Just finished 'me before you'- by jojo moyes- brilliant! (Sniff!)

[spikemomma]

Sob... What a lovely, moving, funny, enlightening book! I really didn't think I'd like it - How wrong was I?! Jojo Moyes is a brilliant writer- I'll defiantly read more of her books. Feel all emotionally exhausted now...

[bettybyebye]

Ooh it's fab isn't it, I couldn't put it down. Found I couldn't stop thinking about it either, utterly thought provoking. Can really recommend "the ship of brides" also by jojo moyes

[girlsyearapart]

Also loved that book as has everyone I've passed it on to.

It's one of those books that I see someone else reading & feel jealous that I've already finished it..

[girlsyearapart]

Another one I've read recently and really enjoyed was 'Between a mother and her child' by Elizabeth noble

[bigbadbarry]

I loved it - it was not at all what I was expecting from the cover.

[AnyFucker]

What is it about (briefly) please ?

[IThinkOfHappyWhenIThinkOfYou]

I hated it. I think i must be dead inside.

AF - Its about a jolly working class girl who lives on a council estate with her parents, sister and grandfather where her mother scrubs the step and makes endless cups of tea probably wearing a housecoat and the dad works in a factory screwing the caps onto toothpaste. She leaves gets a job caring for a quadraplegic man who has rich but icy parents (father having an affair). He pygmalions her by going to the symphony, making her read books and watching subtitled films and she behaves in a staggeringly crass manner. She is gang raped whilst hanging out with youths, in a maze, drinking and wearing high heels to which he responds 'some mistakes have bigger consequences than others'. or something. She tries to make his ex jealous by sitting on his knee and contorting herself to rest her head on his shoulder whilst wearing a sexy dress. If you could die from cringing I would be deep in the cold, cold ground.

[AnyFucker]

Erk, doesn't sound like my cuppa tea

[SarkyPants]

Predictable twaddle IMO

[SarkyPants]

Sorry. I forgot superficial :)

[spikemomma]

Blimey, talk about burst my balloon! With a very giant needle. That's made me laugh! (Books are so subjective.)

Well, listen, I think I posted this because I was very surprised I liked it. I loath chick lit, hate predictability, didn't warm to the subject matter...but thought I would trust its recommendation and I was pleasantly surprised! It fitted my mood at the time, made me learn a little, laugh a little and release a few cathartic tears. I thought it was surprisingly very lovely. So there! [scarpers....]

[AnyFucker]

Each to their own

[Kiriwawa]

The thing that the naysayers haven't mentioned is that it's about choosing to take your own life as and when you feel like it.

And it does that really really well and I don't know of any other recent novels that have dealt with a young man who is paralysed but otherwise healthy choosing to kill himself.

[Kiriwawa]

Blimey - total grammar fail in that last post

[HousewifeFromHeaven]

He kills himself?

Fucks sake I've just started this!!!

[SarkyPants]

But she takes on a really really complicated issue. And treats it as if it were as simple as choosing socks.
Chick lit trying to be something deeper but failing IMO.

And FWIW I'm not a book snob. I'll happily read superficial shite. And since having kids I mostly do. I just don't like books that pretend to be cleverer than they are.

But clearly I'm in a minority as lots of people likes this :)

[AnyFucker]

I have closed my Amazon window down, put it that way

[HousewifeFromHeaven]

I knew I shouldn't of bothered.

Bring up the bodies it is then

[FreddoBaggyMac]

I'm another one that loved it. I bought it after the good reviews and then it sat on the shelf for six months after I saw the cover and read the blurb... and I just couldn't seem to face reading a book by someone called 'Jojo'. One day I decided to read a few pages so I could justifiably put it in the pile for the charity shop and I couldn't stop reading. I wouldn't classify myself as a lover of 'Chicklit' whatever that may be, I read a huge variety of Books from Tolstoy to the current Richard and Judy's, and imo this one was a good 'un!

[DuchessofMalfi]

I thought it was a good story too. Well worth a read. It's better than chick-lit but not destined to be a modern classic. It's just a likeable story which deals sensitively with a serious subject.

[phoenixrose314]

I hate chick lit, only read it if very bored and nothing else available... However, I really did like this book and so has everyone else I know who I passed it on to. Gave a copy to my mum for her birthday and she phoned me sniffling going "Thank you so much for my book... brilliant!..."

I think the reason I hate chick lit is because it all seems so, so superficial... this started off similarly, but the character of Will just brought a darkness to it, and really got me thinking about my own feelings about euthanasia/suicide.

Not my usual cup of tea but enjoyed it thoroughly.

[sooperdooper]

I couldn't stand it, so glad a few others on here agree with me since it seems to get unanimous fabulous reviews on Amazon

What irritated me most was the way she describes everyone else in the world behaving like some kind of idiotic rude weirdo around someone in a wheelchair - now I'm not saying the world is a perfect place for someone in that situation but as I have a family member in a similar situation I can confirm that the general public do not generally stare in bewilderment, behave in a rude and unhelpful way, or think anything particularly strange at someone in a chair being on the dancefloor at a wedding or party!

I found the repetitive idea that nobody in the world apart from Will's family and his carers can behave in a normal way around someone in a wheelchair to be wrong, and patronising.

Also, there's a silly flaw in the plot where she says that Wills dad had some high powered job (I forget what is was now), until retiring and then taking a job at the castle. Then later on, Will says that him & his sister used to play in the castle grounds as small children because his dad let them in after hours? Eh?

Agree with superficial and predictable, and add to that poorly researched with 2 dimensional characterers

[IThinkOfHappyWhenIThinkOfYou]

I spent half my time wondering how her parents managed to get a 4 bed council house with only 2 girls and I couldn't understand why her family were on the bones of their arses when the dad had worked full time in a skilled job his whole life until he was made redundant, she worked, the sister worked, the grandfather had a pension and presumably an attendance allowance and they bought nothing. The house hadn't been decorated since the '80s and she had to borrow a skirt for her job interview. Trivial but irritating.

[Galaxymum]

I read it last month and found it very compelling. Having known who lived for 30 years like this, I think I found the sentiments very true. The issues of being completely dependent on others, the health issues and watching others live the life he missed were described very well.

I liked the Pygmalian traits in that need for control. I think Jojo Moyes is a far more talented writer than most other bestseller popular writers.

But we can't all like the same thing. 'Twould be a dreary world!

[BikeRunSki]

I read it last year,around the time Tony Nicklinson was in court (and then later died). I thought it raised some interesting issues in an accessible format.

[aftermay]

I liked it. It's not an easy subject matter and she used a few clichés. Still worth a few late evenings.