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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
I liked this book. I liked the realistic characters and situations.
I loved the details...in the day to day and the relationship and the friendships and the families of the characters. It brought to mind David Levithan and John Green. And I loved the illustrations; Maira Kalman is faboo!
However, I have to agree with several of the reviewers who say something along the lines of the conceit of the kiss-off letter wears out long before the end of the novel. Fifty to seventy pages would have been excised by a good editor. And there were far, far too many fake movies.
I loved the details...in the day to day and the relationship and the friendships and the families of the characters. It brought to mind David Levithan and John Green. And I loved the illustrations; Maira Kalman is faboo!
However, I have to agree with several of the reviewers who say something along the lines of the conceit of the kiss-off letter wears out long before the end of the novel. Fifty to seventy pages would have been excised by a good editor. And there were far, far too many fake movies.
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I appreciated the escapist drama of this book, the dancing language, the effervescent joy and plummeting heartbreak. I appreciated the prosaic motivations behind the ending, so rare in teen romances where usually a couple ends up together and fireworks go off or one of them is dead or moves away. In WHY WE BROKE UP, we have a run-of-the-mill relationship that ends for your run-of-the-mill reasons. There is no rhyme or reason for the bad behavior of the dude who broke the narrator's heart, who seems like he's going to be the hero of the story. Despite knowing from the outset that the book is about a breakup, there is still this excellent play of tension and hope that somehow it will turn out differently. The illustrations are gorgeous.
However, I hated the book's occasional dip into condescending and sometimes hateful language toward "slutty" girls (who the narrator is sooooooo different from *eye roll*), homosexuality, etc. Like. It was written in 2011 and the narrator is a smart high school girl who understands that using "gay" as a slur is wrong. Yet we still have this persistent language from other characters, which I guess is the author's attempt to mimic teen-speak as much as possible. In those moments, I felt very aware that I was reading a book about "teens" as an idea, written by a male adult for (mostly) female teens who are real people.... It left a bad taste in my mouth.
However, I hated the book's occasional dip into condescending and sometimes hateful language toward "slutty" girls (who the narrator is sooooooo different from *eye roll*), homosexuality, etc. Like. It was written in 2011 and the narrator is a smart high school girl who understands that using "gay" as a slur is wrong. Yet we still have this persistent language from other characters, which I guess is the author's attempt to mimic teen-speak as much as possible. In those moments, I felt very aware that I was reading a book about "teens" as an idea, written by a male adult for (mostly) female teens who are real people.... It left a bad taste in my mouth.
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
What a teen experience. Like Eleanor and Park, this transports you back to the experience of your first heartbreak. Min tends to ramble on most of the time, like a crazed,hurt teenager, but in the end you'll know why. The way they broke up was quite heartbreaking.
I don't particularly care about love stories, especially teenage love stories, but Daniel Handler somehow manages to make even the most mundane teenage relationship sad and maybe even meaningful. I just really love him.
Thanks, Daniel Handler, for making my fleeting high school romances with all of their heart stopping flirting and starry eyed ideas of fairy-tale endings seem like just yesterday. (They were definitely NOT yesterday or even just a few years ago...) This book, made even bittersweeter (I know, not a word) by the inimitable Maria Kalman's perfect illustrations, has made me want to find my old yearbook and reminisce, and then be grateful for the distance that is now between me and that utterly glorious and altogether devastating experience of young love.
After reading heaps and heaps of reviews about how people loved this book, I can't help but feel like I'm missing something here.
Did we read the same book? Honestly, I don't see how I'm supposed to feel anything reading about this relationship (if you can call it that). From the start it was painfully clear that these two weren't meant to be together. Min is a pretentious film-lover, Ed is a typical jock. ON THE FIRST DATE he isn't getting her. I never believed they were in love for one second, let alone 300-odd pages.
This leads me to another problem. This entire book is Min writing her ex a letter about their relationship. Except their relationship didn't even last two months. This coupled with the way she narrates it just implies to me that she became waaaaaay too obsessed and for no real reason. Ed isn't attractive, he isn't charming or witty or charismatic in any way. Am I supposed to see this as Min being a silly teenager? If so, then the execution is very poor because it felt accidental. Also, why write a book about it and make the prose so very literary?
The writing style is maybe the only thing that made this book tolerable and that's not saying much. It's pretentious, the sentences go on far too long and Min spends way too much time getting to the point. I can't say I felt particularly attached to any of the characters. The illustrations are nice I guess? All in all, a flimsy book held together by pretty artwork and presentation. Not worth spending time or money on.
Overall Score: 2
What Everyone Else is Reading
Did we read the same book? Honestly, I don't see how I'm supposed to feel anything reading about this relationship (if you can call it that). From the start it was painfully clear that these two weren't meant to be together. Min is a pretentious film-lover, Ed is a typical jock. ON THE FIRST DATE he isn't getting her. I never believed they were in love for one second, let alone 300-odd pages.
This leads me to another problem. This entire book is Min writing her ex a letter about their relationship. Except their relationship didn't even last two months. This coupled with the way she narrates it just implies to me that she became waaaaaay too obsessed and for no real reason. Ed isn't attractive, he isn't charming or witty or charismatic in any way. Am I supposed to see this as Min being a silly teenager? If so, then the execution is very poor because it felt accidental. Also, why write a book about it and make the prose so very literary?
The writing style is maybe the only thing that made this book tolerable and that's not saying much. It's pretentious, the sentences go on far too long and Min spends way too much time getting to the point. I can't say I felt particularly attached to any of the characters. The illustrations are nice I guess? All in all, a flimsy book held together by pretty artwork and presentation. Not worth spending time or money on.
Overall Score: 2
What Everyone Else is Reading
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes