Yesterday, with about 70 pages left in the book, I talked to a friend at work about "could these wealthy parents really leave their kids alone all the time, knowing that they are guzzling alcohol every night?"This morning I laid in bed reading the final 30 pages, and I realized that yes - the authorities could turn a blind eye and allow young people to drink to excess even though it's illegal. That's exactly what happened in the 1920s.Welcome to the modern Great Gatsby. Well, yes. And no. Gibson's Daisy Buchanan is also her Nick Carraway. Her Gatsby is an aptly-named Hunter, and her Golden Girl is named Amber, who is popular and pretty and Nick/Daisy's best friend. It's a well-written book, giving homage to one of my favorite novels without recreating it word-for-word.Last night I went to a Twenties party at a favorite hip, swanky bar here in Omaha. I dressed in my sparkly silver flapper dress and drank French 75s (Prohibition-era champagne cocktails). The hundreds of lit candles, the garter-and-vest-clad bartenders, the lovely well-dressed people and the burlesque show all led to a roaring good time. As I read the final thirty pages while waiting for coffee to be brought to me, I smiled, realizing that while Gatsby's excessive life led to his death, an occasional excessive party brings one to life. I have to admit, I almost quit on this book. The first half just wasn't that engaging to me. I couldn't really make myself care about the rich-but-sad teenage protagonists, Carley Wells and Hunter Cay, and the plot felt a bit contrived. But I'm really glad I stuck with it, because it reached a tipping point about halfway in where the story really gained momentum. As it turns out, no one in this book is as he or she seems, least of all Carley. From the title and flap copy, I expected a flip story with funny, quirky characters. In reality, the novel takes a deep and thoughtful look at complex characters, each struggling with private demons. It's also about the power of storytelling and about the lifestyle of the very wealthy. It's also about the power of our appearance and what people assume about us because of how we look. And how what we look like informs how we think of ourselves. Carley is a large girl (at one point it's revealed she's a size 16 at age 16) who doesn't win any prizes for beauty (or conversation, for that matter, since she only thinks of the right things to say in retrospect, in what she calls Aftermemory). In contrast, Hunter is a "golden boy" with runway looks, tailored designer clothes and an extraordinary way of making others feel cared for and special.They form an unlikely friendship and have more in common in their interior lives than anyone every really suspects. Their friendship is beautiful and sad, and unique. They truly do belong to each other, as another character says at one point. The book is worth reading if just for a peek into their world.In addition to Carley and Hunter, two tangential writer characters orbit the teenage pair, and their lives intersect in beautiful ways you couldn't guess they would.It's a book that's definitely worth reading, and the last half moves really quickly and unexpectedly toward a tragic ending. To say more would give things away, so I'll just say I recommend reading this story.
Do You like book Escríbeme Una Historia De Amor (2010)?
Nearly all the characters are unlikeable. Kept thinking it would get better, but it never did.
—minimari
I like the book jacket far more than the book itself.
—nucleartwister6
