Sign in with FacebookStephanie's Reviews > One Day
One Day (Movie Tie-in Edition)
by David Nicholls
by David Nicholls
Stephanie's review
bookshelves: 50-book-2011, british, chick-lit
Oct 23, 11
bookshelves: 50-book-2011, british, chick-lit
Recommended for:
People who love: Message in a Bottle, Atonement, Love Story
Read from July 07 to 09, 2011 — I own a copy
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!
(I just copied this from my blog...and, didn't realize until it was pointed out to me (below) that I didn't copy the whole thing sorry!)
Please be warned this blog post contains SPOILERS for the following books: One Day, Message in a Bottle, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Lord of the Rings, The Way We Were, A Walk to Remember, Atonement, Bridges of Madison County, The Time Travelers Wife, The English Patient
This is the first book that is so beautiful that I want to quote it and keep it with me, and, yet I hate it...I mean seriously hate it! I am sorry I read it, if I hadn't bought it on the Nook I'd burn it. I don't want to read anymore books by this author just incase he tricks me again! I want to...I am crying...shame on David Nicholls...*insert cuss-words here* And, no I WILL NOT be watching the movie...seriously! Yes, I hated the ending that much, not since Atonement have I felt this emotionally cheated.
Emma Morley dies and no, I, in no way, saw that coming. Why didn't I see that coming because this book One Day by David Nicholls (a name that will be seared in my brain so I don't slip up and buy one of his books again) was not advertised as a book in the same vain as Message in a Bottle . See, the thing is I hate when books have needless death and dying. I hate books that intentionally kill off characters you love (think the Weasley twin in HP7 ) to make you cry, not to propel the plot along. And, in this book, after reading about 360 pages of a wonderfully tormented friendship on the verge of something more I was relating to the characters, to the places (I mean Emma has a flat in Earl's Court, really, Earl's Court) and I was relating to the hurt and desire of wanting your best friend...hmm...I was relating soooo much, that when Emma died I felt like a friend died and my breathing became erratic and my world darkened. Frankly, if I'd known this was going to happen, I wouldn't have read the book as I do not read such books. And, that's just it...I feel that Mr. Nicholls had Emma die towards the end (because yes, there's still like 30ish pages after her death...I don't know why...I suppose so you can short out your Nook crying while reading) because that was the ending no one expected. This is what I feel Nicholas Sparks, who is on my banned book list did with Message in a Bottle and what I feel Ian McEwan did in Atonement (what a shame the ending of that was!) and what I feel The Time Travelers Wife was, I mean that book doesn't even adhere to the science of time-travel or the science it creates in the story (if you can...um...er...'meet' yourself, you can also 'save' yourself...I mean he even knew what was over there in the forest...gah!). I'm not into gimmicks and I am not into tricks while reading. I don't have to guess the ending and I don't have to see it coming, but I do have to feel, at the end, that the book and its characters led to the conclusion.
I have, for many years, read books that use to death or separation to propel the plot. I was a little sad that Boromir died in Lord of the Rings , I was a little sad when Jaimie died in A Walk to Remember , and, I cried like someone died at the end of Bridges of Madison County (you know the part where all she has to do is get out of the truck and leave her whole life behind to be with the one she loves and she's there grabbing at the handle and you know she isn't going to do it, but you want her to, you really want her to), I don't mind that The English Patient dies, I don't mind that Hubbell and Katie never get together in The Way We Were . I understand weakness and I understand death when it is used in a proper way to drive home the major themes and symbols of a book or movie. Nicholls used Emma's death to do neither.
I read a review on GoodReads (I read many reviews looking for closure and answers) that talked about how David Nicholls wrote a book that didn't really address any audience and therefore made a certain type of audience incredibly upset. This is true, maybe he didn't understand his audience. I know I'm all for learning about relationship mistakes in a work of fiction, I just don't need characters to die to do that. I also know that there are people who love this book, just like there are people who can't get enough of Nicholas Sparks.
I have had enough of both.
(I just copied this from my blog...and, didn't realize until it was pointed out to me (below) that I didn't copy the whole thing sorry!)
Please be warned this blog post contains SPOILERS for the following books: One Day, Message in a Bottle, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Lord of the Rings, The Way We Were, A Walk to Remember, Atonement, Bridges of Madison County, The Time Travelers Wife, The English Patient
This is the first book that is so beautiful that I want to quote it and keep it with me, and, yet I hate it...I mean seriously hate it! I am sorry I read it, if I hadn't bought it on the Nook I'd burn it. I don't want to read anymore books by this author just incase he tricks me again! I want to...I am crying...shame on David Nicholls...*insert cuss-words here* And, no I WILL NOT be watching the movie...seriously! Yes, I hated the ending that much, not since Atonement have I felt this emotionally cheated.
Emma Morley dies and no, I, in no way, saw that coming. Why didn't I see that coming because this book One Day by David Nicholls (a name that will be seared in my brain so I don't slip up and buy one of his books again) was not advertised as a book in the same vain as Message in a Bottle . See, the thing is I hate when books have needless death and dying. I hate books that intentionally kill off characters you love (think the Weasley twin in HP7 ) to make you cry, not to propel the plot along. And, in this book, after reading about 360 pages of a wonderfully tormented friendship on the verge of something more I was relating to the characters, to the places (I mean Emma has a flat in Earl's Court, really, Earl's Court) and I was relating to the hurt and desire of wanting your best friend...hmm...I was relating soooo much, that when Emma died I felt like a friend died and my breathing became erratic and my world darkened. Frankly, if I'd known this was going to happen, I wouldn't have read the book as I do not read such books. And, that's just it...I feel that Mr. Nicholls had Emma die towards the end (because yes, there's still like 30ish pages after her death...I don't know why...I suppose so you can short out your Nook crying while reading) because that was the ending no one expected. This is what I feel Nicholas Sparks, who is on my banned book list did with Message in a Bottle and what I feel Ian McEwan did in Atonement (what a shame the ending of that was!) and what I feel The Time Travelers Wife was, I mean that book doesn't even adhere to the science of time-travel or the science it creates in the story (if you can...um...er...'meet' yourself, you can also 'save' yourself...I mean he even knew what was over there in the forest...gah!). I'm not into gimmicks and I am not into tricks while reading. I don't have to guess the ending and I don't have to see it coming, but I do have to feel, at the end, that the book and its characters led to the conclusion.
I have, for many years, read books that use to death or separation to propel the plot. I was a little sad that Boromir died in Lord of the Rings , I was a little sad when Jaimie died in A Walk to Remember , and, I cried like someone died at the end of Bridges of Madison County (you know the part where all she has to do is get out of the truck and leave her whole life behind to be with the one she loves and she's there grabbing at the handle and you know she isn't going to do it, but you want her to, you really want her to), I don't mind that The English Patient dies, I don't mind that Hubbell and Katie never get together in The Way We Were . I understand weakness and I understand death when it is used in a proper way to drive home the major themes and symbols of a book or movie. Nicholls used Emma's death to do neither.
I read a review on GoodReads (I read many reviews looking for closure and answers) that talked about how David Nicholls wrote a book that didn't really address any audience and therefore made a certain type of audience incredibly upset. This is true, maybe he didn't understand his audience. I know I'm all for learning about relationship mistakes in a work of fiction, I just don't need characters to die to do that. I also know that there are people who love this book, just like there are people who can't get enough of Nicholas Sparks.
I have had enough of both.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read One Day.
sign in »
Quotes Stephanie Liked
“What are you going to do with your life?" In one way or another it seemed that people had been asking her this forever; teachers, her parents, friends at three in the morning, but the question had never seemed this pressing and still she was no nearer an answer... "Live each day as if it's your last', that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that? What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn't practical. Better by far to be good and courageous and bold and to make difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance.”
― David Nicholls, One Day
― David Nicholls, One Day
“You're gorgeous, you old hag, and if I could give you just one gift ever for the rest of your life it would be this. Confidence. It would be the gift of confidence. Either that or a scented candle”
― David Nicholls, One Day
― David Nicholls, One Day
“And then she frowned, and shook her head, then put her arms around him once more, pressing her face into his shoulder, making a noise that sounded almost like rage.
'What's up?' he asked.
'Nothing. Oh, nothing. Just...' She looked up at him. 'I thought I'd finally got rid of you.'
'I don't think you can.' he said”
― David Nicholls, One Day
'What's up?' he asked.
'Nothing. Oh, nothing. Just...' She looked up at him. 'I thought I'd finally got rid of you.'
'I don't think you can.' he said”
― David Nicholls, One Day
“Live each day as if it's your last', that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that? What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn't practical. Better by far to simply try and be good and courageous and bold and to make a difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you. Go out there with your passion and your electric typewriter and work hard at...something. Change lives through art maybe. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance.”
― David Nicholls, One Day
― David Nicholls, One Day
“you feel a little bit lost right now about what to do with your life, a bit rudderless and oarless and aimless but that's okay that's alright because we're all meant to be like that at twenty-four.”
― David Nicholls, One Day
― David Nicholls, One Day
“This is me.’" He handed her the precious scrap of paper. ‘Call me or I’ll call you, but one of us will call, yes? What I mean is it’s not a competition. You don’t lose if you phone first”
― David Nicholls, One Day
― David Nicholls, One Day
“If you have to keep a secret it's because you shouldn't be doing it in the first place”
― David Nicholls, One Day
― David Nicholls, One Day
“A moment passed, perhaps half a second when their faces said what they felt, and then Emma was smiling, laughing, her arms around his neck.”
― David Nicholls, One Day
― David Nicholls, One Day
“And they did have fun, though it was of different kind now. All that yearning and passion had been replaced by a steady pulse of pleasure and satisfaction and occasional irritation, and this seemed to be a happy exchange; if there had been moments in her life when she had been more elated, there had never been a time when things had been more constant.”
― David Nicholls, One Day
― David Nicholls, One Day
“She glanced at the other diners, all of them going into their act, and thought is this what it all boils down to? Romantic love, is this all it is, a talent show?”
― David Nicholls, One Day
― David Nicholls, One Day
“He wanted to live life in such a way that if a photograph were taken at random, it would be a cool photograph.”
― David Nicholls, One Day
― David Nicholls, One Day
“Better by far to be good and courageous and bold and to make difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you”
― David Nicholls, One Day
― David Nicholls, One Day
“It would be inappropiate, undignified, at 38, to conduct friendships or love affairs with the ardour or intensity of a 22 year old. Falling in love like that? Writing poetry? Crying at pop songs? Dragging people into photobooths? Taking a whole day to make a compilation tape? Asking people if they wanted to share your bed, just for company? If you quoted Bob Dylan or TS Eliot or, god forbid, Brecht at someone these days they would smile politely and step quietly backwards, and who would blame them? Ridiculous, at 38, to expect a song or book or film to change your life.”
― David Nicholls, One Day
― David Nicholls, One Day
“The problem with all these fiercely individualistic girls was that they were all exactly the same.”
― David Nicholls, One Day
― David Nicholls, One Day
Reading Progress
| 07/07/2011 | page 56 |
|
13.0% |
Comments (showing 1-50 of 80) (80 new)
thanks so much for the comment, as it does suck. Safe Haven...hmmmm...i'll have to find it. as i don't mind his writing style, i just mind his storylines. :D and thanks for the *hug*...*hug* back!
Thank you so much for saving me from reading this book!!! I extremely dislike the "Sparks" genre and I am so glad you wrote this review.
Thank-you Kathryn! The sad thing is that this book is really and truly better written than Sparks, sooooo deceiving!
I just finished it this morning, and I feel the same way. I was so pissed off at the last sentence of chapter 18, and read the last chapters through a sea of tears. I was half expecting to find out the whole story was just a dream...and then I would have been beyond help. Reading your review has helped me process my pain. Thank you, Stephanie.
Colleen wrote: "I just finished it this morning, and I feel the same way. I was so pissed off at the last sentence of chapter 18, and read the last chapters through a sea of tears. I was half expecting to find o..."it made me soooo angry and pissed too!!! gar! just thinking about it! ooohhh and if the story would've been a dream...boy *fist of fury* i am glad that you liked my review, colleen, and i am glad that it helped! thanks for affirming!
The sad thing is, while it shocked me, it didn't shock me. My husband, love of 21 years, father of my two young kids died suddenly in a car accident last year. Here I was looking for escapist summer fluff, and I ended up once again mired in grief. Before my experience I found the grief of the Sparks genre entertaining. Now I find it kind of sick, that we make entertainment out of what happens to real people. It's not romantic, trust me.
Kim wrote: "The sad thing is, while it shocked me, it didn't shock me. My husband, love of 21 years, father of my two young kids died suddenly in a car accident last year. Here I was looking for escapist sum..."first, i'm so sorry for your loss. i know that sounds hollow from a person you don't know, but i am very sorry and don't know what else to say. i am also sorry that this book brought it all back. i've never found it entertaining, however, and i think that you have helped me figure out why i don't like it. it is sick to make entertainment out of what happens to real people. thank-you.
Thank you. I'm sorry if I made you feel awkward. It's okay. I just think that sometimes authors use this as a shocker of some sort, so we always remember their book. I felt that's what this author did. At least Sparks is up front about his topic. This one came out of the blue. It really did seem like a great escapist summer novel from the write-up.
And, I kind of liked Sparks' more recent book. Safe Haven, as it dealt with the after grief of a widow, as opposed to the leading up to the loss. There aren't that many books like that, and it was done well.
i have to totally agree...(just had to read my review again to make sure that i already said that...i hate repeating!) and it's easy to avoid sparks because of that reason and i loved the book until the ending, i mean loved it! i'll have to check out SAFE HAVEN as it sounds like it will have sadness, but also be good. oh! and i didn't feel awkward, i felt/feel immensely heart heavy. i wouldn't have a few years ago, i would have felt sad, but not overwhelmingly so, but after having a child and getting married something inside of me changed. for the good, as i've been taught to be a little less selfish. so, anyway, i am glad that you shared.
Wow I just finished this book and you put into words exactly what I was thinking! I don't like being tricked like this, and while it was still a good book I feel extremely cheated by it! I dont read to get depressed and that's exactly what this book did.
I had the exact same reaction. I swear I wanted to throw it into the fire; it was just such a punch in the gut and just made me so angry. I don't mean to sound childish, but those kind of storylines are just so friggin' mean! Plus, why couldn't it have been Dexter? I adored Emma's character.
P.S. After she died and it returns to 1988, I was hoping that she had dreamed the whole book. Sadly, I was punched a second time.
I totally agree Lakin! It is a good book, I am sorry that I can't give it more stars! :DAnd, Todd, it was like a punch in the gut and yes, I would have felt a little better if it would've been Dex (especially early on), but he grew on me too! And, they are friggin' mean *pouts* *stomps foot*...and the flashback was the worst as it gave false hope. *kicks a puppy* ok, so i didn't kick a puppy...but, i thought about it! :P
I too loved this book and then instantly hated it. I gave my copy away. Blind-sided is the only word that can describe how I felt. I too will NOT be watching the movie.
I WISH I COULD GIVE MINE AWAY...!!! no fair! i downloaded it on the noooooook! :*(...or trust me it would be out of my hair by now! i removed it from my immediate shelf...but it's still there...
yes, it definitely is! i'm sure my friends would like me to stop talking about...but it just makes/made me sooo angry!!! gar!
Thanks for writing this. I tend to do bad things when my expected HEA gets stolen from me. No matter how well written the book or how brilliant the plot points, if the overall vibe of the book changes so dramatically, I get really, really pissy. Thanks again.
First, I had to google what HEA meant (I'm sooo lame!) And, second, thanks Darlene and that's it...the vibe totally changed...even lamer! :D
What a spot on review. Emma's death just did not bring anything to the novel, nor was it necessary. The story was about two people growing up and growing towards eachother: why these curve balls from left field, that have nothing to do with the plot?
thank-you, ivona! and, i have totally asked that question, as well...and, have found more than one answer that suits... :D
Thanks for this review. The ending just left a bad taste in my mouth. Unlike The Time Traveler's Wife (which I hated), I actually thought the relationship with Emma and Dexter evolved beautifully and I just felt so cheated by the ending.
i absolutely agree. mr. nicholls writes an excellent story about two people growing up and growing together, the ending is just not misses the mark.
I read an interview in which Nichols said he knew.the.ensign before.writing the book. I liked the ending and loved the book. Dexter was a dick. He took Emma for granted and didn't realise till it was too late.
I've been thinking about this book a lot. I was happy that Dex and Em, Em and Dex got to be together before the tragic ending. I think though that the devastating blow would've have been cushioned had Nicholls spent more time detailing their final years of love instead of detailing Dexter's breakdown as a new Father/Husband. I think for a story to spend so much time on the tension that developed from unrealized/delayed love, it didn't act too thrilled when it finally happened. Maybe Nicholls foreknowledge of her death really robbed him of writing a spontaneous, joyful ending.
Todd wrote: "I've been thinking about this book a lot. I was happy that Dex and Em, Em and Dex got to be together before the tragic ending. I think though that the devastating blow would've have been cushioned ..."i'm going to have to agree with you on that one todd. it isn't the ending that's bad it's totally the approach. and, gemma, you're right dexter was a dick and he did take emma for granted and didn't realize what he had until it was too late for him to do anything about it. also not the problem i have with the book...the problem is the delivery...this book was not written in a way that left the ending justified. it seems more like a way to shock and ah than a way for us to come to a better understanding of plot, character or theme. love the book, hate the ending...frankly, hate the last 50ish pages or so...
I think Emma needed to die to show just how much he had taken her for granted. If she had some long drawn out illness or something he would have had time to redeem himself which he didn't deserve.I was glad that we learnt what happened after that first day at the end as i did wonder how they went from one night together to still being in touch a year later. However, I thought the end where he got together with through woman from the shop a bit of a cop out, an attempt at a happy ending which didn't work.
Thank you for this review. I've actually never read a Sparks book (gasp) but when I saw the previews for the movie I thought I could read it before the movie. (Some people get upset at book to movie adaptations but I still prefer to do read it beforehand.) Anyway, for the life of me I just could not get past the first 30 pages. Usually I'm generous to the story and at least try for 50 pages in before abandonment. But I couldn't get past the lingo nor could I get past punctuation usage and I simply didn't care much for the characters being introduced.
However, I still have it on my bookshelf, thinking I may give it another chance and come back to it. But now I'm not so sure that will happen. Thanks for the insight!
thank-you kim! and, i'm soooo glad that you've never read a sparks book. i also read the book before hand (if i know they exist! :D)
I could not agree more I felt cheated. I felt like the entire book was leading to a great romance and then he just kills her. I feel like he killed it before it even began. Ugh so depressed now.
Ashley, I soooo feel your pain. When I see that other people love this book and think that her death 'makes the book' (yes, I read that in a review)...it makes me feel cheated all over again! ugh!
yes, it is and i haven't seen the movie to know if it ends just like the book, but i assume it does.'humps-around-a-lot'...is a phrase that i'm going to be using, hilarious.
while the stereotypes are true, he does show them to us in what i believe are new and fresh ways.
even if you read the book and know the ending i think you'll still be shocked, that's how surprising and abrupt it is!
I adored this book and was so utterly shocked by the twist. I cried throughout the rest of the book. I do think it was an amazing twist though. He made you adore Emma and then he snatched her away. I have the movie waiting to be watched on my hard drive but I cannot imagine loving anything as much as I loved the book. When a book moves you to tears I think it deserves props for that. x
so true, ashleigh, so true. please tell me how the movie is, just in case i ever want to watch it! :D
Stephanie wrote: "so true, ashleigh, so true. please tell me how the movie is, just in case i ever want to watch it! :D"I will do, its just lurking on my hard drive waiting to be watched haha. x
I watched it lastnight. It wasnt perfect but I must admit I balled my eyes out! Even though I knew what was coming the way they achieved the same shock that you got reading that dreaded paragraph through the movie was fantastic. They skimmed over some stuff but I would definately say its worth a watch xx
ah, i hate that! you know when you know what is coming, but you cry any way...that's how i felt about 'love story'...i suppose if i ever want to ball my outs...again...i'll pick it up. i do like anne hathaway...thanks for telling me how it was! :D
I watched the movie last night and I couldn't help but love Emma Morley once again. As expected, the movie robs the viewer of much of the book and I felt like I was seeing the book in super fast forward. The movie lost so much of the book's soul.As far as the horrible ending, the movie hits you with the same kind of punch; it is actually much more brutal in the movie. With that said, I actually appreciate the way it was delivered in the book. But again, the movie just bounced over it like it was nothing. It does show Dexter's breakdown, but it's such a quick transition in and out of the emotional pain.
Some people may prefer the movie, since you only lose 2 hrs of your life to be disappointed with Emma's death. I prefer the book and as with any grieving process, I think I've made peace with losing her. I just really loved all the tiny details of the book and having to wait through so many pages to see them together, even if fleetingly.
So I shouldn't be disappointed that I didn't read all of it? (I couldn't bear even 40 pages, personally)
Ema wrote: "So I shouldn't be disappointed that I didn't read all of it? (I couldn't bear even 40 pages, personally)"oh no, you should not...in some ways you have saved yourself some time, that i will never get back...lucky you! :D
oh, that does sound good! i do enjoy a good British social commentary, humor piece and it's a movie to boot! is that james mcevoy?...does someone die in this one? thanks for the suggestion, lisa!
I choose to not pick that pain. I'm sorry that you ran into this trap by this author. That really sucks.
*hugs*
P.S. I've only ever read one Sparks book, Safe Haven, and that one had a happy, good ending. Although, the movies that I've seen based on his books were all terribly sad!