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The Book of Tomorrow
by Cecelia Ahern
Cecelia Ahern's books always baffle me when it comes to labeling them under genres. At first glance you'd think it's a contemporary, but then you realize, there's a bit of magic in her stories. There's a dash of magic, just enough that sometimes it feels like it could actually happen in reality. I feel like Ahern mastered the art of Magical realism long before the genre actually came into YA.
The story is from the perspective of 16 year old Tamara Goodwin who before her father's death was a spoilt, pampered, unkind and absolutely unlikable brat but that starts to change after her father takes his own life. She is rude, swears a LOT, has a unhealthy outlook about boys and sex and the farthest from a model character most of the time. And I say 'starts to change', because I found certain things about Tamara unlikable even when there were only 50 pages left in the book, which is fair, because most people take a long while to change. After her father's death, Tamara and her mother realize he was neck deep in debts and now they don't have a place to live. The actual story starts when they go to live with her aunt and uncle in the countryside.
For me the most favourite thing about this book was how thoughtful it made me. The story moves slowly, with Tamara's thoughts filling many pages. Generally I like the story to happen but here I really enjoyed reading those slow parts with characters' thoughts that made me think myself. This is something I've always loved about Cecelia Ahern's books. There is always something inspirational to take away from the book besides the plot and story.
As you probably realized from the title, this book is about a book. Tamara happens to chance upon the Book of tomorrow where she find diary entries of the next day in her handwriting, which is to say the book tells her what's going to happen the next day. At first Tamara thinks its a trick but when she sees the diary is always right, she realizes with the help of the book she could change the course of events.
Tamara and her book are set against a backdrop of family secrets. Tamara has tons of questions about her aunt and uncle; why her aunt doesn't seem to like them, who lives in the mansion, what are the people of the village hiding from her and so many more questions whose intrigue grows with every day. Now this part of the story, the 'mystery' while intriguing, wasn't a favorite of mine and probably the reason I knocked off a star. That particular plotline developed a little late and felt kind of rushed towards the end which is not something I expected in an Ahern book because generally the pacing in her stories are perfect.
Sister Ignatius was my favourite character in the whole book and probably the only character I truly liked. I looked forward to the conversations between her and Tamara even more than Tamara! I also loved the little nuggets of wisdom from Sister Ignatius.
I also adored the setting of the countryside with an abandoned castle, pretty gardens and gatehouses. It made the experience so whimsical and blurred the lines between reality and magic. Cecelia Ahern has a gift when it comes to vivid descriptions that spark extremely vivid imagery in readers' minds.
If you're looking for a whimsical tale with secrets, mysteries and a touch of spookiness, The Book of Tomorrow is a perfect candidate.
“They say a story loses something with each telling. If that is the case, this story has lost nothing, for it’s the first time it’s been told.”
The story is from the perspective of 16 year old Tamara Goodwin who before her father's death was a spoilt, pampered, unkind and absolutely unlikable brat but that starts to change after her father takes his own life. She is rude, swears a LOT, has a unhealthy outlook about boys and sex and the farthest from a model character most of the time. And I say 'starts to change', because I found certain things about Tamara unlikable even when there were only 50 pages left in the book, which is fair, because most people take a long while to change. After her father's death, Tamara and her mother realize he was neck deep in debts and now they don't have a place to live. The actual story starts when they go to live with her aunt and uncle in the countryside.
“I used to think that it was better to have too much than too little, but now I think if the too much was never supposed to be yours, you should just take what is yours and give the rest back.”
For me the most favourite thing about this book was how thoughtful it made me. The story moves slowly, with Tamara's thoughts filling many pages. Generally I like the story to happen but here I really enjoyed reading those slow parts with characters' thoughts that made me think myself. This is something I've always loved about Cecelia Ahern's books. There is always something inspirational to take away from the book besides the plot and story.
“Hope makes you stronger, because it brings with it a sense of reason. Not a reason of how or why they were taken away from you, but a reason to live. Because it's a maybe. A 'maybe someday things won't always be this shit. And that 'maybe' immediately makes the shittiness better.”
As you probably realized from the title, this book is about a book. Tamara happens to chance upon the Book of tomorrow where she find diary entries of the next day in her handwriting, which is to say the book tells her what's going to happen the next day. At first Tamara thinks its a trick but when she sees the diary is always right, she realizes with the help of the book she could change the course of events.
“You shouldn't try to stop everything from happening. Sometimes you're supposed to feel awkward. Sometimes you're supposed to be vulnerable in front of people. Sometimes it's necessary because it's all part of you getting to the next part of yourself, the next day.”
Tamara and her book are set against a backdrop of family secrets. Tamara has tons of questions about her aunt and uncle; why her aunt doesn't seem to like them, who lives in the mansion, what are the people of the village hiding from her and so many more questions whose intrigue grows with every day. Now this part of the story, the 'mystery' while intriguing, wasn't a favorite of mine and probably the reason I knocked off a star. That particular plotline developed a little late and felt kind of rushed towards the end which is not something I expected in an Ahern book because generally the pacing in her stories are perfect.
Sister Ignatius was my favourite character in the whole book and probably the only character I truly liked. I looked forward to the conversations between her and Tamara even more than Tamara! I also loved the little nuggets of wisdom from Sister Ignatius.
“Write what's up there." Sister Ignatius pointed at her temple. "As a great man once said, this is a secret garden. We've all got one of those."
"Jesus?"
"No, Bruce Springsteen.”
I also adored the setting of the countryside with an abandoned castle, pretty gardens and gatehouses. It made the experience so whimsical and blurred the lines between reality and magic. Cecelia Ahern has a gift when it comes to vivid descriptions that spark extremely vivid imagery in readers' minds.
“Like Rosaleen and Arthur's house, this had the feel of generations of people who had lived there before, families that had grown up, run and shouted through the hallways, broken things, grown things, fallen in love. Instead of the occupants owning the house, the house owned a part of each of them.”
If you're looking for a whimsical tale with secrets, mysteries and a touch of spookiness, The Book of Tomorrow is a perfect candidate.