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marite's review
3.0
Shiv er overbevist om at det som hente med lillebroren Declan på ferieturen er hennes skyld, og er i ferd med å bli alvorlig psykisk syk. Hun legges inn på Korsakoff klinikken, hvor hun konfronteres med det forferdelige som skjedde i Hellas. Dette er en engasjerende historie om sorg og skyld - og - forsoning. Problemet er at boka er altfor lang. Det blir, tross en egentlig engasjerende historie, kjedelig. Forfatteren kunne med fordel kuttet teksten til det halve, da hadde romanen fortjent fem stjerner.
chelseymarie's review
2.0
Over and over, as I read this book, I asked myself one question. "Am I dead inside, or is it just this book?"
Never Ending should make you have some kind of feelings. Shiv (short for Siobhan) is sixteen, and her younger brother (Declan) has died in an accident Shiv feels responsible for. Shiv, in her grief, has been acting out, smashing things, so her parents send her to a new in-patient clinic that's supposed to be revolutionary in it's care.
First, the structure. The author desperately wants to hide the circumstances of Declan's death, so the book is told in alternating passages in the present, at the clinic, and in the past, leading up to the accident. The exact reason for his death doesn't come out until the last part of the book.
The problem with hiding what happened to Declan means that it makes it incredibly difficult to understand the main character. She's supposed to be processing her grief at this weird clinic, but the author won't provide any details - just that Shiv feels responsible.
The scenes in the clinic don't help. At first, the patients just walk around, make crafts, and supposedly talk and write about their grief - except almost none of that is actually shown, just summarized. Without any of this in scene, how can the reader connect to Shiv or any of the other patients? The clinic also does this very strange thing of forcing the patients to see pictures of their dead friends, including pictures of their dead bodies. This is so bizarre I thought for awhile we were going towards a thriller-type book, and the characters would have to escape from this lunatic clinic, but no. It's presented as a reasonable and useful treatment for people in grief.
Which brings me back to the "Am I dead inside?" question. This is a book supposedly all about grief and guilt (although at least a third of it is about making out with locals on motorcycles), and I felt nothing. I skimmed the last seventy pages just to get the book over with. Have I read so much YA that emotional internal monologues do nothing for me, or is this book just empty-hearted?
Never Ending should make you have some kind of feelings. Shiv (short for Siobhan) is sixteen, and her younger brother (Declan) has died in an accident Shiv feels responsible for. Shiv, in her grief, has been acting out, smashing things, so her parents send her to a new in-patient clinic that's supposed to be revolutionary in it's care.
First, the structure. The author desperately wants to hide the circumstances of Declan's death, so the book is told in alternating passages in the present, at the clinic, and in the past, leading up to the accident. The exact reason for his death doesn't come out until the last part of the book.
Spoiler
On holiday, Shiv and Dec accept motorcycle rides from some drunk locals, and the local driving Dec drives off a cliff.The problem with hiding what happened to Declan means that it makes it incredibly difficult to understand the main character. She's supposed to be processing her grief at this weird clinic, but the author won't provide any details - just that Shiv feels responsible.
The scenes in the clinic don't help. At first, the patients just walk around, make crafts, and supposedly talk and write about their grief - except almost none of that is actually shown, just summarized. Without any of this in scene, how can the reader connect to Shiv or any of the other patients? The clinic also does this very strange thing of forcing the patients to see pictures of their dead friends, including pictures of their dead bodies. This is so bizarre I thought for awhile we were going towards a thriller-type book, and the characters would have to escape from this lunatic clinic, but no. It's presented as a reasonable and useful treatment for people in grief.
Which brings me back to the "Am I dead inside?" question. This is a book supposedly all about grief and guilt (although at least a third of it is about making out with locals on motorcycles), and I felt nothing. I skimmed the last seventy pages just to get the book over with. Have I read so much YA that emotional internal monologues do nothing for me, or is this book just empty-hearted?
jetpackblues47's review against another edition
3.0
- 2.75 stars
I'll admit, I went into this book not fully interested or excited. I'm trying to clear out some of my physical tbr to find room for some more books on my shelves, and to get rid of books I do not want. This was one of the victims.
The first 1/3 of this book was boring and slow. It was very uninteresting and couldn't grasp my attention at all. I considered DNFing this book so many times during that point. But, once we reached around the midway point and into the 2/3 of the book, things picked up. It became much more intriguing and had my full attention. The end was very bland and anticlimactic, so the middle of this book was by far the best part of the entire thing.
The main character is incredibly unlikeable. I could not stand Shiv, and I understand why she was the way she was in present tense, but in the flashbacks she was just so arrogant and awful. I do not think the author intended for the reader to dislike any of the characters, but I disliked many. There were few I actually enjoyed. None of the characters really came into play with the main plot. Most were very distant and withheld from the story, some were bland and uninteresting, some all together stupid and unnecessary.
There were many scenes from this novel I hated, and many I disliked. Very few I can say I actually enjoyed reading. I expected to be able to finish this book, but I did not expect it to be wonderful or worth it- which could easily shape my overall reaction and review, but, oh well.
I'll admit, I went into this book not fully interested or excited. I'm trying to clear out some of my physical tbr to find room for some more books on my shelves, and to get rid of books I do not want. This was one of the victims.
The first 1/3 of this book was boring and slow. It was very uninteresting and couldn't grasp my attention at all. I considered DNFing this book so many times during that point. But, once we reached around the midway point and into the 2/3 of the book, things picked up. It became much more intriguing and had my full attention. The end was very bland and anticlimactic, so the middle of this book was by far the best part of the entire thing.
The main character is incredibly unlikeable. I could not stand Shiv, and I understand why she was the way she was in present tense, but in the flashbacks she was just so arrogant and awful. I do not think the author intended for the reader to dislike any of the characters, but I disliked many. There were few I actually enjoyed. None of the characters really came into play with the main plot. Most were very distant and withheld from the story, some were bland and uninteresting, some all together stupid and unnecessary.
There were many scenes from this novel I hated, and many I disliked. Very few I can say I actually enjoyed reading. I expected to be able to finish this book, but I did not expect it to be wonderful or worth it- which could easily shape my overall reaction and review, but, oh well.
aji's review against another edition
4.0
Never expected to cry this much, especially since the first parts bore me. The switching of present and past was confusing at first, but as the story goes it gets better and better. I don't know which made me cried harder, Dec dying due to the circumstances that happened because of her choices, or the thought that he's still alive when she looked over him. Mikey was also a nice touch. In a sense, they both helped fix each other.
curlyhairedbooklover's review
5.0
It had a great way of crossing the stories at just the right time telling just the right amount leaving a trail of mystery.
sofiasaghir's review
4.0
Recently, I was lucky enough to read Never Ending by Martyn Bedford and I’ve already finished it even though I only started it on Saturday. This book follows our main character called Shiv who is tormented by her brother’s death on their family holiday to Greece. She believes that she was the cause of his death so she is checked into the Korsakoff Clinic which has unconventional therapy techniques. This book was absolutely amazing and I just loved it. Let’s get into the review.
Shiv was a good main character.
Click here to read more: http://fifisofa.wordpress.com/2014/06/03/never-ending-by-martyn-bedford/
Shiv was a good main character.
Click here to read more: http://fifisofa.wordpress.com/2014/06/03/never-ending-by-martyn-bedford/
tashrow's review
5.0
Shiv is unable to live with her brother Declan’s death, particularly her own role in it. So she is sent to the Korsakoff Clinic where she hopes to be cured and be able to continue her life. Unable to see past her own guilt and loss, Shiv finds herself in an unusual clinic where she is first forced to focus on her brother and then forced to look directly at his death without turning away. She is joined in the clinic by several other teens who all lost people in different ways but all feel as responsible and guilty as Shiv does. As they are forced to see the truth of their loss, all of them react in different ways. When hope is highest though, the ground falls out below Shiv and she must figure out that saving someone else may be the answer to saving herself.
Bedford has created a very compelling read. He slowly reveals Shiv’s life before Declan’s death. Along the way, readers get to know Shiv and Declan and their warm and loving parents. They see directly what grief and loss do to people and the way their relationships are torn asunder. They also see how hard it is to return to life after such a loss. Bedford maintains a large level of complexity throughout the novel, moving into flashbacks and also showing Declan as a human rather than a lost angel. The relationship between the siblings is good until a gorgeous young man enters their lives and creates waves for both of them.
As the flashbacks to Declan’s final days continue, the tension in the book mounts. The pressure is also building in Shiv’s recovery as she starts to recover and then suffers setbacks. There are no easy answers here. Declan’s life as well as Shiv’s are complex. The therapy she undergoes is unusual but it is up to Shiv to really do the work of recovery.
Beautifully written and structured, this novel of recovery, pain and guilt weaves a mesmerizing web for the reader who is never quite sure how things are going to end. Appropriate for ages 15-17.
Bedford has created a very compelling read. He slowly reveals Shiv’s life before Declan’s death. Along the way, readers get to know Shiv and Declan and their warm and loving parents. They see directly what grief and loss do to people and the way their relationships are torn asunder. They also see how hard it is to return to life after such a loss. Bedford maintains a large level of complexity throughout the novel, moving into flashbacks and also showing Declan as a human rather than a lost angel. The relationship between the siblings is good until a gorgeous young man enters their lives and creates waves for both of them.
As the flashbacks to Declan’s final days continue, the tension in the book mounts. The pressure is also building in Shiv’s recovery as she starts to recover and then suffers setbacks. There are no easy answers here. Declan’s life as well as Shiv’s are complex. The therapy she undergoes is unusual but it is up to Shiv to really do the work of recovery.
Beautifully written and structured, this novel of recovery, pain and guilt weaves a mesmerizing web for the reader who is never quite sure how things are going to end. Appropriate for ages 15-17.