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cammallerin's review against another edition
5.0
Very suspenseful and told with a lot of heart. I finished this book the day of the Jacksonville Madden shooting, so the narrative felt all too real.
Update (2 days post read): I have just now come to realize that the book really doesn’t say anything about the shooter or what his family/friends did/didn’t do wrong. It’s about the third parties, the people who went to the same school, the same mall, knew so and so. These stories are just as valid in mass shooting situations and it was refreshing to read a macro approach
Update (2 days post read): I have just now come to realize that the book really doesn’t say anything about the shooter or what his family/friends did/didn’t do wrong. It’s about the third parties, the people who went to the same school, the same mall, knew so and so. These stories are just as valid in mass shooting situations and it was refreshing to read a macro approach
briarsreviews's review against another edition
4.0
"If We Had Known" was a unique read that gave me chills.
With all the shootings that have been happening, well...everywhere, I was honestly surprised I hadn't seen millions upon millions of books trying to hone in on the public interest. When I initially picked this book up, I was under the impression this book might try to do just that, but it was surprisingly and beautifully respectful.
I did enjoy this book. I think it was an interesting ride all the way along, and it kept me hooked. There were a couple chapters where it was slow and I became bored, but overall it was an addicting ride.
So, what are my pros and cons?
Pros:
1. Different POVs - There are many different point of views in this story, and one of them is NOT the shooter (believe it or not). I appreciated watching the lives of many people fold out, and not just one.
2. Story Telling - I LOVE how Elise Juska told this story. Her choice of words and pace of the novel really fit well with this topic. I wouldn't change a thing in relation to this.
3. Intertwining Stories - When stories intertwine I get so giddy! All of these stories having effects on each other (some positive, some very negative) made the book just a little bit more exciting. I could guess some of the effects that they would have on each other, but it was still nice to see that things do effect other people.
Cons:
1. Plot Device Characters - It felt like some characters were thrown in and taken out super fast just to move the plot along. I would have liked to see Anna's boyfriends a little bit more and see how things affected them.
2. Happily Ever After - Everything tied up so nicely at the end! I was kind of hoping to leave off on a weird note, and not a semi-happy note. Now, everybody who knows me knows I like happy/good endings, but I felt a little cheated with this one. There shouldn't have been a really good ending, and anybody who's been through something like this would tell you how honest that was.
Overall, I really liked this book! There are definitely some minor problems with this book, but it was a worthy read!
Four out of five stars!
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
With all the shootings that have been happening, well...everywhere, I was honestly surprised I hadn't seen millions upon millions of books trying to hone in on the public interest. When I initially picked this book up, I was under the impression this book might try to do just that, but it was surprisingly and beautifully respectful.
I did enjoy this book. I think it was an interesting ride all the way along, and it kept me hooked. There were a couple chapters where it was slow and I became bored, but overall it was an addicting ride.
So, what are my pros and cons?
Pros:
1. Different POVs - There are many different point of views in this story, and one of them is NOT the shooter (believe it or not). I appreciated watching the lives of many people fold out, and not just one.
2. Story Telling - I LOVE how Elise Juska told this story. Her choice of words and pace of the novel really fit well with this topic. I wouldn't change a thing in relation to this.
3. Intertwining Stories - When stories intertwine I get so giddy! All of these stories having effects on each other (some positive, some very negative) made the book just a little bit more exciting. I could guess some of the effects that they would have on each other, but it was still nice to see that things do effect other people.
Cons:
1. Plot Device Characters - It felt like some characters were thrown in and taken out super fast just to move the plot along. I would have liked to see Anna's boyfriends a little bit more and see how things affected them.
2. Happily Ever After - Everything tied up so nicely at the end! I was kind of hoping to leave off on a weird note, and not a semi-happy note. Now, everybody who knows me knows I like happy/good endings, but I felt a little cheated with this one. There shouldn't have been a really good ending, and anybody who's been through something like this would tell you how honest that was.
Overall, I really liked this book! There are definitely some minor problems with this book, but it was a worthy read!
Four out of five stars!
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
theyellowbrickreader's review
4.0
Elise Juska is often my answer to the question, “Who is your favorite author?” Another solid delivery with this novel, though the subject weighs heavily. Not my favorite of her novels but a worthwhile read nonetheless.
chelton's review against another edition
5.0
After a shooting at a local mall, English professor Maggie Daley discovers the shooter was one of her former students. While shaken by the event, she pours her focus into sending her daughter off to college and starting a new semester. However, when another former student, Luke Finch, makes a Facebook post alleging the shooter's class compositions might have contained extreme violence, Maggie is thrust into a nationwide debate over violence prevention.
The strongest part of this book is the characters. This story is told through multiple points of view, swapping around each chapter. By doing so, it allows readers to get a sense of the totality of the shooting and to understand how it impacts a broader community. While the shooting remains the catalyst for everything, the characters themselves push the plot forward, and I appreciate that Elise Juska framed this novel as more of a character study.
That noted, these characters are flawed and some of their decisions are downright hair-pulling as their consequences unfold. Maggie, while deeply sympathetic, makes a few choices that left me sunk because, without clear foreshadowing, it's so apparent something negative is going to follow. However, Juska keeps her characters grounded in reality and the logic makes sense. For me, so long as it makes sense for the character, I can accept some cringe-inducing decisions, and that's balanced beautifully here.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I appreciated Juska's exploration of blame in the aftermath of tragedy.
Note: I received a free copy of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway.
The strongest part of this book is the characters. This story is told through multiple points of view, swapping around each chapter. By doing so, it allows readers to get a sense of the totality of the shooting and to understand how it impacts a broader community. While the shooting remains the catalyst for everything, the characters themselves push the plot forward, and I appreciate that Elise Juska framed this novel as more of a character study.
That noted, these characters are flawed and some of their decisions are downright hair-pulling as their consequences unfold. Maggie, while deeply sympathetic, makes a few choices that left me sunk because, without clear foreshadowing, it's so apparent something negative is going to follow. However, Juska keeps her characters grounded in reality and the logic makes sense. For me, so long as it makes sense for the character, I can accept some cringe-inducing decisions, and that's balanced beautifully here.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I appreciated Juska's exploration of blame in the aftermath of tragedy.
Note: I received a free copy of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway.
kimib79's review
2.0
Not for me. Too much cussing and I don't care for the characters. Stopped on chapter three.
aimeedarsreads's review against another edition
4.0
The small town of Reed, Maine reeled when Nathan Dugan entered the local shopping mall and started firing, killing four (one of whom died in the hospital) before turning a gun on himself. Nathan had been a student at Central Maine State University and four years ago had taken Freshman Composition with Professor Maggie Daley. Luke Finch, who was also in the class, wrote a post on Facebook about his memories of Nathan, how he’d made the class uncomfortable, and how a paper he wrote was weird. Luke’s reminiscence went viral, and other classmates commented about their fear of Nathan and discomfort in the classroom.
Maggie, distracted by the imminent departure of her troubled daughter, Anna, for college in Boston, and frustrated that her boyfriend, Robert, still lived with his estranged wife, became embroiled in a debate about how much she should have intervened based on Nathan’s writing. The extent of Maggie’s responsibility was questioned online, in local periodicals, and throughout the community.
Both the shooting itself and the debate over what could have been done to prevent the tragedy irrevocably change Nathan’s mother, Maggie, Anna, Luke, and the people around them.
In beautiful prose, If We Had Known poignantly traces the aftermath of the tragedy while revealing both the connective power of social media as well as its ability to perpetuate misinformation and superficiality. It interrogates the integrity of memory and shows how perspective impacts meaning. And it provides a heartbreaking rendition of the transition to college and the frightening descent into mental illness. Yet, despite the subject matter and the trials faced by the characters, the novel is ultimately a hopeful portrait of the power of connection.
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kelam715's review against another edition
5.0
My review here: https://beingfictional.wordpress.com/2020/05/02/if-we-had-known/
bellasgonemissing's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
3.5
melannrosenthal's review against another edition
2.0
Huh? Not to be desperate for the glorifying of gun violence, but this book was solely about a shooting in a mall and the effects on the people “involved” though the connections are actually tenuous and there is so little to propel the story after the initial inciting event. Also, the audiobook enhanced the dullness. Skip.