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saracook's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
allisonandrus12's review against another edition
5.0
I watched The Fundamentals of Caring movie a few days ago, and realized it was based on a book, so obviously had to pick it up. There are quite a few differences between the two, but the same basic story line is the same.
Incredible book. HIGHLY recommend for a funny, heartfelt read!
Incredible book. HIGHLY recommend for a funny, heartfelt read!
kellieveltri's review against another edition
4.0
The Fundamentals of Caring is my favorite movie. It’s an unconventional choice, I know, but the dramatic ebbs of serious and lighthearted moments play perfectly into a heart-breaking and -warming story. This book, however, is immeasurably sad. It is clear that the story is a vehicle for Elvison’s personal grief, and the intermittent moments of humor are the only thing that sustain the reader. This model works for Ben Benjamin’s character, though, as it mirrors the course of his life over the past three years. This story is very much Ben’s, although Trevor of course plays a meaningful role in his development. The cast of oddball side characters is able to be more fully fleshed-out over the length of the novel (although Elvison’s treatment of women both as characters and in Ben and Trev’s conversations is disappointing and certainly leaves something to be desired) and I found myself personally caring for each one of them. Although the book ends on a far more melancholy note than its film adaptation, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon and we believe that Ben is going to be okay.
janetll's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted so much to like this book. It has a modern-day, realistic disability as one of its main points, and I'm very happy to see that. That part was wonderfully portrayed. The sub plot, though, of revealing so terribly slowly what had happened to the narrator's children was just overdone, and, I think, unnecessarily tragic. If this was a true story, it would be hard to tell because that event is so dramatic. And I didn't find it hilarious, as many people do.
ameserole's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty sure I've seen the movie before I even saw that this was a book.
Just like the movie, I really did enjoy the book as well. Not sure which one was my favorite out of the two but they were both enjoyable. Which is a good thing, right?
Either way, in The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving we meet Ben and Trev. Both are sad and/or not living their best life. Ben used to be a stay-at-home dad but now he needs something else to occupy him. Mostly because it's not fun coming home to an empty house anymore. On top of that, he also needs to sign his divorce papers. In need of money, he does a 28 hour training course to become a caregiver.
28 hours doesn't really seem like a lot to me though..
After that we meet Trev. He's a 19 year old boy with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. After googling that mouthful, all I can say is yikes. It's not fun being confined to a wheelchair and going through the teenage horny years. All I can say is, the moment after they met I knew I was going to be in love.
While reading this book, I definitely remember what happened in the movie. It's pretty much why I loved everything in this. The sarcasm and inappropriate comments just made me love these two even more. Especially since Paul Rudd is in the movie.. and he's just hilarious.
In the end, this was hilarious and I loved it all.
Just like the movie, I really did enjoy the book as well. Not sure which one was my favorite out of the two but they were both enjoyable. Which is a good thing, right?
Either way, in The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving we meet Ben and Trev. Both are sad and/or not living their best life. Ben used to be a stay-at-home dad but now he needs something else to occupy him. Mostly because it's not fun coming home to an empty house anymore. On top of that, he also needs to sign his divorce papers. In need of money, he does a 28 hour training course to become a caregiver.
28 hours doesn't really seem like a lot to me though..
After that we meet Trev. He's a 19 year old boy with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. After googling that mouthful, all I can say is yikes. It's not fun being confined to a wheelchair and going through the teenage horny years. All I can say is, the moment after they met I knew I was going to be in love.
While reading this book, I definitely remember what happened in the movie. It's pretty much why I loved everything in this. The sarcasm and inappropriate comments just made me love these two even more. Especially since Paul Rudd is in the movie.. and he's just hilarious.
In the end, this was hilarious and I loved it all.
dorothea03's review
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I thought this book was pretty mid. The main character objectifies women in a weird way and like constantly. I was bored and didn’t want to keep reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Sexism, Terminal illness, and Misogyny
aposthuma's review against another edition
3.0
This was cute but I'm so sorry to say I liked the movie better.
lisawreading's review against another edition
4.0
The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving is a sad but not humorless look at a man who has lost everything that matters, as he stumbles toward something like hope, or at the least the possibility of maybe having hope at some not-too-distant future time.
Ben is a total wreck when he takes a job caring for Trevor, a 19-year-old boy severely disabled by progressively degenerating muscular dystrophy. Ben doesn't know how to do much of anything besides provide care, having worked odd jobs and been a stay-at-home dad in his earlier life. Finally out of any means of supporting himself, Ben becomes a certified caregiver, and by caring for Trevor, takes baby steps toward his own long-overdue healing.
I found this book touching but not heavy-handed, and the voice throughout is leavened by humor, despite the truly horrible disaster in Ben's past. An odd assortment of quirky characters come in and out of the storyline, most neatly defined although not necessarily believable (Trevor's estranged father is so incessantly accident-prone that one wonders how he's still alive and functioning), and, oh yes, there is a road trip. I myself am not a fan of road trips, whether in books or movies (although I don't mind them in real life), but the journey of Ben and Trevor is a fairly effective plot device, and is a mostly effective metaphor for Ben's own journey through grief toward healing.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and have no hesitation about recommending it.
(This review and others also appear on my blog.)
Ben is a total wreck when he takes a job caring for Trevor, a 19-year-old boy severely disabled by progressively degenerating muscular dystrophy. Ben doesn't know how to do much of anything besides provide care, having worked odd jobs and been a stay-at-home dad in his earlier life. Finally out of any means of supporting himself, Ben becomes a certified caregiver, and by caring for Trevor, takes baby steps toward his own long-overdue healing.
I found this book touching but not heavy-handed, and the voice throughout is leavened by humor, despite the truly horrible disaster in Ben's past. An odd assortment of quirky characters come in and out of the storyline, most neatly defined although not necessarily believable (Trevor's estranged father is so incessantly accident-prone that one wonders how he's still alive and functioning), and, oh yes, there is a road trip. I myself am not a fan of road trips, whether in books or movies (although I don't mind them in real life), but the journey of Ben and Trevor is a fairly effective plot device, and is a mostly effective metaphor for Ben's own journey through grief toward healing.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and have no hesitation about recommending it.
(This review and others also appear on my blog.)