I have read a lot of reviews about the movie adaption of this book. Unfortunately, they're not very positive, and, although, I have not seen the movie, I'm sure Hollywood did a magnificent job of butchering this beautiful story. If you have also read these reviews, please, don't let them deter you from reading this book, because I can assure you that this book is great(and probably much better than the movie.)
So, when I started reading this book I didn't like it. I'm sorry. I know, it's terrible. This fact really bummed me out, but now that I look back I actually like it better that way. I thought that Stella was really annoying at first because she was all about organization and control. Everything had to be exactly right, and her and her friends were really girly and giggly and obnoxious. And on top of all of that she has a YouTube channel for empowering all of those with cystic fibrosis (whoop-te-do.)
I liked Will better at first than I did Stella because he is the moody, sarcastic type that I identify better with, but he did come across as a jerk. Not attractive. The one thing that is blatantly obvious about Will is that he has lost hope. Which is also not the most attractive thing.
I loved the juxtaposition of their characters. They're exactly what the other needs. He shows her what it's like to really live, and she shows him what it's like to want to live. They both give each other life, purpose, and, of course, love.
I really liked Stella's friendship with her fellow CFer Poe, and her nurses Barb and Julie. I love real friendships in books(and, of course, everywhere else) they make the book homier.
But i started warming up to both of them, especially once they started hanging around each other. i thought that it was better that i didn't like them at first because that is exactly the way they felt about each other. it made the experience better.
I liked all of there conversations. They shot witty banter back forth at each other, snide remarks, and humor for days, but they definatly talked about serious topics to. Like what happens after death, what the heck are you supposed to do during life, and the struggles of having a life altering disease.
There are a lot of misconceptions about this story that the movie puts out there. The first being that the main conflict in this book is all about touch(which makes the story seem way more sexual than it actually is.) I really don't appreciate it. I mean don't get me wrong Stella can't even hug, and has never even hugged her best friend, which she has known for practicly all of her life, and it's deadly for her to hold hands with Will. The truth is that that would suck for anyone. So, yeah it's gonna be in there somewhat, but that doesn't mean that the book is vulgur. It's not, in case i wasn't clear. The reviews also say that their is a lot of casual sex talk. There isn't a lot, and it isn't crude. Also, a lot of the parents freaked out because their is a part where they go swimming and they strip down to their underwear(Oh-My-Gosh they look like there in bathing suits!) They don't strip down to look at each other like all of the parents were saying. What are they supposed to do swim in there cloths. I'm not saying there completely innocent, they do check each other out, but, come on, that's pretty normal for anyone espcially dying-teenagers-who-are-attracted-to-each-other for goodness sake. Okay, anyway, the second thing is that Stella's best friend Poe is gay. Just to be clear i don't agree with the homosexual lifestyle, but i also don't like conservatives who try to pull people to their side by being way overdramatic, stretching the truth or trying to control onther people's lives, just like i don't like liberals who are guilty of doing the exact same thing. People were saying that he goes on about how many people he's been with. He actually doesn't if i rember correctly, and if he does it is very brief and sparse(Stella talks about it more than he does, and it's more factual than it is anything.) And, anyway, He has these brief flings with people, where neither person expects commitment from the other, because he doesn't want to hurt people.(Note: one thing that I didn't like is that Poe's parents are were illegal immigrants when Poe was born. So, Guess what? They got deported when Poe was just a baby. This puts a negative view on the government. It makes them look like their stealing parents from innocent children, when in fact, their merely acting as a society with reasonable rules.) The last thing that people were all up in arms about is that the characters use a lot of fowl language. Yeah, i'll admit it they do, and i find it inexcusible because words are important. Obviously, if you disapprove of this you probably won't like it, but if you just don't care then this book is fine. These are most of the complants that people voiced. I don't agree with the majority of them because i'm guessing that the movie didn't show the whole picture(shocker!) Once agian this book is not vulgur, it was actully more bittersweet than it was anything.
Don't let the reviews or the movie fool you. This a book worth reading. It's heartfelt, passionate, and painfully beautiful. It actually means something and it's worthwhile.
Comments
Post a Comment