How I Live Now

by Meg Rosoff

Book Overview

"Every war has turning points and every person too." Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she's never met: three boys near her age, and their little... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385746776
• ISBN13: 9780385746779
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
• Length: 194 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

#1 Favorite book

This book is my #1 favorite book of all time. i have seriously read this book so many times i cant even count. i have also seen the movie about 5 times (after i read the book) and of course as expected the book is more appealing then the movie. I absolutely love Meg Rosoff's work she is a great author.

A wonderful, touching read.

How I Live Now was so great that I couldn't put it down! The main character goes to England to escape the turmoil of her life in NYC (divorce, NYC under seige). When war breaks out in Europe, the children are left alone and the author immediately paints a picture of their lives that is so real, I could picture this war. The strongest part of the story was that although it was fiction, I could see it actually happenning. In a world like today where differences are feared rather than celebrated by many, where hate is as common as humanity (if not more so), this book shows us that there are consequences. The book definitely goes into heavy material, that's why I think any adult would find it just as enjoyable and enlightening as a teenager. The setting was my favorite part of the story, but the characters had a real depth and truth to them as well. This book is one of my all new all-time favorites.

Intimacy Between The Gunshots

Truly a tremendous creation, Rosoff's book describes an apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic view through the eyes of a very sensitive and mature 14 year old girl. The story basically entails a young girl who is sent over to England to be out of her parent's way. But shortly after she gets there and gets to know her cousins, a war breaks out. The book relates the trials and travails of wartime life. But that is just the basic story. What makes the book particularly special is Rosoff's articulation. Her story is clear and concise. And the sensitivity that is packed into a very short period of time/life abounds within the book. Daisy, the protagonist falls in love with her first cousin. The manner in which this interaction is described is nothing short of precious. The book uniquely weaves a story of intense love and excruciating war conditions that are virtually spellbinding on the reader. Using a truly excellent stylistic technique, Rosoff also adds realism to the story by never using any obscenity in the book, but by referencing directly incidents of profanity and pornography that certainly would accompany any army. But above all, it is the clarity of presentation that makes this book a classic contribution to the young adult literature of the 21st Century. The book is recommended highly for mid to late teenagers. In addition, it is a book with a level of compassion and feeling that would stir any reader. Truly a great book, it is recommended for all readers over the age of 13.

A deep, well-done read.

This is the story of Daisy, a fifteen year old who goes to England to live with her cousins in the not-too-distant future. It is not giving anything away to say that Daisy begins a love affair with her cousin Edmond, but all their lives are changed as a war breaks out and England becomes an occupied state. At first the kids are self-sufficient and untouched by the horrors, but as the story develops, shades of World War 2 begin to overcome them as they face separation, deprivation, and ultimate loss. Daisy speaks in a believable voice that takes you into her soul and makes you feel what she does. This one is highly recommended.

A YA book I couldn't put it down

Told from the unforgettable point of view of a 15-year-old girl called Daisy, Meg Rosoff's HOW I LIVE NOW is a compelling debut novel that has much more meat on its bones than its narrator (who suffers from anorexia). Daisy is sent to England, war breaks out, and she and her cousins -- some of whom can read her mind -- are left without adult supervision. Daisy and her cousin Edmond fall in love, then are separated for the duration of the occupation, and they maintain a kind of pychic connection until something terrible happens to break it. This is the kind of book you can't put down, one you wish would never end. Some people may quibble over Daisy's rambling thoughts. The sentences are long and the author and editor obviously didn't think punctuation essential. But Daisy's voice comes to you right as if she is talking and thinking, true and real and heartbreaking. I highly recommend this book to both teens and adults.

How I live Now

The story is enthralling, and it's such a good idea to have it set in a war. Wars seem to be a subject that most people my age are quite interested in, particularly because there are so many wars going on at the moment, and they want to find out what it would really be like to live through one. But I think this war is even more interesting, it's not that I find previous or current wars boring, but that basically everything that could be found out and written about has been, and to invent a new war opens many more possibilities for events, without having to worry about being historically correct. Also it allows the war to be set in England, instead of a far off country that would probably be hard to imagine living in, even if it wasn't during a war. I love the descriptions of the English country house, it seems a perfect setting, and creates such a contrast to the war. I also like how as Daisy and Piper spend longer away from the house, it becomes a more distant memory, for both them and the reader. There is so much detail about the war and other bad things, I forgot many of the details of the house, and how Daisy spent her first few happy days with her cousins. By including Daisy's view of herself, and her eating problems, it will include lots of people who feel the same way about their appearance. It makes an interesting kind of side-story, and I liked seeing her growing out of it very slowly and subtly. When Daisy saw Edmond again, after they were separated to go to different houses, and Edmond ignored her when he first saw her, I was shocked, and really quite sad. It ended the reader's and Daisy's dreams of the perfect life they would have had together both at once, which made me feel very sorry for Daisy. The ending was quite surprising, and at first I resented the fact that the author didn't let it immediately work out with Edmond and Daisy, but now I feel it made it more realistic and interesting. It is a sad, but hopeful ending. It was also good to see that Piper had got on with her life, and she'd found someone to appreciate her. I like how there are no speech marks, and speech is just written in. It saves a lot of space, and it's an interesting and unusual way of doing it. I'm not just saying good things about this book because I don't want to say anything negative, but at a first read, I really cannot find much I dislike about the book.