Book Review Twenty-Three: How I Live Now

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, published by Wendy Lamb Books.

I can't even express how powerful this story is. This is a novel for the ages, one that is a sure-fire classic. It should be taught in classrooms. It should be criticized, analyzed, and shared between many. It's the story of Daisy, a fifteen-year-old from New York who goes to live with her cousins in England. While she is there a war breaks out and her Aunt Penn leaves to avert war and try to maintain order. Obviously she is unsuccessful because shortly after there is news of a bomb, Aunt Penn can't make it home, and the children are left to fend for themselves. Daisy, Isaac, Piper, and Edmond must fend for themselves, but they are too busy celebrating life without adults to realize the severity of the situation.

The novel soon reminds me of The Diary of Anne Frank because of Daisy's unreliable narrative, the inevitable war and chaos that consume her life, and the forbidden romance that ensues. The novel may be short, but Rosoff strikes all the right chords as she explains the dissolution of the cousins, the pain and uncertainty this causes Daisy, and the inevitable escape that Daisy and Piper partake in to be reunited with their family. An aspect of this novel that appears unrealistic, besides this newfound war in England, is the magic that the cousins possess. They have a special knowledge of and communication with nature and animals which greatly aids them during the war.

My main problem with this novel was the ending. I didn't appreciate the abruptness to Daisy's involvement in the war or her return home. I didn't fully understand the timeline or how the war ended (or ever really what the war was about in the first place). Plus the relationship between Edmond and Daisy was left open-ended, which I less than appreciated. But I figure that's how life works and that makes the novel more realistic in my eyes. Life is constantly evolving; it's worth the confusion.

Book Review Twenty-Two: North of Beautiful

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley, published by Little, Brown and Company.

I know it's been about a million years since I have updated, and for that I am sorry. I actually moved across the country (literally from NY to CA) and while things were hectic and then depressing and then boring and then hectic again I just wasn't motivated to write any reviews. That's the honest truth. It doesn't mean this book wasn't amazing though, which is why I feel it's time to get on and tell you all about it.

I believe almost everyone has suffered with self-esteem issues. Most of us don't feel beautiful enough. I know I have had many days where looking in the mirror made me want to die or cry. There's always something we think we can fix and then everything will be perfect. For Terra Cooper that's the port wine stain on her cheek. She tries every kind of procedure and therapy to rid herself of this major flaw, however, nothing works. She has lost hope but her mother hasn't. Her mother, a former beauty queen, now struggles with her weight and body issues. She focuses her energy on Terra so she doesn't have to work through her own problems. It's made painfully clear early on that the two women are dependent on Terra's father for approval and love, neither of which he can provide. The home situation is heart-wrenching and leaves Terra with fantasies of moving across the country to escape the unhealthy dynamic.

I think everyone who has read this blog knows I absolutely adore and rave about Sarah Dessen on a regular basis. Well trust me when I say that Justina Chen Headley is on par with Dessen. They both create a world so believable and three-dimensional that it's hard not to get attached to the characters and even harder to stop reading. For instance, most of North of Beautiful is about beauty: finding it in yourself, seeing it in others, and the subjectivity of it, yet there is the underlying theme of travel: geocaches, maps, Terra's name, her desire to go as far away as possible. Travel and beauty are interlinked; the farther Terra gets from her father the more beautiful she will feel. The more geocaches that she finds with Jacob the more beautiful she feels to him. Even when she makes her maps she feels more secure about herself.

You'll have to bear with me and forgive me for how short this post is. I have an absolutely terrible memory and may have to reread this book since I haven't given it a good enough review. Believe me when I say that it was worth reading, and even reading through a second time. If you can't take my word for it, just read into the fact that I only brought about 25 books across the country with me and this was one of them.