Sunday 6 March 2016

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl

Hello everyone :) Today I bring to you Fangirl - a young adult, contemporary novel written by Rainbow Rowell - a book which so many people are talking about. 

Honestly, I had seen Fangirl in bookshops so many times before, but I did not bring myself to buying it until quite recently after I read and watched so many good reviews about it. It is nothing like what I thought it was going to be. It is the first novel I read from the author, and I am really happy I did.

"A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love. 
Cath is a Simon Snow fan.
Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...
But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.
Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.
Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.
For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?
Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?
And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?" (Goodreads)


First of all, I'd like to say I felt a very deep connection with the main character - Cath. I, too, have a twin sister. I, too, am doing my freshman year at university. I, too, have been separated from my sister for the first time. And I, myself, have been through some of the situation the author describes. By this I mean not only that Rainbow Rowell has written a book about real things, but that she has written them undeniably well. 

Also, I'd like to point out that the fanfiction that the author uses throughout the novel is actual fanfiction for the Simon Snow novels that the author found on the internet. Just thought this was an interesting point to share :)

I have never in my years of novel reading felt with a character what Cath made me feel reading Fangirl. This book is about family, growing up, finding oneself and finding love. And, really, Rowell covers all these topics in such a beautiful and realistic way. I have to admit that, even though this book is not meant to be sad, some of the hard moments in Cath and Wren's relationship made me cry (like really cry) because I could relate to a huge extent - and I know how difficult it must have been for both of them. But the extraordinary part is that the author knew exactly how it should be, too. All of a sudden, their whole life has changed hugely. Cath's feelings, decisions, thoughts and troubles are all so genuine and real... It has been just such an amazing reading experience to me. 

The book starts off as any other contemporary, young adult novel would. But you see the difference when you get a bit deeper into the story. It is not the same. It just isn't. 

The writing is simple, but correct; and the pace is just right. There are not many characters in this book, but you get to know them well enough. And again, their relationships and reactions to the situations they find themselves in are just so real. This book is just so REAL...

I definitely recommend this book - especially if you are a fan of the genre, but if you're not so much, I say you go for it anyway - I am not that much of a YA contemporary fan either, and I think you can see how much I enjoyed it. 

I know this post might seem a bit chaotic, with everything a bit over the place, but that is just how the book left me. You'll have to see for yourself!

The only thing that did not quite get me is the way it ends. Didn't fell like an ending to me!

Please, do let me know in the comments what you thought of Fangirl if you've read it, or what feelings this post gives you :)

Happy reading!

wonderful literature.




If you liked this book, you might also like...





No comments:

Post a Comment

I'd love to read your comment!