Jenny Downham

I think books about the issue of rape and consent are very important. But there are better books out there.

This book was way too long. I hated the main characters. The romance was pretty meh. There was very little to like.

Try The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis or Almost by Anne Eliot instead.… (plus d'informations)

FROM AMAZON: Tessa has just months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, Tessa compiles a list. It's her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is sex. Released from the constraints of "normal" life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa's feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, and her new boyfriend, all are painfully crystallized in the precious weeks before Tessa's time finally runs out.… (plus d'informations)

Un dia como cualquier otro te enteras de que te quedan unos pocos meses de vida. Un golpe dificil de asimilar. Como afrontar semejante realidad? Que mecanismos psicologicos se desatan ante la certeza de lo inevitable? Esta primera novela de la britanica Jenny Downham que gracias al boca a boca se ubico en el primer puesto de ventas de Inglaterra durante semanas no se parece a ninguna de las muchas que se han publicado sobre el mismo tema. Descubierta por el editor David Fickling a cuyo fino olfato debemos hallazgos como la trilogia de Philip Pullman El curioso incidente del perro a medianoche o El nino con el pijama de rayas la historia de Tessa ofrece una mirada mucho mas amplia que el dudoso espectaculo de compartir un trance doloroso. Una nueva percepcion del tiempo la redefinicion de las relaciones con los padres y amigos las primeras aventuras amorosas en suma un proceso de madurez acelerado que narrado con inolvidables momentos de ironia y humor destila una vitalidad sorprendente al tiempo que invita a la reflexion sobre el verdadero valor de las cosas.… (plus d'informations)

I listened to this book on audiobook several years ago and remembered it as being very touching and thoughtful. Rereading it did not disappoint.

I adore Tessa. I adore her so much. Her ferocity is absolutely fantastic. She's going to die and she knows it, so why should she waste her time on things like laws or social conventions?

The first thing on her list is sex, and that scene was so poignant. The emotions Tessa has and the way she feels is realistic and so accurate of first time sex that I think a lot of people could find that very touching. Another scene that I adored was the scene in which she does drugs, which I found amusingly accurate.

Cal, Tessa's little brother, is my favourite character. He's hilarious, but sweet at the same time and I just wanted to pick him up and give him a hug. He's aware that Tessa's dying, but also that she gets all the attention, which isn't at all fair.

I loved the manner in which the list was revealed--instead of getting it all up front, we had to wait a bit and see them happen. I also loved that the ending came when it did and not when we wanted it to, making it realistic for me.

Really, this is about the life of a teenage girl, not about death. Death just forces her to live a little faster.

This is a pretty easy read, but may make you cry. I love the poignancy of this book and am glad I reread it.… (plus d'informations)