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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
Post-it notes left on the frig are how a doctor mom & her 15/16 year old daughter communicate. Emotion comes through in few words as the lack of face-to-face time becomes a frustration to both of them. Ending was poignant.
All-in-all: Quick, touching read.
All-in-all: Quick, touching read.
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is very short and very easy to read in a pretty innovative format. The whole story is told with refrigerator notes. And because of this format, not much of a story can be formed though a good effort was given nonetheless.
The trajectory is quite predictablemum and daughter doesn’t spend much time together, mother and daughter quarrel a lot because it’s either the job’s fault or the daughter’s fault for not taking out time for them. In the end, it’s really both party’s fault. It made me sad because I have experienced such loss before, the type of loss where you thought you had more time to make memories and do things but you didn’t actually have that. Which is why I now try my best to have no regrets with regards to the people I love.
I think there’s not much to critique because it really is a simple story told in a simple way. It’s definitely a rather worthwhile journey if you choose to embark on it and because it is so short, you really have nothing to lose.
The trajectory is quite predictable
I think there’s not much to critique because it really is a simple story told in a simple way. It’s definitely a rather worthwhile journey if you choose to embark on it and because it is so short, you really have nothing to lose.
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
M'ha faltat profunditat. Diàleg intern... Només amb les notes que es deixen a la nevera és molt limitat.
A Monster Calls li dóna mil voltes.
A Monster Calls li dóna mil voltes.
I am a bit torn on this one. It is an original idea, but while the letters between mother & daughter were supposed to feel personal, they almost felt impersonal. I found myself thinking, "Really? Can y'all not make time for each other? And why DON'T you have cell phones?" For the most part, the relationship did feel realistic, and there were some touching moments, but those moments weren't touching enough. Tears come to me easily, but none came upon reading this book.
Bah. I feel awful giving this book only 2 stars, as I was soooo excited to finally get my hands on it and read it. But I just wasn't impressed. And plus, it turned out to be about breast cancer, which is a sore spot for me lately, but that's not why I am giving it only 2 stars. That wouldn't really be fair now, would it.
My complaints are many. First, the format -- actually this is what intrigued me about the book in the first place when I first heard about it. A book comprised completely of notes, cool idea! But I don't think it was done believably. Are there really people out there who only communicate in short notes? I guess today in the age of text messaging it is far more probable, sadly, but ... this mother and daughter often went days without ever seeing each other! The mom didn't find out the daughter was babysitting that evening until she came home to find a note and the daughter already gone! I almost always knew well ahead of time when I needed to babysit -- the rare emergency when someone called me and needed me NOW was ... just that. Rare.
And as a daughter ... maybe the first time my mom left a note that said 'we really need to talk' and i already had plans I would have blown her off. But the next time ... and when she kept repeating "we really need to talk" I would have gone "OH GOD SOMETHING IS WRONG" and MADE TIME. Are there really people out there who wouldn't have sensed something was wrong?! Again, I find that hard to believe, but if there are people like that is makes me really, really sad for the world.
And the mom, as a doctor, didn't seem to know much about what would happen to her during radiation, chemo, etc. That was weird.
Plus just the formatting annoyed me. This book is 220 pages, but it could have been 40. There is only one note to a page, even when the note only has 5 words. The rest of the page is blank. Plus I expected the notes to be more of a handwritten feel, like the note on the front of the book. I guess it's sort of a handwriting-y font, but the same font was used for both mother and daughter. It was annoying turning pages so quickly when there was only a sentence a page.
I cried at the end, and it does make you think about what is really important in life. But ... I found it disappointing overall.
Spoiler
and not only that it's about someone who DIES from breast cancer, so .......My complaints are many. First, the format -- actually this is what intrigued me about the book in the first place when I first heard about it. A book comprised completely of notes, cool idea! But I don't think it was done believably. Are there really people out there who only communicate in short notes? I guess today in the age of text messaging it is far more probable, sadly, but ... this mother and daughter often went days without ever seeing each other! The mom didn't find out the daughter was babysitting that evening until she came home to find a note and the daughter already gone! I almost always knew well ahead of time when I needed to babysit -- the rare emergency when someone called me and needed me NOW was ... just that. Rare.
And as a daughter ... maybe the first time my mom left a note that said 'we really need to talk' and i already had plans I would have blown her off. But the next time ... and when she kept repeating "we really need to talk" I would have gone "OH GOD SOMETHING IS WRONG" and MADE TIME. Are there really people out there who wouldn't have sensed something was wrong?! Again, I find that hard to believe, but if there are people like that is makes me really, really sad for the world.
And the mom, as a doctor, didn't seem to know much about what would happen to her during radiation, chemo, etc. That was weird.
Plus just the formatting annoyed me. This book is 220 pages, but it could have been 40. There is only one note to a page, even when the note only has 5 words. The rest of the page is blank. Plus I expected the notes to be more of a handwritten feel, like the note on the front of the book. I guess it's sort of a handwriting-y font, but the same font was used for both mother and daughter. It was annoying turning pages so quickly when there was only a sentence a page.
I cried at the end, and it does make you think about what is really important in life. But ... I found it disappointing overall.
beautiful and moving - tears were streaming down my face by the end and I wanted to call my mom to tell her how much I love her.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
sad
fast-paced