A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.
Â
We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.Â
Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE
REVIEW
I really wanna give this an all-feels review but I'm afraid I might give out some of the plot. Like what's stated on the synopsis, the less you know the better. That definitely worked out for me. I had no idea what's happening at first. The plot presented itself in a vague manner. As it slowly unravels, I found myself deep in suspicion and questioning everything.
The writing is not the best but beautifully written nonetheless, like poetry. What I loved most are the characters. They may not be the best but there's an undeniable attachment between the reader and the characters. I didn't like the protagonist but I'm still attached. They are the ones delivering that powerful message (emphasis on powerful). They are beautifully haunting, desperate for love and acceptance.Â
Needless to say, I cried over this because damn that's so devastating. Know what I'm saying? No? Read the book then!Â
Definitely one of the best YA I've read this year. It gave me this heart-wrenching feeling I also got from reading 13 Reasons Why, Perks of Being a Wallflower, and The Book Thief.
4 stars but still one of my favorites.
(Spoiler below the break. I suggest you only read it when you've finished the book. Otherwise, it will ruin everything.)
The whole fire plan is so STUPID! I know they're drunk and only fifteen but EVERYONE KNOWS that when you set fire to the bottom floor of a house, the whole house will follow. You don't have to spread gasoline in each floor! Cadence didn't even give a GO signal. I mean, how stupid is that?! And so what if she already spread the gasoline to their only means of escape? That doesn't mean she has to set fire to it already. There's so many options! Stupid. STUPID. They could have met outside first before starting the fire. They could have LIVED.
Tale of the fanciful adventures of a ten-year-old girl named Chihiro, who discovers a secret world when she and her family get lost and venture through a hillside tunnel. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, Chihiro must fend for herself as she encounters strange spirits, assorted creatures and a grumpy sorceress who seeks to prevent her from returning to the human world.
During our lecture class in one of my humanities subject last friday, each recitation class submitted the video presentation of their performance art and our prof made the whole class watch it. One section's performance concept was inspired by the movie Spirited Away,  a movie I never heard of. I grew curious since everyone seems to know it so I decided to watch it.
The entire movie I was like, "How come I'm only watching this now?!" because it was so amazing! Hands down to Hiyao Miyazaki, I'll be watching more of your works later. Even though I'm almost eighteen, I can't help but be surprised how grotesque the characters are since it is intended for children. It was also a little dark but that's a plus to the awesomeness of it all.
I also noticed the complexity of the visuals. The backgrounds are rich in detail. You cannot not wonder the time spent drawing those intricate patterns on walls. I applaud the artist for being meticulous. Another thing you cannot fail to love is the soundtrack. It gives you this feeling of longing for something you had a long time ago, for me anyway.
The movie radiates of love, friendship, generosity, hardwork and acceptance. I always almost cried in each heartbreaking scene but only goosebumps appeared which made me frustrated 'cause I wanna express my emotions more.
I didn't want the movie to end 'cause that means goodbye. Her farewell wasn't enough. And Haku telling her not to look back was so depressing. I feel Chihiro and Haku are soulmates and are bound to meet again the future. Something is troubling me though. How long have they been on the spirit world? Because when they got back to their car, dust and moss were everywhere. What is everyone e.g. their new neighbors, presuming they are dead or lost, are going to think when they finally show up not knowing any time had passed?
I heard there's a part two. Can't wait to see the characters meet again!
Just another one of those obligatory new year's resolutions posts and because I am bored to death waiting for Series 3 of Sherlock, so here it goes...
Write more
Writing is not something I am good at but it is something I want to excel on. I've always wanted to write eloquently but I find it very hard, unlike my friends whose writings can take your breath away.
Study harder
I often tell myself to always study even though there is no upcoming quiz or exam but I always end up doing something else of no importance, like randomly browsing the web watching cat videos.
Practice coding
Being a computer science student, practice is the key to learning. It is essential if you want to pass your course because reading is not enough.
Review earlier
An extension to my 'study harder' resolution above. The earlier I review my notes, the more time I can absorb information and the less stress I can have.
Manage time wisely
This is the part where I tell myself to be serious with my planner. I think I have taken it for granted. I should also get myself a cork board to keep my post-it notes from falling off the wall. Plus, it looks good on the bedroom. I can decorate it and stuff.
Spend more time at the library
This was also part of my last year's resolution, and I deserve a pat on the back for fulfilling it. So, yeah, I'm keeping it.
Have fun with no regrets
Mostly meant for dinners. Dinners with my blocmates or batchmates more often than not goes on after ten. Problem is, I have 7 AM classes the next mornings. Not to mention the homework I have to do. So I think I should only agree to go if the dinners wouldn't take up most of my time.
Stop being lazy
In other words, stop procrastinating. Get things done right away.
Learn patiently
Intended for music. I almost never finish anything when I'm learning a song, keyboard or guitar. I always give up midway and start learning another song then give up all over again. I think one reason I do this is because I don't freakin' know how to read sheet music and how to play properly, especially the keyboard. If only my parents enrolled me in a music class when I was little. I want to enroll myself now but I don't have the time.
Attend more meetings
Group meetups, organization assemblies, practices (not that I'm not attending any, though).
Take care of myself
I have to watch out for my health. I've collapsed twice last year and I don't want that to happen again.
SYNOPSIS
Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.
REVIEW
This book sort of reminded me of The Perks of Being a Wallflower because  of the setting. I love reading books set before the 21st century. It gives me that era-of-the-mixtapes-and-monochrome-photographs feel. Anyhow . . .
Eleanor is the first born to a mother of five who's married to a truck-driving jerk and divorced to a man who doesn't care about them the slightest. She was kicked out by her stepfather, Richie, before and now she's back in their small house with a doorless bathroom. She shares room with her siblings and wakes up in the middle of the night to the cries of their mother and shouts of Richie. You could say her life is tough. And she wears the weirdest clothes and has glowing red hair.
Park is the boy at the bus who bitterly shared seats with Eleanor. Park likes reading comic books and listening to mixes. After days, he started sharing them with her which marked the beginning of their love story.
I found Eleanor to be a difficult protagonist. It took me some time to like her. I think sometimes she's the type of partner who makes relationships difficult because she makes a big deal out of something small. Making mountains out of molehills as the saying goes. Park on the other hand is very likable, and has great taste in music! I actually checked out the songs mentioned in the book. And he's the type of partner who struggles to keep a relationship working, not that Eleanor isn't making any efforts.
One of the things I look out for in a book is character development, and this book has it. You can see that Eleanor's shyness reduced as you flip through the pages, but not much. But her courage certainly did increase. It has to. She needs to stand her ground for her siblings. But despite her courage, there are things that can't be helped. Contrary to Eleanor's strength, I think her mother is weak. I understand that she has to sacrifice herself for the sake of feeding her children but c'mon, she has to fight back! There are other ways to work things out. Park has more developments. From being a sort-of-a-punk-who-can't-publicly-display-feelings boy to a very adorable boyfriend who's not afraid to show the world that he's dating the laugh of the school.
The story touched a lot of dark topics-- drugs, alcoholism, physical abuse (including sexual harassment, but you have to read it carefully to realize it), and family problems. The author handled them well. I think the author somehow relates to these problems. She might also relate to Eleanor being bullied at school because of her weight and clothing. Or maybe she knows someone who does? I don't know.Â
I'm going back and forth between 4 or 5 stars but okay I'll give it a 5 because those last few pages were sooo painful. :'(
Is this a book review? I don't know :)) Below the break are some thoughts with spoilers. If you haven't read the book, go on my imaginary reader, read it. If you have, then let's fangirl together! If you haven't but still want to carry on reading this post, then go on brave soul. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Now with the fangirling!
This book gave me so many feels! And holy macaroni, that was the best hand-holding scene in the history of hand-holding scenes! And when Park noticed that Eleanor was also reading his comics, he turned the pages slower so Eleanor could catch up. That's so adorable! And Park even made a playlist for her while he barely knew her. God, if someone would make me a playlist, my heart would melt into a puddle of syrup and my chest would explode into thousands of butterflies. I'm a playlist person :P.  There were just so many sweet scenes. I love how protective  Park is and how he can make someone feel special with simple words and gestures.
I love Park's dad, especially when he let Park drive Eleanor from Omaha  to Minnesota. I love how Park is very serious with their relationship. He even spent his savings to buy Eleanor a necklace. But that stupid Richie had to ruin everything. That scene when Eleanor arrived home from her date with Park (their last date in the book :'( ) and found her things (borrowed comics and mixtapes) scattered and broken scared the hell out of me. I felt the adrenaline rush she felt when she ran away.
The ending was so painful. I want to cry but no tears would come. I just want to drift away but something is pulling me down. It feels like there's a void in my chest. It's frustrating.
Their goodbyes were painful but I found their travel more painful. It confuses me why Eleanor never wrote to him and I felt the pain on Park's part. But after a year, Eleanor finally sent a letter that contains only three words. It was such a cliffhanger! What were those words?! The author must have let the readers figure out what those were. I chose to believe the letter read "I love you"-- three words Eleanor never said to Park.
SOME LINES I LOVE
“Holding Eleanor's hand was like holding a butterfly. Or a heartbeat. Like holding something complete, and completely alive.”
“What are the chances you’d ever meet someone like that?" he wondered. "Someone you could love forever, someone who would forever love you back? And what did you do when that person was born half a world away? The math seemed impossible.”Â
“She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; It was supposed to make you feel something.”
“I look like a hobo?"
"Worse," he said. "Like a sad hobo clown."
"And you like it?"
"I love it."
As soon as he said it, she broke into a smile. And when Eleanor smiled, something broke inside of him.
Something always did.”
“Nothing before you counts," he said. "And I can't even imagine an after."Â
She shook her head. "Don't."
"What?"
"Don't talk about after."
"I just meant that... I want to be the last person who ever kisses you, too.... That sounds bad, like a death threat or something. What I'm trying to say is, you're it. This is it for me.”
Introductions. This is just another try at blogging. I've been a resident of Tumblr since March 2010. I created my blog out of curiosity, never intending to blog. I just wanted to discover Tumblr and all other social sites. Yes, I enjoyed it very much (honestly, it's one of the reasons I stay up late at night) but over the course of my stay, I figured I should have a separate blog to filter my personal rants from that of my compulsive reblogging of fandom-ish posts.
So . . . hello there my imaginary reader! My name will remain a secret for now because I want to try out blogging without anyone (I know personally) knowing that’s it me behind it. I’m still figuring out what to put here though. Maybe book reviews since I’m a bookworm, but I tend to be incoherent when it comes to writing which I’m sure you have already noticed. But I’ll try! And maybe I can also share my playlists.
Best wishes to the personal blogger me. Honestly I feel like Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower, writing to myself and all.
