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Dear Nobody (2015)

Dear Nobody (2015)

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Genre
Rating
3.4 of 5 Votes: 5
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ISBN
0141311762 (ISBN13: 9780141311760)
Language
English
Publisher
puffin books

About book Dear Nobody (2015)

Something I've noticed lately about contemporary YA realistic fiction is that the British stuff tends to be a lot heavier and more depressing than the American stuff. There aren't the nice little hopeful happy bits, the ends don't get neatly tied. The teenage characters often have extremely unsupportive parents, and yet the parents aren't 'baddies' as such - they're just really mixed up themselves.This is the story of Chris and Helen, a teenage couple full of ambitions for college, and how an unplanned pregnancy affects their lives. I was impressed at how the author tackled these issues head-on and didn't provide any easy answers. Helen becomes miserable and withdrawn, doesn't know who she can talk to, doesn't have supportive parents. It's pretty heavy - emotionally, it's not a light teenage read. In terms of the plot, I suppose you could say it's one where 'not much happens' - it's about the emotional journey of these two teenagers, and how they relate to each other and their families and friends. It's very internal - largely about what's going on in their heads. I found it very effective - moving, but also quite gritty in places, and not in the slightest bit sentimental. It's about teenagers having to come to terms with a reality they are not ready for, and this is incredibly difficult for them. Not a comfortable or enjoyable read - I don't think I'd want to read it again. It's depressing. But then stepping into other people's shoes often can be - and I admire the author for not making it easier on the reader. But it does mean it's one of these books that I can say in the abstract is a good, well-written book for various worthy reasons, but I didn't actually enjoy reading it.

This book was deep, emotional and realistic. Most teenage pregnancy books tend to be angsty and the characters dislikable. However I thought this was an exception, and although this was a chance read as I wouldn't normally pick this book up, I still enjoyed it. I picked it up again recently when one of my oldest friends who left my secondary school a few years ago and who I speak to every few months too, told me she was pregnant. She is 17, alone in her boyfriends flat with no qualifications and her boyfriend is alot older than she is. I was at a loss for words. I picked this book up for some guidance to what she would be expecting and to understand the fear she must be experiencing. It helped me out a lot and when I called her I asked her how she was feeling and normal conversation ensued, as I was more relaxed and had more of an idea on what to do. For this I will always be grateful to this book fo putting the pregnancy in realsitic terms and how the choices the characters made are tough but in the end they have to live with them and it is their decision. Although teenage pregnancy is quite a tabboo subject it is becoming increasingly common so books on it will be popping up. I for one am glad I read this, as otherwise I would have no clue at all about pregnancy other than the 'biology' bits and my mates mum who said labour was like pushing out a melon with an audience. I do recommend this book to teenagers, to see the raw emotions and harsh reality that a pregnancy can create.

Do You like book Dear Nobody (2015)?

This was a bitter-sweet story of two youngsters just starting their lives in 1991. I felt incredibly close to their story, probably because I'm close to their age (roughly) and because their baby would be my age by now. So it's got a gorgeous kind of nostalgia to it that can only be built over time. I was looking for a "very British" kind of book when I picked this up. I wanted realism and something unmistakably "Brit" about it; real teenagers and screw-up parents and lives that are, frankly, a long way from anything resembling wholesome and perfect. This story is essentially about how our lives take different paths and that our rites of passage teach us that it's scary, but it's okay. It's part of becoming an 'adult'; though some adults are still on that road, learning. Nobody in this book has lived the life they'd planned for themselves, but what appears to be a tragedy for one young couple actually brings all the broken parts together. I loved that. I wish there was a sequel. By the end I found myself wondering what Helen and Chris would be like today, and what their lives would look like. I felt like I knew them.
—Ashleigh

Querido Nadie es una novela que lidia con el espinoso tema del embarazo adolescente y lo hace de una forma maravillosa. A través de las cartas que Helen le escribe a Nadie (su futuro hijo) así como de los recuerdos de Chris de esa época podemos conocer los dos puntos de vista de los protagonista de la historia y ver su evolución. Pero no sólo tenemos a los adolescentes, tal vez lo más valioso de esta obra sea que dedica mucho tiempo a presentarnos a los padres de ambos jóvenes y a que veamos como lo sucedido también les afecta a ellos. Esta variedad de personajes es fundamental para que puedan disfrutar del libros personas de todas las edades. Cuando leí este libro con 15 años, me identifiqué muchísimo con Helen y Chris y apenas recordaba que hubiera mucho más en la historia. Sin embargo, ahora con 25 me pareció mucho más importante y realista las reacciones de los padres y cómo estos lidiaban con el problema.Pero posiblemente lo que más me gustó es el final. Al principio parece un poco difícil de entender y obviamente decepciona porque no es el final feliz al que estamos acostumbrados, pero me parece un grana cierto. El final es realista y muy coherente con el resto de la historia. Una lectura muy recomendable para todo el mundo.http://gutenbergylumiere.blogspot.com...
—Andrea Meijomil

I've owned this book for a long long long time. I'm not sure why I even picked it up because it doesn't sound like a book that younger Imogen would like, which might explain why I never finished it as a child. Ever a completist, I picked it up because it was short and I was curious how it ended.The problem with the book is that it was written 25 years ago and it feels like it was written 25 years ago. What should be a relatable story about a teenage pregnancy and the consequences, isn't, because it just hasn't aged well. The description is shoved wherever it will go, long flowery sentences that don't match the subject matter or the audience.There's barely any difference between Chris's internal monologue and Helen's letters to the baby. But this won the Carnegie Medal, I'm just not sure what I'm missing.Review originally posted on Imogen’s Typewriter.
—Imogen

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