Sunday 13 June 2010

One Day by David Nicholls


The premise of this book is a very simple one, its takes Dexter and Emma (Dex and Em, Em and Dex) just after their graduation and looks at a particular day for them every year for the next 20 years. A lot can happen in twenty years and indeed it does happen to Dexter and Emma as we see marriages, divorces, heartbreak, career changes etc etc.

I loved this book and as a result I'm sure I read it far far too quickly but I was desperate to know what was going to happen the following year to these people. The two main characters are not perfect in fact sometimes I just wanted slap them but ultimately I really wanted them to find happiness with each other.

The advantage with knowing you're going to be following these characters for a long time is that you know they can change. If one of the characters is arrogant in their early twenties for example you know that by the time they are in their mid thirties a great deal would have changed and that character would have learnt some harsh lessons by then. You become more forgiving of them.

The author was intelligent enough to choose a day in July in which to follow the characters, intelligent because anything can happen in July and well the weathers nice. I'm glad the author didn't choose some of the alternatives, for example can you imagine having to read 20 new year eves in a row?

This book would be classed as a love story but it is also very funny in parts and quite life affirming. But don't be fooled into thinking this will be a completely light hearted read, there are also some wonderful touching and tragic moments and you may be affected.

Verdict 5/5

Posted by Jess

11 comments:

  1. This sounds absolutely amazing! It's going on my wish list right...now.

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  2. I loved Starter for Ten, but haven't seen any good reviews for this yet. No one seemed to like it. I actually own a copy of One Day, so it is nice to see someone loved it. I'll get round to it one day!

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  3. I've been dithering over whether to read this or not and now I've read a review that loved it (the first review I have seen) I've requested a copy from my library - I hope to love it too!

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  4. Im very surprised I seem to be the only blogger out there that really liked it, the reviews on Amazon are quite glowing. I really did love it though and read it very quickly.

    Jackie - I do own starter for ten and plan to read that next month so I will say which of the two books I prefered.

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  5. Wow! That sounds like a fascinating premise for a book. I hadn't even heard of this one, but I'm definitely going to have to check it out now. Thanks!

    Also, you have an award over at my blog.

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  6. Great review Jessica! This is the type of book I have been reading alot lately. I noticed you are reading Fingersmith. I read and reviewed it a couple years ago and it was awesome! I hope you are enjoying it!

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  7. Birdie - I dont normally read alot of love stories but I really got into this one and would recommend it.

    Jaimie - I am enjoying Fingersmith, theres alot of humour in it and I find I keep reading quotes out loud to my husband.

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  8. Sounds like a great character-driven novel. I've been reading several books in this category, including Molly Fox's Birthday.

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  9. What a fantastic idea for a story! I like a story that does a good job of showing character growth over time. Thanks for the review!

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  10. Matt & Christy - I would recommend it but its also surprising that in some ways they dont change at all.

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  11. This sounds fabulous. Thanks for the review. I just added it to to my TBR list :)

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