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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
It took me a while to get into this one. I liked the characters, but wasn't sure that I needed all of the story. I enjoyed the last 100 pages and they felt like a reasonable payoff for the slow start.
A little slow to begin with and somewhat predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless. Reminded me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time in parts.
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
A must read for Vonnegut fans. Spoiler alert- the book handles assisted suicide in a respectful, thoughtful manner but could be difficult for those who see the issue as black and white.
This story was completely unexpected in the best way! I wish there was a sequel so I could know more about Alex's future.
The book was good and funny in places. I just felt that the as the topic was a bit difficult at the end it was somehow glossed over in a rush to the end. I would give 3.5 stars for it.
Extence, Gavin. The Universe Versus Alex Woods. Redhook, 2013.
Alex was hit by a meteorite when he was ten, which not only scarred him for life (literally) but also gave him a seizure disorder. This disorder led to teasing, which eventually led to an old man's greenhouse windows being smashed, which in turn led to Alex being required to help this man for a number of weeks until his debt had been paid. This is why, at the beginning of the story, Alex is arrested on his way back to the UK when he is found in possession of a considerable amount of marijuana as well as the cremains of this same elderly gentleman. The rest of the book leads up to the first chapter.
This book caught my attention and managed to hold it even after I figured out why Alex was caught at the border with drugs and ashes. I liked Alex's personality and enjoyed watching his relationship with Mr. Peterson grow. I appreciated the way this book handled the topic of assisted suicide as well as secular humanism. While this book doesn't currently exist in my library, I could easily recommend it to teens who are interested in stories that wrestle with difficult topics.
Recommended for: young adults
Red Flags: marijuana use, language, assisted suicide
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars
Alex was hit by a meteorite when he was ten, which not only scarred him for life (literally) but also gave him a seizure disorder. This disorder led to teasing, which eventually led to an old man's greenhouse windows being smashed, which in turn led to Alex being required to help this man for a number of weeks until his debt had been paid. This is why, at the beginning of the story, Alex is arrested on his way back to the UK when he is found in possession of a considerable amount of marijuana as well as the cremains of this same elderly gentleman. The rest of the book leads up to the first chapter.
This book caught my attention and managed to hold it even after I figured out why Alex was caught at the border with drugs and ashes. I liked Alex's personality and enjoyed watching his relationship with Mr. Peterson grow. I appreciated the way this book handled the topic of assisted suicide as well as secular humanism. While this book doesn't currently exist in my library, I could easily recommend it to teens who are interested in stories that wrestle with difficult topics.
Recommended for: young adults
Red Flags: marijuana use, language, assisted suicide
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars
It was a book that flowed well and kept me engaged throughout. I was touched by the story of an unusual friendship and the ways they helped each other grow along the course of the story.
AMAZING. Witty, tear-inducing, comical, diverse, and an overall emotional roller coaster (in the best way), this book is fantastic read. The characterization is so brilliant and the events are so subtle and realistic, I didn't even realize how attached I was getting to the characters until I was crying after reading the last pages. Immediately after finishing the library copy I'd checked out, I bought this book. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a book with unconventional yet relatable characters, an astoundingly unique and interesting plot, and a beautiful storytelling method.
Gavin Extence’s debut novel was one of those books that draws you in immediately, compelling you to read on and on. A teenager drives off the ferry at Dover and is stopped by customs. His glove compartment contains a bag of marijuana and on his passenger seat there is an urn full of human remains. To compound the situation he has Handel’s Messiah blaring out of his radio in order to somehow halt an oncoming seizure. Cut to roughly six years before and we learn from Alex what has led up to this curious situation. It all began with a meteorite or more accurately, as Alex learns, a meteoroid. From that point on Alex is changed, not only does he develop epilepsy after being in a coma for weeks, his whole outlook on life has altered. He himself says that without the meteorite he would be a completely different person. And Alex is not a conventional teenage boy. The only child of a single spiritualist woman who performs tarot readings to customers in the shop she owns while the identity of his father is a mystery, a stranger met one night somewhere near Stonehenge. He also likes to read on the bus. That he reads at all is counter to every boy that I knew at that age. He does not fit in with other teenagers and is regularly bullied by a particularly loathsome gang of reprobates. When he is chased one day into a local man’s shed which inevitably becomes damaged, Alex is blamed and Alex’s mother makes an agreement with the owner Mr Petersen that Alex will provide assistance to him by completing any odd jobs that he has. In one part Alex has me in stitches in his misunderstanding of Amnesty International. In time the two bond over their love of Kurt Vonnegut novels and become each other’s only friend.
For me Alex was an inspiring character, he was how I wish I had been when I was his age. Or perhaps more specifically, had the courage to be openly. He is clever and charming and extremely witty though often it is his naivety and innocence that is responsible. He doesn’t seem to worry that is an outsider and is dismayed by the amount of attention he receives after the accident. He is more upset that someone has taken the meteorite. I genuinely liked Alex and was enchanted by his relationship with Mr Petersen which made the final section all the more touching. There are obvious comparison’s to be made with Vonnegut but I was also reminded of Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye and Adrian Mole from the diaries by Sue Townsend which for me is no bad thing. The first person internal monologue is a great device to immerse you completely in a person’s story and in Alex’s case resulted in a hilarious and often touching reading experience.
For me Alex was an inspiring character, he was how I wish I had been when I was his age. Or perhaps more specifically, had the courage to be openly. He is clever and charming and extremely witty though often it is his naivety and innocence that is responsible. He doesn’t seem to worry that is an outsider and is dismayed by the amount of attention he receives after the accident. He is more upset that someone has taken the meteorite. I genuinely liked Alex and was enchanted by his relationship with Mr Petersen which made the final section all the more touching. There are obvious comparison’s to be made with Vonnegut but I was also reminded of Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye and Adrian Mole from the diaries by Sue Townsend which for me is no bad thing. The first person internal monologue is a great device to immerse you completely in a person’s story and in Alex’s case resulted in a hilarious and often touching reading experience.