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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
I really like how Tim Tharp writes. He knows how to build characters. He knows how to relate with the audience, and he surely knows how to inspire us in living our lives. So far, Sutter Keely is my favorite MC because of his personality. He knows how to have fun, and maybe sometimes he seems like a joke, but he really is great guy with the biggest heart. Tim Tharp in his magical way of writing never failed to show that in a very creative and real way. Although the ending is not what i expected (i thought the book was missing like, 20 more pages) i didn't want it to end like that. I still have so many questions on how he's going to live his future. Ughh! GAAAAH. i love this book, nuff said. But the ending? I STILL WANT MORE!!!
I never thought I would say that a YA book was not preachy enough, but this book has proven me wrong on that score. There are some general spoilers in this review, so don't read further if you haven't yet read this book.
So, I pretty much hated the main character of this book from page one; the opening scene involves him driving around a six-year-old boy while drinking alcohol, and he only gets more reprehensible from there. But the writing was good, so I figured the author knew that readers would dislike this guy at first and that the book would focus on his growth as a person, perhaps his struggles with alchol addiction. Nope. On the last page, he's still a self-absorbed, alcoholic jerk who has managed over the course of the book to transform the one sweet, innocent character in the novel into a bitchy alcoholic as well. And the thing is, I understand that the author probably meant this to be a character study novel, and that readers are supposed to infer that Sutter will end up having a miserable life, if he doesn't kill himself (or someone else) first. But for one thing, that's not satisfying to readers who really, REALLY want to see this guy get what's coming to him. For another, the fact that Sutter is still having fun and partying on the last page of the novel could send a really confusing message to teen readers.
I'm not one to argue for censoring YA books, at all. But I also think there's a line between honestly portraying aspects of teen life that some adults might find shocking - drug and alcohol use, sex, etc. - and glorifying those things. To me, this book crosses that line.
So, I pretty much hated the main character of this book from page one; the opening scene involves him driving around a six-year-old boy while drinking alcohol, and he only gets more reprehensible from there. But the writing was good, so I figured the author knew that readers would dislike this guy at first and that the book would focus on his growth as a person, perhaps his struggles with alchol addiction. Nope. On the last page, he's still a self-absorbed, alcoholic jerk who has managed over the course of the book to transform the one sweet, innocent character in the novel into a bitchy alcoholic as well. And the thing is, I understand that the author probably meant this to be a character study novel, and that readers are supposed to infer that Sutter will end up having a miserable life, if he doesn't kill himself (or someone else) first. But for one thing, that's not satisfying to readers who really, REALLY want to see this guy get what's coming to him. For another, the fact that Sutter is still having fun and partying on the last page of the novel could send a really confusing message to teen readers.
I'm not one to argue for censoring YA books, at all. But I also think there's a line between honestly portraying aspects of teen life that some adults might find shocking - drug and alcohol use, sex, etc. - and glorifying those things. To me, this book crosses that line.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Life is a big, screwed-up joke with its ups and downs. The best way to deal with it is to live in the now, pursue all the pleasure and deal with none of the grief."
That's the message I get from Sutter Keely, protagonist of The Spectacular Now. He takes a purely hedonistic, somewhat philosophical world view throughout the book. Tharp gives Sutton a clear, blunt, narrative voice but when it comes to character development, Sutter stays the same person from point A to point B, even with inserting numerous potential turning points for him.
Sutter defines himself as "God's own drunk". And drinking does seem to be his life's philosophy; he barely gets through any encounter in the book without a flask or 7UP/whiskey in hand. He doesn't confront his own problems, despite supposedly 'helping' new love Aimee come out of her shell. He's ultimately a likeable character, but as I read on, he became like a guest who has overstayed his welcome.
As for the plot, where did it go? The plot could easily just have been a set of serial anecdotes. There are too many loose ends, no closure. You're left with too many questions, and no answers--and not in a good way. Maybe that's how Tharp intended for it to go, a story that pantomimes real life for pleasure-seekers. Real life doesn't have closure; sometimes we end up shelving our problems in the back of our drunk brains as life goes on.
I guess that's ultimately the true message of the novel, hopeless as it is. Sutton had a drinking problem, family issues, a skewed view of life, but in the end, he brushes everything aside and lives in the "Spectacular Now".
Conclusions? Well-written, funny, but half-hearted in terms of plot and character development. Instead of a real story, we get a portrait of a hedonistic, broken yet charismatic boy who approaches life with a swagger in his step, a joke in his eyes, and a flask in his hand.
That's the message I get from Sutter Keely, protagonist of The Spectacular Now. He takes a purely hedonistic, somewhat philosophical world view throughout the book. Tharp gives Sutton a clear, blunt, narrative voice but when it comes to character development, Sutter stays the same person from point A to point B, even with inserting numerous potential turning points for him.
Sutter defines himself as "God's own drunk". And drinking does seem to be his life's philosophy; he barely gets through any encounter in the book without a flask or 7UP/whiskey in hand. He doesn't confront his own problems, despite supposedly 'helping' new love Aimee come out of her shell. He's ultimately a likeable character, but as I read on, he became like a guest who has overstayed his welcome.
As for the plot, where did it go? The plot could easily just have been a set of serial anecdotes. There are too many loose ends, no closure. You're left with too many questions, and no answers--and not in a good way. Maybe that's how Tharp intended for it to go, a story that pantomimes real life for pleasure-seekers. Real life doesn't have closure; sometimes we end up shelving our problems in the back of our drunk brains as life goes on.
I guess that's ultimately the true message of the novel, hopeless as it is. Sutton had a drinking problem, family issues, a skewed view of life, but in the end, he brushes everything aside and lives in the "Spectacular Now".
Conclusions? Well-written, funny, but half-hearted in terms of plot and character development. Instead of a real story, we get a portrait of a hedonistic, broken yet charismatic boy who approaches life with a swagger in his step, a joke in his eyes, and a flask in his hand.
Reading "the Spectacular Now" was literary déjà vu. From the first time something "really gets" Sutter, to every "helluva," I was reading "the Catcher in the Rye" transported into 2008. Even Sutter's beverage of choice emulates Holden Caufield, and how is wanting to "save" Aimee Finnecky any different from wanting to stand at the edge of a field and catch children before they cascade over a cliff.
Despite this, "The Spectacular Now" is enjoyable. I can see how it "speaks" to teenagers in the midst of their own identity crises and is certainly full of sweet characters.
However, the Salinger-esque writing, plot, characters, clichés and absence of protagonist character development have left me with a familiar disappointment that I felt in Holdeb Caufield, only this time, it extends beyond character to the entire novel. Surely Tim Tharp could have done better? Could have been more original?
Don't let this pessimistic review deter you from reading "the Spectacular Now." It is a novel to be enjoyed at face value and without analysis Sutter is sweet and lively "embracing the weird." But like every angsty YA tale there's an underlying emotional plot, and it's here Tharp fails to bring any uniqueness to his novel.
Despite this, "The Spectacular Now" is enjoyable. I can see how it "speaks" to teenagers in the midst of their own identity crises and is certainly full of sweet characters.
However, the Salinger-esque writing, plot, characters, clichés and absence of protagonist character development have left me with a familiar disappointment that I felt in Holdeb Caufield, only this time, it extends beyond character to the entire novel. Surely Tim Tharp could have done better? Could have been more original?
Don't let this pessimistic review deter you from reading "the Spectacular Now." It is a novel to be enjoyed at face value and without analysis Sutter is sweet and lively "embracing the weird." But like every angsty YA tale there's an underlying emotional plot, and it's here Tharp fails to bring any uniqueness to his novel.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fue... diferente..
Sutter no me llego a caer bien, en absoluto. Cassidy me dio una mala impresion al principio.. pero la entiendo y esta bien. Aimee.. pobre Aimee.. esperaba mas de ella.
The Spectacular Now es un historia muy realista, solo podia pensar en mis amigos y compañeros. Es una etapa en la vida que todos pasamos. Todos queremos el gran ahora, y ahi tenemos amigos como Ricky, Cassidy incluso Marcus, que intentan ayudarnos.. y otros como Sutter.
Una historia que todos deberian leer porque nos dice la verdad. Asi justamente en la cara. Es una verdad que nos rehusamos a ver porque estamos cegados por el espactacular ahora.
Con respecto al final... me gusta pensar que Sutter murió. Su espectacular ahora tuvo que terminar en algun momento.
Sutter no me llego a caer bien, en absoluto. Cassidy me dio una mala impresion al principio.. pero la entiendo y esta bien. Aimee.. pobre Aimee.. esperaba mas de ella.
The Spectacular Now es un historia muy realista, solo podia pensar en mis amigos y compañeros. Es una etapa en la vida que todos pasamos. Todos queremos el gran ahora, y ahi tenemos amigos como Ricky, Cassidy incluso Marcus, que intentan ayudarnos.. y otros como Sutter.
Una historia que todos deberian leer porque nos dice la verdad. Asi justamente en la cara. Es una verdad que nos rehusamos a ver porque estamos cegados por el espactacular ahora.
Con respecto al final... me gusta pensar que Sutter murió. Su espectacular ahora tuvo que terminar en algun momento.
It's refreshing to read a YA that isn't all sunshine and roses, but man is that depressing.
Didn't love this personally but really one of the better male-authored books for teens to appeal to young male readers that I've come across. Sort of a Catcher in the Rye for the 21st century with a lot more humor.
All I remember feeling after finishing this book was annoyed. I even took to twitter to have a little rant about how the conclusion made me feel. I was disappointed – not with the author, no, on the contrary. This book was well written, the story well executed and very, very real. – no, I was mostly annoyed with the protagonist, Sutter Keely. It's not very often I get as invested with a character as I did. I stupidly hoped that he'd sort himself out and that he'd get his happy ending (which is unusual because I'm the advocate of dark depressing endings) but no, he didn't. The worse part was that even though you hoped differently you knew it was coming because of his descent in the final few chapters. I think whilst it was a sad ending, it was necessary. It gave people an idea of how things happen in real life, which is probably why it's so popular with the ya community.
The character of Sutter Keely is a treasure. So real and rich, vibrant, multidimensional and loveable; even when you were disgusted or let down by his actions you were still compelled to like him because of his natural charm and his unapologetic way of doing things just because he wanted to. He takes a philosophical view of life and is very self-aware of how cruel it can be but still tries to go on and live it with some joy. All credit goes to the author, of course; He knew what he was doing. So brilliantly created that most people can recognize the attitude and see it in someone they know, which was very smart of Tim Tharp. It's not often that you can be exasperated and intrigued by a character. Especially in a stand-alone novel, which only allows for so much character development.
Sutter's own downward spiral is shown subtly, you're naturally concerned with the amount he drinks, but the real awareness comes from the changing attitude of the people around him and the dissolution of all his relationships. He's very aware of his own problems and where they stem from, but he makes no active effort to sort himself out and that's what infuriating. He's all too eager to push aside his own issues to help someone else.
I can definitely see why this book gets high reviews and on a good day I would definitely bump it up to a 4, but I'm going to have to stick with 3.5 stars just because I still hold a grudge for poor Aimee.
The character of Sutter Keely is a treasure. So real and rich, vibrant, multidimensional and loveable; even when you were disgusted or let down by his actions you were still compelled to like him because of his natural charm and his unapologetic way of doing things just because he wanted to. He takes a philosophical view of life and is very self-aware of how cruel it can be but still tries to go on and live it with some joy. All credit goes to the author, of course; He knew what he was doing. So brilliantly created that most people can recognize the attitude and see it in someone they know, which was very smart of Tim Tharp. It's not often that you can be exasperated and intrigued by a character. Especially in a stand-alone novel, which only allows for so much character development.
Sutter's own downward spiral is shown subtly, you're naturally concerned with the amount he drinks, but the real awareness comes from the changing attitude of the people around him and the dissolution of all his relationships. He's very aware of his own problems and where they stem from, but he makes no active effort to sort himself out and that's what infuriating. He's all too eager to push aside his own issues to help someone else.
I can definitely see why this book gets high reviews and on a good day I would definitely bump it up to a 4, but I'm going to have to stick with 3.5 stars just because I still hold a grudge for poor Aimee.