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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
I tried. I really did. I thought the first chapter was overwrought and unbearably pretentious, but I thought, "maybe it gets better, or at the very least I'll get sucked in and the pretension will begin to wash over me and I'll accept it all." So I read another chapter. And another. And then I just couldn't anymore. The combination of writing style and character voice just grated on me, and I eventually gave up and just skimmed the rest of the book, finally reading the last chapter, at which point I almost threw the book across the room, because seriously?!? That's why you broke up? This entire book was leading up to that? UGH.
This might just be an example of me not being the target audience whatsoever, and for once, being completely incapable of putting myself in the proper shoes. But this book left me both bored and enraged, and I would not recommend it.
This might just be an example of me not being the target audience whatsoever, and for once, being completely incapable of putting myself in the proper shoes. But this book left me both bored and enraged, and I would not recommend it.
(Popsugar Challenge: A classic romance)
I'm taking several liberties with this prompt but this book was too, too perfect not to include in this challenge. The story itself is absolutely a classic romance: there is the whole What's so different about it is how the story's told. The uniqueness of the letter she's writing; the pictures of all of the items in the Box She Kept while they dated; seeing their relationship in reverse; knowing how it ends at the beginning but feeling hopeful for a different ending. It was all beautifully done.
I want to subtract a star for the writing; I took my time with this one because the language was different from what I'm used to reading, but it works. They talk like teenagers. How refreshing. I'm leaving the fifth star.
I'm taking several liberties with this prompt but this book was too, too perfect not to include in this challenge. The story itself is absolutely a classic romance: there is the whole
Spoiler
girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy, girl has sex with boy, boy cheats on girl, girl runs to her (male) best friend whose strong feelings for her are not reciprocated.I want to subtract a star for the writing; I took my time with this one because the language was different from what I'm used to reading, but it works. They talk like teenagers. How refreshing. I'm leaving the fifth star.
Disclaimer: I'm a romantic and the plot of this book hit really close to home. I set myself up to love this book (I love the author, I love the illustrator, I practically tackled Mickie when she got the ARC), and I did indeed love it. I get why people found Min annoying, but I identified with her a lot. Sure, there were lots of signs that she and Ed weren't a good match, but I saw the story as a unique angle on the coming-of-age process: Min coming to terms with looking at things in a real way. She was (don't say it) "artsy": she could see the beauty in a bonfire even though she hated the drunken jocks and mean girls around it. She felt the rush of being at a basketball game even though she also felt bored and out of place. She could see the sweetness and potential in Ed even though they were almost different species. Maybe this is why I identify with her, because I think this ability is both a blessing and a curse. If you can always find a silver lining, do you forget that you can hold out for things that are silver-all-over from the get-go? Are silver linings/rose-colored glasses ever "enough" when it comes to big things like relationships? Perhaps adulthood hits when you realize the answer is no. (Heh, maybe I'm not yet an adult, then...)
Kudos to Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket for writing in the voice of a girl. Somewhere I need to start keeping a list of authors who write in the other gender. It intrigues me.
Favorite quotes:
"...and Ed, the thing with your heart's desire is that your heart doesn't even know what it desires until it turns up. Like a tie at a tag sale, some perfect thing in a crate of nothing, you were just there, uninvited, and now suddenly the party was over and you were all I wanted, the best gift."
"And then the third night [of lighting matches] was after we broke up, which was worth a million matches but instead just took all I had."
"I was stupid, the official descriptive phrase for happy."
p. 80-82 description of school -- whoa
"Oh, wherever it works, Ed, I thought with your hand on my hip and the not-fitting coin in my pocket. Wherever it's good, whatever strange faraway land, let's go there, let's stay in that place alone."
"...there was something wrong with the picture I was in. It was like an apple running for Congress, a bike rack wearing a bathing suit. I was cut and pasted wrong into a background you could immediately -- or, anyway, after fifteen minutes -- see didn't match up, was how I felt."
"'Okaaay,' Jillian said, with that weird curve she uses in her voice sometimes, airy but spiky like a bug-eating plant."
"...when I close this book to give it to you, I don't think about that, just us holding the book in our hands to buy it and take it here with us, because damn it Ed, that's not why we broke up. I love it, I miss it, I hate to give it back to you, this complicated thing, it's why we stayed together."
"'It tastes like somebody killed a spicy fig.'"
"Al said that one should have been called Are You in a Good Mood? We'll Fix That: The Movie."
"The chicken is saying pretty much the short version of this whole letter to you: ?#!* Ouch!"
"How wrong to think I was anyone else, like thinking grass stains make you a beautiful view, like getting kissed makes you kissable, like feeling warm makes you coffee, like liking movies makes you a director. How utterly incorrect to think it any other way, a box of crap is treasures, a boy smiling means it, a gentle moment is a life improved. It's not, it isn't, catastrophic to think so, a pudgy toddler in a living room dreaming of ballerinas, a girl in bed star-eyed over Never by Candlelight, a nut thinking she is loved following a stranger in the street."
Kudos to Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket for writing in the voice of a girl. Somewhere I need to start keeping a list of authors who write in the other gender. It intrigues me.
Favorite quotes:
"...and Ed, the thing with your heart's desire is that your heart doesn't even know what it desires until it turns up. Like a tie at a tag sale, some perfect thing in a crate of nothing, you were just there, uninvited, and now suddenly the party was over and you were all I wanted, the best gift."
"And then the third night [of lighting matches] was after we broke up, which was worth a million matches but instead just took all I had."
"I was stupid, the official descriptive phrase for happy."
p. 80-82 description of school -- whoa
"Oh, wherever it works, Ed, I thought with your hand on my hip and the not-fitting coin in my pocket. Wherever it's good, whatever strange faraway land, let's go there, let's stay in that place alone."
"...there was something wrong with the picture I was in. It was like an apple running for Congress, a bike rack wearing a bathing suit. I was cut and pasted wrong into a background you could immediately -- or, anyway, after fifteen minutes -- see didn't match up, was how I felt."
"'Okaaay,' Jillian said, with that weird curve she uses in her voice sometimes, airy but spiky like a bug-eating plant."
"...when I close this book to give it to you, I don't think about that, just us holding the book in our hands to buy it and take it here with us, because damn it Ed, that's not why we broke up. I love it, I miss it, I hate to give it back to you, this complicated thing, it's why we stayed together."
"'It tastes like somebody killed a spicy fig.'"
"Al said that one should have been called Are You in a Good Mood? We'll Fix That: The Movie."
"The chicken is saying pretty much the short version of this whole letter to you: ?#!* Ouch!"
"How wrong to think I was anyone else, like thinking grass stains make you a beautiful view, like getting kissed makes you kissable, like feeling warm makes you coffee, like liking movies makes you a director. How utterly incorrect to think it any other way, a box of crap is treasures, a boy smiling means it, a gentle moment is a life improved. It's not, it isn't, catastrophic to think so, a pudgy toddler in a living room dreaming of ballerinas, a girl in bed star-eyed over Never by Candlelight, a nut thinking she is loved following a stranger in the street."
Oh Goodreads, why don't you allow half-stars. This book would be a firm 3.5 for me. Naive, romantic Min Green and super-jock, Mr.Popular Ed Slaterton are an unlikely couple, destined for doom. No spoilers here, folks, it's in the title. The book is in first-person narrative told from the point of view of heartbroken Min, who is returning to Ed a box of mementos from their short - lived yet intense romance. This story will remind you why high school and being a teenager is so hard. Every emotion ( and there are lots) is full of intensity.
I love this book so much. i think it’s an absolute masterpiece. i love the writing style, which is basically just stream of consciousness the whole time, and I love how much detail is in this book. It feels written from the heart, and it 100% makes you feel the teenage heartbreak of the main character. 10/10 recommend.
What did I think about Why We Broke Up? It was okay...I guess...It took a while to get into and I had to force myself to keep listening to the story (I was listening to the audiobook). The characters didn't seem all that well developed, especially the secondary characters. They were pretty flat! I also felt like the ending left a lot of loose ends...unless I spaced out during the last couple tracks. I almost went back and listened to them again but then I decided that I really didn't care enough...I didn't hate it though...
This book was AWESOME. It's got a unique set up--each chapter starts with an illustration of an object and then the narrator proceeds to explain the situation surrounding that object. It employs first and second person narration and a casual but very unique voice. It's captivating and bizarre and beautiful and heartbreaking and absolutely perfect.
There were a lot of things wrong with this book, starting with its overall form. Epistolary format does not work for this novel. First of all, if Daniel Handler couldn't write this in one day, then neither could Min. Unless she writes at superhuman speed, it is simply not possible to write a letter of that length in the span of only a couple hours. Through the middle, I kept questioning how she could be writing all of this and still not be at his house yet, and by the time my question was answered, the book had already lost its credibility. The letter didn't even need to be that long, considering a lot of it was dialogue that wouldn't be there were this an actual letter instead of a novel.
People summarize when writing a letter and dialogue, or even a single quote, is rarely used unless very important. The dialogue was too detailed to be believable for a letter, as was the fact that she could remember all of what was said. Unless she also has superhuman memory as well as speed for writing, almost all of the dialogue would have been summarized in one to a few paragraphs.
Due to the length and time it would have taken Min to write her letter, how did she not get carpal tunnel? Writing that letter would have taken a couple hours and if she's writing for the entire time, her wrist should be in severe pain. She could be taking breaks, but if so, mentioning them at least once in her letter would have eliminated further questioning into the credibility of her writing this letter.
Credibility of the letter aside, I was disappointed that Al fell into the cliche of having secret crush on best friend. Al worked really well as the rational best friend and the added twist of his loving Min seemed as if the author said, "Well, you can't have a single guy in there unless he falls in love with the narrator." The cliche was alleviated a bit with Min not knowing how to respond and not pursuing a relationship just yet instead of rushing into one with him. Al would have been a much stronger character had he had no romantic feelings for Min and could continue to be her rational friend.
Also, I was disappointed that Handler's writing style closely matched his style in Series of Unfortunate Events. A lot of descriptions were too lengthy (Min's description of a day in high school) and the digressions of Min sounded a lot like the narrator's digressions in Series. Since this was a book for older audiences, the style was a bit more suited for young adults, but it definitely could have used a bit more tightening in order too avoid sounding too much like the series.
What I did like about the book was the idea of explaining how objects related to a breakup. Instead of epistolary form to explain them, however, poetry might have been better. With poetry, the story isn't as laid out and a little more imagination is left to the audience to wonder how events happened. It also would have taken less time to write, therefore being more believable than a letter.
Another thing I disliked was the forties-movie-film touch. While Min's love for old films, cafes, and stores gives her character some quirkiness, I felt that it was the wrong theme to place beside modern high school. Every time that Min mentioned a movie reference or something else from decades ago (especially the egg cuber), it started to feel like I was watching a modern high school romance silent film in sepia--two things that do not go together.
I did think the story to be beautifully sad, but a lot of things simply didn't give it the full beauty it deserved. With a format that is actually believable as well as a different passion for Min, this book would have been amazing. Unfortunately, the form kills it all.
People summarize when writing a letter and dialogue, or even a single quote, is rarely used unless very important. The dialogue was too detailed to be believable for a letter, as was the fact that she could remember all of what was said. Unless she also has superhuman memory as well as speed for writing, almost all of the dialogue would have been summarized in one to a few paragraphs.
Due to the length and time it would have taken Min to write her letter, how did she not get carpal tunnel? Writing that letter would have taken a couple hours and if she's writing for the entire time, her wrist should be in severe pain. She could be taking breaks, but if so, mentioning them at least once in her letter would have eliminated further questioning into the credibility of her writing this letter.
Credibility of the letter aside, I was disappointed that Al fell into the cliche of having secret crush on best friend. Al worked really well as the rational best friend and the added twist of his loving Min seemed as if the author said, "Well, you can't have a single guy in there unless he falls in love with the narrator." The cliche was alleviated a bit with Min not knowing how to respond and not pursuing a relationship just yet instead of rushing into one with him. Al would have been a much stronger character had he had no romantic feelings for Min and could continue to be her rational friend.
Also, I was disappointed that Handler's writing style closely matched his style in Series of Unfortunate Events. A lot of descriptions were too lengthy (Min's description of a day in high school) and the digressions of Min sounded a lot like the narrator's digressions in Series. Since this was a book for older audiences, the style was a bit more suited for young adults, but it definitely could have used a bit more tightening in order too avoid sounding too much like the series.
What I did like about the book was the idea of explaining how objects related to a breakup. Instead of epistolary form to explain them, however, poetry might have been better. With poetry, the story isn't as laid out and a little more imagination is left to the audience to wonder how events happened. It also would have taken less time to write, therefore being more believable than a letter.
Another thing I disliked was the forties-movie-film touch. While Min's love for old films, cafes, and stores gives her character some quirkiness, I felt that it was the wrong theme to place beside modern high school. Every time that Min mentioned a movie reference or something else from decades ago (especially the egg cuber), it started to feel like I was watching a modern high school romance silent film in sepia--two things that do not go together.
I did think the story to be beautifully sad, but a lot of things simply didn't give it the full beauty it deserved. With a format that is actually believable as well as a different passion for Min, this book would have been amazing. Unfortunately, the form kills it all.
It was good but I was expecting better. I waited for about a year to read this so it was hyped up in my mind. I love the idea of this book but I thought the execution could've been better.
I guess the way that the couple in this book only dated for a couple of months made me not care very much about why their relationship didn't last. Also, I guess I was expecting better mementos from the relationship and better reasons for why it fell apart. I did really like the main character, though.
It was a good read but it could've been so much better.
I guess the way that the couple in this book only dated for a couple of months made me not care very much about why their relationship didn't last. Also, I guess I was expecting better mementos from the relationship and better reasons for why it fell apart. I did really like the main character, though.
It was a good read but it could've been so much better.
I can't remember where I heard about this book, but the concept seemed good - a high school girl breaking up with her boyfriend tells the story of their romance through the objects in the box of stuff she is returning to him. But ultimately, it kind of fell flat. The characters felt like stereotypes. The girl, Min, is alternative - she likes old movies and drinks coffee. See, isn't she sooooo alternative - she's in high school and she drinks coffee and likes old movies! The boy, ED, is the co-captain of the basketball team. Well, of course he is. And, spoiler alert, he's kind of a jerk! I was really hoping for more because the author, Daniel Handler, is the guy who writes under the Lemony Snicket pseudonym, and the Series of Unfortunate Events books are so clever and witty. I missed that in this book. Also, I thought that the review I read called this a young adult book, but they drop the F-bomb a half dozen times. Is that allowed in YA literature? Maybe I misheard the whole YA thing...