I must say, I was not the biggest fan of this book. The Dorothy character was EXTREMELY unlikable, which is understandable, based on the title of the book. The way the author has morphed the Lion, Tin Man, Glenda and Scarecrow fit well with the alternate version of Oz and Dorothy. The book was a bit formulaic and I had a difficult time finishing it because it was a tad bit predictable. I am not really a fan of predicable books, in the way that many people are not fans of predictable movies. The one good thing the book did for me was ignite the desire to read the original Wizard of Oz books so I can have a basis to which I can compare. I have read 3 of the books in the Wicked series and enjoyed them very much, so I think I might like the original stories of Oz. I can also say I will not be reading any more books in this particular series, nor will I be recommending them to any friends.
This book was a very good read. It is classified as a Young Adult novel, but I felt like it was written for a more mature audience. There are many underlying themes in the book that I don't know if young adults would understand, such as things in the relationship between the parents in the book. The opening sentence of the book speaks about one of the characters being dead, so that part of the story was not to come as a surprise. There were other parts of the book that really surprised me! The title, at first glance, appears to be from the perspective of the individual who has passed away at the beginning of the book, but as the book continues, it is really about how keeping secrets from those you love the most affects everyone, not just the one from which you're keeping secrets. The title could be understood from each characters perspective, which I really like. This is a book I would suggest for others to read. I think the multiple layers within the storyline would please many people. There is a lot of underlying, but visual, discrimination in the book. When the main characters are all confronted with the various forms of discrimination, they all treat it differently. If they had an open dialogue about discrimination, among many other topics, perhaps Lydia would not have died. However, I think that the book speaks to many unstated feelings that families have, especially when they come from a multiracial background.
Oh, this book. I'd love to say that I fell in love with this book, like so many others have. I didn't. It was a good book. It did make me cry, but it's not in my top 10 list of books to read though. I read the cover before reading the book and guessed at the big ending, so I wasn't surprised when Will made his decision. I really like the setting of the book, it made me want to go back to England and experience it even more. The title, much like Everything I Never Told You, could be applied from the two main characters in the story. They both had a wonderful appreciation for one another throughout their story together, even if it did take a while for them to get to that point. The part that really got to me, was when Lou finally let Will's decision be his decision. She fought so hard for him to remain, when all he wanted to do was leave. In this life we all have to make decisions about those we love and accept some of their decisions, even if we don't agree with them. One of my friends said she was emotionally distraught when Will told Lou she wasn't worth living for. While it may have come across that way in the book, I didn't see it that way at all. I saw it as Will pushing Lou away so she could understand where he was coming from and beginning to accept that she needed to let him go so they could both have peace with the decision Will had made. I agree with assisted suicide when the individual has made it abundantly clear that is how they want their life to end and I would hope that in the end, my friends and family would honor my feelings the way Lou honored Will's.
Book reviews/comments aside, I am excited to report that I've already read 5 books this year!
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