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valerieullmerauthor's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed this book a great deal. After having a stroke, Jonathan needs to relearn everything again. He gets to know another stroke victim, Rebecca and learns to live his life again. It is a story about how change and getting to know yourself and want you want out of life. A very touching story! Highly Recommended!!!
itsneilcochrane's review against another edition
4.0
I started reading this book as I was getting into bed. This was a bad plan. Before I knew it I was halfway through and not feeling at all inclined to stop, so I read the whole damn thing in one sitting. I was up until three a.m. I don't regret it. This book is such a good read. It's funny, and it's also respectful of the subject matter. As Keith says in his intro, strokes are serious business. This isn't an issue novel, though. He writes Jonathan and Rebecca as PEOPLE, new people even. They are adorable together. I would recommend this to anyone.
erburnside's review against another edition
2.0
An easy read, written in a way that always made me think that it was going to turn into a religious novel.
mamalemma's review against another edition
5.0
This was a fantastic book, a quick read that I couldn't put down. The characters are well drawn, the prose well written, and the story unique. I highly recommend it!
didactylos's review against another edition
3.0
Worked very well until the last part where I felt it was rushed and almost had to meet a deadline. Thus a lot of good possible material was jettisoned to ring the conclusion into actuality. Lots of good material for a much longer exploration of this unique idea was just thrown int the trash can.
phenixsnow's review against another edition
5.0
Much more than i expected from a book about stroke victims.It wasn't depressing. It was witty, honest and moving.Not a storyline I had heard before.
sbunyan's review against another edition
3.0
I like the premise of this book and thought the author did a good job of presenting the view of a stroke victim. But I found the story too predictable. A quick read and I'm not sorry I read it.
unabridgedchick's review against another edition
2.0
This is the second novel I've read this year featuring someone in their late 20s/early 30s having a traumatic brain injury that changes their personality. It wasn't my intention to double up since it's not a plot device I'm particularly drawn to, but it was interesting for me to do a compare-and-contrast with the other novel (The Art of Forgetting). I preferred this novel over The Art of Forgetting as I found the characters a bit more likable, appealing, and relatable.
I had described The Art of Forgetting as a Hallmark movie; I think this book might be more ABC Family Night. There's a bit of mystery as Jonathan, the hero, learns that he was a very different man before his stroke, and he has to balance healing himself and making peace with his past. I found his family to be a bit aggravatingly tight-lipped and emotionally damaged in a way that made me want to put them all in to family therapy. There's a cute romantic entanglement and some quirky wrangling-a-mistake-into-a-victory twist that was a bit too neat and kind of fun all at once.
The novel has a bit of on an inspirational feel but isn't a 'clean' novel; it's a bit predictable but there's some satisfaction in the story unfolding in a way you can anticipate. I rather liked Jonathan -- he was funny and genuine -- and I liked Rebecca, the romantic interest.
I wasn't minding the vibe or narrative style until the author whipped out 'fag' as an insult to the straight male lead. The character that uttered it is supposed to be an earthy sort of man (he leers at all the women), but good (he clues the hero in to when the love interest needs some help) so it's not as if the author inserted this in as quickie shorthand to make the character unlikable. It felt unnecessary and affected my ability to really get in to the rest of the book. This sounds like a little thing, I suppose, but it was so unnecessary and so callous, it was like having someone slap me in the middle of a conversation for no reason; I spent the rest of the time skimming the book, waiting for the next slap to come. (There wasn't one, so the single instance of 'fag' felt all the more outrageous.)
I had described The Art of Forgetting as a Hallmark movie; I think this book might be more ABC Family Night. There's a bit of mystery as Jonathan, the hero, learns that he was a very different man before his stroke, and he has to balance healing himself and making peace with his past. I found his family to be a bit aggravatingly tight-lipped and emotionally damaged in a way that made me want to put them all in to family therapy. There's a cute romantic entanglement and some quirky wrangling-a-mistake-into-a-victory twist that was a bit too neat and kind of fun all at once.
The novel has a bit of on an inspirational feel but isn't a 'clean' novel; it's a bit predictable but there's some satisfaction in the story unfolding in a way you can anticipate. I rather liked Jonathan -- he was funny and genuine -- and I liked Rebecca, the romantic interest.
I wasn't minding the vibe or narrative style until the author whipped out 'fag' as an insult to the straight male lead. The character that uttered it is supposed to be an earthy sort of man (he leers at all the women), but good (he clues the hero in to when the love interest needs some help) so it's not as if the author inserted this in as quickie shorthand to make the character unlikable. It felt unnecessary and affected my ability to really get in to the rest of the book. This sounds like a little thing, I suppose, but it was so unnecessary and so callous, it was like having someone slap me in the middle of a conversation for no reason; I spent the rest of the time skimming the book, waiting for the next slap to come. (There wasn't one, so the single instance of 'fag' felt all the more outrageous.)
erikab543's review against another edition
5.0
Such an interesting premise for a story-- I enjoyed it from the first page. I would have loved for it to be twice as long, actually-- I want to know more about Jon and Rebecca!