You Before Me
Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes
Blurb:Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.I've put off reading this book for ages, even though several people continually recommended it to me, for two reasons. 1) I wasn't all that intrigued to be honest 2) I wasn't sure if it would live up to the hype. I'll be honest, I didn't think it was as amazing as everyone keeps saying, but I did think it was a good book. It was a little slow to begin with, but once it got into the story I was hooked. There were parts that were actually quite funny, which wasn't what I expected, but there is a serious undertone as it explores the issues behind assisted suicide. However, my main problem was that I didn't find it as emotional as I thought; I'll admit in the last few chapters I was tearing up, but I'd thought it would be more emotional throughout.Some people have spoken out about this book, saying that it encourages assisted suicides and makes out as if disabled people shouldn't want to live, but I didn't think that was true at all. This entire book is about trying to make Will realise that life can still be good even though he's paralysed. For me, the message in this book is that they should have a choice, which is a basic human right. Many able-bodied people commit suicide for various reasons, many of which are not as severe as being permanently paralysed and dependant on others. I honestly don't know what I'd choose, to live or die, but I think it's right that people have a choice and I don't see how it was so hard for everyone in this book to understand Will's reasons. Honestly, I felt a very strong connection to Will.For me, Will was the making of this book. He was such a strong, relatable character, with a biting sense of humour. Louisa was also a good character, though I related to her less - probably because of her refusal in the beginning to try new things and go different places, though this eventually changes. All the other characters though - her parents and sister, his parents, friends and sister - with the exception of Nathan, were horrible. I couldn't imagine belonging to either of their families.Finally, I liked that, though the book was told primarily from Lou's POV, there were also random chapters with other peoples perspectives. However, I was a little disappointed there was nothing directly from Will, but then I suppose that echoes the meaning of the book; everyone thought they knew what was best for him and tried to speak for him.Though I really enjoyed this book and it's message about the freedom of choice, I'm not sure if I'll read the sequel. For me, it seems as if the story has ended and, occasionally, I think some stories have to end sadly because, in real life, not everyone gets a happy ending.My favourite quotes from 'Me Before You':' "You know, you can only actually help someone who wants to be helped." ''Spring arrived overnight, as if winter, like some unwanted guest, had abruptly shrugged its way into its coat and vanished without saying goodbye.'' "I always think this is the kind of place people come back to. When they've got tired of everything else. Or when they don't have enough imagination to go anywhere else." ''It can be oddly dispiriting, the blank refusal of humankind to even attempt to function responsibly.''More my son, I found myself thinking. You were never really there for him. Not emotionally. You were just the absence he was always striving to impress.''He was a man who was used to being heard, after all. He couldn't bear it that in some way I had the power to dictate his future, that I had somehow become mother again.''That's what he was asking me to extinguish - the small child as well as the man - all that love, all that history.''... she had never quite lost that sense of being the baby of the family - the deep-rooted feeling that the whole world actually did revolve around her.'' "... You've done nothing, been nowhere. How do you have the faintest idea hat kind of person you are?" ''I was afraid of what he might be feeling, the depth of his loss, the extent of his fears. Will Traynor's life had been so far beyond the experiences of mine. Who was I to tell him how he should want to live it?''Just a few weeks from home could rub the familiarity right off someone. I felt like se was on the path to being someone I wasn't quite sure of. I felt, weirdly, as if I were being left behind.''Mine was to be the small life, my ambitions the petty ones.'' "... Ultimately, they want to look on the bright side. They need me to look on the bright side."He paused. "They need to believe there is a bright side." '' "...I can't judge him for what he wants to do. It's his choice. It should be his choice." '' "... She wants to keep him alive at any cost. ..." '' "The thing is, I get that this could be a good life. I get that with you around, perhaps it could even be a very good life. But it's not my life. ..." '' "... from that complete arse I was at the start of this, you managed to salvage something to love ..." ''I realized I was afraid of living without him. How is it that you have the right to destroy my life, I wanted to demand of him, but I'm not allowed a say in yours?'
Blurb:Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.I've put off reading this book for ages, even though several people continually recommended it to me, for two reasons. 1) I wasn't all that intrigued to be honest 2) I wasn't sure if it would live up to the hype. I'll be honest, I didn't think it was as amazing as everyone keeps saying, but I did think it was a good book. It was a little slow to begin with, but once it got into the story I was hooked. There were parts that were actually quite funny, which wasn't what I expected, but there is a serious undertone as it explores the issues behind assisted suicide. However, my main problem was that I didn't find it as emotional as I thought; I'll admit in the last few chapters I was tearing up, but I'd thought it would be more emotional throughout.Some people have spoken out about this book, saying that it encourages assisted suicides and makes out as if disabled people shouldn't want to live, but I didn't think that was true at all. This entire book is about trying to make Will realise that life can still be good even though he's paralysed. For me, the message in this book is that they should have a choice, which is a basic human right. Many able-bodied people commit suicide for various reasons, many of which are not as severe as being permanently paralysed and dependant on others. I honestly don't know what I'd choose, to live or die, but I think it's right that people have a choice and I don't see how it was so hard for everyone in this book to understand Will's reasons. Honestly, I felt a very strong connection to Will.For me, Will was the making of this book. He was such a strong, relatable character, with a biting sense of humour. Louisa was also a good character, though I related to her less - probably because of her refusal in the beginning to try new things and go different places, though this eventually changes. All the other characters though - her parents and sister, his parents, friends and sister - with the exception of Nathan, were horrible. I couldn't imagine belonging to either of their families.Finally, I liked that, though the book was told primarily from Lou's POV, there were also random chapters with other peoples perspectives. However, I was a little disappointed there was nothing directly from Will, but then I suppose that echoes the meaning of the book; everyone thought they knew what was best for him and tried to speak for him.Though I really enjoyed this book and it's message about the freedom of choice, I'm not sure if I'll read the sequel. For me, it seems as if the story has ended and, occasionally, I think some stories have to end sadly because, in real life, not everyone gets a happy ending.My favourite quotes from 'Me Before You':' "You know, you can only actually help someone who wants to be helped." ''Spring arrived overnight, as if winter, like some unwanted guest, had abruptly shrugged its way into its coat and vanished without saying goodbye.'' "I always think this is the kind of place people come back to. When they've got tired of everything else. Or when they don't have enough imagination to go anywhere else." ''It can be oddly dispiriting, the blank refusal of humankind to even attempt to function responsibly.''More my son, I found myself thinking. You were never really there for him. Not emotionally. You were just the absence he was always striving to impress.''He was a man who was used to being heard, after all. He couldn't bear it that in some way I had the power to dictate his future, that I had somehow become mother again.''That's what he was asking me to extinguish - the small child as well as the man - all that love, all that history.''... she had never quite lost that sense of being the baby of the family - the deep-rooted feeling that the whole world actually did revolve around her.'' "... You've done nothing, been nowhere. How do you have the faintest idea hat kind of person you are?" ''I was afraid of what he might be feeling, the depth of his loss, the extent of his fears. Will Traynor's life had been so far beyond the experiences of mine. Who was I to tell him how he should want to live it?''Just a few weeks from home could rub the familiarity right off someone. I felt like se was on the path to being someone I wasn't quite sure of. I felt, weirdly, as if I were being left behind.''Mine was to be the small life, my ambitions the petty ones.'' "... Ultimately, they want to look on the bright side. They need me to look on the bright side."He paused. "They need to believe there is a bright side." '' "...I can't judge him for what he wants to do. It's his choice. It should be his choice." '' "... She wants to keep him alive at any cost. ..." '' "The thing is, I get that this could be a good life. I get that with you around, perhaps it could even be a very good life. But it's not my life. ..." '' "... from that complete arse I was at the start of this, you managed to salvage something to love ..." ''I realized I was afraid of living without him. How is it that you have the right to destroy my life, I wanted to demand of him, but I'm not allowed a say in yours?'
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