'One Day' by David Nicholls

But Caro - Dexter had a DVD in 1996 - when the first DVD wasn't released till 1997! That totally RUINED it for me. And I think he had an ipod ahead of time as well.

[sadbitchemoticon]

I thought the references to dates were very well-observed. I was at uni in 1989 so it brought back loads of memories for me, and the description of 1st and 2nd marriages was spot-on in my experience.

However I couldn't like Emma or Dexter so I couldn't bring myself to care much about what happened after they'd got together. The dramatic incident left me unmoved and I found the whole book frustrating as it could have been brilliant.

Utter tosh

Can't understand why anyone raves about it.

I have finished it now. It had an end that just went on and on and on.

A 3 star effort. Well-written, entertaining, differently structured chick-lit or ITV prime time drama (or should that be dicklit? ) Fun but totally superficial. By tomorrow I will have completely forgotten the characters.

I also have a number of issues that can't really be gone into here without Spoilers.

I think if a woman had written it, it wouldn't have got that much press or broadsheet reviews. Like Julian Barnes Talking It Over - it's a man writing a RELATIONSHIP book and therefore it must be BIG and BRILLIANT. Whereas a woman is just being typically obsessed with domestic subjects and not epic themes.

I did like it. It is a light read and I read it on holiday and enjoyed it.

So glad others felt disappointed by One Day - I was really outraged by the good press it got but there was another thread where everyone on it droned on about how it was their favourite book and how much they empathised with the characters. It just read like a film treatment to me - I imagined Richard Curtis would have snaffled up the rights within seconds.

David Nicholls did write a screamingly funny article about his teenage passion for origami which has softened me towards him a little.

I'm now in 1999 and it's starting to remind me of one of those 'We love the 90s' clip shows - big mobiles, fusion restaurants, the Rachel, Shed Seven - just a list of irrelevant cultural talk-points.

rubbish

Dexter was a complete idiot...and not at all fanciable so the whole of the first half annoyed me. 2nd half much better.
Really well written though, just not very likeable character!
Enjoyed it but read it because someone recommended it to me and was disappointed

I thought it was utter shite.

I saw the 'dramatic incident' coming a mile off, and wished it had happened earlier, preferably in the first chapter.

i enjoyed it because i was and edin at a similar time but it is a pileof twaddle adn the incident is shite. iti s a book that could have finished half way through.

I liked it as I read it on holiday by the pool in Portugal and tbh the Argos catalogue would have had me in raptures ,I was so realxed and happy

But I DID enjoy it

And didnt see the incident coming

Yes, MissM - rather appropriately Maxine Peake was talking about a similar issue today.

NB: don't spoil the dramatic incident for me!

I loved it. I never saw Cold Feet though. I saw the Dramatic Incident coming, but what I didn't expect were the years' entries after it. Because of that when I finished it I sat and cried - they were what genuinely moved me.

I am reading it now and oscillating between 'good' and 'meh' - however there are some factual inaccuracies that bother me. Mainly that Dex's mum appears to have had her daughter at 15 - she is 49 when ill and Cassie 34. Is this likely / realistic? Given her class and character background.

Anne Hathaway as Emma? Do me a favour. She's awful.

Very average. I knew what would happen.

I just finished Never Let Me Go. Different gravy.

Actually, I thought it was brilliant. Technically, it's incredibly well written: really good story arc and very well paced and structured. The use of language is also very strong - it feels like the sort of book that other writers turn round and say "bloody hell, that's well written" (as some of cover quotes suggest).

I also love the story and setting, maybe cos it's not a long way from my era. Well pitched and very reminiscent of the time. Although it is layered on a bit thickly here and there, it's beautifully understated in other parts.

In terms of the characters, okay, both Dex and Emma are caricatures, but they're well written, fully rounded and broadly sympathetic ones and, let's face, they're really a plot device to drive the story at the end of the day. Quite a few of the secondary characters are badly written though, Dex's wife, his friend, Em's boyfriend - they feel really lazy and one dimensional which is bizarre and David Nicholl's can write stunning thumbnail sketches (like the waitress in the restaurant).

So, not without its flaws, but overall a beautifully written book (well, for me anyway!)

Hated it, everyone else in my book club loved it. Smug characters and a film being made with Anne Hathaway as Emma, awful. Living in the past never actually moving on. Liked David Nicholls Starter for Ten though.

I cried when they had the big falling-out

emma very annoying and a bit 2D though

I thought it was an inspired idea, and read the many positive reviews so was really looking forward to it. Loved the references to things I used to do during my late teens and early 20s.
My brother read it and thought it was a bit rubbish, so I read it to prove him wrong.
I was very disappointed.
I thought Dexter was a complete idiot, didn't like him and couldnt work out why Emma would want to be friends with him (even in uni) despite his "beauty" . So I ended up thinking she was an idiot too.
I think the one day bit per year was a brilliant idea, but in practice, it didn't work, as I didnt get to see how the characters had grown. (Or ought to have grown anyway)