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Don't Get Me Wrong
For fans of Jojo Moyes, David Nicholls, and Sophie Kinsella, here is a Pride and Prejudice for the modern era: Londoners Kim and Harry can’t see eye to eye…until the life of the person they both love most hangs in the balance.
Kim and Harry are total opposites who happen to have the same favorite people in the world: Kim’s older sister, Eva, and her young son, Otis. Kim has never seen what her free-spirited big sister sees in a stuck-up banker like Harry and has spent her childhood trying to keep him out (must he always drive the most ostentatious cars and insist on charming everyone he meets?), while Harry’s favorite occupation is provoking Kim.
Both Harry and Kim are too stuck in their prejudices to care about what’s really going on beneath the surface of each other’s lives. They’ll never understand each other—until the worst of all tragedy strikes. Faced with the possibilities of losing the person they both love most, long-buried secrets come to a head in ways that will change both Harry and Kim forever.
As in her “hilarious, poignant, and profound” (Daily Mail) novel For Once in My Life, Marianne Kavanagh tackles the bonds of family, friendship, and love through sophisticated storytelling. Don’t Get Me Wrong is a witty and heartwarming book that will charm readers everywhere.
Kim and Harry are total opposites who happen to have the same favorite people in the world: Kim’s older sister, Eva, and her young son, Otis. Kim has never seen what her free-spirited big sister sees in a stuck-up banker like Harry and has spent her childhood trying to keep him out (must he always drive the most ostentatious cars and insist on charming everyone he meets?), while Harry’s favorite occupation is provoking Kim.
Both Harry and Kim are too stuck in their prejudices to care about what’s really going on beneath the surface of each other’s lives. They’ll never understand each other—until the worst of all tragedy strikes. Faced with the possibilities of losing the person they both love most, long-buried secrets come to a head in ways that will change both Harry and Kim forever.
As in her “hilarious, poignant, and profound” (Daily Mail) novel For Once in My Life, Marianne Kavanagh tackles the bonds of family, friendship, and love through sophisticated storytelling. Don’t Get Me Wrong is a witty and heartwarming book that will charm readers everywhere.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 25, 2015
17 people are currently reading
1241 people want to read
About the author
Marianne Kavanagh
7 books46 followersMarianne Kavanagh is a writer and journalist. She has worked on staff for Woman, the Tatler, the Sunday Telegraph magazine and British Marie Claire, and has contributed features to a wide variety of newspapers, magazines and websites. She lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
August 26, 2015
Don’t Get Me Wrong is the second novel by British magazine columnist, editor and author, Marianne Kavanagh. Sisters Eva and Kim are used to looking after themselves: their breathtakingly-selfish father left to marry another woman when Kim was fourteen; their mother, Grace, a dazzlingly self-centred social climber, often absent, eventually abandoned them for a life in the south of France. But since Kim’s early teens, Harry has been around: always with Eva, managing to charm everyone he meets, except Kim. He always seems to be laughing at Kim, making fun of her.
Harry works in the City: a financial analyst who is obscenely rich and far too smug for Kim’s liking. Why they are together at all, Harry with his snappy suits and his Porsche, Eva with her hippy clothes and her sympathy towards all matters environmental, has Kim baffled. But even when an unplanned pregnancy and an eviction from their childhood home challenge the sisters, Kim steadfastly refuses to accept help from Harry.
Kavanagh’s plot may be somewhat predictable, but the journey to the ultimate ending does, nevertheless, have a few twists. The tale covers over a decade in the lives of Eva, Harry and Kim, their family, their close friends and lovers: lives filled with ordinary events like births, weddings, funerals, jobs, promotions and redundancies, overseas trips, illness and infidelity.
Kavanagh’s characters are familiar from everyday life, but even some of those who seem to start out as stereotypes reveal a surprise or two (although Grace manages to consistently maintain her superficiality with this mantra: “You owe it to other people to make the best of yourself. All of us have a duty to make the world a more beautiful place”). Kim is perhaps the most frustrating, although she eventually finds her way with the help of a wise sister and many good friends.
Kavanagh gives the reader plenty of humour: Izzie’s stand-up routines are a delight, and the snappy banter between the characters is fun. Her descriptive prose is wonderful: “Izzie’s Newcastle accent was stronger than usual. Her parents reactivated it, like sugar on yeast” and “For a moment, he couldn’t speak. It was all locked away in his mind. But he could feel the pressure of it, like a cupboard crammed full of old coats that someone has forced shut. Sometimes the effort of keeping it closed exhausted him” are examples.
Kavanagh gives her characters some insightful observations: “Maybe Christine was right. It was shock. Maybe grief makes people so weird and broken and ugly that they can’t think straight. We’re like chickens, thought Kim, flapping about after the fox has been in, making a lot of noise in a mess of blood and feathers”, and there are plenty of words of wisdom, but readers are also warned to have the tissues ready for the final chapter: only the most callous will not find themselves choking up. Fans who enjoyed Kavanagh’s first novel will not be disappointed with this offering.
Harry works in the City: a financial analyst who is obscenely rich and far too smug for Kim’s liking. Why they are together at all, Harry with his snappy suits and his Porsche, Eva with her hippy clothes and her sympathy towards all matters environmental, has Kim baffled. But even when an unplanned pregnancy and an eviction from their childhood home challenge the sisters, Kim steadfastly refuses to accept help from Harry.
Kavanagh’s plot may be somewhat predictable, but the journey to the ultimate ending does, nevertheless, have a few twists. The tale covers over a decade in the lives of Eva, Harry and Kim, their family, their close friends and lovers: lives filled with ordinary events like births, weddings, funerals, jobs, promotions and redundancies, overseas trips, illness and infidelity.
Kavanagh’s characters are familiar from everyday life, but even some of those who seem to start out as stereotypes reveal a surprise or two (although Grace manages to consistently maintain her superficiality with this mantra: “You owe it to other people to make the best of yourself. All of us have a duty to make the world a more beautiful place”). Kim is perhaps the most frustrating, although she eventually finds her way with the help of a wise sister and many good friends.
Kavanagh gives the reader plenty of humour: Izzie’s stand-up routines are a delight, and the snappy banter between the characters is fun. Her descriptive prose is wonderful: “Izzie’s Newcastle accent was stronger than usual. Her parents reactivated it, like sugar on yeast” and “For a moment, he couldn’t speak. It was all locked away in his mind. But he could feel the pressure of it, like a cupboard crammed full of old coats that someone has forced shut. Sometimes the effort of keeping it closed exhausted him” are examples.
Kavanagh gives her characters some insightful observations: “Maybe Christine was right. It was shock. Maybe grief makes people so weird and broken and ugly that they can’t think straight. We’re like chickens, thought Kim, flapping about after the fox has been in, making a lot of noise in a mess of blood and feathers”, and there are plenty of words of wisdom, but readers are also warned to have the tissues ready for the final chapter: only the most callous will not find themselves choking up. Fans who enjoyed Kavanagh’s first novel will not be disappointed with this offering.
July 25, 2015
‘Don't Get Me Wrong’ is the new women’s-fiction novel by British author Marianne Kavanagh.
I thought I would love this book and I really, really didn’t. It’s actually one of the harder-slogs I’ve read through this year, if not the hardest. I definitely should have DNF’ed this book, but for the frustratingly inaccurate tagline that promised this book was ‘for fans of Jojo Moyes, David Nicholls and Sophie Kinsella, here is a Pride and Prejudice for the modern era’ – that gave me a ridiculously false sense of hope that I clung to throughout the read, and became yet another reason I was so frustrated with the book.
The book is told in third-person, but follows Kim – an idealistic “greenie” whose first job out of college is in working for a charity – and our other protagonist is Harry, a London banker who rubs Kim the exact wrong way. They’re not friends, but they have one person in common – Kim’s sister Eva, who is Harry’s best friend and possibly something even more complicated … Kim can’t stand Harry, but when tragedy strikes she may have to set her prejudices aside and start seeing him in a different light.
There have been so many straight-up Jane Austen adaptations and in particular, modernisations that saying something is “a Pride and Prejudice for the modern era” is tricky. ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’ actually has next to nothing to do with P&P apart from that over-zealous tagline, and an adversarial relationship that’s got the slightest whiff of Mr. Darcy and Lizzie’s complicated misunderstandings. But making a call that this book is “a Pride and Prejudice for the modern era” has kind of shot it in the foot because, like I said, readers nowadays are so accustomed to that gimmick of modernising that most beloved romance … I’ve actually noted that most of the negative reviews for ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’ are complaining about things like; “did zero justice to one Elizabeth Bennett” and specifically calling it out as a bad retelling. It’s not a bad retelling because it’s not a P&P retelling. Not that I think Jane Austen can wholly claim the trope of judging someone before you’ve properly got to know them, but that’s all that ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’ has tenuously in common … unless you also want to try and stretch Kim and Eva to being a riff on Jane and Elizabeth, which I don’t think they were.
So – first complaint out of the gate is the murky assumptions lots of readers will go into this book with, only because marketing has tried to throw just about every target-audience trigger at it that Kavanagh just doesn’t live up to …
I kinda get the Jojo Moyes and David Nicholls tagline reference too – but Kavanagh just isn’t as good or charming a writer as those two. I’m sorry, she’s just not. For one thing, Moyes and Nicholls know how to intersect weighty social commentary with addictive, romantic subplots – and they do that very well. Kavanagh’s attempts in ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’ are clunky … I mean; a socialist-idealist and a London banker? Really? Especially when part of the book is set in the Global Financial Crisis of 07-08? Urgh.
Kavanagh’s third-person narrative is also hard to get through. There’s little finesse, especially in timeline-transitions. On more than one occasion I was pulled up short trying to figure out how the characters went from anticipating an event in one paragraph, to rehashing how it all played out in another. It even took me a couple of pages to realise that at one point, Harry had actually moved from London to Manhattan because following those timeline-leaps is just a headache.
She’s also quite fond of rambling thoughts – or, rather, letting characters express rambling thoughts that just come out of nowhere and left me scratching my head. Like this monologue on why people only ever laugh awkwardly when female comics do sex-stuff in their stand-up:
So sex gets a laugh because it’s like food – enjoyable, but with negative side effects. Like going out for a curry. You pile everything in, chew it, swallow it, sit there belching, burping and farting, and finally end up on the toilet. Overall, as an experience, you might rate it at ninety per cent, but not because of the gassy parts.
Her similes are also awful, and there are an awful lot of them. Like this one, in which she compares a toddler to an elderly colonel;
He seemed to experience the world as interesting but excessive. Loud noises, extreme weather and extravagant displays of affection all made him frown, like an elderly colonel who catches sight of a young woman in a very short skirt and isn’t sure whether to complain or applaud.
The similes are especially painful when they try to be profound. She’d have been better off just writing; ‘it was like this thing that I’m trying to express and whatever the opposite of that thing is’. Instead we get;
He took in her short blonde hair, her fine cheekbones, her determined chin, and it was like looking at a photograph of someone he didn’t know. It was like being presented with evidence of something that was obvious but that he’d always chosen to ignore.
Clunky prose style is the main problem with this book, or at least it was for me. I don’t know if it was third-person that she struggled with, but there was no eloquence or spark on the page. She’s no Jojo Moyes, David Nicholls or Jane Austen, that’s for sure;
‘Don’t you remember? I’m the rich banker. The one who pays.’
Oh, she thought wearily. So we’re back here again. She had a picture in her mind of a soldier in filthy battle dress bending down to pick up his gun.
And the characters are all pretty awful and one-dimensional. The author is so determined to hit home this ‘judging people before you get to know them’ concept that Kim has no flexibility throughout the book, she remains determinedly awful for her insistence on misjudging Harry …. and Harry, well – did I mention he’s a banker during the global financial crisis? Yeah – and pretty cardboard to boot. Eva was likewise a non-character for being a caricature hippie; a waifish free-spirit.
I did not like this book.
I thought I would love this book and I really, really didn’t. It’s actually one of the harder-slogs I’ve read through this year, if not the hardest. I definitely should have DNF’ed this book, but for the frustratingly inaccurate tagline that promised this book was ‘for fans of Jojo Moyes, David Nicholls and Sophie Kinsella, here is a Pride and Prejudice for the modern era’ – that gave me a ridiculously false sense of hope that I clung to throughout the read, and became yet another reason I was so frustrated with the book.
The book is told in third-person, but follows Kim – an idealistic “greenie” whose first job out of college is in working for a charity – and our other protagonist is Harry, a London banker who rubs Kim the exact wrong way. They’re not friends, but they have one person in common – Kim’s sister Eva, who is Harry’s best friend and possibly something even more complicated … Kim can’t stand Harry, but when tragedy strikes she may have to set her prejudices aside and start seeing him in a different light.
There have been so many straight-up Jane Austen adaptations and in particular, modernisations that saying something is “a Pride and Prejudice for the modern era” is tricky. ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’ actually has next to nothing to do with P&P apart from that over-zealous tagline, and an adversarial relationship that’s got the slightest whiff of Mr. Darcy and Lizzie’s complicated misunderstandings. But making a call that this book is “a Pride and Prejudice for the modern era” has kind of shot it in the foot because, like I said, readers nowadays are so accustomed to that gimmick of modernising that most beloved romance … I’ve actually noted that most of the negative reviews for ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’ are complaining about things like; “did zero justice to one Elizabeth Bennett” and specifically calling it out as a bad retelling. It’s not a bad retelling because it’s not a P&P retelling. Not that I think Jane Austen can wholly claim the trope of judging someone before you’ve properly got to know them, but that’s all that ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’ has tenuously in common … unless you also want to try and stretch Kim and Eva to being a riff on Jane and Elizabeth, which I don’t think they were.
So – first complaint out of the gate is the murky assumptions lots of readers will go into this book with, only because marketing has tried to throw just about every target-audience trigger at it that Kavanagh just doesn’t live up to …
I kinda get the Jojo Moyes and David Nicholls tagline reference too – but Kavanagh just isn’t as good or charming a writer as those two. I’m sorry, she’s just not. For one thing, Moyes and Nicholls know how to intersect weighty social commentary with addictive, romantic subplots – and they do that very well. Kavanagh’s attempts in ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’ are clunky … I mean; a socialist-idealist and a London banker? Really? Especially when part of the book is set in the Global Financial Crisis of 07-08? Urgh.
Kavanagh’s third-person narrative is also hard to get through. There’s little finesse, especially in timeline-transitions. On more than one occasion I was pulled up short trying to figure out how the characters went from anticipating an event in one paragraph, to rehashing how it all played out in another. It even took me a couple of pages to realise that at one point, Harry had actually moved from London to Manhattan because following those timeline-leaps is just a headache.
She’s also quite fond of rambling thoughts – or, rather, letting characters express rambling thoughts that just come out of nowhere and left me scratching my head. Like this monologue on why people only ever laugh awkwardly when female comics do sex-stuff in their stand-up:
So sex gets a laugh because it’s like food – enjoyable, but with negative side effects. Like going out for a curry. You pile everything in, chew it, swallow it, sit there belching, burping and farting, and finally end up on the toilet. Overall, as an experience, you might rate it at ninety per cent, but not because of the gassy parts.
Her similes are also awful, and there are an awful lot of them. Like this one, in which she compares a toddler to an elderly colonel;
He seemed to experience the world as interesting but excessive. Loud noises, extreme weather and extravagant displays of affection all made him frown, like an elderly colonel who catches sight of a young woman in a very short skirt and isn’t sure whether to complain or applaud.
The similes are especially painful when they try to be profound. She’d have been better off just writing; ‘it was like this thing that I’m trying to express and whatever the opposite of that thing is’. Instead we get;
He took in her short blonde hair, her fine cheekbones, her determined chin, and it was like looking at a photograph of someone he didn’t know. It was like being presented with evidence of something that was obvious but that he’d always chosen to ignore.
Clunky prose style is the main problem with this book, or at least it was for me. I don’t know if it was third-person that she struggled with, but there was no eloquence or spark on the page. She’s no Jojo Moyes, David Nicholls or Jane Austen, that’s for sure;
‘Don’t you remember? I’m the rich banker. The one who pays.’
Oh, she thought wearily. So we’re back here again. She had a picture in her mind of a soldier in filthy battle dress bending down to pick up his gun.
And the characters are all pretty awful and one-dimensional. The author is so determined to hit home this ‘judging people before you get to know them’ concept that Kim has no flexibility throughout the book, she remains determinedly awful for her insistence on misjudging Harry …. and Harry, well – did I mention he’s a banker during the global financial crisis? Yeah – and pretty cardboard to boot. Eva was likewise a non-character for being a caricature hippie; a waifish free-spirit.
I did not like this book.
July 19, 2015
Don't Get Me Wrong is the story of Kim and Harry. Kim has hated Harry, who is her sister Eva's best friend, since she was a teenager. However, because of their shared love of Eva and her son, Otis, Harry and Kim are constantly brought together. Starting out in the present moment, the narrative goes back in time to Kim, Eva, and Harry's tumultuous childhood and the reader learns why these three need each other. The characters are well developed, and I felt like I knew Kim and Harry. The story is filled with love and heartbreak--be warned, you will cry!
I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down. I highly recommend Don't Get Me Wrong, and I look forward to reading more by Marianne Kavanagh.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down. I highly recommend Don't Get Me Wrong, and I look forward to reading more by Marianne Kavanagh.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.
June 27, 2016
Review on my blog The Fictional Reader
DNF at 29%
When I requested this, I was expecting a fun romance stories. You know the famous trope “I hate you but I love you”? If it’s done right, it’s one of my favorite romance tropes. But this one… I just couldn’t. I felt really bad DNFing a book I received for review. But to be honest, I couldn’t deal with it. It wasn’t for me. And I knew that if I continued reading, I would become a raging mess. And then in my rage, I would offend everyone who loves this book. By the way, I encourage you to go to Goodreads and check out the other reviews! There are soooo many people who absolutely loved this book. It really just wasn’t for me. So today, I’ll tell you why.
Kim. There it is. The reason I disliked this from page 1. I get that not every character can be likeable. And that no character can like everyone. Or no person, for that matter. But most people actually have a solid reason for not getting along with another person. And that’s fine. If you don’t have a reason for not getting along however, except for your prejudices, you are a terrible person. And that’s where my problem lies. To show you how much this book unnerved me, here are my Goodreads updates:
You see my slow descent into madness? Let me explain. On the first few pages, Kim explains why she hates Harry. He was standing in her sunshine the first time they met. His humor is sarcastic, but she constantly thinks he’s laughing at her. There have been many people who have once blocked the sun for me. I don’t hate them. I just ask them politely to move. Like a normal person. What I understood from the first 30%, is that Kim is jealous. She can’t handle her sister having a best friend if that’s not her. So she hates Harry. Because she adores her sister, puts her on a pedestal. WHICH IS WHERE IT GETS CONFUSING FOR ME. Her sister is exhausted, yet Kim fights Harry because she thinks he is a bad influence. While the only person making her sister sad, is Kim herself.
Kim made the graduation dinner of her friend Izzie and herself a living nightmare, by fighting out loud with Harry in the middle of a restaurant. He made a few jokey remarks, and she just pounced. Like an angry lion. Until everyone wanted to get the hell out of there. For which she then blames him. Sigh. Another shining example is a flashback to Kim’s 18th birthday, when Harry got her a pair of diamond earrings in the form of daisies. For which she was mad at him. YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE…
My last point on Kim is that she is the kind of person I hate the most: those who claim to know best, yet don’t listen to anyone. Her sister literally tells her a fact, Kim later tells her friend that she suspects the opposite of the fact is true but her sister won’t tell her. (I can’t make that clearer without spoiling you,sorry). SHE TOLD YOU THE TRUTH. YOU JUST DIDN’T LISTEN.
Because I want to end on a positive note, here it is: I loved Harry. I loved his POVs. I’m actually quite sure that if the entire book was told through only his eyes, I would’ve enjoyed it.
Like I said, I’d encourage you to look at other reviews on Goodreads. This book wasn’t for me, but that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it! Give it a try. You never know, right?
DNF at 29%
When I requested this, I was expecting a fun romance stories. You know the famous trope “I hate you but I love you”? If it’s done right, it’s one of my favorite romance tropes. But this one… I just couldn’t. I felt really bad DNFing a book I received for review. But to be honest, I couldn’t deal with it. It wasn’t for me. And I knew that if I continued reading, I would become a raging mess. And then in my rage, I would offend everyone who loves this book. By the way, I encourage you to go to Goodreads and check out the other reviews! There are soooo many people who absolutely loved this book. It really just wasn’t for me. So today, I’ll tell you why.
Kim. There it is. The reason I disliked this from page 1. I get that not every character can be likeable. And that no character can like everyone. Or no person, for that matter. But most people actually have a solid reason for not getting along with another person. And that’s fine. If you don’t have a reason for not getting along however, except for your prejudices, you are a terrible person. And that’s where my problem lies. To show you how much this book unnerved me, here are my Goodreads updates:
You see my slow descent into madness? Let me explain. On the first few pages, Kim explains why she hates Harry. He was standing in her sunshine the first time they met. His humor is sarcastic, but she constantly thinks he’s laughing at her. There have been many people who have once blocked the sun for me. I don’t hate them. I just ask them politely to move. Like a normal person. What I understood from the first 30%, is that Kim is jealous. She can’t handle her sister having a best friend if that’s not her. So she hates Harry. Because she adores her sister, puts her on a pedestal. WHICH IS WHERE IT GETS CONFUSING FOR ME. Her sister is exhausted, yet Kim fights Harry because she thinks he is a bad influence. While the only person making her sister sad, is Kim herself.
Kim made the graduation dinner of her friend Izzie and herself a living nightmare, by fighting out loud with Harry in the middle of a restaurant. He made a few jokey remarks, and she just pounced. Like an angry lion. Until everyone wanted to get the hell out of there. For which she then blames him. Sigh. Another shining example is a flashback to Kim’s 18th birthday, when Harry got her a pair of diamond earrings in the form of daisies. For which she was mad at him. YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE…
My last point on Kim is that she is the kind of person I hate the most: those who claim to know best, yet don’t listen to anyone. Her sister literally tells her a fact, Kim later tells her friend that she suspects the opposite of the fact is true but her sister won’t tell her. (I can’t make that clearer without spoiling you,sorry). SHE TOLD YOU THE TRUTH. YOU JUST DIDN’T LISTEN.
Because I want to end on a positive note, here it is: I loved Harry. I loved his POVs. I’m actually quite sure that if the entire book was told through only his eyes, I would’ve enjoyed it.
Like I said, I’d encourage you to look at other reviews on Goodreads. This book wasn’t for me, but that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it! Give it a try. You never know, right?
January 29, 2016
4,5*
Adorei este livro! So dou 4 estrelas porque quando cheguei ao fim, queria ler mais... Foi um livro que me prendeu da primeira à última página! Adorei assistir a relação de "gato" e "rato" da Kim e do Harry... Acho que depois de tudo o que se passou, o final exigia mais algumas páginas que mostrassem "paz", já que do princípio ao fim assistimos a uma "guerra"...
Aconselho a leitura aos amantes de relações de amor/ódio. Eu gostei muito! Adorava que houvesse uma continuação...
Adorei este livro! So dou 4 estrelas porque quando cheguei ao fim, queria ler mais... Foi um livro que me prendeu da primeira à última página! Adorei assistir a relação de "gato" e "rato" da Kim e do Harry... Acho que depois de tudo o que se passou, o final exigia mais algumas páginas que mostrassem "paz", já que do princípio ao fim assistimos a uma "guerra"...
Aconselho a leitura aos amantes de relações de amor/ódio. Eu gostei muito! Adorava que houvesse uma continuação...
March 20, 2016
Lo dico, non me ne vergogno… io questo libro non l’ho capito. Non mi è piaciuto e mi ha annoiato ma immagino di essere io ad aver sbagliato il genere letterario perché mi aspettavo un romance contemporaneo, con una storia d’amore tra i due protagonisti, travagliata magari, sofferta, sperata… ma questa storia non c’è. C’è odio tra loro, almeno da parte della protagonista femminile, invidia. E da parte del protagonista maschile… mah, non ho capito granché, persa tra paroloni sull’economia inglese e mondiale, annoiandomi su ricerche di settore e vedendolo passare attraverso relazioni più o meno sentimentali.
In questo libro si racconta la storia di Kim, ragazza cresciuta in un ambiente familiare non proprio roseo: una sorella maggiore, Eva, che, da come viene descritta, a me è sembrata una hippy convinta all’ennesima potenza, con tanto di droghe leggere annesse, egoista, in un mondo a parte ma che, invece, viene fatta passare per una giovane fragile e dolce, un angelo sceso in terra tra noi comuni mortali vinti dai peccati che il Diavolo ci mette sotto il naso in ogni minuto. Lei è la parte eterea del libro, quella che ci dovrebbe far capire che il bene vince sempre e che lei era l’incompresa, quella che si faceva amare solo con uno sguardo e tutte queste cose zuccherose che a me hanno provocato il mal di denti, perché in realtà, come scritto prima, non ho recepito nessuna di queste cose, tutt’altro.
Poi c’è la madre di Kim ed Eva, Grace. Una donna che ha, per suo dire, subito mancanze in gioventù, come soldi e considerazione e che quindi, ora che le figlie sono grandi è libera di fare come le pare, preferisce trasferirsi a fare la bella vita nel sud della Francia con il nuovo amore invece di restare accanto alle figlie che d’un tratto, rimangono senza un tetto sulla testa ed Eva è pure incinta.
Il padre invece se n’è lavato le mani molti anni prima, lasciando moglie e figlie per risposarsi con una donna più giovane e fregandosene di tutto quello che rimaneva al di fuori della sua nuova cerchia famigliare.
Che bella famiglia, non c’è che dire! XD
Ma in questo romanzo c’è anche Harry, il protagonista maschile. Di lui che posso dire? Beh, prima di tutto, pure lui proviene da un ambiente pessimo, anzi, il peggio del peggio. Ma crescendo si è preso le sue rivincite sul mondo, diventando un impiegato bancario di spicco, guadagnando un mucchio di soldi e mostrandosi al mondo come un ragazzo che ha realizzato tutto quello che la vita poteva offrirgli.
Il libro inizia con un prologo in cui la nostra Kim ci dice che odia Harry. Lo odia con tutto il cuore, con l’anima, con il corpo, con ogni respiro. Harry, per Kim, è il male in terra, la bomba nucleare lanciata su un ospedale pediatrico, un mostro a tre teste che mangia pargoli in fasce… avete capito? Insomma, non lo può vedere manco dipinto d’oro! E quindi noi ci chiediamo… da dove nasce tutta questa acredine?
Sinceramente io mi immaginavo che come minimo, le avesse ucciso il cucciolo da bambini… o qualcosa del genere, qualcosa di terribile… e invece? Niente. Lo odia perché lui è ricco e lavora in banca e invece lei è povera e vuole combattere per i diritti dei poveri.
Emh… Non so neanche io cosa dire ancora ma a me, sinceramente, dopo quasi 500 pagine di agonia, dove speravo che alla fine spuntasse da qualche parte una qualche motivazione valida per tutto questo odio e poi non l’ho ottenuta… alla parola “fine” volevo sputare sul libro e dargli fuoco.
PER CONTINUARE A LEGGERE LA RECENSIONE CLICCA QUI: http://newadultedintorni.blogspot.it/...
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In questo libro si racconta la storia di Kim, ragazza cresciuta in un ambiente familiare non proprio roseo: una sorella maggiore, Eva, che, da come viene descritta, a me è sembrata una hippy convinta all’ennesima potenza, con tanto di droghe leggere annesse, egoista, in un mondo a parte ma che, invece, viene fatta passare per una giovane fragile e dolce, un angelo sceso in terra tra noi comuni mortali vinti dai peccati che il Diavolo ci mette sotto il naso in ogni minuto. Lei è la parte eterea del libro, quella che ci dovrebbe far capire che il bene vince sempre e che lei era l’incompresa, quella che si faceva amare solo con uno sguardo e tutte queste cose zuccherose che a me hanno provocato il mal di denti, perché in realtà, come scritto prima, non ho recepito nessuna di queste cose, tutt’altro.
Poi c’è la madre di Kim ed Eva, Grace. Una donna che ha, per suo dire, subito mancanze in gioventù, come soldi e considerazione e che quindi, ora che le figlie sono grandi è libera di fare come le pare, preferisce trasferirsi a fare la bella vita nel sud della Francia con il nuovo amore invece di restare accanto alle figlie che d’un tratto, rimangono senza un tetto sulla testa ed Eva è pure incinta.
Il padre invece se n’è lavato le mani molti anni prima, lasciando moglie e figlie per risposarsi con una donna più giovane e fregandosene di tutto quello che rimaneva al di fuori della sua nuova cerchia famigliare.
Che bella famiglia, non c’è che dire! XD
Ma in questo romanzo c’è anche Harry, il protagonista maschile. Di lui che posso dire? Beh, prima di tutto, pure lui proviene da un ambiente pessimo, anzi, il peggio del peggio. Ma crescendo si è preso le sue rivincite sul mondo, diventando un impiegato bancario di spicco, guadagnando un mucchio di soldi e mostrandosi al mondo come un ragazzo che ha realizzato tutto quello che la vita poteva offrirgli.
Il libro inizia con un prologo in cui la nostra Kim ci dice che odia Harry. Lo odia con tutto il cuore, con l’anima, con il corpo, con ogni respiro. Harry, per Kim, è il male in terra, la bomba nucleare lanciata su un ospedale pediatrico, un mostro a tre teste che mangia pargoli in fasce… avete capito? Insomma, non lo può vedere manco dipinto d’oro! E quindi noi ci chiediamo… da dove nasce tutta questa acredine?
Sinceramente io mi immaginavo che come minimo, le avesse ucciso il cucciolo da bambini… o qualcosa del genere, qualcosa di terribile… e invece? Niente. Lo odia perché lui è ricco e lavora in banca e invece lei è povera e vuole combattere per i diritti dei poveri.
Emh… Non so neanche io cosa dire ancora ma a me, sinceramente, dopo quasi 500 pagine di agonia, dove speravo che alla fine spuntasse da qualche parte una qualche motivazione valida per tutto questo odio e poi non l’ho ottenuta… alla parola “fine” volevo sputare sul libro e dargli fuoco.
PER CONTINUARE A LEGGERE LA RECENSIONE CLICCA QUI: http://newadultedintorni.blogspot.it/...
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May 27, 2015
Don’t Get Me Wrong is a tough book to rate for me. On one hand, I couldn’t put the book down. On the other hand, I really didn’t like how the book concluded and the ending actually made me not like the rest of the story as much. There was so much build-up and then it just ended without delivering on the goods I had expected.
The characters were interesting and I really enjoyed the dynamic between Eva and Harry. I understood how Kim felt like an outsider when the three were together, but some of her reactions were way over the top. I was actually waiting for her to get a good slap across the face and for someone to tell her to wake up and stop acting so bratty.
Harry was great and the scenes told from his POV were my favorite. I think the author did an amazing job with character development. I honestly felt like I was reading about people I knew. I felt so close to the characters, I could begin to anticipate their reactions by the novel’s end.
The pace was fairly good. Some of Kim’s work drama was a little boring to me, but her struggles in her career was part of her overall growth. There were some very sad parts and I did feel myself getting teary-eyed from time to time.
I was really into the story up until the end. I felt totally unsatisfied after pages and pages of “will they?” or “won’t they?” I’d be hesitant to recommend the novel on this basis alone.
Although I didn’t like the ending, I was hooked by the author’s writing and will check out more of her work.
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!
The characters were interesting and I really enjoyed the dynamic between Eva and Harry. I understood how Kim felt like an outsider when the three were together, but some of her reactions were way over the top. I was actually waiting for her to get a good slap across the face and for someone to tell her to wake up and stop acting so bratty.
Harry was great and the scenes told from his POV were my favorite. I think the author did an amazing job with character development. I honestly felt like I was reading about people I knew. I felt so close to the characters, I could begin to anticipate their reactions by the novel’s end.
The pace was fairly good. Some of Kim’s work drama was a little boring to me, but her struggles in her career was part of her overall growth. There were some very sad parts and I did feel myself getting teary-eyed from time to time.
I was really into the story up until the end. I felt totally unsatisfied after pages and pages of “will they?” or “won’t they?” I’d be hesitant to recommend the novel on this basis alone.
Although I didn’t like the ending, I was hooked by the author’s writing and will check out more of her work.
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!
December 19, 2015
This book is a bit tough for me to rate. While I did enjoy it, there are a few things preventing me from giving this more than 3 stars.
First, I didn't care much for Kim. She's quite selfish and with the way she handles most situations, I just couldn't stand her. Harry on the other hand I adored. The sections told from his POV were probably my favorite.
Second, the ending was a bit abrupt. The reveal I was waiting for finally happens during the last 5% of the book which doesn't really allow you to enjoy it. I was hoping there would have been a bit more telling us what becomes of Kim, Harry and Otis now that the truth is out.
The book begins in 2015, then takes you back 9 years to 2006. From there, the story progresses until you are once again in 2015 as a continuance of the first scene. I really liked how this was done. In a way it makes the story feel more real by allowing us a glimpse into those years and to witness how certain events affect and change the characters.
Don't let my 3 star rating fool you though. Don't Get Me Wrong is still an enjoyable read. It's a heartbreaking yet sweet book that will definitely leave you wanting more once it ends.
**I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
First, I didn't care much for Kim. She's quite selfish and with the way she handles most situations, I just couldn't stand her. Harry on the other hand I adored. The sections told from his POV were probably my favorite.
Second, the ending was a bit abrupt. The reveal I was waiting for finally happens during the last 5% of the book which doesn't really allow you to enjoy it. I was hoping there would have been a bit more telling us what becomes of Kim, Harry and Otis now that the truth is out.
The book begins in 2015, then takes you back 9 years to 2006. From there, the story progresses until you are once again in 2015 as a continuance of the first scene. I really liked how this was done. In a way it makes the story feel more real by allowing us a glimpse into those years and to witness how certain events affect and change the characters.
Don't let my 3 star rating fool you though. Don't Get Me Wrong is still an enjoyable read. It's a heartbreaking yet sweet book that will definitely leave you wanting more once it ends.
**I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 23, 2015
This book was a family tragedy mixed with Kim learning to grow and adapt to circumstances. When her sister Eva Dies she starts raising her 6 year old Ottis. Eva's friend Harry rubs Kim the wrong way every time he opens his mouth. Well written with wonderful characters this is a great read. Sometimes you want to shake Kim for being so stubborn but she is so very human you forgive her. This is my first book by this author and I'm glad I picked it up.
March 8, 2016
NOIA....non so come altro descrivere quello che ho provato leggendo questo libro interminabile. Una profonda noia e irritazione per una storia che inizia in maniera lenta e procede nella stessa maniera fino ad arrivare ad un finale che, a mio parere, andava sviluppato molto di più.
August 5, 2018
É mais duas estrelas e meia! Lê-se bem mas não é interessante, quando começa a ter algum jeito acaba do nada!
May 12, 2018
Za mě ne! Obálka lákala na nějakou love story, a i vlastně anotace naznačovala , že by mohlo jít o romantický příběh. Avšak jsem se nakonec dočkala plitkého a zdlouhavého příběhu bez promakaného děje a s otevřeným koncem, kde o "love-story" a popřípadě "happyendu" můžeme jen doufat...
Za druhé: Nálepka: "pro fanoušky Jojo Moyes" mi přijde bizardní, sice jsem od Moyes zatím nic nečetla, ale z ohlasů soudím, že to bude Paní Spisovatelka (s velkým P a S!), ale z této knihy jsem vůbec nebyla moudrá. Když už, tak by to šlo o takových 150 stran zkrátit. Pak bych možná byla nad příběhem Kim a Harryho přimhouřila oči.
Škoda těch dní strávených u knihy! :(
Ale třeba se to nějaké jiné duši bude líbit...
Za druhé: Nálepka: "pro fanoušky Jojo Moyes" mi přijde bizardní, sice jsem od Moyes zatím nic nečetla, ale z ohlasů soudím, že to bude Paní Spisovatelka (s velkým P a S!), ale z této knihy jsem vůbec nebyla moudrá. Když už, tak by to šlo o takových 150 stran zkrátit. Pak bych možná byla nad příběhem Kim a Harryho přimhouřila oči.
Škoda těch dní strávených u knihy! :(
Ale třeba se to nějaké jiné duši bude líbit...
June 30, 2018
Uma linda história em que as personagens, principalmente a feminina não interpreta bem os sinais que timidamente o rapaz lhe transmitia, e para complicar, o mesmo acontecia com ele em relação a ela. Achei que o final poderia ser mais "substancial".
;)
;)
August 19, 2015
Review also found at http://kristineandterri.blogspot.ca/2...
**I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher Atria via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. The expected publication date is August 25th 2015**
Can a book be equally good and frustrating? I wasn't sure until I read this story. Let me tell you it is completely possible.
I will start by venting my frustrations. I have never been so frustrated by a character than I was with Kim. So full of hatred for someone she never took the time to understand and so full of judgement when she should have been looking in the mirror. Up on her high horse judging everyone's else lifestyle when she was making one mistake after the other and should have been looking to clean out her own backyard. Her feelings regarding Harry were stemming from jealousy and nothing else as she had to share her sister with him. The way she was always feeling sorry for herself when Eva leaned on Harry was quite sad to be honest. I wanted to slap her throughout the story.
Harry on the other hand captured my sympathy. The way he was misunderstood and always trying to fit in. As the reader we got his back story and since Kim was not privy to this perhaps was part of the reason she didn't give him a fair shake. She should have however saw the unwavering devotion he had for Eva and Otis and accepted him solely based on this instead of questioning his intentions.
Within this conflict was a wonderful story about families and misunderstandings. I could not wait to find out how everything would play out. Although I was frustrated, it was the point of the whole story and I get it. It doesn't mean that I had to like Kim however I somewhat understood given the complexities of the reality. This was a good book.
In closing I want to share a passage from the story that really resonated with me. As I watch my husband be a rock as he is dealing with the same situation as Eva with his father these words never felt more true for me.
"She wanted to shout, It's not ok. It's not ok at all. It's evil and ugly and disgusting. Why are you so calm? Why are you just sitting there, accepting it? You should be yelling and screaming and throwing things at the wall. You should be raging and wailing and fighting."
Instead I will be loving and patient and try to be the rock for him.
**I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher Atria via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. The expected publication date is August 25th 2015**
Can a book be equally good and frustrating? I wasn't sure until I read this story. Let me tell you it is completely possible.
I will start by venting my frustrations. I have never been so frustrated by a character than I was with Kim. So full of hatred for someone she never took the time to understand and so full of judgement when she should have been looking in the mirror. Up on her high horse judging everyone's else lifestyle when she was making one mistake after the other and should have been looking to clean out her own backyard. Her feelings regarding Harry were stemming from jealousy and nothing else as she had to share her sister with him. The way she was always feeling sorry for herself when Eva leaned on Harry was quite sad to be honest. I wanted to slap her throughout the story.
Harry on the other hand captured my sympathy. The way he was misunderstood and always trying to fit in. As the reader we got his back story and since Kim was not privy to this perhaps was part of the reason she didn't give him a fair shake. She should have however saw the unwavering devotion he had for Eva and Otis and accepted him solely based on this instead of questioning his intentions.
Within this conflict was a wonderful story about families and misunderstandings. I could not wait to find out how everything would play out. Although I was frustrated, it was the point of the whole story and I get it. It doesn't mean that I had to like Kim however I somewhat understood given the complexities of the reality. This was a good book.
In closing I want to share a passage from the story that really resonated with me. As I watch my husband be a rock as he is dealing with the same situation as Eva with his father these words never felt more true for me.
"She wanted to shout, It's not ok. It's not ok at all. It's evil and ugly and disgusting. Why are you so calm? Why are you just sitting there, accepting it? You should be yelling and screaming and throwing things at the wall. You should be raging and wailing and fighting."
Instead I will be loving and patient and try to be the rock for him.
April 4, 2016
I received an advanced copy from Netgalley to review, so here we go.
I didn't NOT like this book, I just also didn't really love it. I was frustrated by the way that it started in 2015 and then went back nearly 10 years to catch us up so we would find out about Harry and Kim and why she hates him so. In theory, this storytelling device can be really effective. In practice, at least here, not so much.
I kept reading to find out about the characters. Why does Kim dislike Harry so much? What did he do that she couldn't forgive for 10 years? As it turns out, not much. The book is described as a modern Pride and Prejudice (which it isn't, not really, so let's not go into that), and so in that vein, Kim has preconceived ideas about Harry, what he's like, and what he stands for. That's it. It wasn't worth reading 350 pages to find that out.
In terms of the emotional drama, I didn't feel it. Not the way I did when reading Me Before You, or any other modern tearjerker. I cry at everything. Just not at this book. I think it's because I didn't connect with Kim. She was harsh and abrasive for no reason - a prickly person without that soft center which endears you to her.
In the end, I think the story has a lot of potential, but it was lacking the emotional punch it needed.
I didn't NOT like this book, I just also didn't really love it. I was frustrated by the way that it started in 2015 and then went back nearly 10 years to catch us up so we would find out about Harry and Kim and why she hates him so. In theory, this storytelling device can be really effective. In practice, at least here, not so much.
I kept reading to find out about the characters. Why does Kim dislike Harry so much? What did he do that she couldn't forgive for 10 years? As it turns out, not much. The book is described as a modern Pride and Prejudice (which it isn't, not really, so let's not go into that), and so in that vein, Kim has preconceived ideas about Harry, what he's like, and what he stands for. That's it. It wasn't worth reading 350 pages to find that out.
In terms of the emotional drama, I didn't feel it. Not the way I did when reading Me Before You, or any other modern tearjerker. I cry at everything. Just not at this book. I think it's because I didn't connect with Kim. She was harsh and abrasive for no reason - a prickly person without that soft center which endears you to her.
In the end, I think the story has a lot of potential, but it was lacking the emotional punch it needed.
April 5, 2016
1.5 stelle
`un libro imperdibile che vi farà innamorare` mai commento su un libro fu più falso.
In queste 293 pagine non mi sono decisamente innamorata, arrabiata più che altro.
Nel libro si seguono le storie di Eva, Kim ed Harry.
la narrazione non è continua ma fatta di tantissimi e continui salti temporali come se stessimo leggendo un diario scritto malamente dai vari personaggi.
Eva ed Harry sono molto amici e Kim odia Harry, dice fino alla nausea che Harry è arrogante, ostenta la sua ricchezza e bla bla bla a me sono solo sembrati i capricci di una bambina offesa, perché la sorella maggiore non la considera e sta tutto il tempo con il suo amico.
Durante tutti i 9 anni in cui è ambientata la storia si svolge sempre lo stesso schema, Eva e Harry che si divertono, Kim che fa scenate imbarazzanti mentre tutti i loro amici la compatiscono poiché poverina non ci arriva.
La grande svolta nel loro `amore` si ha nelle ultime due pagine del libro dove,finalmente, Harry si dichiara e dice a Kim che l`ha sempre amata e lei semplicemente lo accetta.
Veramente atroce.
`un libro imperdibile che vi farà innamorare` mai commento su un libro fu più falso.
In queste 293 pagine non mi sono decisamente innamorata, arrabiata più che altro.
Nel libro si seguono le storie di Eva, Kim ed Harry.
la narrazione non è continua ma fatta di tantissimi e continui salti temporali come se stessimo leggendo un diario scritto malamente dai vari personaggi.
Eva ed Harry sono molto amici e Kim odia Harry, dice fino alla nausea che Harry è arrogante, ostenta la sua ricchezza e bla bla bla a me sono solo sembrati i capricci di una bambina offesa, perché la sorella maggiore non la considera e sta tutto il tempo con il suo amico.
Durante tutti i 9 anni in cui è ambientata la storia si svolge sempre lo stesso schema, Eva e Harry che si divertono, Kim che fa scenate imbarazzanti mentre tutti i loro amici la compatiscono poiché poverina non ci arriva.
La grande svolta nel loro `amore` si ha nelle ultime due pagine del libro dove,finalmente, Harry si dichiara e dice a Kim che l`ha sempre amata e lei semplicemente lo accetta.
Veramente atroce.
September 21, 2015
I want to thank NETGALLEY and SIMON & SCHUSTER for allowing to read and give an honest review.
I really wish I could say I enjoyed this book , but I had a difficult time finishing it. I thought
the story dragged on and on. I wasn't really fond of any of the characters. This is the story of two sisters, Eve and Kim, although the story centers mostly around Kim. She was very difficult to like, I thought she was shallow, selfish, self absorbed, I thought it took her a long time to find herself. I tried to like Harry, who is Eve's best friend and the person that Kim dislikes the most in the world, I thought Harry had no personality.
I did think the writing was good, it just was not for me.
Thank you again to NETGALLEY and SIMON & SCHUSTER.
I really wish I could say I enjoyed this book , but I had a difficult time finishing it. I thought
the story dragged on and on. I wasn't really fond of any of the characters. This is the story of two sisters, Eve and Kim, although the story centers mostly around Kim. She was very difficult to like, I thought she was shallow, selfish, self absorbed, I thought it took her a long time to find herself. I tried to like Harry, who is Eve's best friend and the person that Kim dislikes the most in the world, I thought Harry had no personality.
I did think the writing was good, it just was not for me.
Thank you again to NETGALLEY and SIMON & SCHUSTER.
July 2, 2015
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Atria Books. Thank you!
This book was about Kim and Harry, two opposites who have one thing in common-they are both close with Kim's sister Eva and her young son, Otis. The story was both sweet and heartbreaking, though I was hoping for more romance. The ending left me wanting more. Overall, a sad and lovely story.
This book was about Kim and Harry, two opposites who have one thing in common-they are both close with Kim's sister Eva and her young son, Otis. The story was both sweet and heartbreaking, though I was hoping for more romance. The ending left me wanting more. Overall, a sad and lovely story.
October 30, 2015
Kim hates Harry for no good reason (if you ask me) and of course it's not until the end that she discovers her assumptions were all wrong. The book dragged on and I had no patience for anyone. And of course the inevitable pairing isn't until the very end.
Want to read
March 25, 2015ARC provided by Atria Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 21, 2015
This was my first by this author, but I enjoyed it. Full review can be found at Ash Reads Stuff
November 22, 2024
Purtroppo, questa che state leggendo è la recensione alla prima – e spero unica – lettura da due stelle del 2024; non avevo grandissime aspettative per questo libro, ma sicuramente speravo in qualcosa in più. Invece, adesso che ne sto parlando e sto raccogliendo le mie conclusioni, mi rendo conto che ‘Una dolce ostilità’ non mi ha lasciato nulla.
Sono andata a farmi un giro tra le varie piattaforme per leggere le altre recensioni scritte in merito a questo romanzo, così, per scrupolo… Visto che io non sono proprio una lettrice di romance nel vero senso della parola, volevo capire se, magari, la colpa è mia, se non sono “in grado” di comprendere storie di questo tipo. Ma ho trovato un bel po’ di unanimità nel criticarlo, quindi.
Scritto da Marianne Kavanagh, ‘Una dolce ostilità’ è un romanzo rosa che ha come protagonista Kim, una giovane donna da poco laureata che sta cercando il proprio posto nel mondo, con un lavoro che possa esaudire tutte le sue aspirazioni. Eva, sua sorella, è completamente l’opposto di lei: è una ragazza dall’animo hippie, che vive alla giornata, che non riesce a covare lo stesso risentimento di Kim per i loro genitori e che vorrebbe solo che sua sorella minore e il suo migliore amico andassero d’accordo. Il problema è che Harry e Kim non possono andare d’accordo, non quando lui si occupa di finanza e pensa solo alla carriera e lei è dedita al volontariato e interessata ad aiutare enti no profit.
Due cose mi sono piaciute di questo romanzo, quindi comincerò da quelle.
Lo stile di scrittura dell’autrice mi ha convinta ed è stato il motivo principale per cui non ho abbandonato il libro al suo destino: mi ha coinvolta e non mi ha fatto pesare la lettura; ammetto che c’è una chiara confusione tra punti di vista e persone narranti, tanto che spesso non si capisce come si è passati dall’uno all’altra e all’altro ancora, ma si riesce a sorvolare.
E poi abbiamo la gestione (o la descrizione) del lutto: i personaggi di ‘Una dolce ostilità’ subiscono una grave perdita e sono riuscita ad avvertire il loro dolore, a percepire la sofferenza provata dai protagonisti; e questo mi ha colpita. Non mi ha entusiasmato il come si arriva a questo punto cardine, perché il pathos è quello che posso trasmettere io nel realizzare che ho finito i miei biscotti preferiti, ma dettagli.
Purtroppo, le cose che non mi sono piaciute riescono ad avere la meglio.
Il problema principale è che non ho capito lo scopo di questo libro. La Kavanaugh voleva scrivere una storia d’amore enemies to lovers? Voleva raccontare come si sopravvive al lutto grazie alla famiglia e all’amore? Voleva “denunciare” le relazioni tossiche sia in ambito amoroso quanto famigliare? Non lo so. Perché alla fin fine queste cose che ho citato ci sono tutte, ma a nessuna viene dato abbastanza spazio da poterla considerare un pilastro portante della storia. E quello che a me ha disturbato maggiormente sono proprio i rapporti che Kim ha con i suoi genitori tanto quanto con il suo ragazzo (che non è l’Harry che ho citato prima, ma un altro, una relazione precedente): sono terrificanti; e questi personaggi se ne escono con dei dialoghi, delle battute, ancora più gravi. E il non aver capito quale fosse la vera intenzione dell’autrice nell’inserire nel suo libro dei personaggi così negativi mi ha lasciata a dir poco perplessa, perché, ripeto, nemmeno l’aperta denuncia sembra essere mai stata una sua reale intenzione.
E con questo mi collego al discorso “personaggi”: brutti, bruttissimi; forse gli unici che si salvano sono Harry e Otis. Ma, per quanto riguarda tutti gli altri, sono state toccate vette che, prima di aver letto questo libro, avrei anche potuto ritenere irraggiungibili. La protagonista, Kim, è insopportabile sin dalla prima pagina: lei dovrebbe reggere sulle proprie spalle la storia; invece, il suo contributo alla vicenda è quello di far desiderare al lettore di poter entrare nel libro per prenderla a sberle. È infantile, insensata e ‘Una dolce ostilità’ ruota intorno a questo presunto odio che lei prova nei confronti di Harry, un odio che non viene mai giustificato e che culmina in un finale che mi ha fatto piegare, perché, dopo trecento pagine, finalmente lui (non lei, perché lei è troppo intelligente e matura per sostenere una conversazione adulta con altri esseri umani) le chiede il perché del suo odio e lei se ne esce con un magnifico: “Ma io non ti odio”.
Sipario.
Mi sono sentita presa in giro io al posto di Harry.
L’idea poteva anche essere carina, di base, ma è stata sviluppata in un modo che non mi ha trasmesso nulla. Qual è la morale? [E questo potrebbe essere uno spoiler.] Che, dopo anni di odio viscerale, appena una persona ti dice di averti sempre amato, di colpo realizzi che è sempre stato così anche per te? Ah… Funziona così? Quindi se un mio vecchio compagno del liceo dovesse suonare alla mia porta, io potrei rischiare di non sposarmi più con il mio compagno?
In conclusione: non mi è pesato leggere ‘Una dolce ostilità’ ed è anche vero che mi ha tenuto compagnia per qualche giorno, ma è stata una compagnia che alla fine si è rivelata essere amara e che immagino non ricercherò in futuro.
Sono andata a farmi un giro tra le varie piattaforme per leggere le altre recensioni scritte in merito a questo romanzo, così, per scrupolo… Visto che io non sono proprio una lettrice di romance nel vero senso della parola, volevo capire se, magari, la colpa è mia, se non sono “in grado” di comprendere storie di questo tipo. Ma ho trovato un bel po’ di unanimità nel criticarlo, quindi.
Scritto da Marianne Kavanagh, ‘Una dolce ostilità’ è un romanzo rosa che ha come protagonista Kim, una giovane donna da poco laureata che sta cercando il proprio posto nel mondo, con un lavoro che possa esaudire tutte le sue aspirazioni. Eva, sua sorella, è completamente l’opposto di lei: è una ragazza dall’animo hippie, che vive alla giornata, che non riesce a covare lo stesso risentimento di Kim per i loro genitori e che vorrebbe solo che sua sorella minore e il suo migliore amico andassero d’accordo. Il problema è che Harry e Kim non possono andare d’accordo, non quando lui si occupa di finanza e pensa solo alla carriera e lei è dedita al volontariato e interessata ad aiutare enti no profit.
Due cose mi sono piaciute di questo romanzo, quindi comincerò da quelle.
Lo stile di scrittura dell’autrice mi ha convinta ed è stato il motivo principale per cui non ho abbandonato il libro al suo destino: mi ha coinvolta e non mi ha fatto pesare la lettura; ammetto che c’è una chiara confusione tra punti di vista e persone narranti, tanto che spesso non si capisce come si è passati dall’uno all’altra e all’altro ancora, ma si riesce a sorvolare.
E poi abbiamo la gestione (o la descrizione) del lutto: i personaggi di ‘Una dolce ostilità’ subiscono una grave perdita e sono riuscita ad avvertire il loro dolore, a percepire la sofferenza provata dai protagonisti; e questo mi ha colpita. Non mi ha entusiasmato il come si arriva a questo punto cardine, perché il pathos è quello che posso trasmettere io nel realizzare che ho finito i miei biscotti preferiti, ma dettagli.
Purtroppo, le cose che non mi sono piaciute riescono ad avere la meglio.
Il problema principale è che non ho capito lo scopo di questo libro. La Kavanaugh voleva scrivere una storia d’amore enemies to lovers? Voleva raccontare come si sopravvive al lutto grazie alla famiglia e all’amore? Voleva “denunciare” le relazioni tossiche sia in ambito amoroso quanto famigliare? Non lo so. Perché alla fin fine queste cose che ho citato ci sono tutte, ma a nessuna viene dato abbastanza spazio da poterla considerare un pilastro portante della storia. E quello che a me ha disturbato maggiormente sono proprio i rapporti che Kim ha con i suoi genitori tanto quanto con il suo ragazzo (che non è l’Harry che ho citato prima, ma un altro, una relazione precedente): sono terrificanti; e questi personaggi se ne escono con dei dialoghi, delle battute, ancora più gravi. E il non aver capito quale fosse la vera intenzione dell’autrice nell’inserire nel suo libro dei personaggi così negativi mi ha lasciata a dir poco perplessa, perché, ripeto, nemmeno l’aperta denuncia sembra essere mai stata una sua reale intenzione.
E con questo mi collego al discorso “personaggi”: brutti, bruttissimi; forse gli unici che si salvano sono Harry e Otis. Ma, per quanto riguarda tutti gli altri, sono state toccate vette che, prima di aver letto questo libro, avrei anche potuto ritenere irraggiungibili. La protagonista, Kim, è insopportabile sin dalla prima pagina: lei dovrebbe reggere sulle proprie spalle la storia; invece, il suo contributo alla vicenda è quello di far desiderare al lettore di poter entrare nel libro per prenderla a sberle. È infantile, insensata e ‘Una dolce ostilità’ ruota intorno a questo presunto odio che lei prova nei confronti di Harry, un odio che non viene mai giustificato e che culmina in un finale che mi ha fatto piegare, perché, dopo trecento pagine, finalmente lui (non lei, perché lei è troppo intelligente e matura per sostenere una conversazione adulta con altri esseri umani) le chiede il perché del suo odio e lei se ne esce con un magnifico: “Ma io non ti odio”.
Sipario.
Mi sono sentita presa in giro io al posto di Harry.
L’idea poteva anche essere carina, di base, ma è stata sviluppata in un modo che non mi ha trasmesso nulla. Qual è la morale? [E questo potrebbe essere uno spoiler.] Che, dopo anni di odio viscerale, appena una persona ti dice di averti sempre amato, di colpo realizzi che è sempre stato così anche per te? Ah… Funziona così? Quindi se un mio vecchio compagno del liceo dovesse suonare alla mia porta, io potrei rischiare di non sposarmi più con il mio compagno?
In conclusione: non mi è pesato leggere ‘Una dolce ostilità’ ed è anche vero che mi ha tenuto compagnia per qualche giorno, ma è stata una compagnia che alla fine si è rivelata essere amara e che immagino non ricercherò in futuro.
May 29, 2017
Ich bin auf das Buch aufgrund des Klappentexts und des interessanten Covers aufmerksam geworden. Daher war ich auch froh, als ich das Buch als Rezensionsexemplar erhalten habe.
Der Beginn von „Für immer du und ich“ hat mich zunächst auch total gepackt, da das Buch ziemlich emotional startet. Man lernt direkt Kim und Harry kennen und merkt sehr schnell, dass zwischen den beiden Spannungen herrschen, die vor allem von Kim ausgehen. Egal war Harry macht oder sagt, regt Kim auf. Sie hasst ihn abgrundtief und lässt ihn das auch spüren. In einem „kurzen“ Vorspann reißt das Buch Ereignisse aus 2015 an, so dass man eine Ahnung bekommt, worum es in dem Roman gehen könnte.
Nach einem interessanten Beginn lässt der Roman dann leider zunächst stark nach, was meiner Meinung nach vor allem daran liegt, dass die Autorin in gut 125 Seiten innerhalb eines Kapitels die erste Begegnung von Kim und Harry und ihr gemeinsamer Umgang während des Jahres 2006 wiedergibt. Mir war das Kapitel viel zu lang und die Erzählungen hier auch ein wenig zu ausufernd, vor allem, weil zwar immer wieder Kims Hass auf und ihre Vorurteile gegenüber Harry offensichtlich werden, jedoch keine wirkliche Entwicklung stattfindet.
Weiter geht es dann im nächsten Kapitel mit dem Jahr 2007, wo man zwar ein wenig mehr über die Gedankenwelt von Kim und Harry erfährt, jedoch ebenfalls nicht viel interessantes passiert, außer dass man erfährt, dass Eva, Kims Schwester und Harrys beste Freundin, schwanger wird.
Dann macht das Buch einen Cut und beginnt erst im Jahr 2010, als Harry zurück nach England kehrt. Hier beginnt eigentlich erst der interessantere Teil der Handlung. Allerdings ist hier bereits die Hälfte des Romans um. Vor allem gegen Ende des Romans rast die Autorin meiner Meinung nach zu sehr durch die Handlung. Man hätte die erste Hälfte des Romans mindestens um die Hälfte straffen können und mehr Augenmerk auf die tatsächlich „wichtigen“ Begegnungen zwischen Kim und Harry legen können. Dann hätte der Klappentext auch mehr gepasst. So trifft er leider mehr oder weniger nur auf die zweite Hälfte des Romans zu. Die erste Hälfte verliert sich leider zu sehr in Nebensächlichkeiten.
Von den Figuren her ist „Für immer du und ich“ durchaus interessant. Vor allem Harry kam bei mir überaus positiv an. Auch wenn er von Kim immer als Snob dargestellt wird, erkennt man sehr schnell, dass seine Wurzeln woanders liegen und das er das Herz am rechten Fleck hat. Die anderen Nebenfiguren sind ebenfalls sehr interessant und einzigartig gestaltet. Und auch, wenn man nicht mit jeder Entscheidung oder Handlung der Nebenfiguren konform geht, merkt man sehr schnell, dass sie dadurch zum Gelingen der Handlung und des Spannungsbogens beitragen.
Einzig Kim ist mir bis zum Ende ein Rätsel geblieben. Zwar erfährt man sehr viel über ihr Seelenheil und ihre Gedankenwelt. Jedoch war sie mir einfach zu negativ. Sie hatte an allem und jedem (vor allem an Harry) etwas auszusetzen, ohne dass nachvollziehbare Gründe aufgezeigt wurden bzw. die Figuren so wirklich die Möglichkeit hatten sie vom Gegenteil zu überzeugen. Kim war mir die ganze Zeit zu farblos und unsympathisch, als dass ich mich wirklich in sie hineinversetzen konnte, geschweige denn ihre Ansichten nachvollziehen konnte.
Der Schreibstil war generell interessant, wenn auch stellenweise ein wenig zu langatmig. Die Handlung plätschert stellenweise etwas vor sich hin, nur um dann im zweiten Teil rasant durch die Geschehnisse zu fliegen.
Dieses Buch handelt vor allem von (falschen) Vorurteilen und kann mit nur wenigen Überraschungen aufwarten. Man ahnt sehr schnell, warum Harry immer wieder versucht bei Kim sympathisch rüberzukommen und auch die Geschehnisse können nur wenig überraschen. Die wirkliche Überraschung kommt erst im letzten Kapitel, als dort an die Geschehnisse aus dem Vorspann angeknüpft werden. Leider kommt diese Überraschung ein wenig zu spät.
Wenn man sich erst mal durch die erste Hälfte des Romans gequält hat und ausblendet, dass Kim kaum sympathische Eigenschaften hat, ist dies eine durchaus lesenswerte Geschichte, die jedoch eine enspanntere Hauptfigur und ein genaueres Augenmerk auf die Haupthandlung verdient hätte.
So ist dies eher ein durchschnittliches Buch, dass man nicht unbedingt gelesen haben muss.
Der Beginn von „Für immer du und ich“ hat mich zunächst auch total gepackt, da das Buch ziemlich emotional startet. Man lernt direkt Kim und Harry kennen und merkt sehr schnell, dass zwischen den beiden Spannungen herrschen, die vor allem von Kim ausgehen. Egal war Harry macht oder sagt, regt Kim auf. Sie hasst ihn abgrundtief und lässt ihn das auch spüren. In einem „kurzen“ Vorspann reißt das Buch Ereignisse aus 2015 an, so dass man eine Ahnung bekommt, worum es in dem Roman gehen könnte.
Nach einem interessanten Beginn lässt der Roman dann leider zunächst stark nach, was meiner Meinung nach vor allem daran liegt, dass die Autorin in gut 125 Seiten innerhalb eines Kapitels die erste Begegnung von Kim und Harry und ihr gemeinsamer Umgang während des Jahres 2006 wiedergibt. Mir war das Kapitel viel zu lang und die Erzählungen hier auch ein wenig zu ausufernd, vor allem, weil zwar immer wieder Kims Hass auf und ihre Vorurteile gegenüber Harry offensichtlich werden, jedoch keine wirkliche Entwicklung stattfindet.
Weiter geht es dann im nächsten Kapitel mit dem Jahr 2007, wo man zwar ein wenig mehr über die Gedankenwelt von Kim und Harry erfährt, jedoch ebenfalls nicht viel interessantes passiert, außer dass man erfährt, dass Eva, Kims Schwester und Harrys beste Freundin, schwanger wird.
Dann macht das Buch einen Cut und beginnt erst im Jahr 2010, als Harry zurück nach England kehrt. Hier beginnt eigentlich erst der interessantere Teil der Handlung. Allerdings ist hier bereits die Hälfte des Romans um. Vor allem gegen Ende des Romans rast die Autorin meiner Meinung nach zu sehr durch die Handlung. Man hätte die erste Hälfte des Romans mindestens um die Hälfte straffen können und mehr Augenmerk auf die tatsächlich „wichtigen“ Begegnungen zwischen Kim und Harry legen können. Dann hätte der Klappentext auch mehr gepasst. So trifft er leider mehr oder weniger nur auf die zweite Hälfte des Romans zu. Die erste Hälfte verliert sich leider zu sehr in Nebensächlichkeiten.
Von den Figuren her ist „Für immer du und ich“ durchaus interessant. Vor allem Harry kam bei mir überaus positiv an. Auch wenn er von Kim immer als Snob dargestellt wird, erkennt man sehr schnell, dass seine Wurzeln woanders liegen und das er das Herz am rechten Fleck hat. Die anderen Nebenfiguren sind ebenfalls sehr interessant und einzigartig gestaltet. Und auch, wenn man nicht mit jeder Entscheidung oder Handlung der Nebenfiguren konform geht, merkt man sehr schnell, dass sie dadurch zum Gelingen der Handlung und des Spannungsbogens beitragen.
Einzig Kim ist mir bis zum Ende ein Rätsel geblieben. Zwar erfährt man sehr viel über ihr Seelenheil und ihre Gedankenwelt. Jedoch war sie mir einfach zu negativ. Sie hatte an allem und jedem (vor allem an Harry) etwas auszusetzen, ohne dass nachvollziehbare Gründe aufgezeigt wurden bzw. die Figuren so wirklich die Möglichkeit hatten sie vom Gegenteil zu überzeugen. Kim war mir die ganze Zeit zu farblos und unsympathisch, als dass ich mich wirklich in sie hineinversetzen konnte, geschweige denn ihre Ansichten nachvollziehen konnte.
Der Schreibstil war generell interessant, wenn auch stellenweise ein wenig zu langatmig. Die Handlung plätschert stellenweise etwas vor sich hin, nur um dann im zweiten Teil rasant durch die Geschehnisse zu fliegen.
Dieses Buch handelt vor allem von (falschen) Vorurteilen und kann mit nur wenigen Überraschungen aufwarten. Man ahnt sehr schnell, warum Harry immer wieder versucht bei Kim sympathisch rüberzukommen und auch die Geschehnisse können nur wenig überraschen. Die wirkliche Überraschung kommt erst im letzten Kapitel, als dort an die Geschehnisse aus dem Vorspann angeknüpft werden. Leider kommt diese Überraschung ein wenig zu spät.
Wenn man sich erst mal durch die erste Hälfte des Romans gequält hat und ausblendet, dass Kim kaum sympathische Eigenschaften hat, ist dies eine durchaus lesenswerte Geschichte, die jedoch eine enspanntere Hauptfigur und ein genaueres Augenmerk auf die Haupthandlung verdient hätte.
So ist dies eher ein durchschnittliches Buch, dass man nicht unbedingt gelesen haben muss.
August 29, 2017
Im Grunde genommen beginne ich jede Rezension immer erst mit den positiven Dingen, die mir zu der gelesenen Geschichte in den Sinn kommen. Sei es der Schreibstil, der sich hervorhebt, oder die Protagonisten, die vielleicht besonders sind. In "Für immer du und ich" ist mir allerdings nichts in so positiver Erinnerungen geblieben, was ich an dieser Stelle sofort erwähnen müsste.
Aufgrund ihres ersten Romans "An jedem einzelnen Tag", welches ich geliebt habe, war ich sehr neugierig auf den neuen Roman der Autorin. Klappentext und Cover ließen einen emotionalen Liebesroman erhoffen, doch beides führt einen als Leser absolut in die Irre. Wären es nur die falschen Erwartungen gewesen, wäre es weniger schlimm für mich gewesen, denn diese kann man im Laufe des Buches runterschrauben und sich auf etwas Neues einlassen. Doch dies wollte mit hier schlicht nicht gelingen.
Bedauerlicherweise muss ich sagen, dass die unglücklich gewählte Aufmachung und Struktur des Buches nur einen kleinen Teil meiner doch kritischen Bewertung ausmachen. Zuerst wäre da nämlich der Einstieg in die Geschichte, bei dem ich schon zu kämpfen hatte. Man lernt, oberflächlich, Kim und Harry kennen. Kim gleicht einem aggressiven, bissigen Hund, denn sie geht sofort auf Konfrontation. Sie kann Harry absolut nicht leiden, das ist schnell klar, wird jedoch auf den nächsten Seiten ständig wiederholt. Kim ist keine Protagonistin, die man ins Herz schließt, sie ist eher eine Person, um die man einen Bogen macht. Pessimistisch, unfreundlich und absolut unsympathisch sind die Worte, die mir sofort einfallen, wenn ich an sie denke.
»"Man ignoriert sie schlicht. Das macht man mit der Wahrheit. Man macht einfach die Augen zu und tut so, als wäre nichts."«
Zitat aus: "Für immer du und ich"
Ich wurde zu keiner Zeit mit ihr warm. Damit reiht sie sich nahtlos in die Reihe der anderen Figuren ein, denn wirklich nett, besonders, oder auf irgendeine Art sympathisch war keine von ihnen. Die Eltern von Eva und Kim schießen hier wahrlich den Vogel ab. Unvorstellbar, wie sie überhaupt zwei Mädchen in die Welt setzen konnten.
Die Beziehung der Figuren, sowie ihre Handlungen waren für mich nicht nachvollziehbar. Ich verstand nicht, warum Kim bei Harry immer auf Angriff überging und was sie an einem bestimmten Mann gefunden hat. Im Grunde genommen verstehe ich nicht mal, was mir die Geschichte an sich sagen wollte. Es fehlte der rote Faden, die Spannung und die Emotionen. Besonders der Mittelteil zieht sich wie Kaugummi. Die Struktur des Buches, sowie der Plot boten so viel Potenzial, welches hier einfach nicht genutzt wurde. Dadurch dass es keine Kapitel gibt, sondern alles in verschiedene Teile gegliedert ist (Vom Jahre 2006 bis zum Jahre 2015), liest es sich sehr schwer. Die verschiedenen Erzählsprünge zu den einzelnen Figuren erschwert es sogar noch zusätzlich. Ich kam mir beim Lesen leider vor wie eine Flipperkugel.
Das einzig einigermaßen Überraschende war dann noch das Ende, in dem es um eine bestimmte Person geht. Was zum Schluss noch ans Tageslicht kommt, empfinde ich allerdings als zu sehr an den Haaren herbeigezogen und völlig unverständlich.
Fazit:
Es tut mir total leid, aber ich kann leider nichts Positives sagen. Unsympathische Figuren, gepaart mit einem stockenden Schreibstil hinterlassen bei mir einen total faden Beigeschmack. Ich weiß leider nicht, was mir die Autorin mit ihrer Geschichte sagen wollte. Ich hätte das Buch fast abgebrochen.
© www.mybooksparadise.de
Aufgrund ihres ersten Romans "An jedem einzelnen Tag", welches ich geliebt habe, war ich sehr neugierig auf den neuen Roman der Autorin. Klappentext und Cover ließen einen emotionalen Liebesroman erhoffen, doch beides führt einen als Leser absolut in die Irre. Wären es nur die falschen Erwartungen gewesen, wäre es weniger schlimm für mich gewesen, denn diese kann man im Laufe des Buches runterschrauben und sich auf etwas Neues einlassen. Doch dies wollte mit hier schlicht nicht gelingen.
Bedauerlicherweise muss ich sagen, dass die unglücklich gewählte Aufmachung und Struktur des Buches nur einen kleinen Teil meiner doch kritischen Bewertung ausmachen. Zuerst wäre da nämlich der Einstieg in die Geschichte, bei dem ich schon zu kämpfen hatte. Man lernt, oberflächlich, Kim und Harry kennen. Kim gleicht einem aggressiven, bissigen Hund, denn sie geht sofort auf Konfrontation. Sie kann Harry absolut nicht leiden, das ist schnell klar, wird jedoch auf den nächsten Seiten ständig wiederholt. Kim ist keine Protagonistin, die man ins Herz schließt, sie ist eher eine Person, um die man einen Bogen macht. Pessimistisch, unfreundlich und absolut unsympathisch sind die Worte, die mir sofort einfallen, wenn ich an sie denke.
»"Man ignoriert sie schlicht. Das macht man mit der Wahrheit. Man macht einfach die Augen zu und tut so, als wäre nichts."«
Zitat aus: "Für immer du und ich"
Ich wurde zu keiner Zeit mit ihr warm. Damit reiht sie sich nahtlos in die Reihe der anderen Figuren ein, denn wirklich nett, besonders, oder auf irgendeine Art sympathisch war keine von ihnen. Die Eltern von Eva und Kim schießen hier wahrlich den Vogel ab. Unvorstellbar, wie sie überhaupt zwei Mädchen in die Welt setzen konnten.
Die Beziehung der Figuren, sowie ihre Handlungen waren für mich nicht nachvollziehbar. Ich verstand nicht, warum Kim bei Harry immer auf Angriff überging und was sie an einem bestimmten Mann gefunden hat. Im Grunde genommen verstehe ich nicht mal, was mir die Geschichte an sich sagen wollte. Es fehlte der rote Faden, die Spannung und die Emotionen. Besonders der Mittelteil zieht sich wie Kaugummi. Die Struktur des Buches, sowie der Plot boten so viel Potenzial, welches hier einfach nicht genutzt wurde. Dadurch dass es keine Kapitel gibt, sondern alles in verschiedene Teile gegliedert ist (Vom Jahre 2006 bis zum Jahre 2015), liest es sich sehr schwer. Die verschiedenen Erzählsprünge zu den einzelnen Figuren erschwert es sogar noch zusätzlich. Ich kam mir beim Lesen leider vor wie eine Flipperkugel.
Das einzig einigermaßen Überraschende war dann noch das Ende, in dem es um eine bestimmte Person geht. Was zum Schluss noch ans Tageslicht kommt, empfinde ich allerdings als zu sehr an den Haaren herbeigezogen und völlig unverständlich.
Fazit:
Es tut mir total leid, aber ich kann leider nichts Positives sagen. Unsympathische Figuren, gepaart mit einem stockenden Schreibstil hinterlassen bei mir einen total faden Beigeschmack. Ich weiß leider nicht, was mir die Autorin mit ihrer Geschichte sagen wollte. Ich hätte das Buch fast abgebrochen.
© www.mybooksparadise.de
April 7, 2016
Da http://leggerefantastico.blogspot.it
3 1/2
Kim odia Harry con ogni parte di se stessa. Il suo è un odio profondo per ciò che lui rappresenta: successo, agio, stabilità, ricchezza. Tutte cose che lei non ha, che non ha mai avuto e che non potrà mai avere. Sua madre è una farfalla che svolazza libera da ogni responsabilità, suo padre non esiste e l'unico punto fondamentale della propria famiglia è la sorella maggiore Eva, della quale è costretta a prendersi cura. Eva è fragile, ingenua, altruista, vive nella semplicità, togliendo dal suo mondo il lusso superfluo, tutto il lusso che Harry rappresenta. Paradossalmente, Harry ed Eva sono migliori amici, cosa inconcepibile per Kim che crede che i due abbiano una storia d'amore. Per questo lo odia ancora di più. Perché per lei Harry non è l'uomo giusto per sua sorella. Forse, però, è solo una traccia inconfondibile di sentimenti a cui necessariamente preferisce non dar peso. Perché Harry non è nemmeno l'uomo giusto per lei. O così è portata a credere, finché due enormi drammi non segnano irreparabilmente la sua vita.
Avete presente quando un romanzo non sapete se odiarlo con tutto il cuore - un po' come Kim con Harry - oppure amarlo nonostante tutti i suoi difetti? Già, sembrerebbe la stessa storia di questi due protagonisti, divisi tra odio e amore, ostilità e legami indissolubili. Kim non riesci ad amarla, è un dato di fatto. Perlomeno è quello che è successo a me. Troppo pungente - il che non è necessariamente un difetto - ma alla fine troppo inquadrata nelle sue convinzioni, tanto che è impossibile distoglierla dalle sue incrollabili certezze. Sarebbe così semplice lasciarsi dominare dal cuore. Lei non lo fa. Mai. Fino all'ultimo. Fino a quando qualcosa non cambia, ma alla fine è troppo tardi, per chi la legge, entrare in sinergia con lei.
Il suo personaggio, così testardo, così perseverante, così irritante, minaccia di storpiare l'intera storia. Per fortuna c'è Harry. Sciolto, attento, indistruttibile, dolce, protettivo. Harry mi è piaciuto moltissimo come ho adorato la sua storia, un clichè classico che ricalca il solito passato tormentato, ma che sa donare un qualcosa in più rispetto al personaggio di Kim. Più gusto, più intensità, più forza, più affinità. E poi c'è Eva. Dolcissima, un po' ingenua, un po' hippy con le sue idee bizzarre, ma eternamente fragile, emozionante. Alla fine capisci molte cose di lei che non avevi intuito, che non ti erano minimamente passate per l'anticamera del cervello.
Passiamo all'odio viscerale che Kim nutre per Harry. Lo odia, con tutta se stessa, questo è palesemente chiaro, lo si evince dalla miriade di insulti, alcuni pacati altri meno, e dalle stoccate che questa continua solennemente a impartirgli durante i loro incontri. Talvolta risulta divertente assistere a questo scambio di provocazioni/risposte tra i due. Perché poi, va detto, ad Harry l'odio che Kim nutre nei suoi confronti non lo tocca in apparenza minimamente. Probabilmente non lo comprende appieno - un po' come il lettore - ma della sua furia emotiva e dei suoi attacchi ripetuti se ne infischia. Anzi, se li cerca per divertirsi, o per creare l'unico contatto possibile con lei.
Il motivo o i motivi che hanno spinto la ragazza a detestarlo non son ben chiari o perlomeno possono essere comprensibili fino ad un certo punto. E' normale che Kim si preoccupi della fragile sorella maggiore e quindi tenti di proteggerla con tutte le sue forze da un ragazzo che, a suo parere, non è innamorato di lei, che non è fatto per lei. E' anche un po' strano, però, come quest'odio nasca: da una piccola battuta innocente che innaturalmente scatena il pandemonio e fa fiorire un'antipatia inutile. Ok, aggiungiamoci che Harry le risulta anche insopportabile perché lui ha tutto mentre lei proviene da una famiglia povera, che non ha praticamente avuto. La madre l'ha abbandonata per trovare se stessa e il padre...bè, il padre non è mai entrato nelle loro vite. Questo aspetto, però, potrebbe anche far pensare che Kim possa essere quasi invidiosa del successo di Harry. Cosa che poi fondamentalmente non è vera. Si potrebbe pensare che sia completamente innamorata di lui, tanto da essere persino gelosa del suo legame con la sorella. Questo potrebbe spiegare molte cose. Però mi lascia perplessa il fatto che nessuno dei due faccia un passo per avvicinarsi, per confrontarsi una volta per tutte durante tutto l'arco di tempo in cui la storia viene narrata, e vi assicuro che sono parecchi anni. Uno dei due avrebbe potuto chiedere chiarimenti, l'altro avrebbe potuto urlargli in faccia la verità. Ma nessuno dei due compie questo passo e ci si ritrova all'ultima pagina con determinati sentimenti. Devo dire che il finale è quello che mi aspettavo, niente di più e niente di meno. Da un libro strano - perché sostanzialmente questo è un libro che mi ha lasciato tante emozioni, sia positive che negative e ancora devo capire quale delle due predomina sull'altra - mi aspettavo esattamente questo. Però vi dico una cosa, non iniziatelo se avete in mente un romance, o un new adult, o semplicemente una storia d'amore. Si, si parla d'amore: amore tra sorelle, amore racchiuso in una dolce ostilità (a volte non proprio dolce). Però se state cercando una storia d'amore, quella zuccherosa, quella passionale, quella comunque semplice, non cercatela qui. Questo è un libro in cui all'amore si arriva per gradi, attraversando situazioni in cui l'amore è la base di tutto ma in cui, in realtà, lo si respira solamente. Perché in sostanza non lo si afferra per molto, moltissimo tempo. E quando lo si afferra, bè...forse tutto quello che dobbiamo fare è immaginare.
Una Dolce Ostilità non l'ho trovato noioso, l'ho trovato una piacevole, strana, emozionante avventura in un bagno di fragilità e paure. Le certezze fasulle sono come piccole illusioni che si perdono in un mare di pregiudizi. Si spreca solamente del tempo prezioso. Perciò, la maggior parte delle volte, è sempre meglio ascoltare il cuore e lasciarsi dominare dalle sue escandescenze e dai suoi ritmi frenetici.
3 1/2
Kim odia Harry con ogni parte di se stessa. Il suo è un odio profondo per ciò che lui rappresenta: successo, agio, stabilità, ricchezza. Tutte cose che lei non ha, che non ha mai avuto e che non potrà mai avere. Sua madre è una farfalla che svolazza libera da ogni responsabilità, suo padre non esiste e l'unico punto fondamentale della propria famiglia è la sorella maggiore Eva, della quale è costretta a prendersi cura. Eva è fragile, ingenua, altruista, vive nella semplicità, togliendo dal suo mondo il lusso superfluo, tutto il lusso che Harry rappresenta. Paradossalmente, Harry ed Eva sono migliori amici, cosa inconcepibile per Kim che crede che i due abbiano una storia d'amore. Per questo lo odia ancora di più. Perché per lei Harry non è l'uomo giusto per sua sorella. Forse, però, è solo una traccia inconfondibile di sentimenti a cui necessariamente preferisce non dar peso. Perché Harry non è nemmeno l'uomo giusto per lei. O così è portata a credere, finché due enormi drammi non segnano irreparabilmente la sua vita.
Avete presente quando un romanzo non sapete se odiarlo con tutto il cuore - un po' come Kim con Harry - oppure amarlo nonostante tutti i suoi difetti? Già, sembrerebbe la stessa storia di questi due protagonisti, divisi tra odio e amore, ostilità e legami indissolubili. Kim non riesci ad amarla, è un dato di fatto. Perlomeno è quello che è successo a me. Troppo pungente - il che non è necessariamente un difetto - ma alla fine troppo inquadrata nelle sue convinzioni, tanto che è impossibile distoglierla dalle sue incrollabili certezze. Sarebbe così semplice lasciarsi dominare dal cuore. Lei non lo fa. Mai. Fino all'ultimo. Fino a quando qualcosa non cambia, ma alla fine è troppo tardi, per chi la legge, entrare in sinergia con lei.
Il suo personaggio, così testardo, così perseverante, così irritante, minaccia di storpiare l'intera storia. Per fortuna c'è Harry. Sciolto, attento, indistruttibile, dolce, protettivo. Harry mi è piaciuto moltissimo come ho adorato la sua storia, un clichè classico che ricalca il solito passato tormentato, ma che sa donare un qualcosa in più rispetto al personaggio di Kim. Più gusto, più intensità, più forza, più affinità. E poi c'è Eva. Dolcissima, un po' ingenua, un po' hippy con le sue idee bizzarre, ma eternamente fragile, emozionante. Alla fine capisci molte cose di lei che non avevi intuito, che non ti erano minimamente passate per l'anticamera del cervello.
Passiamo all'odio viscerale che Kim nutre per Harry. Lo odia, con tutta se stessa, questo è palesemente chiaro, lo si evince dalla miriade di insulti, alcuni pacati altri meno, e dalle stoccate che questa continua solennemente a impartirgli durante i loro incontri. Talvolta risulta divertente assistere a questo scambio di provocazioni/risposte tra i due. Perché poi, va detto, ad Harry l'odio che Kim nutre nei suoi confronti non lo tocca in apparenza minimamente. Probabilmente non lo comprende appieno - un po' come il lettore - ma della sua furia emotiva e dei suoi attacchi ripetuti se ne infischia. Anzi, se li cerca per divertirsi, o per creare l'unico contatto possibile con lei.
Il motivo o i motivi che hanno spinto la ragazza a detestarlo non son ben chiari o perlomeno possono essere comprensibili fino ad un certo punto. E' normale che Kim si preoccupi della fragile sorella maggiore e quindi tenti di proteggerla con tutte le sue forze da un ragazzo che, a suo parere, non è innamorato di lei, che non è fatto per lei. E' anche un po' strano, però, come quest'odio nasca: da una piccola battuta innocente che innaturalmente scatena il pandemonio e fa fiorire un'antipatia inutile. Ok, aggiungiamoci che Harry le risulta anche insopportabile perché lui ha tutto mentre lei proviene da una famiglia povera, che non ha praticamente avuto. La madre l'ha abbandonata per trovare se stessa e il padre...bè, il padre non è mai entrato nelle loro vite. Questo aspetto, però, potrebbe anche far pensare che Kim possa essere quasi invidiosa del successo di Harry. Cosa che poi fondamentalmente non è vera. Si potrebbe pensare che sia completamente innamorata di lui, tanto da essere persino gelosa del suo legame con la sorella. Questo potrebbe spiegare molte cose. Però mi lascia perplessa il fatto che nessuno dei due faccia un passo per avvicinarsi, per confrontarsi una volta per tutte durante tutto l'arco di tempo in cui la storia viene narrata, e vi assicuro che sono parecchi anni. Uno dei due avrebbe potuto chiedere chiarimenti, l'altro avrebbe potuto urlargli in faccia la verità. Ma nessuno dei due compie questo passo e ci si ritrova all'ultima pagina con determinati sentimenti. Devo dire che il finale è quello che mi aspettavo, niente di più e niente di meno. Da un libro strano - perché sostanzialmente questo è un libro che mi ha lasciato tante emozioni, sia positive che negative e ancora devo capire quale delle due predomina sull'altra - mi aspettavo esattamente questo. Però vi dico una cosa, non iniziatelo se avete in mente un romance, o un new adult, o semplicemente una storia d'amore. Si, si parla d'amore: amore tra sorelle, amore racchiuso in una dolce ostilità (a volte non proprio dolce). Però se state cercando una storia d'amore, quella zuccherosa, quella passionale, quella comunque semplice, non cercatela qui. Questo è un libro in cui all'amore si arriva per gradi, attraversando situazioni in cui l'amore è la base di tutto ma in cui, in realtà, lo si respira solamente. Perché in sostanza non lo si afferra per molto, moltissimo tempo. E quando lo si afferra, bè...forse tutto quello che dobbiamo fare è immaginare.
Una Dolce Ostilità non l'ho trovato noioso, l'ho trovato una piacevole, strana, emozionante avventura in un bagno di fragilità e paure. Le certezze fasulle sono come piccole illusioni che si perdono in un mare di pregiudizi. Si spreca solamente del tempo prezioso. Perciò, la maggior parte delle volte, è sempre meglio ascoltare il cuore e lasciarsi dominare dalle sue escandescenze e dai suoi ritmi frenetici.
August 8, 2020
The blurb that says "Londoners Kim and Harris can't see eye to eye... until the life of the person they love most hangs in the balance."
They can't see eye to eye until the very last sentence of the book. And the tragedy described happens no sooner than during the last quarter of it. During the first three quarters the only thing that kept me going on reading was wanting to know where so much hatred came from.
And the answer was disappointing:
"It's about all the privileges but not doing anything to help other people." says the protagonist, when half of the book was about how much the guy offered to help her family, which for some reason annoyed her.
It is not a romantic comedy. It lacks romance, and it is certainly very short of comedy.
They can't see eye to eye until the very last sentence of the book. And the tragedy described happens no sooner than during the last quarter of it. During the first three quarters the only thing that kept me going on reading was wanting to know where so much hatred came from.
And the answer was disappointing:
"It's about all the privileges but not doing anything to help other people." says the protagonist, when half of the book was about how much the guy offered to help her family, which for some reason annoyed her.
It is not a romantic comedy. It lacks romance, and it is certainly very short of comedy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2019
Non ci siamo proprio! leggere questo libro è stata una fatica enorme! Credetemi, non mi era mai successo di dover interrompere la lettura a causa del forte mal di testa che mi causava il libro. Irritante dall’inizio alla fine! Peccato veramente perché la storia in sé poteva essere carina e interessante, ma secondo me mancavano le idee, la storia non ha ne testa ne coda; per non parlare poi di com’è scritto! Si passa dalla prima alla terza persona ad una velocità fulminante, da qui il mal di testa, tanto da non capire più chi parla e di chi si sta parlando!
Per la recensione completa seguiteci qui:
http://tuttacolpadeilibri.blogspot.co...
Per la recensione completa seguiteci qui:
http://tuttacolpadeilibri.blogspot.co...
October 3, 2024
Interesting enough but WHAT?! It led up to romance and then fell flat. Even in the end, you are left wondering how Kim felt. The very wealth Harry represented and sought is what held Kim with prejudices. I liked Kim and how stood strong and firm with her beliefs. Harry never cleared up Kim’s wrong assumptions about him and his real status of relationship with her sister. Kim didn’t even know whether Harry was Otis’ father … It’s real sad really that Kim never knew how Harry felt about her and even sadder he just let things be. Harry works hard for his riches but not for love? How could Kim love Harry because he didn’t let her know him.
April 16, 2021
Tak tohle za mě už víckrát NE!
Rozhodně bych neřekla, že je to pro fanoušky Jojo Moyes, ale tyhle věty na obálkách nikdy nesouhlasily s tím, co je uvnitř, tak mě to nechává chladnou, jen s tím nemuseli hyzdit obálku knížky.
Tři čtvrtě knihy jsem se jen nudila, jediné, co bylo super byl začátek a pár konečných stránek. Vím, že je to spíše oddechová kniha a s tím jsem i do čtení šla, ale i na oddechovou knihu to bylo až moc o ničem...
Rozhodně ji předám někomu dál, koho možná bude bavit víc. Teď je to kniha, která mi momentálně jen drží prázdné místo v knihovně.
Rozhodně bych neřekla, že je to pro fanoušky Jojo Moyes, ale tyhle věty na obálkách nikdy nesouhlasily s tím, co je uvnitř, tak mě to nechává chladnou, jen s tím nemuseli hyzdit obálku knížky.
Tři čtvrtě knihy jsem se jen nudila, jediné, co bylo super byl začátek a pár konečných stránek. Vím, že je to spíše oddechová kniha a s tím jsem i do čtení šla, ale i na oddechovou knihu to bylo až moc o ničem...
Rozhodně ji předám někomu dál, koho možná bude bavit víc. Teď je to kniha, která mi momentálně jen drží prázdné místo v knihovně.
September 30, 2023
I don't know how to feel about this book. my rating is between 2 and 3 ☆
the plot could be so freaking good but then everything started to be really confusing. there's some people at the other rating saying that it was always clear that Harry loves Kim and I just wanna know where are those signs cause I didn't get that and I was pretty chocked. I were so excited to start that book and it was so hard to finish it. I feel so bad that I didn't like it and I had to force me to finish it. and the ending?? I think they all deserved a little bit more peace.
the plot could be so freaking good but then everything started to be really confusing. there's some people at the other rating saying that it was always clear that Harry loves Kim and I just wanna know where are those signs cause I didn't get that and I was pretty chocked. I were so excited to start that book and it was so hard to finish it. I feel so bad that I didn't like it and I had to force me to finish it. and the ending?? I think they all deserved a little bit more peace.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews