Book Summary:
Daisy has been shipped off for the summer, forced to stay with her mom's unknown side of the family because her father has remarried and she doesn't get along with her step-mom. While she is with her family in England, Daisy learns about her mom and begins to fit in. Her Aunt Penn leaves the country to try to help stop the looming war. Daisy forms strong bonds with her cousins, especially Edmund. They begin an illicit romance until England is invaded. The kids are separated and sent to work at different farms. Daisy and Piper runaway when the battles get too close to the farm they are at and search for Edmund. They seem to be a few steps behind him the entire way back to the family's home. Once there reach the home, Daisy answers the phone and is "rescued" from the war. Later she returns to England to rejoin her family and try to help Edmund heal.
APA Reference:
Rosoff, M. (2004). How I live now. New York: Wendy Lamb Books.
My Impressions:
I wish I could say I loved this book but I hated every minute of it, and yet I couldn't put it down. I complained to my husband the entire time I read it but I kept turning pages saying, "I have to know how it ends!" I found the lack of punctuation frustrating and the plot was very predictable at times. It was the surprises that kept me going. I was more fascinated by the cousins Piper and Edmond than by Daisy. Daisy seemed overly spoiled and angsty for no reason. I wish there was more history given about her relationship with her step-mom and dad.
Professional Review:
A 15-year-old, contemporary urbanite named Daisy,
sent to England to summer with relatives, falls in love with her aunt’s
“oldy worldy” farm and her soulful cousins--especially Edmond, with whom
she forms “the world’s most inappropriate case of sexual obsession.”
Matters veer in a startling direction when terrorists strike while
Daisy’s aunt is out of the country, war erupts, and soldiers divide the
cousins by gender between two guardians. Determined to rejoin Edmond,
Daisy and her youngest cousin embark upon a dangerous journey that
brings them face to face with horrific violence and undreamt-of
deprivation. Just prior to the hopeful conclusion, Rosoff introduces a
jolting leap forward in time accompanied by an evocative graphic device
that will undoubtedly spark lively discussions. As for the incestuous
romance, Daisy and Edmond’s separation for most of the novel and the
obvious emotional sustenance Daisy draws from their bond sensitively
shift the focus away from the relationship’s implicit (and potentially
discomfiting) physical dimension. More central to the potency of
Rosoff’s debut, though, is the ominous prognostication of what a third
world war might look like, and the opportunity it provides for teens to
imagine themselves, like Daisy, exhibiting courage and resilience in
roles traditionally occupied by earlier generations. — Jennifer Mattson
Mattson, J. (2004, September 1). [Review of the book How I Live Now, by Meg Rosoff].
Booklist. Retrieved from: http://booklistonline.com/How-I-Live-Now-Meg-Rosoff/pid=1163010
Library Uses:
I would use this book to help teachers teach editing and why it is important.
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