Young Writers Society

I read How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff and i loved it.

i was thinking about ordering some of her other books off amazon or something like 'Just In Case' and was wondering if anyone liked How I Live Now, and has read her others, and what they thought of them? worth reading?

I actually bought How I live now. Though I read it quite a while back. The plot is vague in my memory, but I did enjoy it at the time. I should read it again so it doesn't collect dust on my shelf. XD

^_^ Keek!

personally i read most of my books a few times if i really like them but i think you should definatly read it again, i really liked it! it was kind of weird because it was really ambiguous with what time period it's set in but to be honest i think that just made me like it more!

Yes! I do remember how vague the time period was. =P I agree, it actually added to the story. When you writer first person, you tend to find ways to tell the readers about the setting... but deep down if you are keeping a journal or something you don't expect people to be reading it, so you don't really do any of that since you KNOW where you live.

I had to read this for my book group earlier in the year and I HATED IT! I couldn't stand it! We got no information about what was going on, it was totally unrealistic and very boring. There was nothing in it that made you enjoy it, it was just a pile of words mixed up together to make sense.

Terrible book, I would never recommend it to anybody.

I agree with Sleeping Valor on this one. The information was purposefully vague and I think it worked really well. If they'd actually told us what was going on, I felt like it would have lost a lot of it's intrigue. (Like Sleeping Valor said, it's a much more realistic first person narrative if details are left out. She knows what's going on and so doesn't need to reiterate to ... herself.) The ambiguity really drives it - and makes it a more universal story.

I listened to it on a car ride once, but I don't remember a lot except that I enjoyed it. I should reread it. (I have a hard time remembering things I hear vs. things I read.)

I'm with you, chocoholic. The main thing that made me despise it was that there were no speech marks and hardly any commas - frustrating. WHY, OH WHY?? I think it was some kind of 'clever' device because they had them at the end. But it made me mad with rage. That's how sad I am.

lol, lhighton, that bothered me too!

Just In Case is very good, I liked it. I tried What I Was, but for some reason I just couldn't get into it in the same way. How I Live Now is really good, I did a book report on it and two other books off our recommended reading (yes, it was on there), and I got the highest mark in the year . I'm not boasting, just saying, it's a good book in that situation. Except you're a bit "ooh-er"ing over the fact that you have to write [spoiler] she sleeps with her cousin [/spoiler] when your English teacher is going to be reading it

How I Live Now = My true love :L

I can't say any of her other two books reach the high standards set by HILN. Just In Case, I didn't get into that at all, I didn't actually even finish it. What I Was, I guess it's alright, the plot is kinda stupid though...what some things turn out to be. There wasn't any need in it to be honest.

stella- ye that part of the plot was a bit weird but i still think it added to the book because the whole thing i thought was pretty strange but i think that just added to the whole effect of it.

i guess ill go get the other ones from the library or something and see what they're like

I have very mixed emotions over How I Live Now. I borrowed it from the library a while ago now and at the time I was both addicted to it yet struggled with it. I liked the unrealistic factor of it and some of the plot. I like that it didn't have an amazing fairytale ending. I think it's a bit of a forgettable book, though. I wouldn't bother reading it again.


Alainna
xx

Just reread this book and came back to here. I'm cringing at what I wrote.
Came back to the book with a less critical and, I hope, more matured, eye. I fell in love with it! I think I completely misunderstood the whole thing. It is strangely, whimsically beautiful.
I think it's one of those books that perfectly capture the adventure of childhood, so is both great for kids and adults (the latter for nostalgia and the fact that we never lose something of our childhood).

I started 'Just In Case' but it didn't suit. Lacking the magic of HILN, it did not recommend itself for me.

i read just in case first, and loved it. the book intrigued me and so i decided to check out meg's other books.
i read how i live now, and loved it too. the relationship she had was weird but i don't know, nice. things like that don't really gross me out or offend me because you can't help it. (: i loved the lack of quotation marks, it made the story more readable for me (sounds strange, but it did. it was like i was actually listening to someone tell me a story instead of reading a book).
and then i borrowed what i was from a friend and i adored it, even more than how i live now and just in case. (:

so yeah. i think HILN is a really good book. same with meg rosoff's other works.