The Forever Girl
by Alexander McCall Smith
Genre: Fiction
Published: 2/11/14 by Knopf Doubleday
Pages: 320
Format: Advanced Reader Copy
My rating:
2.5 out of 5 stars
The
Forever Girl follows the love stories (or perhaps lack of love
stories?) of a mother and daughter. Amanda, the mother, who has been
married for years with two children, slowly realizes that she has fallen
out of love with her husband. Meanwhile her daughter Clover falls in
love with her childhood best friend, but he doesn't seem to feel the
same way about her. That's pretty much the story as this novel follows
them through the years of their lives.
First, I really didn't
like the way Amanda just decided she had fallen out of love with her
husband. She seemed so flippant about the idea, like it wasn't a big
deal at all. And the conversation about it between Amanda and her
husband David felt the same. In the matter of just a few sentences,
they both agreed they didn't love each other and they should separate,
as if neither of them had any sort of feelings at all. It just didn't
feel realistic to me.
I can see how many people would not like
Clover as a character, as she is fairly pathetic in her continual moping
about James and her refusal to move on with her life. I didn't find
this as obnoxious as others have described, and I think I preferred her
story over Amanda's story. But by the end, I was ready to shout at her,
"Either move on or tell him how you feel already!!"
This story
held my interest at times, while at other times I didn't care much what
was happening. Towards the end, Clover goes to Australia and Singapore,
and it was at this point that I thought the book was finally getting
interesting. At least it felt like something was finally going to
happen! Then the book ended. I don't want to spoil the ending, but it
was very sudden and not really that believable based on everything that
had already happened in the book. It kind of felt like Mary Poppins
just walked in and snapped her fingers and everything fell into place.
If Alexander McCall Smith wanted to end his book this way, he should
have written it in more detail to help the readers understand why the
characters were doing what they are doing, which might possibly make it a
more believable and realistic ending.
This Star Won't Go Out
by Esther Earl
Genre: Memoir
Published: 1/28/14 by Penguin Young Readers
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
My rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Esther
Earl was diagnosed with cancer when she was twelve years old. She
fought cancer for four years, all the while journaling and blogging and
vlogging about her life and thoughts, until she passed away at the age
of sixteen. Her life and her struggle with cancer were the inspiration
for one of my favorite books, The Fault in our Stars by John Green.
This
is a hard one to review. It is not so much a book as it is a
collection of journals and writings by Esther Earl and about Esther
Earl. It is heartbreaking and inspiring and raw and real. It doesn't
read like a normal book, as most of these writings are personal and were
never intended for publication. Yet altogether, these writings present
an incredible picture of an amazing young girl. While I didn't know
Esther personally, reading this book made me feel like I knew her. And
for that, I am grateful.
While reading these words about Esther, I
was unexpectedly encouraged and inspired. I thought this would be a
really sad book to read. And it was really sad. But it wasn't
completely depressing. Rather than ending the book thinking all about
how sad it was that Esther was taken too soon, I ended thinking more
about what an amazing and full life she lived. It is the same way I
felt after finishing The Fault in Our Stars. I think it is good to
remember that even a short life can be a good and meaningful and happy
life.
Another thing that was inspiring about Esther's writing was
her faith in God and her hope in the face of death. For a sixteen year
old, she was so mature emotionally and spiritually. I was so amazed by
her eagerness to trust in God and God's plan for her life even in the
midst of cancer. If I ever were to find myself in a similar situation, I
hope that I can approach it with as much faith as Esther.
I
think Esther is unique because of how much she wrote and recorded about
herself. Even though she died several years ago, she continues to live
on and make a difference in the life of so many people (myself
included!). How amazing to have her journals! And her stories and
drawings. And a letter to her future 17 year old self. Not to mention
her blog, twitter feed, youtube videos (I just sat down and watched ALL
of them). Because Esther took the time to express her thoughts and
share her thoughts, they are now forever etched into our world. I'm
inspired to write more after reading Esther's journals.
One
things that Esther repeatedly talked about was her desire to make a
difference in the world. She was afraid that she would not live long
enough to make a difference. How wrong she was! This Star Won't Go Out
is the most perfect title for this book. I believe that she will
continue to impact more people than she ever could have imagined, and
her star will continue to shine brightly long after she is gone. Rest
in awesome, Esther.
