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jonlewis's review against another edition
4.0
Another favorite movie of mine, I read this after seeing the film several times. Of course, there were a number of differences in between the film and the movie but, as a whole, I thought they held true to the spirit of the characters in the adaptation. I loved the Kurt Cobain part of the book. Not real sure why but it added some great flavor to the book.
geektesse's review against another edition
4.0
I read some Nick Hornby books, and this is by far the one I liked most. His writing style is easy to read, entertaining but also touching. There are whole passages in the book which I could quote that I loved. Also it made me want to listen to Nirvana again - it captioned the whole 90s era pretty well.
gir1n3xtdoor's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
fireflai's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
magbooks's review against another edition
1.0
TW fatphobia, suicide attempt and jokes, misogyny, depression, bad parenting, the whole book really
if i really wanted to try and see something, anything , in this book, i certaintly could. but alas i don't fucking want to. No one, and i mean, no one was likeable in the fucking slightest and i cannot believe there are ppl who actually gave this abomination of a book more than one star. Will, for one, is:
- sexist
- misogynistic
- lowkey fatphobic
- honestly a sociopath for all the shit he pulled in the book
every single adult put their child through some kind of shit and put all their baggage on them and then wondered why the fuck their children were so messed up... have y'all seen yourselves? with you as examples it is NO surprise the kids turned out so bad. There ware so many issues in this book and i hated all of them. I don't think I have ever hated a book more than this one and honestly this book doesn't deserve any fucking rights. I had such a bad time reading this shit.
"It takes a writer with real talent to make this work, and Hornby hast it - in buckets." Literary Review
now, why are you lying? This is not talent. where was this book funny? emotional? NICE? NOWHERE. i had the worst experience ever reading this book. from the casual suicide jokes (continuous i might add), to the misogyny, to the fatphobia, the fact that Will lied TWICE about having a kid to fuck some woman because all he thinks about is railing someone (really), single-mothers being described as raging feminst man-haters... eye. This was released in 1998, that was 23 years ago, you can't tell me feminsim was actually seen like that now c'mon. I could go on on, but honestly?... no.
don't read this book. it was awful. i fucking hated it. bye.
if i really wanted to try and see something, anything , in this book, i certaintly could. but alas i don't fucking want to. No one, and i mean, no one was likeable in the fucking slightest and i cannot believe there are ppl who actually gave this abomination of a book more than one star. Will, for one, is:
- sexist
- misogynistic
- lowkey fatphobic
- honestly a sociopath for all the shit he pulled in the book
every single adult put their child through some kind of shit and put all their baggage on them and then wondered why the fuck their children were so messed up... have y'all seen yourselves? with you as examples it is NO surprise the kids turned out so bad. There ware so many issues in this book and i hated all of them. I don't think I have ever hated a book more than this one and honestly this book doesn't deserve any fucking rights. I had such a bad time reading this shit.
"It takes a writer with real talent to make this work, and Hornby hast it - in buckets." Literary Review
now, why are you lying? This is not talent. where was this book funny? emotional? NICE? NOWHERE. i had the worst experience ever reading this book. from the casual suicide jokes (continuous i might add), to the misogyny, to the fatphobia, the fact that Will lied TWICE about having a kid to fuck some woman because all he thinks about is railing someone (really), single-mothers being described as raging feminst man-haters... eye. This was released in 1998, that was 23 years ago, you can't tell me feminsim was actually seen like that now c'mon. I could go on on, but honestly?... no.
don't read this book. it was awful. i fucking hated it. bye.
noelishi's review against another edition
3.0
CAWPILE Rating: 5,60
Characters: 7
Ambience / Worldbuilding: 6
Writing Style: 6,75
Plot: 5
Intrigue: 3,5
Logic / Relationships: 6
Enjoyment: 5
I read this book as preparation for my Cambridge Proficiency Exam, this is one of the two compulsory books.
I must say I expected more of this book. My expectations weren't the highest, but they surely were high enough to want to read it wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, I started losing interest in the story as I was making progress.
The construction of Will and Marcus, as well as other secondary characters, is very nicely done, and precisely that's where my problem lies. I feel like all the work the author did by building them was thrown overboard. The plot is lacking intensity and grabbing capability, and I enjoyed more the beginning of it because I was imagining in my head that something big was going to happen, and that didn't happen.
If we consider a book as 'tranquil' when it comes to action, but it has meaning and its purpose is to make you reflect and think, I understand it and don't mind. In this particular case, nothing happens. It introduces you interesting characters but then it does nothing interesting with them.
On the other hand, this is tagged as a hilarious and sweet book, but mainly I only identified deep and hard topics that are on the other end of the spectrum (p.e: trigger warnings such as suicide attempts, bullying, drugs use...) and I definitely wasn't ready for that.
In conclusion, a mediocre book that I will force myself to remember due to exam purposes, but once I'm done with it, it'll go directly to my forgettable reads that I don't really feel attached to.
Characters: 7
Ambience / Worldbuilding: 6
Writing Style: 6,75
Plot: 5
Intrigue: 3,5
Logic / Relationships: 6
Enjoyment: 5
I read this book as preparation for my Cambridge Proficiency Exam, this is one of the two compulsory books.
I must say I expected more of this book. My expectations weren't the highest, but they surely were high enough to want to read it wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, I started losing interest in the story as I was making progress.
The construction of Will and Marcus, as well as other secondary characters, is very nicely done, and precisely that's where my problem lies. I feel like all the work the author did by building them was thrown overboard. The plot is lacking intensity and grabbing capability, and I enjoyed more the beginning of it because I was imagining in my head that something big was going to happen, and that didn't happen.
If we consider a book as 'tranquil' when it comes to action, but it has meaning and its purpose is to make you reflect and think, I understand it and don't mind. In this particular case, nothing happens. It introduces you interesting characters but then it does nothing interesting with them.
On the other hand, this is tagged as a hilarious and sweet book, but mainly I only identified deep and hard topics that are on the other end of the spectrum (p.e: trigger warnings such as suicide attempts, bullying, drugs use...) and I definitely wasn't ready for that.
In conclusion, a mediocre book that I will force myself to remember due to exam purposes, but once I'm done with it, it'll go directly to my forgettable reads that I don't really feel attached to.
nmackie1's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
rosekk's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know. I'm not sure of it's a subtle work of genius or a deeply misguided mess.
I cannot get my head around the tone(s) of the book. Most of Will's behaviour/ world view is only acceptable and sympathetic if the story is a comedy, and his actions aren't to be viewed seriously or assessed as real-world actions. But then much of Marcus' story is serious and dark, and handled with a fairly straight face. So the tone of the book lurches around all over the place. But then life can be funny and serious all at once, so is this weird half-tragedy, half-comedy tone deliberate?
And the ending... is it a trivialisation of everything that happens in the story? Or an acknowledgement of the way life goes on? Are the changes in Marcus and everyone acceptance of them shallow, or realistic? Is the suggestion that a significant portion of Fiona's misery is due to the pressures of parenting wildly off-base and unjust, or a reminder that even the things we choose and value in life can be hard at times?
I really can't work out if I like or hate this book. At times it seems to be laughing at all it's characters in a way that's crude and uncaring, but then it you do grow attached to the characters so clearly there's something sincere in the narrative.
I cannot get my head around the tone(s) of the book. Most of Will's behaviour/ world view is only acceptable and sympathetic if the story is a comedy, and his actions aren't to be viewed seriously or assessed as real-world actions. But then much of Marcus' story is serious and dark, and handled with a fairly straight face. So the tone of the book lurches around all over the place. But then life can be funny and serious all at once, so is this weird half-tragedy, half-comedy tone deliberate?
And the ending... is it a trivialisation of everything that happens in the story? Or an acknowledgement of the way life goes on? Are the changes in Marcus and everyone acceptance of them shallow, or realistic? Is the suggestion that a significant portion of Fiona's misery is due to the pressures of parenting wildly off-base and unjust, or a reminder that even the things we choose and value in life can be hard at times?
I really can't work out if I like or hate this book. At times it seems to be laughing at all it's characters in a way that's crude and uncaring, but then it you do grow attached to the characters so clearly there's something sincere in the narrative.
yara_alkhateeb's review against another edition
3.0
This is a story about two boys actually.
And although it appears to discuss serious topics such as suicide and bullying, I think it is mostly a story about loneliness and how we can find connections where we least expect them.
Will, a rich, carefree, selfish and lonely 36 year old went through life avoiding relationships and involvement because to him, loving people was non deserving risk.
Marcus on the other hand, a friendless lonely 12 year old living with his single depressed mother, is seeking connections by finding her a match as “two people are not enough, you need backup”.
An odd friendship develops between Will and Marcus where they both get to slowly grow and learn about human connections in its different forms.
I am not sure if I would recommend it, but it was fun read:)
And although it appears to discuss serious topics such as suicide and bullying, I think it is mostly a story about loneliness and how we can find connections where we least expect them.
Will, a rich, carefree, selfish and lonely 36 year old went through life avoiding relationships and involvement because to him, loving people was non deserving risk.
Marcus on the other hand, a friendless lonely 12 year old living with his single depressed mother, is seeking connections by finding her a match as “two people are not enough, you need backup”.
An odd friendship develops between Will and Marcus where they both get to slowly grow and learn about human connections in its different forms.
I am not sure if I would recommend it, but it was fun read:)
ciphertextx's review
4.0
Will is an asshole. He's written to be that way, and I love a realistic character who isn't perfect, but some people can't appreciate that kind of writing. Anyway, Will is an asshole. He lies constantly, thinks he's hot shit for listening to Nirvana (they were pretty big around the time this book is set) and smoking weed, and is one of those guys who just seems to find enjoyment in sleeping with women then dropping them pretty soon after because he's terrified of commitment and is a big baby in a grown-up's body. Karma gets him, though.
Marcus is really weird as the summary suggests, but in a kind of endearing way in my opinion. It'd be really easy to head-canon that he's autistic - doesn't pick up on social cues, can't recognise sarcasm, asks what society deems to be inappropriate questions, etc. He's that poor kid whose mother won't let him be like the other kids his age because she's some kind of intense vegetarian hippy, who is also battling severe depression, which comes up later. Or, like, it comes up pretty early on in the story as Marcus notices how his mum cries constantly, and then A Thing happens.
The same day Marcus meets Will, Marcus accidentally kills a duck at the park by throwing a rock solid baguette at it. Then as Will and his date are taking Marcus home, they all go in to find and it's as dramatic and sore as you can imagine, when you're looking at something like this through the eyes of A) her twelve-year-old son, and B) through the eyes of this asshole who doesn't know her.
After that drama pretty early on, Marcus and Will start hanging out together (much to Will's chagrin, but Marcus can't take a hint) and Will starts trying to teach Marcus about sarcasm and how to be "cool". It's a very interesting relationship they have. Marcus' mum is understandably concerned by it to begin with, but after some Thorough Investigation and Will's public humiliation, she's not exactly okay with it, but Marcus is gonna do what Marcus is gonna do. Will goes through a plethora of women and eventually becomes mature enough to realise he's an asshole. Marcus meets this slightly older girl in school called Ellie who is a punk rock rebel but apparently has a soft spot for Marcus because he's funny, and they wind up sort of good friends.
Throw in all this stuff about broken families, awkward Christmases, bratty kids, and the issues Marcus and Will have with their respective fathers who are mostly out of the picture for some reason, some of the stuff can hit pretty close to home.
The ending isn't quite what I'd call "happy", but it's hopeful and light enough that I didn't feel a gaping hole in my chest.
Marcus is really weird as the summary suggests, but in a kind of endearing way in my opinion. It'd be really easy to head-canon that he's autistic - doesn't pick up on social cues, can't recognise sarcasm, asks what society deems to be inappropriate questions, etc. He's that poor kid whose mother won't let him be like the other kids his age because she's some kind of intense vegetarian hippy, who is also battling severe depression, which comes up later. Or, like, it comes up pretty early on in the story as Marcus notices how his mum cries constantly, and then A Thing happens.
The same day Marcus meets Will, Marcus accidentally kills a duck at the park by throwing a rock solid baguette at it. Then as Will and his date are taking Marcus home, they all go in to find
Spoiler
Marcus' mum having just attempted suicideAfter that drama pretty early on, Marcus and Will start hanging out together (much to Will's chagrin, but Marcus can't take a hint) and Will starts trying to teach Marcus about sarcasm and how to be "cool". It's a very interesting relationship they have. Marcus' mum is understandably concerned by it to begin with, but after some Thorough Investigation and Will's public humiliation, she's not exactly okay with it, but Marcus is gonna do what Marcus is gonna do. Will goes through a plethora of women and eventually becomes mature enough to realise he's an asshole. Marcus meets this slightly older girl in school called Ellie who is a punk rock rebel but apparently has a soft spot for Marcus because he's funny, and they wind up sort of good friends.
Throw in all this stuff about broken families, awkward Christmases, bratty kids, and the issues Marcus and Will have with their respective fathers who are mostly out of the picture for some reason, some of the stuff can hit pretty close to home.
The ending isn't quite what I'd call "happy", but it's hopeful and light enough that I didn't feel a gaping hole in my chest.