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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Obsessed with his sisters dating life. Like what?
Well, let me first say this, do not read reviews, it will ruin it for you. I will also say that if you are not a person who enjoys intelligent characters, this is not the book for you. Shusterman is sneaky, I never would have picked up his book "The Schwa Was Here" by description alone, but it was assigned for a class I took in undergrad, and I was pleasantly surprised by it. So, when I was at the library a couple weeks ago, and saw that he had a new book I was all over it. I will say that at first I wasn't sure where this book was going to go, and I had no idea how this book would turn out at the end. I was pleasantly surprised by what Shusterman has created here, written in alternating chapters between four characters was a lot, but it really added a richness to the story. I think there are a lot of things we were privy to plot/character wise could only have been revealed by use of multiple perspectives, which were all told in the first person. I don't want to include any spoilers, so all I will say, is this YA book managed to get pretty deep, surprise me, and well, I may have cried at the end. If you like YA, and a good in depth story, with likable characters, read this.
3.5 Stars, good intelligent read just a little young for me.
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The Bruiser is a strange boy--ahem, more like man, but still. He's secluded as well as excluded. He doesn't have friends. He doesn't like anybody. He's always the butt of the joke. Until Bronte. While working as a library assistant, Bronte assists the Bruiser in finding a poetry book. Not for a school assignment, but to read for fun. This is what intrigues Bronte the most. It isn't long before they're going on their first date that Tennyson, Bronte's older brother, dutifully ambushes with his girlfriend Katrina.
It seems as though Bronte is the only one who can see past the Bruiser's cold, rock-hard outer-self and to the soft-hearted boy on the inside. Tennyson, at first, believes the rumors and thinks that the Bruiser is just bad news. But once he really starts to get to know the Bruiser, he comes to realize that there's a real person beyond the rugged front that the Bruiser puts up to protect himself from the world.
At first I thought this book was really weird, but then it got real interesting real fast and it appealed to me more. Tennyson was my favorite character. Despite the fact that he is a hot-headed meathead ("meathead" being Brew's word), he's extremely loyal, and I love that about him. He started getting freaky in the end, but side effects are side effects.
Bronte, Tennyson's sister as well as Brew's sister, was alright. She'd be that one girl in my class that was nice to everybody, and I'd swear that it was fake. For Bronte, it's real. I just wouldn't really like her. I'd most likely make snide remarks about her and what she does. I would criticize her every move, thinking that there were underlying intentions in each one. I think that makes me somewhat insufferable, but I just wouldn't like her all that much judging on how she acts in Bruiser. We wouldn't be friends if she was real and I knew her in real life.
The reason I gave this book three stars and nothing higher is because it really didn't do much for me. It didn't teach me any important life lesson (although I think it should) nor did it teach me about character or anything of that sort. I liked it, but it didn't "move mountains" for me so to speak.
The first thing that really perturbed me about this book was that Brew's power. The extent of his healing wasn't all that shocking toward the end of the book, and I feel like this idea could've been explored a bit more in terms of the paranormal aspect of Bruiser. Also, it bugged me how Brew just submitted to his uncle's words and actions. He had to know that what his uncle was doing was wrong, and yet he never went anywhere. I know that he faced the foster care system, but...still.
Also, I didn't really like Brew's young brother Cody. He always expected Brew to heal all his injuries and he didn't seem to care that his older brother was in a lot of pain at his expense. I don't care if he was a kid; he was majorly insensitive toward his older brother and had no right to blame Tennyson for his attachment to Brew and his power, because that just made him [Cody] a hypocrite. Cody had no regard for his own well being because he believed that Brew would always heal him, which was partly true. I sort of wished that Brew just let Cody deal with his injuries from time to time, but that clearly wasn't an option for him at the time.
In conclusion, I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love it. It definitely had its flaws and things that could be improved. It's very different from Shusterman's other novel that I've read Unwind. It's hard to read another one of his books, because I want all of them to live up to Unwind, which was just amazing. I wouldn't recommend this book, but I wouldn't not recommend it either. It would be worth the money in my opinion if you want to buy it. Just don't get your hopes up for something amazing after reading Unwind. The two books are nothing alike in terms of being mind-blowingly awesome.
The Bruiser is a strange boy--ahem, more like man, but still. He's secluded as well as excluded. He doesn't have friends. He doesn't like anybody. He's always the butt of the joke. Until Bronte. While working as a library assistant, Bronte assists the Bruiser in finding a poetry book. Not for a school assignment, but to read for fun. This is what intrigues Bronte the most. It isn't long before they're going on their first date that Tennyson, Bronte's older brother, dutifully ambushes with his girlfriend Katrina.
It seems as though Bronte is the only one who can see past the Bruiser's cold, rock-hard outer-self and to the soft-hearted boy on the inside. Tennyson, at first, believes the rumors and thinks that the Bruiser is just bad news. But once he really starts to get to know the Bruiser, he comes to realize that there's a real person beyond the rugged front that the Bruiser puts up to protect himself from the world.
"He's quiet," says Bronte. "He's inscrutable, but that doesn't mean he's a bad person. You know what they say: still waters run deep--"
"--and are full of missing persons."
At first I thought this book was really weird, but then it got real interesting real fast and it appealed to me more. Tennyson was my favorite character. Despite the fact that he is a hot-headed meathead ("meathead" being Brew's word), he's extremely loyal, and I love that about him. He started getting freaky in the end, but side effects are side effects.
Bronte, Tennyson's sister as well as Brew's sister, was alright. She'd be that one girl in my class that was nice to everybody, and I'd swear that it was fake. For Bronte, it's real. I just wouldn't really like her. I'd most likely make snide remarks about her and what she does. I would criticize her every move, thinking that there were underlying intentions in each one. I think that makes me somewhat insufferable, but I just wouldn't like her all that much judging on how she acts in Bruiser. We wouldn't be friends if she was real and I knew her in real life.
The reason I gave this book three stars and nothing higher is because it really didn't do much for me. It didn't teach me any important life lesson (although I think it should) nor did it teach me about character or anything of that sort. I liked it, but it didn't "move mountains" for me so to speak.
The first thing that really perturbed me about this book was that Brew's power. The extent of his healing wasn't all that shocking toward the end of the book, and I feel like this idea could've been explored a bit more in terms of the paranormal aspect of Bruiser. Also, it bugged me how Brew just submitted to his uncle's words and actions. He had to know that what his uncle was doing was wrong, and yet he never went anywhere. I know that he faced the foster care system, but...still.
Also, I didn't really like Brew's young brother Cody. He always expected Brew to heal all his injuries and he didn't seem to care that his older brother was in a lot of pain at his expense. I don't care if he was a kid; he was majorly insensitive toward his older brother and had no right to blame Tennyson for his attachment to Brew and his power, because that just made him [Cody] a hypocrite. Cody had no regard for his own well being because he believed that Brew would always heal him, which was partly true. I sort of wished that Brew just let Cody deal with his injuries from time to time, but that clearly wasn't an option for him at the time.
In conclusion, I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love it. It definitely had its flaws and things that could be improved. It's very different from Shusterman's other novel that I've read Unwind. It's hard to read another one of his books, because I want all of them to live up to Unwind, which was just amazing. I wouldn't recommend this book, but I wouldn't not recommend it either. It would be worth the money in my opinion if you want to buy it. Just don't get your hopes up for something amazing after reading Unwind. The two books are nothing alike in terms of being mind-blowingly awesome.
"Life," my father once said, "is all about settling." Unfortunately, he'd said that right in front of Mom, who proceeded to serve him a peanut butter and onion sandwich for dinner that night.
"Life is all about settling," she reminded him as she slipped the plate in front of him.
A fansty book in the real world with out to much change to the real world
Neal Shusterman is amazing and only accidentally getting carburetor fluid sprayed in my eyes this evening could have made me put it down. And it was more of a "throw it down while screaming" kind of move. But my eyes are feeling better, so I'm about to put the kids to bed so I can get back to the book. I hope I don't go blind.
Not blind! My eyes aren't even damaged! So I finished the book, and it got more and more amazing right up until it was over, and I had to read all the author interview at the end so I wouldn't go into immediate withdrawal, and that was super interesting, too.
This isn't really a paranormal, exactly, but supernatural things happen. Maybe I need a supernatural shelf. Because poor Brewster (i.e. Bruiser) has this...condition...that requires him to keep a strong emotional distance between himself and others. But then Bronte and Tennyson - twins whose parents are English Professors - befriend him, and discover his...condition. That's when things really start falling apart. It's a very complex situation.
There were a couple of points where I thought it was on the verge of getting preachy, but because the characters' voices were so strong, the message came across loud and clear without that feeling that someone else just took over and tried to tell you something while you were enjoying a decent story.
This is my favorite of the 2013 Sequoyah list so far. I hope Oklahoma teens recognize its brilliance and vote for it! They voted for Unwind, which was also brilliant, so maybe they'll get this one right, too.
Not blind! My eyes aren't even damaged! So I finished the book, and it got more and more amazing right up until it was over, and I had to read all the author interview at the end so I wouldn't go into immediate withdrawal, and that was super interesting, too.
This isn't really a paranormal, exactly, but supernatural things happen. Maybe I need a supernatural shelf. Because poor Brewster (i.e. Bruiser) has this...condition...that requires him to keep a strong emotional distance between himself and others. But then Bronte and Tennyson - twins whose parents are English Professors - befriend him, and discover his...condition. That's when things really start falling apart. It's a very complex situation.
There were a couple of points where I thought it was on the verge of getting preachy, but because the characters' voices were so strong, the message came across loud and clear without that feeling that someone else just took over and tried to tell you something while you were enjoying a decent story.
This is my favorite of the 2013 Sequoyah list so far. I hope Oklahoma teens recognize its brilliance and vote for it! They voted for Unwind, which was also brilliant, so maybe they'll get this one right, too.
This is vaguely in the realm of fantasy, with our lead male having a superpower of sorts (the ability to take others pain, from emotional to physical, away from them). Of course this has led to a life relatively isolated from all except his abusive uncle and his careless younger brother... until, of course, he meets a lovely young girl and starts to have a real relationship with her, her brother and her family. The questions posed (eg., will he survive being with "normal" people?) are not as interesting as the larger ideas of overwhelming empathy and its effect on people. Ok, maybe that was my bigger issue and not the author's.
The best part was that even with the overlay of Bruiser's, um, ability? power? quirk? the teen voices were all very real; the adults, on the other hand, were less so.
The best part was that even with the overlay of Bruiser's, um, ability? power? quirk? the teen voices were all very real; the adults, on the other hand, were less so.
I read this at least once a year because its just one of those books that has made an accidental impact on you in all the right ways.
Brester Rawlins is that kid in school all the others point at and whisper about. A hulking loner, he's been privately voted mostly likely to get the Death Penalty. Bronte and her twin brother Tennyson, however, become drawn into Brewster's life and discover the secret behind his isolation. Brewster has a good reason for staying away from everyone and it's one most people would never accept.
At first I was really liking this story. Shusterman is a vivid writer with gorgeous descriptions and well drawn characters. The story itself has a really interesting premise. I just wasn't able to make myself finish the story however because by 2/3 of the way through it felt like I was watching an on-coming train wreck. I can't see this book ending in any happy way and I was getting really frustrated with how dense Bronte is and how self-serving Tennyson can be. Perhaps they turn it all around but I just wasn't willing to stick through until the end to find out. Tennyson in particular became annoying and hard to read about.
At first I was really liking this story. Shusterman is a vivid writer with gorgeous descriptions and well drawn characters. The story itself has a really interesting premise. I just wasn't able to make myself finish the story however because by 2/3 of the way through it felt like I was watching an on-coming train wreck. I can't see this book ending in any happy way and I was getting really frustrated with how dense Bronte is and how self-serving Tennyson can be. Perhaps they turn it all around but I just wasn't willing to stick through until the end to find out. Tennyson in particular became annoying and hard to read about.