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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I struggled to get through this, I think because it freaked me out and was so sad. But it’s very good.
Eerily prophetic and filled with whimsy that could easily be reality
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was on the wait list at the library for 6 months for this book. In the meantime, I've heard you either love it or you hate it. I loved it. I was sucked in from the first few pages and couldn't put it down.
Normally I would give it 4.5 stars but my book group convinced me to adjust my ratings plan.
Normally I would give it 4.5 stars but my book group convinced me to adjust my ratings plan.
This was the first book in my new book club list. Lots of people had reviewed it on GoodReads so I'd seen quite a bit about the book but as I'd seen positive and negative reviews I went in with a totally open mind.
The book is about Julia, a 12 year old middle school student in California, she lives with her mom who is an acting teacher and her Dad who is an obstetrician. One day there is breaking news. Time is slowing down, days are becoming longer, nights are becoming longer, real time is out of sync with clock time.
The story follows some of the normal things that 12 year olds do but in the now difficult world where real-timers are shunned by clock-timers. Julia faces falling for a boy who has his own troubles, her grandfather passing away suddenly, the 'slowing syndrome' affecting her mother, her father's affair with a real-timer and all the other friendship issues a 12 year old girl has.
It was an interesting book, well-written and I was sucked into it and read it very quickly in the end. I loved the way that Thompson Walker paid so much attention to detail, the plants dying, the grass being replaced by artificial grass in the wealthier areas of town, the whales and birds dying. I loved Julia's relationship with Seth, how he stuck up for her, included her when she was shunned by Hanna and Michaela and the rest of her 'friends' and I loved how close they became when he was struck by the syndrome.
The one thing I wasn't so keen on is that there were lots of times when she said "this was the last time i... ate pineapple/ate a grape/did this" etc. It did get a little repetitive and I don't necessarily think it added much to the story.
Overall I really enjoyed the book, I'm not sure I'd go back and read it again particularly quickly as I think a lot of what kept me hooked was not knowing how it would all pan out and was there a reason for the slowing, but I'll definitely come back to it at some point.
The book is about Julia, a 12 year old middle school student in California, she lives with her mom who is an acting teacher and her Dad who is an obstetrician. One day there is breaking news. Time is slowing down, days are becoming longer, nights are becoming longer, real time is out of sync with clock time.
The story follows some of the normal things that 12 year olds do but in the now difficult world where real-timers are shunned by clock-timers. Julia faces falling for a boy who has his own troubles, her grandfather passing away suddenly, the 'slowing syndrome' affecting her mother, her father's affair with a real-timer and all the other friendship issues a 12 year old girl has.
It was an interesting book, well-written and I was sucked into it and read it very quickly in the end. I loved the way that Thompson Walker paid so much attention to detail, the plants dying, the grass being replaced by artificial grass in the wealthier areas of town, the whales and birds dying. I loved Julia's relationship with Seth, how he stuck up for her, included her when she was shunned by Hanna and Michaela and the rest of her 'friends' and I loved how close they became when he was struck by the syndrome.
The one thing I wasn't so keen on is that there were lots of times when she said "this was the last time i... ate pineapple/ate a grape/did this" etc. It did get a little repetitive and I don't necessarily think it added much to the story.
Overall I really enjoyed the book, I'm not sure I'd go back and read it again particularly quickly as I think a lot of what kept me hooked was not knowing how it would all pan out and was there a reason for the slowing, but I'll definitely come back to it at some point.
i can't decide between 4 or 5 stars but i really loved this. such an interesting premise and the voice of the pre-teen was so well done. the end might not have been as strong as the rest but it's so hard to wrap up a novel like this.......
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"We dipped our fingers in the wet cement, and we wrote the truest, simplest things we knew - our names, the date, and these words: We were here."
This is a book about the beginnings and wonders of a life, while at the same time, life is nearing its end. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
This is a book about the beginnings and wonders of a life, while at the same time, life is nearing its end. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
What an amazing first novel. I loved the premise of the novel - that the rotation of the earth has slowed making days and nights get longer and longer - and how the author used this as a backdrop for a beautiful piece of character development. Walker has an amazing way with words, and I will definitely read future books by Walker.