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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
VERY nearly a 5 star if it wasn't for some fat phobic comments but I LOVED this one
http://www.ruthlilywrites.com/2017/05/review-margot-me-by-juno-dawson.html
Hellooo there! I'm going to tell you a little story about the journey my thoughts and feelings went through when reading Juno Dawson's Margot and Me. Don't worry, this story has a happy ending!
So I got a copy of Margot and Me by Juno Dawson from its publisher Hot Key Books at the beginning of the year. I had heard absolutely loads and loads of praise for the book so I was pretty keen to get my paws on it. I'll be honest: I didn't like it as first. I found Fliss's narrative voice SO annoying. I thought she sounded a bit sort of stupid or vapid and not anything like how teenagers really talk. She kept talking about wearing her Mary Janes and for some reason I found that particularly annoying!
Then I read a tweet basically saying to adult reviewers, don't give bad reviews to YA books because you don't like the teenage voice, maybe just accept that YA isn't for you. So I had that idea in the back of my mind and then when I went back to Margot and Me after a break of a couple of weeks I found I was much more patient with Fliss's narration. Fliss grows so much as a character if you actually get over yourself enough to read the whole book, which thankfully I did! I found Fliss to be engaging and compassionate and I really enjoyed seeing her figure out her new friendships with the new gang, in a totally new environment, far away from her London home, in rural Wales living on her grandmother's farm, to help her mum in her cancer recovery.
The dual narration, with Fliss in the 90s and Margot's diary from wartime, worked really well to tell the story of a complex grandmother/granddaughter relationship. I particularly enjoyed the 90s setting for references to things like Tammy Girl and snap on phone cases.
So in the end I realised I was being a bit like Margot and unfairly judging Fliss before I had really gotten to know her and her story. This book is moving and compelling and touching and heartbreaking. And I'm glad I went back to finish it.
Hellooo there! I'm going to tell you a little story about the journey my thoughts and feelings went through when reading Juno Dawson's Margot and Me. Don't worry, this story has a happy ending!
So I got a copy of Margot and Me by Juno Dawson from its publisher Hot Key Books at the beginning of the year. I had heard absolutely loads and loads of praise for the book so I was pretty keen to get my paws on it. I'll be honest: I didn't like it as first. I found Fliss's narrative voice SO annoying. I thought she sounded a bit sort of stupid or vapid and not anything like how teenagers really talk. She kept talking about wearing her Mary Janes and for some reason I found that particularly annoying!
Then I read a tweet basically saying to adult reviewers, don't give bad reviews to YA books because you don't like the teenage voice, maybe just accept that YA isn't for you. So I had that idea in the back of my mind and then when I went back to Margot and Me after a break of a couple of weeks I found I was much more patient with Fliss's narration. Fliss grows so much as a character if you actually get over yourself enough to read the whole book, which thankfully I did! I found Fliss to be engaging and compassionate and I really enjoyed seeing her figure out her new friendships with the new gang, in a totally new environment, far away from her London home, in rural Wales living on her grandmother's farm, to help her mum in her cancer recovery.
The dual narration, with Fliss in the 90s and Margot's diary from wartime, worked really well to tell the story of a complex grandmother/granddaughter relationship. I particularly enjoyed the 90s setting for references to things like Tammy Girl and snap on phone cases.
So in the end I realised I was being a bit like Margot and unfairly judging Fliss before I had really gotten to know her and her story. This book is moving and compelling and touching and heartbreaking. And I'm glad I went back to finish it.
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Death of parent
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The blurb of this book caught my attention and it definitely didn’t disappoint! The storyline was great and executed very well. This is my first Juno Dawson book and it was amazing. It is a historical fiction and romance novel with parts of it set during WW2. It gives an insight into what life would have been like on the home front which is an interesting perspective.
Margot and Me focuses on romantic, family and friend relationships which is an important part of the novel, it's good to see representation of the three.
It also included important points like war,cancer, same sex relationships (in a spolier because they are only found out later in the novel) which really added depth to the story.
Great read :)
Margot and Me focuses on romantic, family and friend relationships which is an important part of the novel, it's good to see representation of the three.
It also included important points like war,
Great read :)
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism
Minor: Pedophilia
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh, this was just absolutely wonderful. Heartbreaking and moving and funny, and so wonderful.
I enjoyed both stories here so much. Felicity, as a frustrated 15 year old trying to adjust to life in a small Welsh village, finds her grandma's diary from during the second World War. Through reading this, she learns about a version of Margot she can hardly relate to her cranky, hard-hearted grandmother. What follows is a wonderful blend of diary entries and Fliss trying to deal with being the new girl at school, the culture shock of living on a farm, and supporting her mother through terrible illness.
I found this book to be about different kinds of love, different kinds of happiness - most especially how important it can be not to overlook the small bits of "goodness" that happen in life - and a mix of building your own inner strength and learning how/when to rely on others.
Dawson builds these amazing, well-rounded characters, who do brilliant and terrible things both, but they remain so whole and likeable because of, and not in spite of, this.
A couple of favourite bits:
It's true that we take what's real and turn it into a story.
And now a note on stories: I think storytelling is a vital part of human communication - we share and trade our stories. So many languages but we all speak 'story'.
*
You see, I think love is like mixing paint: everyone brings something different to a relationship, so you never get the same colour twice. It seems foolish to cherish one shade above others and yet that's what we seem to do.
I enjoyed both stories here so much. Felicity, as a frustrated 15 year old trying to adjust to life in a small Welsh village, finds her grandma's diary from during the second World War. Through reading this, she learns about a version of Margot she can hardly relate to her cranky, hard-hearted grandmother. What follows is a wonderful blend of diary entries and Fliss trying to deal with being the new girl at school, the culture shock of living on a farm, and supporting her mother through terrible illness.
I found this book to be about different kinds of love, different kinds of happiness - most especially how important it can be not to overlook the small bits of "goodness" that happen in life - and a mix of building your own inner strength and learning how/when to rely on others.
Dawson builds these amazing, well-rounded characters, who do brilliant and terrible things both, but they remain so whole and likeable because of, and not in spite of, this.
A couple of favourite bits:
It's true that we take what's real and turn it into a story.
And now a note on stories: I think storytelling is a vital part of human communication - we share and trade our stories. So many languages but we all speak 'story'.
*
You see, I think love is like mixing paint: everyone brings something different to a relationship, so you never get the same colour twice. It seems foolish to cherish one shade above others and yet that's what we seem to do.
medium-paced