01/23/12
Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
Posted In: Book Review
Release Date: December 27, 2011
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Age Group: Young Adult
Shelfability: Borrow
Pages: 368
Format: Advance Reader Copy
Source: BEA
Interest: Story
Challenge: None
Buy the Book: Amazon
I’m telling you why we broke up, Ed. I’m writing it in this letter, the whole truth of why it happened.
Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up. Two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a folded note, a box of matches, a protractor, books, a toy truck, a pair of ugly earrings, a comb from a motel room, and every other item collected over the course of a giddy, intimate, heartbreaking relationship. Item after item is illustrated and accounted for, and then the box, like a girlfriend, will be dumped.
I loved the premise of this novel. Absolutely loved it! I thought it was genius. I mean, didn’t everyone make one of those boxes full of all those obscure items from your relationship that don’t really many anything to anyone but you. I know I’ve burned a few of those. What can I say? I’ve had some bad break-ups. I think I was so excited about the premise of this novel that once I was done reading I felt very underwhelmed.
The only reason I kept reading is because I wanted to see why they broke up. And it was exactly the reason I thought it was going to be. I should have just skipped ahead and saved myself hours of reading.
The entire novel Min is making references to these old movies. Normally I am down with that sort of thing, but this got to the point where it was just down right annoying. Everything that happened started with “it’s like when blah blah old movie reference inserted here” and throughout the novel I wondered why I’d never heard of any of these old movies and it’s because the author made them all up. It could have been genius, but it just wasn’t.
The novel was very well written, but Min definitely didn’t seem like a 16 year girl.
If I had to describe Why We Broke Up in word word it would be: awkward. I couldn’t tell if it was meant to be satire of a teen relationship or not. What was the reason these two were together in the first place? Perhaps I just wasn’t intellectual enough to “get” this one.
On another note, I short of wished I would have had a finished copy just to see the finished artwork. From what I could get from the incomplete arc, that part would have been fabulous!
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14 Comments
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I really enjoyed this one when I read the ARC, so much so that I bought a finished copy. It’s AWESOME. I love all the artwork. For some reason, it’s really heavy. That thing weighs as much as my hardcover Lord of the Rings!
Sorry it didn’t live up to your expectations. I didn’t really have any and found Min to be kind of funny. I was a little put out by the fact that I didn’t know any of the movies. I only found out he made them up like two days ago when I read an interview and I was so bummed. I was going to look them up!
Laura Ashlee recently posted..In My Mailbox
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so..i don’t know what to say. first time i’ve heard of this book. the premise is really interesting..but should i read it? haha.
jenna recently posted..In My Mailbox (14) -
I’m in the middle of this now. I wasn’t gonna pick it up at first because it sounded like one of those books all the “critics” like but when you read it, it’s downright boring. But I got it on audiobook from the library. I must say, I’m really digging it and I think that it’s somewhat because I’m listening to it. The way it’s read… it’s so funny. And I can really feel Ed and Min’s attraction to each other despite how they run in different crowds and also the bit of rebellion that makes the relationship happen. One of the parts that I love about the book are the lists… that describe just how high school life is… like the part when she describes why she likes to talk to Ed on the phone far removed from school and gives this long list of what happens during school every single day… and it seems like it might be a little tedious to read but hearing it… just described everything perfectly and I could really feel why she needed this change… so if you ever get a chance I encourage you to take a listen. Might get something different out of it.
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I really loved reading Why We Broke Up but I’ve seen some mixed reviews for the book, so I’m not too surprised to see your thoughts were like that as well… Min and Ed are such an unlikely couple yet there’s a certain quirky feel to the writing that you can’t help feeling hopeful they’ll beat the odds, even if you are already know that’s not going to be the case.
Liz (Midnight Bloom) recently posted..In My Mailbox (57) -
I’m reading this book now. I have an ARC. And the author/illustrator are going to be at my book store this week, so I was planning on buying the finished copy (with all the artwork), but I kind of feel the same way you do. Mostly, I feel like Min has the mental capacity/vocabulary of someone much older. She doesn’t just seem intelligent, she seems to use the lingo of a friend of mine’s grandmother. Sounding smart and sounding like you grew up in a different era are two different things. And the whole box thing just doesn’t fit with her personality for me. I feel like the box of objects is a typical teen past time; you said you did this too. Yet, nothing else about this character screams typical teenage behavior. I also never liked the guy, and feel like someone as wise in her years as Min shouldn’t have known better, or maybe still fallen hard for this guy, but at least second guessed some things when they were happening.
Nori recently posted..Life Eternal by Yvonne Woon -
This doesn’t seem like my type of book but I was curious about it. It sure how I would do especially with the movie references since I usually don’t get those haha. Great review Kristi!
Giselle recently posted..Embrace Tour Stop – Review -
Oh no! I was really excited for this one, since like you said, the premise is awesome. Sucks that you didn’t enjoy it more. I hate when books make me feel like I’m not smart enough. Don’t know if I’ll read it now…
Hannah @ Paperback Treasures recently posted..In My Mailbox #42 -
Well now I want to read this just because I want to know why she broke up with him! Sounds like this book would be fun with the pictures.
I liked reading everyone’s opinions posted here. Funny how one book could have so many different reactions.
Rita J Webb recently posted..Congratulations to 24 winners! -
I’ve been on the fence about reading this one, for all the reasons you mentioned it didn’t live up to your expectations. I love the idea (and I too have burned/destroyed my share of boxes…)
But I don’t like how it sounds predictable and repetitive. I don’t think this is one that I’ll pick up
Jac @ For Love And Books recently posted..Book Review: The Pregnancy Project by Gaby Rodriguez -
I’d seen some mixed reviews of this book before I even decided to buy it, but it looked so pretty – and the finished version is very pretty indeed (and does weigh a tonne!). Good to know the movie references aren’t real movies, it will stop my confusion when I do read it. Great review
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I really like this book but didn’t love it. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with the fact that Daniel Handler made up all those movies, the actors, the plots, and then kept it all straight and referenced them multiple times. I thought it really added to the story he created. It reminded me a lot of Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl. The book was full of footnotes and cited references that were all made up. That takes some time and some real thought. I do have to agree that I was a bit disappointed with this book overall.
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This is pretty much the same way I felt about the book. Great premise, but not as well executed as I hoped. And speaking as a 15-almost-16-year-old girl, I don’t think Min felt like a real teenager either. The biggest issue I had with her was her run-on sentences that were probably supposed to sound dreamy, but instead just sounded rambly. (If that’s a word, which it probably isn’t.)
Katie recently posted..Important Conversations: Bullying -
Gotta admit, I’m not big on the Daniel Handler adult books I’ve read, but I loved his books as Lemony Snicket. Guess that’s the way things are sometimes!
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