My Rating: 4 stars
I actually read this book last summer during some down time I had while waiting for my flight at the airport. I will admit that amongst all the choices of books at the airport bookstore, I chose to read this primarily out of curiosity, as I had heard about the "hype" surrounding this book (especially the debate over the topic of assisted suicide, which plays a key role in the story) and wanted to see for myself what the commotion was about. Surprisingly, this actually ended up being an enjoyable read for me – a book I finished in one sitting because I just couldn't bear to put it down. While the story itself is not unique and the writing not particularly profound, I couldn't help being drawn into the main character Louisa Clark's supposedly "ordinary" world and seeing how her life changes after she meets Will Traynor. To be honest, neither Louisa nor Will were particularly likable characters (though in the case of Will, there really wasn't much character development at all outside of the surface-level stuff) and more often than not, I actually disagreed with the viewpoints and actions of both characters – yet somehow I found myself "rooting" for both of them and hoping that things would turn out well for them in the end. It's hard to explain and there is no rhyme or reason for it….simply put, that's just the way I felt by the time I got to the end of the book.
In terms of the writing, one of the things that I felt the author Jojo Moyes did a relatively good job with in this book is striking the right balance between lighthearted humor and the seriousness of some of the characters' situations. There were funny moments that made me smile and serious moments that got me teary-eyed, but both were appropriately balanced without going overboard in my opinion. True, there were inconsistencies with the writing and some parts of the plot weren't very logical (for example – the often-mentioned part about how Louisa could become Will's caretaker given her obvious lack of basic qualifications), but overall, the story still worked, which I guess is the most important selling point of the book.
As for the "debate" concerning the ending and the type of message it supposedly sends – well, for me at least, it was a moot point, since I didn't take this book that seriously to begin with. From the moment I started reading, I approached this book as a "casual read" to kill time and never expected to get anything profound out of it – by the time I reached the end of the book, my sentiments were still the same. Taking the story purely by itself (stripped of all moral debate and personal feelings), I actually felt the ending made sense given the events that led up to it. With that said, if the book had been written differently – like perhaps telling the story from Will's perspective rather than Louisa's and making his inner struggle between the life he had before versus after the accident be the primary focus – my opinion would definitely be different.
Overall, I would categorize this book as a worthwhile read with a good story, decent writing (with some of the dialogue being quite memorable), and somewhat relatable though not necessarily realistic characters. Regardless of its flaws, I still enjoyed the book and don't mind reading it again in the future.
(Read in August 2016)
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