Me Before You - Jojo Moyes

[BikeRunSki]

Just read this, but one thing that didn't sit true with me - if Will's mum was so concerned about him staying alive, why didn't she give up work to spend time with him?

She cared deeply about him, but they didn't have a particularly close relationship and he didn't like her interfering in his life. So she had to be content to watch from the side, employing Louisa to care for him in the way that she would have liked to have done but wasn't able to. Also, her marriage was going badly wrong and she knew it. I think she just needed to keep working so she could keep herself together.

What did you think of the novel as a whole Bike? I enjoyed it very much. I've just finished reading Patrick Gale's A Perfectly Good Man for the MN bookclub, which also examines the subject of assisted suicide. Have you read that one? I thought it was an excellent novel - thoroughly recommend it.

I was surprised by it Norma. I picked it up expecting some light and fluffy, and true, it is never going to win prizes for literature, but the issues it deals with are pretty heavy going, but written about in a very readable manner. I related to it a bit in that my dad was wheelchair bound for the last few years if his life, and we rallied round trying th carry on with fun things regardless. I was also impressed that the author didn't cop out at the end and do the happy ever after that she could so easily have done. Ended up being a lot more thought provoking than I'd anticipated. I thought the actual ending was very well written and not traumatic, very subtle.

I have read a lot of Patrick Gale in the past, but not the new one. Will do now though.

I thought all the characters were fairly 2D. Lou's parents were salt of the earth working class, tea making, step scrubbing housewife mum and undervalued craftsman factory worker dad. Will's parents were distant cold fish mum and pottering around the castle and having an affair dad. There was something very forties about the way they were so confined by their class roles. I didn't like it at all but I hunk I may be in a minority of one.

No, you're right jolly. The supporting characters were not well developed, this is what I meant I suppose when I said it was no literary great shakes. In fact, even Louisa and Will were very stereotypical for their backgrounds. Especially Will, at least Louisa and her sister were tryingbto break away from the constraints of their small town and expectations. I thought the sister's situation was contrived to force Louisa to face up to her feelings for Will and Patrick though.

I didn't like the insane bedroom swapping.

Why did they have a 4 bed council house when they had 2 girls (I know they ended up with the grandad and little boy but they came after the house)

Why did one bedroom not have a window.

Why did Lou stay at Will's during the week when her sister was away at university and then cram back into the house at weekends when her sister came home.

I hate all that contrived faux living together bollocks. If someone likes me and wants to spend time with me then I want them to tell me rather than give some bullshit story about overcrowding.

I really didn't like it.

I thought Lou had a very small life but I didn't think she was really too big for her life.

I didn't like the whole premiss of her being changed by watching a couple of subtitled films.

I also wasn't very impressed when she told him about her rape and he responded by saying some mistakes have bigger consequences than others.

Did I mention I didn't like it?

I'm not even going to say a word about that cringe inducing wedding dance.

Oh good a thread! I haven't quite finished it yet but am nodding at jollyrancher...

Why the hell didn't she know what pimms was!? The class divide in this country isn't THAT big!!

I found this book utterly predictable and I thought the attempt at showing a class divide was unsubtle and not believable. I'd guessed the ending about a quarter of the way through. I only bought it because of the amazing reviews on amazon, but was sorrily disappointed. bog standard chick lit. bad characterisations. blah blah blah. hated it.

I read it last night and blubbed. I'm
Obviously in the minority!

Well, I haven't finished it yet - I may yet blub!

I thought it was pretty rubbish TBH. 2d characters. Lou was complete unbelievable -people that shallow and small minded don't suddenly change personality after a couple of conversations.
Her family set up was bizarre and bordering on the ridiculous.

Badly written chick-lit for me. Very disappointing.

I liked it. I just like a good read though and don't really analyse books in a deep, thought provoking way. My mum has just finished it and she liked it too. Maybe I am a bit of a philistine when it cones to literature!

She didn't even know how to use the internet.

Why did Will's family not know about all the things Lou found out about such as the skydiving etc. Surely you just know things like that by being alive and if they didn't one of the nurses or someone in the hospital may have mentioned it.

She was ridiculously chippy about the women from the triathlon club.

Why was a family who buy absolutely nothing (Wallpaper, clothes, computer) with four adults of working age plus a pensioner living from hand to mouth. The Dad had never been out of work.

I finished this book today. I agree about a lot of the points raised here - some 2d characters, contrived situations, unanswered questions, predictable, cliched, bit 'chic lit' but despite all that I still liked it (liked, not loved) and I'm glad I read it. I think the relationship between Will and Lou was well played out and very moving and I often had a lump in my throat. It made me think about being disabled and about assisted suicide which are things I haven't given a lot of thought to before. To answer the original question, I think the mother didn't spend all her time with Will as he made it clear that he didn't want her around all the time but it did seem a little strange didn't it.

Glad I found this thread - just finished this book and quite liked it, but thought it was OK rather than fab due to many of the points noted above. But when I read the reviews on amazon I was left wondering if I had read a totally different book! I liked it enough, but wouldn't give it 5 stars but more like 3.5