i read it anyway
- oh also just to say that there are some dialogue-only chapters with silver and casey whose pattern threw me off in the beginning, but i got used to them. also there are some rare chapters that are denise's pov or casey's pov, but they're not jarring style-wise, only because you expect silver pov throughout
- also i really liked the ending
- tbh the one redeeming thing of silver throughout the book is his love for casey, and it's what pulls him through everything, and pulls us through too
Achingly sad, but also heartwarmingly uplifting. That's a Jonathan Tropper book for you. And I loved it.
Drew Silver is a drummer formerly in a band with one hit to their name before the singer left and made it big on his own. He seems to go aimlessly about his life, which ultimately causes him to lose his wife and daughter. But he's still a nice guy who's redeemable, making you root for him because deep down, he's just a lost soul.
It's when Silver discovers he has an aortic tear that requires surgery that he begins to see himself as others do, and think introspectively on whether everyone would just be better off without him. This is where things get interesting.
His 18-year old daughter, Casey, comes back into his life with a big problem of her own, needing her dad to help work things out. Being needed seems to awaken him from his seven-year post-divorce stupor. He thinks back on the good things in his life and his many regrets. Mostly for losing the love of his life who now, interestingly, is engaged to his surgeon.
Luckily, his parents are still a big part of his life, loving him for what and who he is, and never making him feel like the failure he knows he is. And he lives in a complex surrounded by other divorced men who have a surprisingly strong sense of camaraderie.
I have to admit, I shed many tears when reading this book. Tropper just has a way of getting to you with his words. He's still one of my favorite authors, and I can't wait for his next book!
Drew Silver is a drummer formerly in a band with one hit to their name before the singer left and made it big on his own. He seems to go aimlessly about his life, which ultimately causes him to lose his wife and daughter. But he's still a nice guy who's redeemable, making you root for him because deep down, he's just a lost soul.
It's when Silver discovers he has an aortic tear that requires surgery that he begins to see himself as others do, and think introspectively on whether everyone would just be better off without him. This is where things get interesting.
His 18-year old daughter, Casey, comes back into his life with a big problem of her own, needing her dad to help work things out. Being needed seems to awaken him from his seven-year post-divorce stupor. He thinks back on the good things in his life and his many regrets. Mostly for losing the love of his life who now, interestingly, is engaged to his surgeon.
Luckily, his parents are still a big part of his life, loving him for what and who he is, and never making him feel like the failure he knows he is. And he lives in a complex surrounded by other divorced men who have a surprisingly strong sense of camaraderie.
I have to admit, I shed many tears when reading this book. Tropper just has a way of getting to you with his words. He's still one of my favorite authors, and I can't wait for his next book!
Heartbreaking and real. Themes from other books by Tropper.
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Tropper has a way of writing books that are so easy to read, whether that is a good thing or not is up to the reader. A little hokey at times but I can't deny that it did make me smile at the end.
Liked the narrative, but I HATED Silver. Like really hated. I probably could have given this novel 4 stars, but I think to get the full effect of the novel, you would have to be sympathetic to Silver. To me, he had a supportive family, a daughter willing to forgive him his faults and yet Silver could only focus on his fleeting minutes of fame and how the world didn't treat him the way he thought he deserved. Seriously, Silver, grow up.
I don't know how this guy is so funny in print. He's really good with familial relationships too.
Let me start by saying this is so close to 4 stars. Why doesn't it quite get there? The plot is not really all that surprising. Once you're in the middle of it, you know how it will play out. Also, I like Tropper. He is a fun, breezy read. At his best, he is Nick Hornby. He has those moments in the writing that feel like such realistic human moments that it makes you wonder if he is just a fantastic observer of human behavior and incredible empathy or perhaps he has just gone through all these things himself. That is always the unexpected pleasure of reading one of his books - when he manages to surprise you with the specificity and detail of a human thought or feeling. Overall, most of his books seem made to be movies or tv series. There were some parts of the book that I thought this would actually be better as a movie.
This one was not quite as hilarious as This Is How I Leave You which I would recommend you read first if you haven't. The idea of having the character have a malady that allowed him to have Tourettes like symptoms became a little "one note" after a bit. But as I've said it's an entertaining and easy read, and a great palatte cleanser after your next Proust or J. Joyce.
This one was not quite as hilarious as This Is How I Leave You which I would recommend you read first if you haven't. The idea of having the character have a malady that allowed him to have Tourettes like symptoms became a little "one note" after a bit. But as I've said it's an entertaining and easy read, and a great palatte cleanser after your next Proust or J. Joyce.
emotional
My opinion of this book tells my as much about myself as it does about the book. It's self-involved, self-pleased and too-clever by-half. It's also funny, fast-paced and unexpectedly touching.
The protagonist of One Last Thing Before I Go--Silver, a drummer for a has-been one-hit-wonder band--could be characterized as an emotionally stunted, selfish man-child. While I couldn't specifically identify with him and his emotional torpor, Tropper nonetheless created a real and accessible hero.
The limited third-person narrator was too arch and entertained by itself, which made it difficult for my to get into ...Before I Go. But after settling in, it wasn't nearly as annoying as it was at first. Tropper regularly surprises here, from plot turns to narrative grace notes that keep the book moving along.
One Last Thing Before I Go addresses middle-class, middle-age, white male ennui and may not be for everyone. I was entertained and invested in the characters and their plights up until the opaque, yet satisfying, ending.
The protagonist of One Last Thing Before I Go--Silver, a drummer for a has-been one-hit-wonder band--could be characterized as an emotionally stunted, selfish man-child. While I couldn't specifically identify with him and his emotional torpor, Tropper nonetheless created a real and accessible hero.
The limited third-person narrator was too arch and entertained by itself, which made it difficult for my to get into ...Before I Go. But after settling in, it wasn't nearly as annoying as it was at first. Tropper regularly surprises here, from plot turns to narrative grace notes that keep the book moving along.
One Last Thing Before I Go addresses middle-class, middle-age, white male ennui and may not be for everyone. I was entertained and invested in the characters and their plights up until the opaque, yet satisfying, ending.