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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
First of all: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS.
THE.
ENDING.
FUCKING.
SUCKED.
I'm SO angry. The first 3/4ths of the book were magical, it was SO good.
And then it ends: no father resolution, he abandons Aimee who he seems he doesn't care about, he's still the EXACT same in-the-moment, drink-my-ass-off person with NO character development.
Poor Aimee, poor poor Aimee, I wanted to cry for her, it was so damn sad. I'm gonna make an ending in my head where he goes to St. Louis, they get married, and star in an Amanda Gallico movie together, the father and him bond and help eachother get over drinking and abandonment, and he starts to plan a future for himself.
If the rest of the book wasn't so damn amazing, I would've given it a 1 star. The ending sucked. Okay, I get it...it was "right thing to do", but in 1st person perspective, we KNOW that Sutter is a genuinely good guy, maybe Aimee loved him more, whatever, but he's a good guy, what the fuck...
This was almost like a retelling of That was Then, This is Now
THE.
ENDING.
FUCKING.
SUCKED.
I'm SO angry. The first 3/4ths of the book were magical, it was SO good.
And then it ends: no father resolution, he abandons Aimee who he seems he doesn't care about, he's still the EXACT same in-the-moment, drink-my-ass-off person with NO character development.
Poor Aimee, poor poor Aimee, I wanted to cry for her, it was so damn sad. I'm gonna make an ending in my head where he goes to St. Louis, they get married, and star in an Amanda Gallico movie together, the father and him bond and help eachother get over drinking and abandonment, and he starts to plan a future for himself.
If the rest of the book wasn't so damn amazing, I would've given it a 1 star. The ending sucked. Okay, I get it...it was "right thing to do", but in 1st person perspective, we KNOW that Sutter is a genuinely good guy, maybe Aimee loved him more, whatever, but he's a good guy, what the fuck...
This was almost like a retelling of That was Then, This is Now
2.5
Mostly this book made me sad. I like the writing style, but the plot just wasn't interesting to me.
Mostly this book made me sad. I like the writing style, but the plot just wasn't interesting to me.
I am a firm believer that the right book finds its way to you at the right time, and that is absolutely the case here. I am Aimee (in more ways than just having the same first name albeit spelled differently), and I just parted ways with my very own Sutter Keely. It hit so close to home, but it also helps with perspective. A heartbreak of a story, but one that changes you for the better.
Any expectations I had of this book changed after I started reading it. First off, the author could of had the book done in 20 chapters instead of dragging it on for 66 chapters. Basically any new conversations started had opened to a new chapter. I enjoyed the book but was disappointed by the ending. I think the ending could of been better.
I really, really, really enjoyed this novel, but it also made me incredibly sad. It was written in such a strong voice, I felt like I was 100% with Sutter, and even though I didn't personally agree with his views and his actions, I was so pulled into the story and to his thoughts and feelings that it didn't matter. I was Sutter.
The ending broke my heart, but so did the middle and the beginning. It's hard to describe just precisely how it made me feel. I definitely recommend it, though I think I need to read something really cheerful and simple and happy immediately to avoid falling into a Sutter driven depression.
The ending broke my heart, but so did the middle and the beginning. It's hard to describe just precisely how it made me feel. I definitely recommend it, though I think I need to read something really cheerful and simple and happy immediately to avoid falling into a Sutter driven depression.
Meet Sutter. Charming, self-assured, a guy who knows how to have a good time, he doesn't need anyone to tell him that life is 'spanktankculicious'. Sure, his girlfriend Cassidy may expect him to read her mind sometimes, and his family is mum about where his absent father - who disappeared eons ago - is, but some 7UP and Jim Beam (or was it Seagram's?), along with some Dean Martin music, helps him chase the blues away.
Of course he isn't an alcoholic. He's done some self-assessment before, and one of the questions was about whether the respondent responded negatively to criticism from others that he/she drank too much. His own response: who wouldn't want those nags to get off one's back? So what if he's parked his car on someone's lawn once, and people are accusing him of turning other perfectly nice teenagers into 'lushes'?
I thought Tharp did a great job telling the story from Sutter's point of view/in his voice - the cavalier tone, the breezy attitude towards life are all so believable and heartbreaking. Sutter's low self-esteem is papered over thinly with this bravado... and it's going to take more than a few interventions from his friends to get him to believe in himself.
I loved the ending,. But I wish Sutter's family had been more fully fleshed out. The ineffectual stepfather and plasticky elder sister just seem a little like caricatures. Other than that, the reading experience was wonderful, if rather dark (no surprise: reading about teenage alcoholism and many other horrible mistakes youth may be prone to tends to be like that).
Of course he isn't an alcoholic. He's done some self-assessment before, and one of the questions was about whether the respondent responded negatively to criticism from others that he/she drank too much. His own response: who wouldn't want those nags to get off one's back? So what if he's parked his car on someone's lawn once, and people are accusing him of turning other perfectly nice teenagers into 'lushes'?
I thought Tharp did a great job telling the story from Sutter's point of view/in his voice - the cavalier tone, the breezy attitude towards life are all so believable and heartbreaking. Sutter's low self-esteem is papered over thinly with this bravado... and it's going to take more than a few interventions from his friends to get him to believe in himself.
I loved the ending,
Spoiler
even if some may think it's too bleak
One of the better coming-of-age stories about high school and love. The Spectacular Now gives readers a peek of what really goes on inside the minds of teenagers and their usual struggles. A very light read that will make you look back on how you are as a teen dealing with infatuation, ego, acceptance, and love.
The characters in this book are fantastic. They are the kind of characters I love. I can see myself, my friends in them. They are real, relatable, and wonderful. Sutter, oh I just loved him so much.I loved my very own Sutter once (and for far too long). I think it's safe to say that we all know our own Sutter. He's an absolutely wonderful guy. He simply just falls short in the end. He's larger than life, intelligent in his own way, popular in that way that allows him to be friends with anyone, but he'll never be able to fulfill his full potential. He's got no long term direction and just free floats through life. And then, there's Amy. I think we all know an Amy, too. She's awkward, sweet, and soft-spoken. So much potential and all she needs is her own Sutter to unleash it all.
The writing is funny, sad, messy, and really captures teenage life. Yeah, there's underage drinking and sex. It's not obnoxious or dramatic, but it's real. These things happen, whether or not people admit it. Life is messy and sometimes it's hard to navigate. We all try our best. I believe Tim Tharp paints a beautifully crazy picture. Yeah, it might not end in a way we'd like, but it works.
The writing is funny, sad, messy, and really captures teenage life. Yeah, there's underage drinking and sex. It's not obnoxious or dramatic, but it's real. These things happen, whether or not people admit it. Life is messy and sometimes it's hard to navigate. We all try our best. I believe Tim Tharp paints a beautifully crazy picture. Yeah, it might not end in a way we'd like, but it works.
4.5 stars
I actually watched the movie adaptation of this book earlier this month, so this review is a bit more of me comparing my thoughts between the two, hence, spoilers.
Because of the film, I went into this novel knowing everything that was going to be thrown at me (even the scenes that didn't make it into the film - thanks, deleted scenes reel!) But it hurt more this time, reading Sutter's inner thoughts on the printed page. The novel was sharper, with more hurt, more disappointment. I found myself less sympathetic for Sutter this time round, and I pitied Aimee all the more for her naiveté. I'm still blown away by how well Cassidy is treated in this story, how the ex-girlfriend still gets to be a full blown human being. Tharp has crafted a little slice of real life in this book. I don't doubt a single word of this world that he's built.
The ending, I think, is what really makes this book (and the film) stick with audiences. It is nowhere near happy, but it's heartbreakingly realistic. I liked that the book ended where it did, with no resolution to relationship between Aimee and Sutter, but just Sutter at another of his drunk lows, surrounded by new "friends." This ending, while cruel to both Aimee and the reader, seems more hopeful - if not for Sutter, then for every other character in the book. In the movie, we see Sutter disappoint Aimee outright by skipping out last minute on her journey out of their hometown, and when Sutter gets his act together an unspecified amount of time later, he goes to surprise Aimee and apologize in person. Although the film ends before we see any scenes of reconciliation or rejection, it's undeniably hopeful, in that Sutter seems to be getting his act together. The relationship might not survive, but audiences can at least feel that Sutter is trying. The book ends without that glimmer of hope. The movie also redeems Sutter in another way, by having him confront his own unhappiness and hopelessness with his mother. There is none of this outright realization for Sutter in the novel, and it's hard, because despite all the shit that this kid pulls, you can see he's not a bad person underneath. He's selfish and foolish and irresponsible, but he's not bad.
What a beautiful, heart-breaking book.
I actually watched the movie adaptation of this book earlier this month, so this review is a bit more of me comparing my thoughts between the two, hence, spoilers.
Because of the film, I went into this novel knowing everything that was going to be thrown at me (even the scenes that didn't make it into the film - thanks, deleted scenes reel!) But it hurt more this time, reading Sutter's inner thoughts on the printed page. The novel was sharper, with more hurt, more disappointment. I found myself less sympathetic for Sutter this time round, and I pitied Aimee all the more for her naiveté. I'm still blown away by how well Cassidy is treated in this story, how the ex-girlfriend still gets to be a full blown human being. Tharp has crafted a little slice of real life in this book. I don't doubt a single word of this world that he's built.
The ending, I think, is what really makes this book (and the film) stick with audiences. It is nowhere near happy, but it's heartbreakingly realistic. I liked that the book ended where it did, with no resolution to relationship between Aimee and Sutter, but just Sutter at another of his drunk lows, surrounded by new "friends." This ending, while cruel to both Aimee and the reader, seems more hopeful - if not for Sutter, then for every other character in the book. In the movie, we see Sutter disappoint Aimee outright by skipping out last minute on her journey out of their hometown, and when Sutter gets his act together an unspecified amount of time later, he goes to surprise Aimee and apologize in person. Although the film ends before we see any scenes of reconciliation or rejection, it's undeniably hopeful, in that Sutter seems to be getting his act together. The relationship might not survive, but audiences can at least feel that Sutter is trying. The book ends without that glimmer of hope. The movie also redeems Sutter in another way, by having him confront his own unhappiness and hopelessness with his mother. There is none of this outright realization for Sutter in the novel, and it's hard, because despite all the shit that this kid pulls, you can see he's not a bad person underneath. He's selfish and foolish and irresponsible, but he's not bad.
What a beautiful, heart-breaking book.