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Used Book Alerts 
How I Live Now
by Meg Rosoff
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About This Book
ISBN13: 9780553376050 |
Powells.com Staff Pick
"This book for young adults simply captivated me like so few novels for adults will. In a voice that could tell you how to change a light bulb yet still hold you transfixed, fifteen-year-old New Yorker Daisy recalls a summer in the British countryside with her cousins. War breaks out and the children must depend on each other to survive. Her tale is dark, beautiful, and wise. A breathtaking feat of storytelling." Georgie Lewis, Powells.com (read the entire Powells.com review)
A gritty, funny, and widely influential novel (it caused quite a stir!) that I guarantee you'll read time and time again. Powerful and worthy of many re-readings.
Recommended by Jill S., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
"Every war has turning points and every person too."
Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she's never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy.
As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it's a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy's uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.
A riveting and astonishing story.
Review:
"This riveting first novel paints a frighteningly realistic picture of a world war breaking out in the 21st century. Told from the point of view of 15-year-old Manhattan native Daisy, the novel follows her arrival and her stay with cousins on a remote farm in England. Soon after Daisy settles into their farmhouse, her Aunt Penn becomes stranded in Oslo and terrorists invade and occupy England. Daisy's candid, intelligent narrative draws readers into her very private world, which appears almost utopian at first with no adult supervision (especially by contrast with her home life with her widowed father and his new wife). The heroine finds herself falling in love with cousin Edmond, and the author credibly creates a world in which social taboos are temporarily erased. When soldiers usurp the farm, they send the girls off separately from the boys, and Daisy becomes determined to keep herself and her youngest cousin, Piper, alive. Like the ripple effects of paranoia and panic in society, the changes within Daisy do not occur all at once, but they have dramatic effects. In the span of a few months, she goes from a self-centered, disgruntled teen to a courageous survivor motivated by love and compassion.How she comes to understand the effects the war has had on others provides the greatest evidence of her growth, as well as her motivation to get through to those who seem lost to war's consequences. Teens may feel that they have experienced a war themselves as they vicariously witness Daisy's worst nightmares. Like the heroine, readers will emerge from the rubble much shaken, a little wiser and with perhaps a greater sense of humanity. Ages 12-up." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Review:
"Readers won't just read this book, they will let it possess them." The Sunday Telegraph
Review:
"[T]he best children's novel for adults since The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time." Time Out
Review:
"A daring, wise, and sensitive look at the complexities of being young in a world teetering on chaos, Rosoff's poignant exploration of perseverance in the face of the unknown is a timely lesson for us all." People
Review:
"[C]entral to the potency of Rosoff's debut...is the ominous prognostication of what a third world war might look like, and the opportunity it provides for teens to imagine themselves...exhibiting courage and resilience in roles traditionally occupied by earlier generations." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review:
"[T]he book provides a realistic picture of what life would be like if a world war broke out today, and it provides a lot of material for class discussion. The relationship between Edmond and Daisy...is described in an emotional rather than physical way." Children's Literature
About the Author
This is Meg Rosoff’s first novel. The author lives in London.
From the Hardcover edition.
What Our Readers Are Saying
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Average customer rating based on 3 comments:
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Meagan, May 10, 2008 (view all comments by Meagan)
After I read this book I wasn't sure whether I loved it or hated it. I was a little skeptical at first reading it, I'm not the kind of person who typically reads war novels or a book about someone falling in love with their cousin for that matter, but in the end it made me realize that love is love no matter who it is between. This book is more that i war novel, it is essentially a love story , not only about love but tragedy, hope, and desperation as well. It is so well written and full of emotion I found myself laughing and crying along with the characters, and at the end i wanted more, After a while i decided that I completely loved this book. I would defiantly recommend this book to people all ages.
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susanalward, August 30, 2006 (view all comments by susanalward)
I think that Meg Rosoff is one of the best books I have ever read. I usely only read Steven King or stuff like that, but she really took my heart with this book. I thought to myself oh, my war stories, cause I don't like listening to it or reading about it, but for some reason she really held me. I guess that's what it takes to become a real writer and she has it and she will go very, very far if she keeps it up. I wish to congradulate her and wish the very best of things in the future. It was fabulous!
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Eleanor, August 22, 2006 (view all comments by Eleanor)
This was a wonderfully written story of a slightly self-centered girl who grows up into an empathetic, caring woman when she is sent to live with relatives and a war breaks out shortly thereafter. The story does contain some scenes that show the hardships inflicted by any war, and the protagonist does have an incestuous relationship with one of her cousins, but neither case is portrayed in a pornographic way. The children must survive on their own, isolated from any adult influence, and their story is enchanting.
View all 3 comments
Product Details
- ISBN:
- 9780553376050
- Author:
- Publisher:
- Wendy Lamb Books
- Author:
- Subject:
- General
- Subject:
- Family life
- Subject:
- Historical - General
- Subject:
- Children's 12-Up - Fiction - History
- Subject:
- Family - Multigenerational
- Subject:
- Farm life
- Subject:
- Lifestyles - Farm Life & Ranch Life
- Subject:
- Social Issues - General
- Publication Date:
- April 2006
- Binding:
- Paperback
- Language:
- English
- Pages:
- 194
- Dimensions:
- 800x526x69 53
- Age Level:
- 13-17
