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4th out of 15 books
—
12 voters
Are We There Yet?
by
David Levithan (Goodreads Author)
Sixteen-year-old Elijah is completely mellow and his 23-year-old brother Danny is completely not, so it’s no wonder they can barely tolerate one another. So what better way to repair their broken relationship than to trick them into taking a trip to Italy together? Soon, though, their parents’ perfect solution has become Danny and Elijah’s nightmare as they’re forced to sp...more
Hardcover, 215 pages
Published
July 12th 2005
by Alfred A. Knopf
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I've quite liked other books by Levithan, so I was excited to read this one (especially since I love stories abroad). Only instead of Italy, this one took me to Dullsville. It felt a bit like reading a diary in the sense that I can imagine real people going through the story, but also in the sense that most real people are too boring to read about.
As a side note, I'm tired of the overuse of dated pop culture references in YA. A little here or there, and you are quirky (if that's your thing), but...more
As a side note, I'm tired of the overuse of dated pop culture references in YA. A little here or there, and you are quirky (if that's your thing), but...more
Aug 04, 2011
Lauren
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
15 years and up (drug use/sexuality)
Shelves:
realistic-fiction
First of all, I'm surprised by my own reaction to this book. Usually, I am completely against any books that includes drug use but does not condemn it. In Are We There Yet?, one of the main characters smokes pot in a sort of neutral way--- this habit is neither encouraged nor discouraged. Since I am stubbornly against any drug use whatsoever, I was surprised that this didn't severely lower my enjoyment of the book. Because I enjoyed it very much.
This book was also sort of unusual for me becau
...more
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story of two semi-estranged brothers on a forced trip "alone together" in Italy. Yes, your expectation is "they will learn to appreciate each other" but Levithan approaches that sideways, typical of his quirky atypicalness. I appreciated the less-stereotypical-than-you-think-at-first characters, the offbeat travelogue of Italy seen through both brothers' experiences, and the
realistic, engaging sibling dynamics both in the brothers' current strained relationship...more
i don't have brothers, but this book resonates. i've never been to italy, but i feel like i understand. i don't have parents that would resort to "trickery" (actually, maybe i do) but some how this book felt like home.
"Travel is no longer a pursuit, he thinks. There is something inherently noble about that word - pursuit. Life should be a pursuit."
"Brothers are not like sisters," he says. From his tone, Danny can tell this is something he's learned. "They don't call each other every week. They...more
"Travel is no longer a pursuit, he thinks. There is something inherently noble about that word - pursuit. Life should be a pursuit."
"Brothers are not like sisters," he says. From his tone, Danny can tell this is something he's learned. "They don't call each other every week. They...more
Elijah used to idolized his big brother, but growing older has meant growing apart. Their parents coerce them into taking a trip to Italy to reconnect. High school senior stoner Elijah wants to wander and experience, while Danny, a twenty-something ad-exec, wants to stick to the timetable. The two get on one another's nerves more and more, finding occasional common ground in museums and reminiscence. When Elijah finds romance with a tourista and begins spending all his time with her, Danny finds...more
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Who hasn't fought with their siblings? It is natural that brothers & sisters don't get along, but sometimes, things can get out of hand.
Are We There Yet conveys an adventurous story about two brothers that attempt to survive a trip to Italy together. David Levithan is very detailed in describing artifacts & settings in museums & landmarks of Italy. Readers who love to learn about adventure & enjoy sightseeing will find Are We There Yet a great option to add to their list. I foun...more
Are We There Yet conveys an adventurous story about two brothers that attempt to survive a trip to Italy together. David Levithan is very detailed in describing artifacts & settings in museums & landmarks of Italy. Readers who love to learn about adventure & enjoy sightseeing will find Are We There Yet a great option to add to their list. I foun...more
Dec 19, 2011
Liza Wiemer
added it
Ahhh, David Levithan what a special gift you have for pulling the reader into your stories and allowing the reader to be a witness to important snapshots of your characters' lives. ARE WE THERE YET? is one of those novels that needs to be thought about after the last word is finished. For me, ARE WE THERE YET? is a metaphor for so much more than the obvious. What is the obvious? The plot. This is a novel about two brothers who have grown apart and their parents "almost" desperate attempt to help...more
I only really decided to read this, because I wanted to read something written by David Levithan before I read Will Grayson, Will Grayson, so I had no real expectations as to how it would be.
Elijah and Danny are brothers, but they don't have anything in common. At all. Elijah thinks Danny's life is boring and too "grown-up", while Danny thinks Elijah is too much of a child and even a bit naïve. They used to spend all their time together when they were kids, but they haven't seen each other socia...more
Elijah and Danny are brothers, but they don't have anything in common. At all. Elijah thinks Danny's life is boring and too "grown-up", while Danny thinks Elijah is too much of a child and even a bit naïve. They used to spend all their time together when they were kids, but they haven't seen each other socia...more
OH, my. Every Levithan book I've read is an amazing gift of words. ARE WE THERE YET? is funny, heartbreaking. I love Danny and Elijah and I want to strangle them. But what deep, reflective characters they are. Danny and Elijah, the Silver brothers, are 7 years apart and have never really been close. Their mother forces the issue the summer before Elijah's senior year in high school by tricking the boys into taking an Italian vacation together. We see all the petty resentments, misunderstandings,...more
Liked it! It was short, yet surprisingly satisfying. I do have to say that there could have been a lot of stuff that can happen, but hey, it's not my book. The voice used in Are We There Yet? is different from David Levithan's collaborations. First of all, it's not in the first person point-of-view. I admit, I was kind of disappointed at first. Levithan's first person narrations are a riot. However, the third person narrative gave an in-depth no-nonsense feel to the story. Which I surprisingly d...more
Two brothers who feel they have nothing in common are tricked by their parents into going on a vacation to Italy together. Danny, in his mid-twenties, is an advertising big-shot whose work has become his life. He thinks his seventeen-year-old brother Isaac is a slacker with no ambition. Their attitudes toward travel are as different as they are. Danny sticks to his itinerary, and Isaac prefers to wander. But when they meet the lovely, free-spirited Julia, they find they have more in common than...more
My library (their digital site) is starting to recommend books for me. That's kind of awesome!
This was one of their recommendations & I have to say, I loved it. I am a David Levithan fan, so it wasn't a tough sell, but I hadn't heard of this book, truly enjoyed everything about it.
Danny & Elijah are brothers with a 7-year age gap who can barely remember a time when they had anything in common. They last liked each other when they were about 10, respectively. But their parents have tric...more
This was one of their recommendations & I have to say, I loved it. I am a David Levithan fan, so it wasn't a tough sell, but I hadn't heard of this book, truly enjoyed everything about it.
Danny & Elijah are brothers with a 7-year age gap who can barely remember a time when they had anything in common. They last liked each other when they were about 10, respectively. But their parents have tric...more
As part of my crusade to read more YA from a boy's perspective, I was happy to learn that Are We There Yet? tackles a topic I hardly EVER see: The relationship between two brothers. Danny and Elijah are polar opposites, seven years apart, with Danny being the uptight young professional with no personal life and Elijah the dreamy high-schooler with no sense of direction. Their parents trick them into spending a vacation together in Italy, and the book is basically about what happens.
The style is...more
The style is...more
Dec 07, 2011
Claire Y.
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of dash and lily's book of dares and classic david levithan.
David levithan is one of my favorite authors.I find his books to be witty,fun, and very entertaining. Most of all, they aren't going to weigh you down with emotional plots. This book is from the viewpoint of two brothers who couldn't be more different yet they are very alike as well. When their parents trick them into going to Italy on a nine day all expense paid bonding trip, neither of them have high expectations. They take trips into their past as they explore the canals and roads of Italy. T...more
David and Elijah Silver are 10 years apart, and while they were thick as thieves when Elijah was young, and Danny would wake the house every night to make sure the baby was ok, once Danny hit his teens, Elijah was shut out. Being so young, he didn’t understand, but he did learn to deal. Danny shut himself into his world, Elijah got lost in another.
One morning each brother receives a call from their mother explaining about Italy. She and their father were going to go, but his leg is acting up. Th...more
One morning each brother receives a call from their mother explaining about Italy. She and their father were going to go, but his leg is acting up. Th...more
I said it before and I'll say it again, David Levithan is a genius. It's not so much the stories he tells or the settings (although Italy is pretty darn cool) but it's more about the way he conveys the character's true self. His characters (main ones, anyway) have depth. He describes things with such pinpoint accuracy so that you really get the character, so that you feel the character is you.
In the beginning, I couldn't stand Danny's character. I thought he was uptight and stuffy and a bit of...more
In the beginning, I couldn't stand Danny's character. I thought he was uptight and stuffy and a bit of...more
This book is a quick, relaxed read because it doesn't have many pages, because most pages aren't even fully filled and because of the short chapters with the changing points of view.
What I enjoyed most about this book was the language, Levithan is quite a genius when it comes to describing feelings/thoughts/architecture/whatever. His style is so original and poetic without being boring or incomprehensible.
It was funny that Danny's and Elijah's journey took them through almost the same cities I'v...more
What I enjoyed most about this book was the language, Levithan is quite a genius when it comes to describing feelings/thoughts/architecture/whatever. His style is so original and poetic without being boring or incomprehensible.
It was funny that Danny's and Elijah's journey took them through almost the same cities I'v...more
I don't know if the synopsis really does justice to the beauty of David Levithan's writing and the tenderness with which he depicts his characters. Someone else posted a review noting how rare it was to read a book about brothers having this sort of emotional fragility while still sounding like real people. Maybe I'm verging on hyperbole but I can only compare how I felt about this book to reading Byatt--only with a much lighter feel and a sense of wonder instead of world-weariness. Even though...more
Another brilliant novel by David Levithan.
In the very beginning, I found myself favoring Elijah (the younger, free brother) over Danny (the older, all-business brother). I related to him by the way we both want English degrees, want happiness while our lives should feel happy, and want to explore and feel free and have a good lifestyle. He knew Danny got irritated by him.
But then I started liking uptight, workaholic Danny. He liked rules and order, then realized how different he'd gotten from be...more
In the very beginning, I found myself favoring Elijah (the younger, free brother) over Danny (the older, all-business brother). I related to him by the way we both want English degrees, want happiness while our lives should feel happy, and want to explore and feel free and have a good lifestyle. He knew Danny got irritated by him.
But then I started liking uptight, workaholic Danny. He liked rules and order, then realized how different he'd gotten from be...more
This book, like the amazing Boy Meets Boy is written in Levithan's sparse, poetic style - which I absolutely love. When he employs his less is more style, like with this book, it makes for an engaging and emotionally satisfying experience. As someone who loves Venice, Florence and Rome it was a delight to relive visiting these cities. There seems to be a bit of a tonal shift with each city, which is fitting since I remember that from traveling. I also REALLY loved that the focus of this story wa...more
This book came highly recommended to me, and I have to admit, I was disappointed. I found myself not really caring about the characters, and yet...the writing was interesting enough for me to wonder whether or not these two brothers could repair the distance between them. There was very little dialogue between the two brothers, although someone might argue that that was the point because they felt so distanced from one another. However, at the end, they somehow reconcile their differences withou...more
I don't know if it's good or bad, but it's still the same style as his other novels. A unique story unlike most of the novels I've read, this focuses more on the relationship of the siblings rather than boy-meets-girl-then-fall-in-love stuff we usually read. It also gives me a deeper appreciation on what my brothers have done for me. It may not be the way I wanted it to be, but now I know it's the most that they could have done on that time.
This is an excerpt from the novel that I really like:
"S...more
This is an excerpt from the novel that I really like:
"S...more
It felt rushed, both in writing and in publication. There were quite a few mistakes. But it was nice reading a book set in a place I had been to, at sites I had visited. The character relationships felt predictable and also a little bit false, though. Over-exaggerated - which makes sense for a book that's so short; DL seemed to feel the need to cram the message into your brain, scream it at you.
I love DL as a person and as a writer and I usually really like his work, but this wasn't a favorite...more
I love DL as a person and as a writer and I usually really like his work, but this wasn't a favorite...more
The writing style of this book was a little more difficult for me to get into than some other books I read. It wasn't bad - just a little different than what I'm used to reading. At the same time, some of the descriptions the author used were so dead on and thought-provoking. Several times I found myself wanting to write down various lines because they were ways I wished I had thought to describe something. One of the main reasons I picked up this book to read was because it is set in Venice, Fl...more
I loved this. It's a simple story of two brothers who go on vacation together, but it's sweet and touching and heartbreaking. Levithan switches focalization between the two while moving the plot forward, so we get a chance to really see how misguided each brother is about the other and their relationship. Both brothers are flawed, so we're sympathetic to each--neither is the hero nor the villain. Really, you're just rooting for the two to get over themselves and reconnect. This is also set in It...more
The style of this book is gorgeous. So many published YA authors today aren't writers, the poetry of their words is lacking, but that is not the case for Mr. Levithan. He has a way of making you feel nostalgic for things you've never seen or experienced before just because of the emotions that he puts into his writing.
The story itself wasn't that engrossing. There was no point where I was curious to find out what happens next, but I don't think that's what this book was about. And if you're the...more
The story itself wasn't that engrossing. There was no point where I was curious to find out what happens next, but I don't think that's what this book was about. And if you're the...more
I read this because I loved David Levithan's "Every Day." This one, not so much. The plot was about two very different brothers, one in high school and one working age, who are "tricked" into taking a fabulous Italian vacation. I will say that I wanted to visit Italy after this. It's almost like a poetic travel guide. Venice, especially, sounded great. But the relationship between the boys is strained for so much of the book that I found myself not wanting to go back to it. I kept waiting for th...more
A big, unexpected surprise. My expectations were low in the opening pages. Don't let what appears to be simplistic, perhaps even poor writing turn you off. It gets much better. The revelation of the relationship between two brothers is moving and memorable. Am very happy I stumbled across this one! (By the way, avoid Goodreads' paragraph-long review of this one; it greatly minimizes the potential impact of the story, making it sound very shallow. On top of that, they have the ages of the two bro...more
I have read every one of Mr. Levithan's books, and have found so much poetic wisdom about living,life, being human. This was no different. It is brief, the story a trifle shallow, but what he has to say about relations between that first circle of loves we're born into and the second circle of loves that we choose- our friends- is very deep. It realy made me want to visit Venice and Rome though I felt I'd already been there in spirit through the experiences of Eli and Daniel. I must admit, I kep...more
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David Levithan (born 1972) is an American children's book editor and award-winning author. He published his first YA book, Boy Meets Boy, in 2003. Levithan is also the founding editor of PUSH, a Young Adult imprint of Scholastic Press.
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“Here's what I think. We all want someone to build a fort with. We want somebody to swap crayons with and play hide-and-seek with and live out imaginary stories with. We start out getting that from our family. Then we get it from our friends. And then, for whatever reasons, we get it in our heads that we need to get that feeling- that intimacy- from a single someone else. We call if growing up. But really, when you take sex out of it, what we want is a companion. And we make that so damn hard to find.”
—
45 people liked it
“He never wears a watch (his own rebellion against time, against watching).”
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8 people liked it
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Mar 21, 2011 07:03am