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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Source: Library Checkout
'Another spectacular afternoon. This weather is unbelievable. Of course, that probably means summer is going to be vicious again, but I'm not worried about that now. I was never big on the future. I admire people who are, but it just never was my thing.'
Sutter is spontaneous with a luring personality who lives life solely in the moment. Aimee is plagued by insecurity but has a mind that is saturated with dreams of the future. The two are an unlikely combination but Aimee is mesmerized by the lifestyle Sutter leads and Sutter is convinced he can do Aimee good by giving her the confidence she needs so badly.
'To hell with tomorrow. To hell with all problems and barriers. Nothing matters but the Spectacular Now.'
Oh, Sutter. His character is not portrayed solely as an addict or an alcoholic, instead he's this extremely fun and charismatic person that everyone really can't help but love... he just has a serious problem with alcohol. But that's not his defining feature. There was a complete lack of character development in regards to Sutter; he simply maintained as he was first introduced. I definitely wished I had seen some alteration, even slight, especially since this is highly considered to be a coming of age tale and I require character development in order for that label to be fitting.
Considering this story is told from the point of view of Sutter, everything is glorified because that's the mentality he projects on the world. Unfortunately, the same goes for his alcoholic tendencies. It's reflected in such a glamorized and non-gritty light and I can't help but take issue with that since this book is targeted towards children. Taken at face value I think it would be difficult for children to see past the facade and realize that Sutter has a serious issue. The ending sheds some light on the seriousness but not enough in my opinion. Sutter's story is truly a tragedy, I can only hope that for those children that do read this have parents that are willing to sit down and discuss with them the ravaging effects of alcohol.
Despite his good intentions towards Aimee, their relationship is truly toxic. The effect Sutter had on her was initially beneficial, however, she ended up turning down the exact road as him as her grades began to slip and she began drinking (almost) as much as him. What astonished me most was the family members of both main characters and their complete absence in their lives. I understand being a parent myself and not being able to see issues all the time before they rear their ugly head but Sutter made the fact that he was on a downward spiral loud and clear.
My opinion is quite the unpopular one regarding this book. This was well written and an honest depiction of alcoholism, I just didn't agree with the glamorized feel the book lent it, especially when you consider the target audience.
Source: Library Checkout
'Another spectacular afternoon. This weather is unbelievable. Of course, that probably means summer is going to be vicious again, but I'm not worried about that now. I was never big on the future. I admire people who are, but it just never was my thing.'
Sutter is spontaneous with a luring personality who lives life solely in the moment. Aimee is plagued by insecurity but has a mind that is saturated with dreams of the future. The two are an unlikely combination but Aimee is mesmerized by the lifestyle Sutter leads and Sutter is convinced he can do Aimee good by giving her the confidence she needs so badly.
'To hell with tomorrow. To hell with all problems and barriers. Nothing matters but the Spectacular Now.'
Oh, Sutter. His character is not portrayed solely as an addict or an alcoholic, instead he's this extremely fun and charismatic person that everyone really can't help but love... he just has a serious problem with alcohol. But that's not his defining feature. There was a complete lack of character development in regards to Sutter; he simply maintained as he was first introduced. I definitely wished I had seen some alteration, even slight, especially since this is highly considered to be a coming of age tale and I require character development in order for that label to be fitting.
Considering this story is told from the point of view of Sutter, everything is glorified because that's the mentality he projects on the world. Unfortunately, the same goes for his alcoholic tendencies. It's reflected in such a glamorized and non-gritty light and I can't help but take issue with that since this book is targeted towards children. Taken at face value I think it would be difficult for children to see past the facade and realize that Sutter has a serious issue. The ending sheds some light on the seriousness but not enough in my opinion. Sutter's story is truly a tragedy, I can only hope that for those children that do read this have parents that are willing to sit down and discuss with them the ravaging effects of alcohol.
Despite his good intentions towards Aimee, their relationship is truly toxic. The effect Sutter had on her was initially beneficial, however, she ended up turning down the exact road as him as her grades began to slip and she began drinking (almost) as much as him. What astonished me most was the family members of both main characters and their complete absence in their lives. I understand being a parent myself and not being able to see issues all the time before they rear their ugly head but Sutter made the fact that he was on a downward spiral loud and clear.
My opinion is quite the unpopular one regarding this book. This was well written and an honest depiction of alcoholism, I just didn't agree with the glamorized feel the book lent it, especially when you consider the target audience.
Very disappointed with this book. Sutter was a jerk and I'm not really sure what the point of the book was supposed to be. I was expecting a lot more from this book.
Not too sure about the ending... a great read but the ending was rather ambiguous.
I was reluctant to read this, having watched the film adaptation twice and just not 'getting' it. There is so much more depth to the book! Sutter is a deeply flawed, alcoholic character which makes it difficult to like him, but even so, I found it hard to put this book down. It's not a happy story; it's raw and emotional, but worth a read.
I'd like to give this 3.5. I read it very quickly, but I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I am really surprised that none of the reviews mentioned the striking similarities to A Catcher in the Rye . Some lines from The Spectacular Now seemed to be directly taken from that book, and Sutter was very much like Holden Caulfield in his ability to find beauty in everything and everybody, except phonies (Holden's word; not Sutter). Of course, people didn't really like Holden, and many people seem to like Sutter.
Anyway, I would recommend it. It was a new view of the teenage years, and not really a pretty one. Fairly realistic, I would say, about teenage drinking and sex. Overall, I liked it...and actually the more I think about it, the more I like it.
Anyway, I would recommend it. It was a new view of the teenage years, and not really a pretty one. Fairly realistic, I would say, about teenage drinking and sex. Overall, I liked it...and actually the more I think about it, the more I like it.
This book isn't an easy read but it's definitely a worthwhile one. I enjoyed the book mostly because it doesn't end in the perfect story where everyone lives happily ever after. It's kind of like 500 days of summer with deeper symbolism and more interesting meaning. I enjoyed this book even without it ending in the way I wanted it to. It was a reminder that sometimes in life things don't turn out the way you want them to. It's only after you read a book that you realize the complexity and intensity of it, this is definitely one of those books.
4.5 stars
I really liked this book but there was something missing, maybe the way it ended or the characterization. The writing was amazing and I think it was very realistic in comparison to other books like this.
I really liked this book but there was something missing, maybe the way it ended or the characterization. The writing was amazing and I think it was very realistic in comparison to other books like this.
I gave this book 3 stars at first, but with a little reflection and distance, I'm upgrading it to four. This book is really, really sad. Tim Tharp did an incredible job of creating a spectacularly (ha) likable character who just has zero future. I think Sutter's optimism really blinds you to how bleak his future is, and the distance of a couple of days gave me some space to realize just how well crafted that dissonance was. Aimee, too, was really well-done. Someone like Aimee WOULD have a future, but would also probably be really susceptible to falling for someone like Sutter. I like how Tharp didn't hit you over the head with the way Aimee and Sutter helped and harmed each other, and I think the ambiguity of the ending was really lovely and realistic.
It's a really sad book masquerading as a happy, funny book, and 3 days after finishing it, I can't really stop thinking about it.
It's a really sad book masquerading as a happy, funny book, and 3 days after finishing it, I can't really stop thinking about it.