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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
I've been in a real book rut, team. The Cuckoo's Calling was fine and all, but it didn't make me sing. Then I read a full 20% of "The Sisterhood" before giving up, because it is JUST TERRIBLE. Then this poor man's Holden Caulfield... I don't know. It did not speak to me. I guess I am kind of old and crusty, but I wanted Sutter to learn some shit, and I wanted his friends to be less cookie-cutter, and EH. High school. Does anybody get away with being that much of an alcoholic at 17? I don't know.
Eh, main character likes to drink...all the time...that's about all you need to know.
I absolutely loved this book. Even though it's the classic "popular boy transforms the awkward nerdy girl into a beautiful, confident woman and then realizes he's actually in love with her" story, it didn't feel like that's what I was reading. Tharp adds so much wit and humor to the story that it really feels like it's complete own genre. You learned to love and hate Sutter, but the whole time you were engrossed in finding out what he would do next. I literally just read the last 160 pages of it today, it's that addicting!
I tore through this book in about a day, and yet, I still can't decide how I really feel about it. As a narrator, Sutter Keely is a funny, honest, like-able character. The only thing that bothered me (spoiler alert!) is that he didn't change from the beginning of the book to the end. I felt like everything that happened was leading up to some sort of change in character, and when that didn't happen I just felt confused more than anything. Honestly, I don't see how high school students can get away with drinking that much (especially in public), and it annoyed me that Sutter justified his actions by saying that he could be doing something much worse (ie: instead of drunk driving he could be "driving around with a four-year-old lodged in [his] grill"). I do, however, think that high school students will like this book, especially reluctant boy readers who can really associate with the narrator. And I do want to see the movie!
You saw the ending coming a million miles away. I didn't know whether to feel that Sutter was the best or the worst thing for Aimee. Would Aimee have found her confidence and voice without Sutter? Who knows.
Okay, so let's talk about this book. I watched the movie some months ago and could not literally stop thinking about it so to read the book was one of my priorities.
And I have to say, this is definetely one of my favorite high school theme related and going to college books ever. I can't even describe why i liked it so much but i do think it has somewhat to do with the accuracy and diversity of characters we can find and relate to.
And I have to say, this is definetely one of my favorite high school theme related and going to college books ever. I can't even describe why i liked it so much but i do think it has somewhat to do with the accuracy and diversity of characters we can find and relate to.
The first part was a little slow and then it zooms along nicely. It made me nostalgic for high school but at the same time so glad I am beyond that immaturity. The ending was a little lacking as more growth from sutter would have been nice but I get why it was left that way (as an adult) but would love to get a teen's perspective on it.
The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp is a wonderful story of Sutter Keely, a boy who has no plans for the future other than having fun. Sutter is so laid back many are convinced he doesn’t have a pulse perhaps that is why his girlfriend Cassidy has left him.
Sutter Keely reminds me quite a bit of Holden Caufield, but all the best parts and none of him is “phony”. In fact the book has been hailed “…as a 21st-centruy response to The Catcher in the Rye.” (Tulsa World). It is a beautiful novel about love, growing up, and being afraid of what the future holds. Sutter is imaginative and real. He is the realest young adult protagonist I have ever seen. The love story between Aimee and Sutter is a subtle one but that is the charm to it. This has become one of my favorite books! I whole-heartedly recommend!
Sutter Keely reminds me quite a bit of Holden Caufield, but all the best parts and none of him is “phony”. In fact the book has been hailed “…as a 21st-centruy response to The Catcher in the Rye.” (Tulsa World). It is a beautiful novel about love, growing up, and being afraid of what the future holds. Sutter is imaginative and real. He is the realest young adult protagonist I have ever seen. The love story between Aimee and Sutter is a subtle one but that is the charm to it. This has become one of my favorite books! I whole-heartedly recommend!
Oh my God, I really didn’t like this book!
👍🏻
- It has a realistic aspect to it. While I didn’t like this book, I found some aspects of it more realistic than most YA contemporaries.
- The ending. I’m in two minds about the ending, because I did like that it wasn’t a classic YA contemporary ending.
👎🏻
- The ending. On the other hand, in general I just wasn’t a fan.
- The characters. I don’t think I liked a single character in this book. Sutter come across as a self-centred jerk. Aimee was a bit too naive to the point of being annoying.
- Sutter and Aimee. This relationship was completely toxic. I went into this book thinking this relationship was going to be a healthy one, where Aimee was going influence Sutter to be better, but it was the opposite. To make things worse, Sutter was not genuine in his relationship with Aimee, but he was so convinced that he was doing her a kindness.
- The writing. I really disliked Sutter’s narrative, I found it annoying. I lost count of the amount of times speech was described by the word like, ‘she’s like’ or ‘I’m like’. I also felt like there wasn’t much of a story.
- I found myself losing interest in this book quite often to the point where I was skim-reading the last 50-100 pages.
Overall, I was very disappointed in this book.
👍🏻
- It has a realistic aspect to it. While I didn’t like this book, I found some aspects of it more realistic than most YA contemporaries.
- The ending. I’m in two minds about the ending, because I did like that it wasn’t a classic YA contemporary ending.
👎🏻
- The ending. On the other hand, in general I just wasn’t a fan.
- The characters. I don’t think I liked a single character in this book. Sutter come across as a self-centred jerk. Aimee was a bit too naive to the point of being annoying.
- Sutter and Aimee. This relationship was completely toxic. I went into this book thinking this relationship was going to be a healthy one, where Aimee was going influence Sutter to be better, but it was the opposite. To make things worse, Sutter was not genuine in his relationship with Aimee, but he was so convinced that he was doing her a kindness.
- The writing. I really disliked Sutter’s narrative, I found it annoying. I lost count of the amount of times speech was described by the word like, ‘she’s like’ or ‘I’m like’. I also felt like there wasn’t much of a story.
- I found myself losing interest in this book quite often to the point where I was skim-reading the last 50-100 pages.
Overall, I was very disappointed in this book.
I had written a review for this book and it didn't so now I'm sad, so here's a quick one.
When I read the blurb of this book first I imagined this book was going to be boy meet girl, boy tries to make shy girl from geek to chic, girl finds out about boys plans, boy and girl fight, boy and girl make up.
The Spectacular Now ins nothing like that, this book is realistic, fresh and original. Tharp's writing is great.
Positives:
+Sutter: Sutter is such a good character. I loved him even if he can be a little absent-minded. He sees beauty in everyone and everything.
+Fresh concept: This book has new concept and vision at looking a high school. It sees beyond the high school cliques and looks at the floater between them all.
+Realism: The Spectacular Now is actually realistic. It shows the heartbreak and healing. It looks at how as people grow up, they either stick together or grow apart.
Negatives:
+Aimee: At the beginning, I liked Aimee. but towards the end her newly found confidence and clinginess just annoyed me so much.
+Lushing: Sutter's lushing which has some truth to it, was a little far-fetched.
Conclusion:
Definitely worth a read.
When I read the blurb of this book first I imagined this book was going to be boy meet girl, boy tries to make shy girl from geek to chic, girl finds out about boys plans, boy and girl fight, boy and girl make up.
The Spectacular Now ins nothing like that, this book is realistic, fresh and original. Tharp's writing is great.
Positives:
+Sutter: Sutter is such a good character. I loved him even if he can be a little absent-minded. He sees beauty in everyone and everything.
+Fresh concept: This book has new concept and vision at looking a high school. It sees beyond the high school cliques and looks at the floater between them all.
+Realism: The Spectacular Now is actually realistic. It shows the heartbreak and healing. It looks at how as people grow up, they either stick together or grow apart.
Negatives:
+Aimee: At the beginning, I liked Aimee. but towards the end her newly found confidence and clinginess just annoyed me so much.
+Lushing: Sutter's lushing which has some truth to it, was a little far-fetched.
Conclusion:
Definitely worth a read.