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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
I like this book much more in concept than in execution. The premise is brilliant, but the voice of the narrator is so ... much, that it makes it hard to care about her broken heart.
This was good. A lot of effort went into it. I'm not really sure what to say about it. It was an excellent idea for a book and I enjoyed the pictures but aside from that, I'd say if you're curious go read it and gather your own thoughts.
At first I liked the book but felt it was a little too slow moving. Then, when it hit near the end (which I don't want to spoil) it shot way, way up. I liked the way it was written. I don't normally like first person narration, but this was really well done. A lot of people seem to be complaining about the run-on sentences but I feel like it made the book (or rather, the letter she was writing) much more organic. At times it was steam-of-thought writing, which I liked. I liked that Min had a deep interest in films (for once a main character in a book who wasn't obsessed with books). She and her friends and all of the other background characters felt very real.
I've never been through a break up, but this felt realistic and sincere. There weren't any neatly tied up endings between anyone, which felt right for the story being told. Again, I do feel like this novel was a little slow moving, but I think the ending is well worth it. As well as being a little more true to life that way.
I've never been through a break up, but this felt realistic and sincere. There weren't any neatly tied up endings between anyone, which felt right for the story being told. Again, I do feel like this novel was a little slow moving, but I think the ending is well worth it. As well as being a little more true to life that way.
This is a cute story about a box of mementos that narrate the story of a short high school relationship. The girl drops the box off at her ex-boyfriend's house with a note (i.e. the book) explaining what the significance of each object was, and why she hated him because of it. Such a fast read and so engaging! It definitely brings back thoughts of your first lost love.
Definitely reads like a Daniel Handler novel. The narrator sounds very Juno-esque. It's like Handler is trying to be Diablo Cody. I can't seem to get into it, which is a disappointment considering a) it was a Printz Honor and b) I was looking forward to it. But the art is good.
Min is a total bitch. How do her friends stand her.
Printz Honor 2012
Min is a total bitch. How do her friends stand her.
Printz Honor 2012
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love Daniel Handler and the crazy way he chooses to write things. I enjoyed this story and Min, the main character, is easy to relate to. I would actually give it a 4.5 but where that isn't an option it was closer to a 5 than a 4. I feel like the main reason I was even tempted to give it a 4 was that I stopped and started a lot so it made the plot a little hard to follow with Handler's writing style. If I sat down and read it in one or two sittings like I normally do with his work I'm sure I would not even be having second thoughts about ranking it 5.
I probably would have loved this book if I had read it when I was 14. Especially after a break up. Instead, for me, it was a book 2/3 too long but with great art work that I imagine Pre-teens would like.
4.5 stars.
I breathed a big sigh when I finally read the last sentence of this book, like I had been holding my breath all this time. (By finally I mean I had read back and forth within it a few times before finally reading all the way to the end. It's that kinda book - you want to know what happens yet you don't want it to stop.)
There's an earlier reviewer who said reading this book is like going through a breakup yourself. It's true. The first-person, stream of consciousness narrative draws you right in, feeding upon your own history of love-related pain. Many (small) details of the plot resonate with me - I particularly like the sudden, unexpected way that Min and Ed connected: the intense, bohemian girl (she hates the label "arty") and the handsome jock. They caught each other's eyes, even though neither expected it.
I like the structure of the novel - Min and Ed have broken up and, as her final defiant act of letting go, she is dumping a box, full of the mementoes of their weeks together, on his doorstep. On the way to his house, she is busy writing a long letter (ie the novel) explaining why they broke up. Each item in the box introduces part of the relationship and forms a "chapter". These items are announced by full-page illustrations by artist Maira Kalman. It's an elegant conceit that enriches Min's characterisation. I keep imagining a young Winona Ryder, all intense dark eyes and grave brow, a jumble of stubbornnes and vulnerability, as Min. (Perhaps it's my age but I can't imagine a more modern equivalent.)
It's a credit to Daniel Handler that there is surprising depth to Ed too. He's more than just a classic jock; he is good at maths, thoughtful and witty when it pleases him, and he seems genuinely attracted to Min's personality. Sentimental Me would like to think that Min allows him to be something beyond the jock stereotype, his "true self" perhaps. Alas he behaves like a jock because that's all he knows. This story is a great one for What Ifs - (again, being sentimental) I would like to think that, had the relationship happened when they were older, it might have worked out - stronger self-belief could have overcome the environmental forces that try to keep this odd-couple apart.
Overall, a raw, affecting read, with luscious descriptive language. I wish I knew of it earlier.
I breathed a big sigh when I finally read the last sentence of this book, like I had been holding my breath all this time. (By finally I mean I had read back and forth within it a few times before finally reading all the way to the end. It's that kinda book - you want to know what happens yet you don't want it to stop.)
There's an earlier reviewer who said reading this book is like going through a breakup yourself. It's true. The first-person, stream of consciousness narrative draws you right in, feeding upon your own history of love-related pain. Many (small) details of the plot resonate with me - I particularly like the sudden, unexpected way that Min and Ed connected: the intense, bohemian girl (she hates the label "arty") and the handsome jock. They caught each other's eyes, even though neither expected it.
I like the structure of the novel - Min and Ed have broken up and, as her final defiant act of letting go, she is dumping a box, full of the mementoes of their weeks together, on his doorstep. On the way to his house, she is busy writing a long letter (ie the novel) explaining why they broke up. Each item in the box introduces part of the relationship and forms a "chapter". These items are announced by full-page illustrations by artist Maira Kalman. It's an elegant conceit that enriches Min's characterisation. I keep imagining a young Winona Ryder, all intense dark eyes and grave brow, a jumble of stubbornnes and vulnerability, as Min. (Perhaps it's my age but I can't imagine a more modern equivalent.)
It's a credit to Daniel Handler that there is surprising depth to Ed too. He's more than just a classic jock; he is good at maths, thoughtful and witty when it pleases him, and he seems genuinely attracted to Min's personality. Sentimental Me would like to think that Min allows him to be something beyond the jock stereotype, his "true self" perhaps. Alas he behaves like a jock because that's all he knows. This story is a great one for What Ifs - (again, being sentimental) I would like to think that, had the relationship happened when they were older, it might have worked out - stronger self-belief could have overcome the environmental forces that try to keep this odd-couple apart.
Overall, a raw, affecting read, with luscious descriptive language. I wish I knew of it earlier.