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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
This was a quick read. The "magic" of the diary that displays tomorrow's entry was not enticing enough for me. Instead, it became a necessary tool to move the plot along. The plot was just okay as well.
It's hard to review this book without spoiling it but it wasn't what I was expecting! I'm glad I went into it blind.
The main character/ narrator came off really bitchy in places but thankfully she became a lot more likeable as the story progressed. She didn't become a different person she was just a lot more appreciative of what she had.
The idea that a diary can change your actions was very clever. I enjoyed this novel. I love Cecelia Ahern and I definitely want to continue reading her novels!
The main character/ narrator came off really bitchy in places but thankfully she became a lot more likeable as the story progressed. She didn't become a different person she was just a lot more appreciative of what she had.
The idea that a diary can change your actions was very clever. I enjoyed this novel. I love Cecelia Ahern and I definitely want to continue reading her novels!
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
I plowed through The Book of Tomorrow - pacing was decent, though it got bogged down in parts. In hindsight I'm thinking this novel has a gothic feel to it: a young woman/teenage girl living near an abandoned castle, an unseen neighbor, a prescient journal, mysterious occurrences, a suspicious aunt.
With that in mind, sometimes the protagonist, Tamara, was quite exasperating in the way that female protagonists in gothic romances can be. And there were some plot lines that could have used some retooling. But it was a fun read.
With that in mind, sometimes the protagonist, Tamara, was quite exasperating in the way that female protagonists in gothic romances can be. And there were some plot lines that could have used some retooling. But it was a fun read.
Foi difícil começar este livro. O início não me deu muita vontade de ler, mas fui insistindo na leitura o que acabou por dar frutos. Nesta história seguimos Tamara pela sua perspectiva, uma personagem que começa mimada a viver sempre o agora, mas que vai crescendo e amadurecendo, acabando numa personagem de quem temos orgulho.
A par da protagonista temos a mãe, que parece que caiu num estado de letargia após o suicídio do marido, e que com esta foi viver para a casa do irmão Artur e da cunhada, Rosaleen. Estas duas personagens causam muita estranheza e irritação, por vezes, tais são as atitudes deles, Rosaleen sobretudo. Conhecemos ainda personagens que vão ter uma papel importante na vida Tamara, mas que cabe a vocês conhecer (também, não vou revelar a história toda!). Digamos que esta é uma história de crescimento, de amadurecimento, de reconhecer que o hoje tem consequências no amanhã, que há amor que protege quem mais ama e uma espécie de amor (que não o é) doentio e que só faz mal. É também uma história de magia e mistérios. Muitos.
É um livro que recomendo, que apesar de um início difícil é uma história que recompensa e que tem muito para dar. :)
A par da protagonista temos a mãe, que parece que caiu num estado de letargia após o suicídio do marido, e que com esta foi viver para a casa do irmão Artur e da cunhada, Rosaleen. Estas duas personagens causam muita estranheza e irritação, por vezes, tais são as atitudes deles, Rosaleen sobretudo. Conhecemos ainda personagens que vão ter uma papel importante na vida Tamara, mas que cabe a vocês conhecer (também, não vou revelar a história toda!). Digamos que esta é uma história de crescimento, de amadurecimento, de reconhecer que o hoje tem consequências no amanhã, que há amor que protege quem mais ama e uma espécie de amor (que não o é) doentio e que só faz mal. É também uma história de magia e mistérios. Muitos.
É um livro que recomendo, que apesar de um início difícil é uma história que recompensa e que tem muito para dar. :)
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really loved reading this book, it was unique and fun but with a seriousness to it as well
I read PS I Love You and was enchanted. Unfortunately, this book was not as well fleshed out as the other.
Tamara is a spoiled brat whose father's suicide leaves her penniless. Her mother is depressed and catatonic and refuses to leave the room of her uncle's house, where they are now staying. Tamara is then left to wander about the countryside in the dinky, out of the way, crumbling estate for which her uncle is groundskeeper.
If this book had been about... 100-200 pages longer, if the storyline involving the journal had been significantly more fleshed out, if Tamara herself had been an actual, LIKEABLE heroine, this book would have gotten at least a 4 from me.
Instead, we aren't introduced to the magic journal until about halfway through the book. It's barely a plot point. Tamara herself is a nasty little teen who finds herself unable to do much but push people away with her words and actions.
Each of the characters surrounding her are shallow, at best, with only the bare minimum of a background story to place them in their parts. This point is illustrated by the fact that TWICE the narrator leaves the story to put in almost chapter long asides to bring the explanations back up to the speed of the story. This should not be necessary. When I think about the way the 13th Tale gently mingles in the characters and their backgrounds, steadily through the story, making it a mystery to solve, I just cringe.
And can I just say, the way the character Marcus is treated in this story by the author is just shameful! A perfectly lovely character who would have made a wonderful love interest (or even friend), but it's like Ahern couldn't decide what to do with him, so she just casts him aside after using him up for another REALLY BAD plot point.
I did like the fairy tale idea. I liked the setting and the story itself would have been really great if done properly. That's why this book still gets a 3 from me. Oh, and I LOVE Sister Ignatious. I want to steal her for a book of my own. :)
Tamara is a spoiled brat whose father's suicide leaves her penniless. Her mother is depressed and catatonic and refuses to leave the room of her uncle's house, where they are now staying. Tamara is then left to wander about the countryside in the dinky, out of the way, crumbling estate for which her uncle is groundskeeper.
If this book had been about... 100-200 pages longer, if the storyline involving the journal had been significantly more fleshed out, if Tamara herself had been an actual, LIKEABLE heroine, this book would have gotten at least a 4 from me.
Instead, we aren't introduced to the magic journal until about halfway through the book. It's barely a plot point. Tamara herself is a nasty little teen who finds herself unable to do much but push people away with her words and actions.
Each of the characters surrounding her are shallow, at best, with only the bare minimum of a background story to place them in their parts. This point is illustrated by the fact that TWICE the narrator leaves the story to put in almost chapter long asides to bring the explanations back up to the speed of the story. This should not be necessary. When I think about the way the 13th Tale gently mingles in the characters and their backgrounds, steadily through the story, making it a mystery to solve, I just cringe.
And can I just say, the way the character Marcus is treated in this story by the author is just shameful! A perfectly lovely character who would have made a wonderful love interest (or even friend), but it's like Ahern couldn't decide what to do with him, so she just casts him aside after using him up for another REALLY BAD plot point.
I did like the fairy tale idea. I liked the setting and the story itself would have been really great if done properly. That's why this book still gets a 3 from me. Oh, and I LOVE Sister Ignatious. I want to steal her for a book of my own. :)
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So it's better than just 3 stars, but not quite up to the 4 star range-- mostly because the ending felt like a rushed, tangled, too-revelatory-after-school-special-to-be-true without the necessary plot clues to fit in like puzzle pieces, mess.
The first third of the book is actually quite entertaining. Tamara Goodwin comes from a rich family. She had everything she ever wanted served to her on the silver platter-- until the day her father's business took a nose dive and he committed suicide.
Tamara and her all-but-comatose mother go to live with Tamara's uncle and his frowsy, food-obsessed, wife in the gatehouse of a crumbling castle.
Tamara is not happy. She's rude, makes terrible comments, and basically just is a selfish person. She somehow makes friends with the young, male driver of a Library bus and also a bee-keeping nun (although with her caustic wit you kind of wonder why they put up with her).
Little by little, her Aunt's strange reluctance to leave her alone with her mom, mysterious clicks on the castle grounds, and the strange, glass-making inhabitant of the nearest cottage draw Tamara into uncovering a family secret that will change her forever.
Tamara's selfishness and brusque manner was okay for the first part of the book, but then I got tired of how mean she was. I wanted her to melt a bit. I also didn't quite like how interchangeable Library Bus Driver and Wesley ended up being-- I feel like Tamara developed nothing from her encounters with those two.
But most of all, what makes this closer to a 3 star than a 4 star, is the weird way in which the "villain" gets this summarized story at the end of the book to explain everything. And even with that explanation, I'm left wondering why certain characters did what they did. Motivation seemed weird, as well as the central mystery of the story a bit unbelievable.
This Book's Snack Rating: Cheddar Cheese Pringles for the thinly concocted characters with a pleasing layer of mysterious cheese in the first half of the book
The first third of the book is actually quite entertaining. Tamara Goodwin comes from a rich family. She had everything she ever wanted served to her on the silver platter-- until the day her father's business took a nose dive and he committed suicide.
Tamara and her all-but-comatose mother go to live with Tamara's uncle and his frowsy, food-obsessed, wife in the gatehouse of a crumbling castle.
Tamara is not happy. She's rude, makes terrible comments, and basically just is a selfish person. She somehow makes friends with the young, male driver of a Library bus and also a bee-keeping nun (although with her caustic wit you kind of wonder why they put up with her).
Little by little, her Aunt's strange reluctance to leave her alone with her mom, mysterious clicks on the castle grounds, and the strange, glass-making inhabitant of the nearest cottage draw Tamara into uncovering a family secret that will change her forever.
Tamara's selfishness and brusque manner was okay for the first part of the book, but then I got tired of how mean she was. I wanted her to melt a bit. I also didn't quite like how interchangeable Library Bus Driver and Wesley ended up being-- I feel like Tamara developed nothing from her encounters with those two.
But most of all, what makes this closer to a 3 star than a 4 star, is the weird way in which the "villain" gets this summarized story at the end of the book to explain everything. And even with that explanation, I'm left wondering why certain characters did what they did. Motivation seemed weird, as well as the central mystery of the story a bit unbelievable.
This Book's Snack Rating: Cheddar Cheese Pringles for the thinly concocted characters with a pleasing layer of mysterious cheese in the first half of the book
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
This book was a SLOG. I found it really hard to get into because nothing happened for at least the first third. Literally nothing. Instead you are introduced to a cast of characters who, at best, are unmemorable, and, at worst, are unlikeable. Then, finally when the foretelling magical book comes into play you might be forgiven for thinking that it's going to be a major factor in the plot, especially considering the novel is literally called The Book of Tomorrow. Well, nope. As quickly as it is introduced, it is then tossed aside and the plot takes on more of a thriller, whodunnit air which, whilst mildly interesting, was not what I signed up for!