written by: Meg Rosoff
series: -
genres: ya, fiction
pages: 209
publication date: August 24th, 2004
publisher: Wendy Lamb books
the book:
"Every war has turning points and every person too.”
Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy.
As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.
"Every war has turning points and every person too.”
Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy.
As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.
first thoughts:
I have already read another Meg Rosoff book, Just in Case, and decided that I wanted to read her debut, How I live now, too. Her writing style and the way her characters look at the world in her books is just so interesting, and I can't quite understand it...
my review:
During a (?) war, Daisy lives with her cousins on a farm, hiding for the war, and hoping that the moment the war will come for them is still far away. They build a happy life, even though the entire country is suffering. They are happy. Or at least, until the war arrives at the doorstep of their farm.
Daisy and her cousins now are forced to split up in groups, and they have only one thing they should do; stay alive. While the entire country is being destroyed, they are on the run for the mass destruction. But being on the run isn't that easy, you find out during this book.
The main character, Daisy, really have me the urge of trying to figure her out. But it was impossible to do that. In a positive way :) Daisy is a very complicated character at some points of the book, but she can also be just another teenage girl. She has a very strong will, and won't let the war or anything else take her down.
Then there are all cousins, each of them so different, and yet so alike. All of them are great and highly developed characters that you could see were really thought about by the author before she started writing the book.
Then there was the oh-so-confusing plot of this book. A new war present-time? I tried reading this book in a bus while I was distracted from everywhere, and that just didn't work. You really have to focus to understand this book, and even if you focus it is hard, or at least it was for me. You understand what is happening, but all the time it made me think - why would the author write about a fictional but so realistic war? What does she mean with the characters and the way they look at the world? etc. - and of course it's great if you have to think with a book, but it annoyed me a little that I couldn't find the answers to some of my questions :S
Meg Rosoff has a special writing style. No apostrophes are used during dialogues, no other reading signs (?) are used as well. Often this is very irritating, because you really have to pay attention to see who says what to whom.
This novel was very short, too short at some points, and the pace of the story was quick. Not too quick, but I would have preferred it slower, if you know what I mean.
An unique story about life during a war, with astonishing characters that have a different look on the world, which makes the whole book nothing like I have ever read before. A wonderful debut, which is not only for teens!
rating:
4 stars!
xo Mar
my review:
During a (?) war, Daisy lives with her cousins on a farm, hiding for the war, and hoping that the moment the war will come for them is still far away. They build a happy life, even though the entire country is suffering. They are happy. Or at least, until the war arrives at the doorstep of their farm.
Daisy and her cousins now are forced to split up in groups, and they have only one thing they should do; stay alive. While the entire country is being destroyed, they are on the run for the mass destruction. But being on the run isn't that easy, you find out during this book.
The main character, Daisy, really have me the urge of trying to figure her out. But it was impossible to do that. In a positive way :) Daisy is a very complicated character at some points of the book, but she can also be just another teenage girl. She has a very strong will, and won't let the war or anything else take her down.
Then there are all cousins, each of them so different, and yet so alike. All of them are great and highly developed characters that you could see were really thought about by the author before she started writing the book.
Then there was the oh-so-confusing plot of this book. A new war present-time? I tried reading this book in a bus while I was distracted from everywhere, and that just didn't work. You really have to focus to understand this book, and even if you focus it is hard, or at least it was for me. You understand what is happening, but all the time it made me think - why would the author write about a fictional but so realistic war? What does she mean with the characters and the way they look at the world? etc. - and of course it's great if you have to think with a book, but it annoyed me a little that I couldn't find the answers to some of my questions :S
Meg Rosoff has a special writing style. No apostrophes are used during dialogues, no other reading signs (?) are used as well. Often this is very irritating, because you really have to pay attention to see who says what to whom.
This novel was very short, too short at some points, and the pace of the story was quick. Not too quick, but I would have preferred it slower, if you know what I mean.
An unique story about life during a war, with astonishing characters that have a different look on the world, which makes the whole book nothing like I have ever read before. A wonderful debut, which is not only for teens!
rating:
4 stars!
xo Mar
1 comment:
JEEEEEH, you read it :D it's a really cool story isn't (well actually that question is answered by your blog, but whatever)
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