Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
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luvnatalia555
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Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews, is the latest book I have finished. I went into it without really knowing what it's about, besides the fact that it's funny. After reading it, I know that "funny" was an understatement. The book was absolutely hilarious! I loved every bit of it! The characters were very realistic, and I could definitely relate to the main character several times in the book.
When I heard that the book is about a girl with cancer, I thought it would be similar to The Fault in Our Stars, but I was pleasantly surprised at its originality and the way the characters viewed the same issue (cancer) in different ways.
One of my favorite things about this book, was the format. Parts of it is written as a script, because the main character is an amateur filmmaker. This made it really enjoyable to read.
Overall, I loved this book, and I would recommend it to teenagers, or really any YA contemporary fans. However, don't expect a fluffy love story, because that is definitely the opposite of what you get.
When I heard that the book is about a girl with cancer, I thought it would be similar to The Fault in Our Stars, but I was pleasantly surprised at its originality and the way the characters viewed the same issue (cancer) in different ways.
One of my favorite things about this book, was the format. Parts of it is written as a script, because the main character is an amateur filmmaker. This made it really enjoyable to read.
Overall, I loved this book, and I would recommend it to teenagers, or really any YA contemporary fans. However, don't expect a fluffy love story, because that is definitely the opposite of what you get.
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Tizaporah13
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After having finished reading Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, I have to say that I enjoyed it! The story was interesting and each character was well established. This book made me laugh and transported me into the world that Jesse Andrews has created. Although toward the end, it did make me feel as if the pace of the book slowed down, which has made me think, "when is this book going to end". Besides that one downside, I thought this book was a great read and I highly recommend it if you're not too offended by excessive profanity and if your looking for a blunt and authentic story line about a guys plan of surviving high school (with the help of Earl and a dying girl).
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Thesaurus Rex
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Thanks for the information. I like the title of the book, but I probably will not read it unless I can find it for free. Nonetheless, you are an amazing person for giving us your thoughts on this book.
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Nothingbutdez
- Posts: 3
- Joined: 27 Dec 2015, 02:35
- Bookshelf Size: 0
Review
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a debut Young Adult fiction novel by Jesse Andrews, released in 2012. It was even adapted into a film!
Will try not to spoil!
Description right from the back of the book (no spoilers):
It is a universally acknowledged truth that high school sucks. But on the first day of his senior year, Greg Gaines thinks he's figured it out: the answer to the basic existential question, how is it possible to exist in a place that sucks so bad? His strategy: Remain at the periphery at all times. Keep an insanely low profile. Make mediocre films with the one person who is even sort of his friend, Earl.
This plan works for exactly eight hours. Then Greg's mom forces him to become friends with a girl who has cancer. This brings about the destruction of Greg's entire life.
Review:
I should begin by explaining why and how I chose this book:
I just finished my shift at my job at the mall and decided to go into Barnes 'n' Nobles. As I fished through the aisles in search for a book, any book, I stumbled across this bright green novel near the Manga section. Title: Me and Earl and the Dying Earl. Reaction: ....Why is she dying? And that's when I picked up the book and bought it.
Now, for the real review:
I didn't flip through the book to read a page, nor did I even read the back; the front cover caught my eye and my curiosity led me to buy it. Once I got home, I began to read it. Immediately, I noted that this was a young adult novel and that it should've been a book I read my freshman year of high school, not my last, but I continued to read, nonetheless, because it did hook me. Especially the fact that it's written in the point of view of the main character who is writing a book, which is the very book you're reading!
The main character is a chubby Jewish boy named Greg S. Gaines. He's a normal teenage boy in the sense that he's a little girl crazy, but not normal in the sense that his goal in high school was to lay low and be friends with everyone, while also being friends with no one. Weird, right? But he explains how he does that. The only kinda not really but really is friend or best friend he has is a "coworker" named Earl. A poor, vertically challenged boy who only has two moods: pissed off and even more pissed off. Together, they make films (that's the job in where they're "coworkers"). They compliment each other pretty well and is an interesting friendship to have the privilege to witness. Greg's other friend, who is forcefully introduced into his life by his mother, is a girl named Rachel Kushner who is diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia their senior year. Damn....that's pretty....heavy....
WAIT, wait, wait... this sounds like it's going to be a YA romance novel that'll then rip my heart out like ANOTHER certain book that also involves cancer within this same genre... WRONG! Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, or should I say Greg, tries VERY hard to make it clear that there will be absolutely no romance through out this novel. It's actually a pretty funny story, which is totally refreshing!!
Pros:
- Entertaining
- Funny
- Thoughtful
- It's cool how it switches between a normal book and movie script writing
- The point of view it's written in is very cool and different
Cons:
- Repeats words that are close together often (small pet peeve of mine)
- Made me sad at some point :'((((((( Nah I'm kidding, that's not a con, it's okay
- Can't really think of many cons
Do I Recommend?
Yes! Very much so! Great read, especially to someone entering high school, but would still recommend to anyone.
(Sorry for going on and reviewing it myself on your post! Was told by an admin and/or staff that since there was already a post on this book, that I could not make my own.)
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a debut Young Adult fiction novel by Jesse Andrews, released in 2012. It was even adapted into a film!
Will try not to spoil!
Description right from the back of the book (no spoilers):
It is a universally acknowledged truth that high school sucks. But on the first day of his senior year, Greg Gaines thinks he's figured it out: the answer to the basic existential question, how is it possible to exist in a place that sucks so bad? His strategy: Remain at the periphery at all times. Keep an insanely low profile. Make mediocre films with the one person who is even sort of his friend, Earl.
This plan works for exactly eight hours. Then Greg's mom forces him to become friends with a girl who has cancer. This brings about the destruction of Greg's entire life.
Review:
I should begin by explaining why and how I chose this book:
I just finished my shift at my job at the mall and decided to go into Barnes 'n' Nobles. As I fished through the aisles in search for a book, any book, I stumbled across this bright green novel near the Manga section. Title: Me and Earl and the Dying Earl. Reaction: ....Why is she dying? And that's when I picked up the book and bought it.
Now, for the real review:
I didn't flip through the book to read a page, nor did I even read the back; the front cover caught my eye and my curiosity led me to buy it. Once I got home, I began to read it. Immediately, I noted that this was a young adult novel and that it should've been a book I read my freshman year of high school, not my last, but I continued to read, nonetheless, because it did hook me. Especially the fact that it's written in the point of view of the main character who is writing a book, which is the very book you're reading!
The main character is a chubby Jewish boy named Greg S. Gaines. He's a normal teenage boy in the sense that he's a little girl crazy, but not normal in the sense that his goal in high school was to lay low and be friends with everyone, while also being friends with no one. Weird, right? But he explains how he does that. The only kinda not really but really is friend or best friend he has is a "coworker" named Earl. A poor, vertically challenged boy who only has two moods: pissed off and even more pissed off. Together, they make films (that's the job in where they're "coworkers"). They compliment each other pretty well and is an interesting friendship to have the privilege to witness. Greg's other friend, who is forcefully introduced into his life by his mother, is a girl named Rachel Kushner who is diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia their senior year. Damn....that's pretty....heavy....
WAIT, wait, wait... this sounds like it's going to be a YA romance novel that'll then rip my heart out like ANOTHER certain book that also involves cancer within this same genre... WRONG! Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, or should I say Greg, tries VERY hard to make it clear that there will be absolutely no romance through out this novel. It's actually a pretty funny story, which is totally refreshing!!
Pros:
- Entertaining
- Funny
- Thoughtful
- It's cool how it switches between a normal book and movie script writing
- The point of view it's written in is very cool and different
Cons:
- Repeats words that are close together often (small pet peeve of mine)
- Made me sad at some point :'((((((( Nah I'm kidding, that's not a con, it's okay
- Can't really think of many cons
Do I Recommend?
Yes! Very much so! Great read, especially to someone entering high school, but would still recommend to anyone.
(Sorry for going on and reviewing it myself on your post! Was told by an admin and/or staff that since there was already a post on this book, that I could not make my own.)
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Mika_peterson
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Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is comparable to The Fault in Our Stars in that one of the characters has cancer, but the similarities stop there. This book has heart (without being a typical teen romance novel), and it's witty without being crude. It's truly a joy to read.
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estellv
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I really found the relationships between the characters to be so interesting. The main character throughout seemed so distant from the others, but the author really makes it work.
Do you think the movie does the novel justice?
Do you think the movie does the novel justice?
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FangirlsAhead
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The Fault in Our Stars just seemed so gimmicky compared to Me and Earl and the Dying GIrl. To me, it seemed like the uber-philosophical discussions in TFIOS weren't realistic at all. Like, I'm a teen, and I consider myself an intellectual, but I'd never ever speak like that! Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, on the other hand, didn't blow her cancer out of proportion and make it the most important thing in the book. It was just another aspect to her character, which I appreciated.
