2023 EDIT: Part of my 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.
Final Score: 3/5
Original Review:
A lovely little story about a teenager who has started to live in happiness in a fresh country farm. Then she finds herself living in the situation of war which is closer to home than she wanted or expected. Her new world is blown apart, but she won't give it up easily.
I first read 'How I Live Now' when I was a lot younger, and I barely remembered it. Although I do remember being confused by its unusual writing style and unconventional heroine. But I kept it, still feeling it to be something magical that I just couldn't fully grasp.
Now that I am older and have had more varied reading experiences, I had decided to give this one another try, perhaps to understand and appreciate it better.
It is full of great and flawed characters - you do feel for each of them, which is essential when writing a story set in the brink of war - and it is written in simple but believable prose from a modern day fifteen-year-old. I read 'How I Live now' in one day.
I've noticed that the last names of Daisy and her cousins are never mentioned, meaning that they could be anybody, any innocents living at war and its devastation. And we never know exactly who "The Enemy" is, meaning that the civilian Daisy is as much in the dark about the reasons and causes of war as everyone else (even the adults in the army seem unsure of who they are fighting). Daisy grows to understand hard work and the consequences made by this unknowable war (like no electricity or food or medicines). I also liked that the fear of waiting for something to happen is made clear by the narrator.
'How I Live Now' misses one star because I felt it to be a little too short, and the relationship between Daisy and Edmond (her cousin/lover) could have been developed a whole lot better. They should have spent more time together before Daisy says she cannot wait to be reunited with him, or else her life is not worth living. Edmond's mind(or aura)-reading is also creepy.
But our girl is a survivor, nonetheless. And I love the relationship between her and Piper (who is adorable). Daisy develops from a selfish and anorexic American teenager into someone with a loved one to care and be responsible for, and who understands the importance of food to survive. She's still callous in the end, but at least she's tough, assertive, and never gives up, even after spending years among circumstances she can't stand.
Overall, this debut is something special. A gateway into YA, perhaps.
Final Score: 3.5/5
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