Blue-eyed boy. I don't get it.

[minxthemanx]

Am I thick? I read voraciously, a wide range of fiction, but I am soo confused by this book! It seems to have changed from one person telling the story to another, and I can't be bothered to try and work it all out. Very confusing. I don't know who died - thought it was Brendan, killed by Ben, but it now appears to be Ben, killed by Brendan. Wtf? Am very muddled between waitress in cafe and girl in red coat. Sheesh. Should it be this hard?

couldn't agree more. got this book on audio and had to listen to it on double speed, it was so tedious. It's a bit like a kid who makes it up as she goes along and changes her mind in the middle! Sad, because I do like some of this author. a big mistake to publish this one, it should have stayed in her cupboard.

I didn't get it. It was one of my beach reads last year and I was so disappointed (loved Chocolat and The Lollipop Shoes). I kept getting confused, couldn't care about any of it anyway, and the ending was just one big cop-out - as if she thought 'Oh, I can't be arsed to finish this, will just scribble something down and go down the pub.'

You are not thick. I didn't get it and I Am An English Teacher. Any book I don't get, it's cos it's a pile o' shite, I'm telling you.

Another English teacher here, a few chapters in. I don't get it either. Do I give up and go back to asking my Year 8s for recommendations?

Yes, definitely. Have you read the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness, talking of things Yr 8s might recommend? Great stuff. I haven't tried The Hunger Games yet though...

Yep last year's Year 8s got me onto Chaos Walking! Sooo good. This year's class insisted I read the Hunger Games. I've read the first one and they were dead right - it's brilliant. All 50 million copies of the second one are checked out of the school library though!

Got all three Hunger Games from The Book People for a reasonable price...

Right, if it's good, am going to pack it for the DofE expedition I'm off on tomorrow (think long hours sitting in a minibus waiting for groups to show up at a check point - good book required!)

I'm quite jealous! (Of the reading bit; you can keep the camping bit!)

It'll be kind of appropriate reading it in the midst of nature with loads of violent teenagers around!

Thanks ladies, glad it's not just me. I don't think I can even be bothered to finish reading blue-eyed boy, it's just too exhausting. Very rarely give up on a book, last one was when I was 11, Watership Down (too sad)!

i gave up on it - very rare for me. it's joined The Childrens Hour in my pile of 'how did this get a deal' books (currently housed in a charity shop)

Glad I'm not the only one who struggled with this. I read lots, and have read all of Harris's other titles, but this was just odd.

I finished it out of principle that i wasn't going to let the bloody book get the better of me.

If Joanne Harris was an unknown author I can't see how this would have been published.