When I read this book years ago I didn't enjoy it. So many people had told me they loved it, so maybe it was built up too much in my head, but remembeWhen I read this book years ago I didn't enjoy it. So many people had told me they loved it, so maybe it was built up too much in my head, but remember thinking it really wasn't such a big deal. Upon re-reading it a second time, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I appreciated it a lot more this time around. It felt refreshingly real and I liked Charlie a lot. As some previous reviews have mentioned it is probable that his character has a mental disability, most likely somewhere along the lines of Aspergers, and that aspect was one of my favorites because Mr. Chbosky never says it straight out but rather lets those traits and qualities seep into the text and lets the reader make her own judgement call. So much of this book had similar moments of artful subtlety and letting the work speak for itself, which I just loved. I am glad I gave it another shot, and I am very excited to see the movie coming out later this year. It could translate to film beautifully....more
I had never read a John Green novel prior to reading this one. I wanted very much to like it and felt certain after reading some of the overwhelminglyI had never read a John Green novel prior to reading this one. I wanted very much to like it and felt certain after reading some of the overwhelmingly positive reviews here that it would be an awesome and heartbreaking experience. I was ready and excited. I guess I could sum the experience up best by stating that it is unlikely I will read another book by this author, and if I do it will be sometime in the future when I forget how utterly disappointing I found this book to be.
I had a lot of problems with this book. Overall, it felt very insincere and I was constantly distracted by how obviously everything was written with the goal of tugging on the reader's heart strings, rather than just letting things happen that were beautiful in spite of being sad. It felt like Mr. Green was screaming at me from the page 'ARE YOU SAD YET? YOU'RE SAD RIGHT? THIS IS SAD. YOU SHOULD FEEL ALL THE THINGS AND CRY ABOUT IT. I'M A GOOD WRITER. I WRITE FEELINGS. ARE YOU CRYING YET?' For a story about Human Beings, it doesn't feel very human at all. Instead everything feels very unnatural and self-conscious in the worst way.
The biggest and most impossible thing for me to get around was I simply didn't believe the character of Augustus or his relationship with main character Hazel. As these concepts are basically what the entire story hinges upon, I didn't believe in or care about anything else that happened either. Augustus came off completely pretentious and obnoxious, particularly in the way he insisted on speaking in a Diablo Cody nerd hipster sort of dialect that no one would ever use in the real world. (Some commenters here have said it's the way Mr. Green himself talks which, a.) way to be self-congratulatory, and b.) how does he not get punched in the face, like, ALL THE TIME?) His entire character felt contrived and I never once felt a connection with him. Too often it seemed like he was walking around like I AM SO CLEVER LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME, constantly putting on a show so that nothing from him felt genuine or real. His whole fascination with ultimately meaningless metaphors felt condescending, like Mr. Green constantly squealing HEY GUYS, SEE WHAT I DID THERE? TAKE A SECOND, WRITE IT DOWN IF YOU NEED TO. YEAH, I'M DEEP. Augustus' one fault was sickness, but it was nothing that he could control. And that's just so... boring.
But it wasn't just Augustus. The character of Hazel was somewhat likable, (despite Mr. Green's insistance on making her 'sound like a teenager' by formating every other statement she makes like it's a question? and tacking distracting 'or whatever's onto the end of random bits of dialogue BECAUSE THIS IS HOW TEENAGERS TALK RIGHT? I CAN TALK LIKE A TEENAGER, SEE? BECAUSE THEY SAY 'WHATEVER'. I'M A GOOD WRITER. ARE YOU FEELING THINGS YET?) but her relationship with Augustus felt completely and totally forced. There was never any real reason for them to fall in love with one another, and that is crossing dangerously close into Twilight territory. He was so convienient, so effortless for Hazel. I had to wonder, was it him or was it because he was there and ready and willing? It all fell flat and left so many places to take the stories and facets of their characters completely unexplored. Any opportunities to delve into hard questions and real answers were left untaken and exchanged for large passages (mainly in the **SPOLIER ALERT**: Amsterdam trip scenes) that had very little purpose outside of screaming LOOK AT THIS HANDSOME CHARMING BOY ISN'T HE SWEET LADIES? HE WILL PULL YOUR CHAIR OUT FOR YOU AND HE TALKS LIKE I DO. IT'S CHARMING, RIGHT? YOU ARE FEELING CHARMED. I'M A GOOD WRITER.
Ultimately, it felt completely fake. I couldn't get lost in it, always fully aware of the fact that I was reading fiction and how irritating EVERYTHING about it was. I finished it, which is the only reason I gave it 2 stars, but it was a true task. Truthfully, it pissed me off. I would have loved to love this book as much as everyone else and have a new favorite to hold dear to my heart. Now I'm just confused. Was my copy broken?...more
I really really enjoyed reading The Kid Table. I have always loved Ms. Seigel's writing ever since I picked up Like The Red Panda back in hig4.5 stars
I really really enjoyed reading The Kid Table. I have always loved Ms. Seigel's writing ever since I picked up Like The Red Panda back in high school and found it borderline life changing. Her unique leading female characters feel completely and effortlessly real. The story kept me interested and entertained and now feeling pretty bummed out that the last page has been turned (and I honestly haven't had that 'I'm so sad it's over, I'm gonna miss those guys' feeling after finishing a book in quite some time)....more
Ms. Devin has the ability to eloquently and accurately put words and descriptions to complicated feelings I have struggled with throughout my life in Ms. Devin has the ability to eloquently and accurately put words and descriptions to complicated feelings I have struggled with throughout my life in a way I haven't found since Prozac Nation. I admire her strength and honesty in writing her story and sharing it so courageously with the world. I hope she knows now beyond any shadow of a doubt that she IS a writer....more
The Hunger Games is not the kind of I book I'm usually found reading, as I tend not to care for anything dystopian/fantasy-ish as a rule. That being sThe Hunger Games is not the kind of I book I'm usually found reading, as I tend not to care for anything dystopian/fantasy-ish as a rule. That being said, I really really really enjoyed it. The classic awesome storytelling, the strong and likable characters, the believable development of relationships, even the way Collins writes, giving you just enough to let you know exactly what is happening but leaving room for her readers to fill in the spaces themselves; it all makes for a compulsively readable adventure that had me turning pages faster than I have in a long time. It's the sort of story that has something for everyone who might pick it up....more
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