hannah_beth_charles's review against another edition
2.0
It was so obviously written by a man. I had no interest in the characters in this book. Dex was such a dick.
cad34's review against another edition
4.0
I want to review this book because it's been about 4 days since I finished reading it and I still can't stop thinking about it.
I'm a total chic-lit type of girl. I love romance, humor and mystery novels. I've had my fill of quick beach reads, sappy love stories and what not. Out of all those books (not including classics of course) this is about the most realistic love story I have ever read.
The author won me at the beginning with his Great Expectations quote...
‘That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But, it is the same with any life.
Imagine one selected day struck out of it and think how different its course would have been. Pause, you who read this, and think for a long moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on that memorable day.’
Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
I bought this book for one reason and on reason only...I wanted to read it before the movie came out this summer. Of course, while reading the book, Anne Hathaway was Emma in my mind throughout the entire book. Maybe it's because I read the movie tie in, but there is no better actress to play the part than Hathaway.
A little bit of a spoil alert...
My favorite part about this book is that as it starts out with Dexter as being this really confident guy who's a bit full of himself. Even though he comes off as a bit stuck up at times, you can't help but like the guy. (I personally fell in love with the guy by the end of chapter 3.) He's not a bad person and you can picture how Emma could fall for him. In the book we are told over and over how smart Em is, but it took awhile for me to grasp why this girl was so intelligent. She's kind of a downer at first, you just kind of want to shake some sense into the girl and tell her, "Stop being so damn pessimistic!" It wasn't until later in the book that I learned to adore Em. She's very politically aware and her never ending supply of off the cuff witty comments were certainly spot on and sharp. I really enjoyed her droll sense of humour but she made some stupid choices, that's for sure.
As the book progresses it's almost like these two change roles. Em becomes more and more confident in herself. She learns to roll with the punches and growing up more each year. Dexter on the other hand has a harder time with what life throws at him and so he starts hitting rock bottom not knowing what to do during certain hardships in his life. It's him I wanted to shake and smack some sense into in later chapters.
Even though these two characters evolve and change in the book throughout the years (15 or so) they are still the same at heart.
Nicholls' creative way of writing this book also deserves recognition. It's an intriguing concept to explore one day of these characters' lives for twenty consecutive years in each chapter. Indeed a unique and different concept than what I'm use to reading.
It's really rare for me to become attach to characters in a book and I usually keep my 5 stars for "classic must reads before you die" type books, but this is definitely a 4.9 in my eyes.
I'll be honest, I can't wait to see the movie, but I already know it's not going to be as good as the book.
Some of my favorite quotes/parts:
‘I’m trying to be inspiring! I’m trying to lift your grubby soul for the great adventure that lies ahead of you.’ She turned to face him. ‘Not that you need it. I expect you’ve got your future nicely mapped out, ta very much. Probably got a little flow-chart somewhere or something.’
_________________
Em, I hate thinking of you sitting in that awful flat with the weird smells and noises and the overhead lightbulbs or sat in that launderette, and by the way there’s no reason in this day and age why you should be using a launderette, there’s nothing cool or political about launderettes it’s just depressing. I don’t know, Em, you’re young, you’re practically a genius, and yet your idea of a good time is to treat yourself to a service wash. Well I think you deserve more. You are smart and funny and kind (too kind if you ask me) and by far the cleverest person I know. And (am drinking more beer here – deep breath) you are also a Very Attractive Woman. And (more beer) yes I do mean ‘sexy’ as well, though I feel a bit sick writing it down. Well I’m not going to scribble it out because it’s politically incorrect to call someone ‘sexy’ because it is also TRUE. You’re gorgeous, you old hag, and if I could give you just one gift ever for the rest of your life it would be this. Confidence. It would be the gift of Confidence. Confidence. Either that or a scented candle.
_________________
‘Sylvie’s okay, she’s being Callumed. He’s being the life and soul, the charming Oirish millionaire. I thought I’d leave them to it. I can’t compete with him anymore. Too tiring.'
_________________
Dexter cracked first, sighing and placing his book on his chest: Nabokov’s Lolita, a gift from Emma who was responsible for selecting all the holiday reading, a great breeze-block of books, a mobile library that took up most of her suitcase.
A moment passed. He sighed again, for effect.
‘What’s up with you?’ said Emma, without looking up from Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot.
‘I can’t get into it.’
‘It’s a masterpiece.’
‘Makes my head hurt.’
‘I should have got something with pictures or flaps.’
‘Oh, I am enjoying it—’
‘Very Hungry Caterpillar or something—’
‘I’m just finding it a bit dense. It’s just this bloke banging on about how horny he is all the time.’
‘I thought it would strike a chord.’ She raised her sunglasses. ‘It’s a very erotic book, Dex.’
‘Only if you’re into little girls.’
_________________
Em and Dex. Dex and Em.
I'm a total chic-lit type of girl. I love romance, humor and mystery novels. I've had my fill of quick beach reads, sappy love stories and what not. Out of all those books (not including classics of course) this is about the most realistic love story I have ever read.
The author won me at the beginning with his Great Expectations quote...
‘That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But, it is the same with any life.
Imagine one selected day struck out of it and think how different its course would have been. Pause, you who read this, and think for a long moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on that memorable day.’
Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
I bought this book for one reason and on reason only...I wanted to read it before the movie came out this summer. Of course, while reading the book, Anne Hathaway was Emma in my mind throughout the entire book. Maybe it's because I read the movie tie in, but there is no better actress to play the part than Hathaway.
A little bit of a spoil alert...
My favorite part about this book is that as it starts out with Dexter as being this really confident guy who's a bit full of himself. Even though he comes off as a bit stuck up at times, you can't help but like the guy. (I personally fell in love with the guy by the end of chapter 3.) He's not a bad person and you can picture how Emma could fall for him. In the book we are told over and over how smart Em is, but it took awhile for me to grasp why this girl was so intelligent. She's kind of a downer at first, you just kind of want to shake some sense into the girl and tell her, "Stop being so damn pessimistic!" It wasn't until later in the book that I learned to adore Em. She's very politically aware and her never ending supply of off the cuff witty comments were certainly spot on and sharp. I really enjoyed her droll sense of humour but she made some stupid choices, that's for sure.
As the book progresses it's almost like these two change roles. Em becomes more and more confident in herself. She learns to roll with the punches and growing up more each year. Dexter on the other hand has a harder time with what life throws at him and so he starts hitting rock bottom not knowing what to do during certain hardships in his life. It's him I wanted to shake and smack some sense into in later chapters.
Even though these two characters evolve and change in the book throughout the years (15 or so) they are still the same at heart.
Nicholls' creative way of writing this book also deserves recognition. It's an intriguing concept to explore one day of these characters' lives for twenty consecutive years in each chapter. Indeed a unique and different concept than what I'm use to reading.
It's really rare for me to become attach to characters in a book and I usually keep my 5 stars for "classic must reads before you die" type books, but this is definitely a 4.9 in my eyes.
I'll be honest, I can't wait to see the movie, but I already know it's not going to be as good as the book.
Some of my favorite quotes/parts:
‘I’m trying to be inspiring! I’m trying to lift your grubby soul for the great adventure that lies ahead of you.’ She turned to face him. ‘Not that you need it. I expect you’ve got your future nicely mapped out, ta very much. Probably got a little flow-chart somewhere or something.’
_________________
Em, I hate thinking of you sitting in that awful flat with the weird smells and noises and the overhead lightbulbs or sat in that launderette, and by the way there’s no reason in this day and age why you should be using a launderette, there’s nothing cool or political about launderettes it’s just depressing. I don’t know, Em, you’re young, you’re practically a genius, and yet your idea of a good time is to treat yourself to a service wash. Well I think you deserve more. You are smart and funny and kind (too kind if you ask me) and by far the cleverest person I know. And (am drinking more beer here – deep breath) you are also a Very Attractive Woman. And (more beer) yes I do mean ‘sexy’ as well, though I feel a bit sick writing it down. Well I’m not going to scribble it out because it’s politically incorrect to call someone ‘sexy’ because it is also TRUE. You’re gorgeous, you old hag, and if I could give you just one gift ever for the rest of your life it would be this. Confidence. It would be the gift of Confidence. Confidence. Either that or a scented candle.
_________________
‘Sylvie’s okay, she’s being Callumed. He’s being the life and soul, the charming Oirish millionaire. I thought I’d leave them to it. I can’t compete with him anymore. Too tiring.'
_________________
Dexter cracked first, sighing and placing his book on his chest: Nabokov’s Lolita, a gift from Emma who was responsible for selecting all the holiday reading, a great breeze-block of books, a mobile library that took up most of her suitcase.
A moment passed. He sighed again, for effect.
‘What’s up with you?’ said Emma, without looking up from Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot.
‘I can’t get into it.’
‘It’s a masterpiece.’
‘Makes my head hurt.’
‘I should have got something with pictures or flaps.’
‘Oh, I am enjoying it—’
‘Very Hungry Caterpillar or something—’
‘I’m just finding it a bit dense. It’s just this bloke banging on about how horny he is all the time.’
‘I thought it would strike a chord.’ She raised her sunglasses. ‘It’s a very erotic book, Dex.’
‘Only if you’re into little girls.’
_________________
Em and Dex. Dex and Em.
ginbott's review against another edition
5.0
I read Starter for 10 a few years ago and really enjoyed it, I heard a lot of positive whispers about this book and, yes, when I found out there was going to be an adaptation I figured it was about time I had a closer look at it.
One Day is about 15 July - St Swithin's Day - and two people: Dexter and Emma.
The first day they really spent together happens to be the 15th of July 1988 - the day after their graduation (in Edinburgh in fact, my old uni town, sigh - already making it impossible for me to approach this novel objective)
It is on this random (hmmm?) day that we, the readers, get to look in on these two lives over the course of 20 years. What I find particularly impressive about this novel is how Nicholls manages to create two well rounded characters, I'm particularly impressed with his Emma - a three dimensional woman written by a man, yes can't help but admire when a man seems to understand how to describe the million and one things going on in our minds at once. She is a as much a believable character as Dexter is.
Both characters have their flaws and their irresitabilities. We witness Dexter's rise to success while Emma's live is not matching up to her potential and she's stuck in mindnumbing dead-end jobs.
Perhaps I've come to this novel at just the right time, but Nicholls definitaly manages to capture that late twenties aimlessness combined with undefined ambition and secret desires.
The way he begins each part of the novel with quotes from well known and loves classic novels actually adds something too and doesn't come across as a pompous show off-y tool.
Dexter is a great character, to say he isn't particularly likeable at certain points in the novel is a staggering understatement. Yet you can never fully stop caring about him and when the tables start turning in the second part of the novel, you do feel for him.
Nicholls has created a story here that goes beyond just a simple love story about wrong place, wrong time. He creates two characters whose lives have become intertwined as they mature and it is fascinating to take that journey with them, analyse their choices and wonder what you would do in their position.
It is a thouroughly enjoyable read and it's impossible not to get sweeped up into the lives of these two people, and I give this novel a highly recommended stamp - not in the least because it has given me some hope that one day I too might have a job I like...
One Day is about 15 July - St Swithin's Day - and two people: Dexter and Emma.
The first day they really spent together happens to be the 15th of July 1988 - the day after their graduation (in Edinburgh in fact, my old uni town, sigh - already making it impossible for me to approach this novel objective)
It is on this random (hmmm?) day that we, the readers, get to look in on these two lives over the course of 20 years. What I find particularly impressive about this novel is how Nicholls manages to create two well rounded characters, I'm particularly impressed with his Emma - a three dimensional woman written by a man, yes can't help but admire when a man seems to understand how to describe the million and one things going on in our minds at once. She is a as much a believable character as Dexter is.
Both characters have their flaws and their irresitabilities. We witness Dexter's rise to success while Emma's live is not matching up to her potential and she's stuck in mindnumbing dead-end jobs.
Perhaps I've come to this novel at just the right time, but Nicholls definitaly manages to capture that late twenties aimlessness combined with undefined ambition and secret desires.
The way he begins each part of the novel with quotes from well known and loves classic novels actually adds something too and doesn't come across as a pompous show off-y tool.
Dexter is a great character, to say he isn't particularly likeable at certain points in the novel is a staggering understatement. Yet you can never fully stop caring about him and when the tables start turning in the second part of the novel, you do feel for him.
Nicholls has created a story here that goes beyond just a simple love story about wrong place, wrong time. He creates two characters whose lives have become intertwined as they mature and it is fascinating to take that journey with them, analyse their choices and wonder what you would do in their position.
It is a thouroughly enjoyable read and it's impossible not to get sweeped up into the lives of these two people, and I give this novel a highly recommended stamp - not in the least because it has given me some hope that one day I too might have a job I like...
lucycoates13's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
ladystardust55's review against another edition
5.0
Oh! Didn't expect that. Couldn't put this one down!
andshe_reads's review
5.0
This book is absolutely true to life, absorbing, smart and funny A moving novel tracing the relationship of two people who have absoultely nothing in common apart from one thing, they are mad for each other, on the same day each year for 20 years.
When I read what this novel was about it went on my TBR list immeadiately I first saw it in WHSmiths in paperback and was so tempted to buy it there and then.
It's a must read for anyone and I can't think of anyone who wouldn't read this.
Nicholls created such believable characters so in depth that by the end I felt teary on the very last page. He hasn't made the characters to be perfect for each other, sometimes they're not, sometimes they are foolish, cowardly and their behvaiour is unexpected, but thats what is so good about it. This book tugs at your heart strings and parts of the story ring true in my own life and I could really connect with the characters and story on so many levels.
Each and every part of the book has a purpose, there isn't any ' well that was pointless' or 'why bother having that chapter' It fitted perfectly & made the novel exactly what it is!
When I read what this novel was about it went on my TBR list immeadiately I first saw it in WHSmiths in paperback and was so tempted to buy it there and then.
It's a must read for anyone and I can't think of anyone who wouldn't read this.
Nicholls created such believable characters so in depth that by the end I felt teary on the very last page. He hasn't made the characters to be perfect for each other, sometimes they're not, sometimes they are foolish, cowardly and their behvaiour is unexpected, but thats what is so good about it. This book tugs at your heart strings and parts of the story ring true in my own life and I could really connect with the characters and story on so many levels.
Each and every part of the book has a purpose, there isn't any ' well that was pointless' or 'why bother having that chapter' It fitted perfectly & made the novel exactly what it is!
leemur's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
dtiselin's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.5
Really disliked the book until the last 50 pages