I finished LIFE AS WE KNEW IT during lunch today…
And I can’t stop thinking about it*. Part of the reason is, I suppose, that I just love these kinds of books. I first heard about it reading Jia’s review of the companion book (the dead and the gone) at Dear Author, and immediately put it on my to-be-ordered list, but never got around to ordering it. (Rosario has a review of LIFE AS WE KNEW IT here. Everything she says, I’m nodding along with.) Then I saw it at the local B&N (along with THE HUNGER GAMES (anyone sense a theme to my reading?)) this week, and picked them both up.
The other part of the reason is, I’m in a slight romance funk. Except for HPs, it seems that every book I pick up, even if I think to myself “this is a good book,” I have a hard time picking it back up once I’ve put it down. (And I put them down a lot, because I’ve mostly been sneaking in my reading while getting my daughter to sleep, eating lunch, or waiting in the car.) And I know that when it comes to single-title romances, I’m a gulper — I want to just sit down and get all the way through it. So having staggered reading time just isn’t working for me, and I’ve turned to other genres for now.
So, anyway. LIFE AS WE KNEW IT = Fantastic Book.
*I also have a nearly uncontrollable urge to stockpile canned goods, batteries, and wood.
4 Responses to “I finished LIFE AS WE KNEW IT during lunch today…”
 Comment by Thea October 5th, 2008 at 11:45 am |
Wow…this book sounds *really* good. Right up my alley (did I mention that I am a sucker for all things apocalyptic?). I’ll definitely have to pick this one up at the bookstore. Oh and I am an emergency kit person. Stockpiled water, purification tablets, fireproof blankets, matches, canned goods…yeaaaaah :p It is california, and it helps to be prepared for earthquakes…or zombie apocalypses… (my boyfriend thinks i’m insane). |
 Comment by meljean October 5th, 2008 at 12:06 pm |
Thea — as I mentioned over on Jill Myles’s LJ, it reads to me like THE ROAD-lite. (Or maybe it should be called THE HOUSE, because they don’t go anywhere.) It’s gripping and a fantastic read, but definitely not as harrowing and depressing. So for people who liked the idea of THE ROAD but couldn’t stomach the relentless dread and horror of the father and son’s situation, this might be a good alternative.
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 Comment by Jia October 5th, 2008 at 3:51 pm |
Life As We Knew It and The Hunger Games are almost like two sides of the same apocalyptic coin. LAWKI fits into the disturbing category of post-apocalyptic fiction whereas The Hunger Games fulfills the desire for mayhem and destruction. As I said in my review though, I do think LAWKI is the better book when compared to its companion, the dead & the gone. Looking back now, I don’t think it’s just the fact that much of tension is gone due to readers knowing what happens next but it’s also that the protagonist, Alex, lacks the same compelling character arc that Miranda had. Granted, some readers didn’t care for Miranda’s selfishness but I thought it appropriate for her age and situation. By comparison, Alex is almost bland. |
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Comment by meljean October 6th, 2008 at 12:00 pm |
Hi, Jia, and thanks for stopping by!
I’ll still be picking up the companion book, but after reading the excerpt, I can see how the 3rd person POV will be less affecting. Which, honestly, is strange for me, because I typically prefer 3rd person. But I think LAWKI is the perfect example of how, when it works, it works wonderfully. I also thought Miranda was a great narrator, and the diary format a nice frame. I agree that she was selfish at times, but I also thought it was appropriate for her age (and understandable.) The same goes for the mother — in their spats (and the making up afterward) there was a ring of truth that wouldn’t have been there, I think, without those flaws. Also, now that I’ve started Hunger Games, it strikes me exactly as you’ve written above: this is a book that could easily, easily become a movie. Whereas LAWKI, they’d have to manufacture some “bad guy” suspense to move the plot forward. I’ve heard THE ROAD is coming out as a movie soon; I haven’t seen a trailer for it yet. I wonder if they’ll keep the ending? |