Fifteen-year-old New Yorker Daisy thinks she knows all about love. Her mother died giving birth to her, and now her dad has sent her away for the summer, to live in the English countryside with cousins she’s never even met.
There she’ll discover what real love is: something violent, mysterious and wonderful. There her world will be turned upside down and perfect summer will explode into a million bewildering pieces.
How will Daisy live then?
Set in a modern Third World War, How I Live Now
is the story of Daisy, an American teenager with more problems than
your average person. She doesn’t get on with her father and stepmother,
and out of this, psychological problems have developed – involving her
eating habits in particular.
is the story of Daisy, an American teenager with more problems than
your average person. She doesn’t get on with her father and stepmother,
and out of this, psychological problems have developed – involving her
eating habits in particular.
When she is sent away to England, Daisy
moves in with her aunt and cousins she’s never met, and she soon begins
to learn more about her mother and understand what it’s like to be
surrounded by a loving family. However her relationship with her cousin
Edmond confuses and excites Daisy, and they embark on an intimate
relationship. When England becomes occupied by the enemy, the family is
split up and Daisy must find a way to look after her young cousin Piper
while trying to reunite with the other members of her family.
moves in with her aunt and cousins she’s never met, and she soon begins
to learn more about her mother and understand what it’s like to be
surrounded by a loving family. However her relationship with her cousin
Edmond confuses and excites Daisy, and they embark on an intimate
relationship. When England becomes occupied by the enemy, the family is
split up and Daisy must find a way to look after her young cousin Piper
while trying to reunite with the other members of her family.
Told from Daisy’s point of view, the war
remains very much in the background until near the end of the book –
but despite the breezy nature of the writing and the Daisy’s dismissal
of the facts, adult readers of the book can very easily imagine the
scenes of death and destruction in the quiet countryside. I found the
relationship between Edmond and Daisy an interesting one given that they
are blood related; however the purity and intensity of the relationship
allows you to look past this and see two people that are meant to be
together. The end of the book was also very well-written, as Daisy
slowly looks to rebuild her life and relationships with those that bear
the physical and mental scars of war.
remains very much in the background until near the end of the book –
but despite the breezy nature of the writing and the Daisy’s dismissal
of the facts, adult readers of the book can very easily imagine the
scenes of death and destruction in the quiet countryside. I found the
relationship between Edmond and Daisy an interesting one given that they
are blood related; however the purity and intensity of the relationship
allows you to look past this and see two people that are meant to be
together. The end of the book was also very well-written, as Daisy
slowly looks to rebuild her life and relationships with those that bear
the physical and mental scars of war.
I found How I Live Now to be a
very simple yet powerful portrayal of love, loss and healing. Although
it can certainly be enjoyed by the Young Adult audience it’s aimed at, I
think adults will also get a lot from it and perhaps read it a little
differently.
very simple yet powerful portrayal of love, loss and healing. Although
it can certainly be enjoyed by the Young Adult audience it’s aimed at, I
think adults will also get a lot from it and perhaps read it a little
differently.
Rating: ★★★★★
Leave a Reply