Title: How I Live Now
Author: Meg Rosoff
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books 2004
Genre: YA Fiction
Pages: 194
Rating: 3/5 stars Movie: 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Women Authors; Library Books; 52 Books -- W17; Books to Movies
Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy.
As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.
I feel like this one was a good book but I read it too late in life. It's definitely made for a teen. I kept thinking like an adult and it just didn't connect to the characters or the story. Plus, the style bugged me. First person narratives are very hit or miss and I'd say this one was a miss for me. But I can definitely see how this novel could appear to many teens out there. Daisy is a typical teenager. She doesn't act older than her actual age of 15. She doesn't respond to situation like adults. She has moods and identity issues. She struggled with the teenage angst. I can appreciate a young adult novel that actually features a young adult. I just didn't get sucked into the story and characters. Not a bad book, just not one for me.
Movie:
I liked the movie a whole lot better than the book. They aged Edmund and Daisy up a bit (not so scandalous). They changed other things here and there. But they kept the focus on the survival of the characters. I liked this Daisy much more than book Daisy. She still seemed like a teenager, but not quite as whiny. I also liked how they had a few little scenes the movie touched on her mental health issues, but didn't dwell. Instead, we see a great gradual transition brought on by the war. Plus, the cinematography was just gorgeous. Glad that I actually decided to watch the movie after my so-so reaction to the book.