Recent Reads - Me Before You & Sequels

Books made into movies ... I TRY to read the book first. I'd seen the movie "Me Before You" advertised as available on Amazon Prime and it interested me. But ... I wanted to read the book first. The library had it available for Kindle, and in audiobook format. At this point, I generally gravitate toward audio if it is available.

As it started up, it listed several narrators (playing several parts?) and I wondered if this was going to come across more like a play. It wasn't. It was mainly "Clark" (our female protagonist) with just a chapter here and there from another perspective and voice. I struggled a bit with the main narrator at the start, she sounded older to me, not 26 like the character, and my mind imagined a younger sounding voice. But I got used to it, and enjoyed her voice, and I loved the English accent. 

So if you are not familiar with the book ... it features a young man in a wheelchair. Will had been successful in life and love, very active, until the accident. Now a quadriplegic, Louisa is brought in as a caretaker. After a rocky start, there is some romance between the two, although this really can't be called a "romance" per se. 

This really brings up some heavy issues. At what point is life no longer worth living? Should an individual have a choice in deciding to end their existence? Suicide is a very tender topic for many, but is it the same if it is planned, discussed and known before hand. If there are logical and understandable reasons behind the decision?

One thing the book didn't discuss, but I couldn't help but consider was the cost. The financial cost. Here, it is a very wealthy family dealing with this issue. They have the means to hire personal nurses, to pay for expensive equipment and care, and extravagant experiences.  And still ... the will to endure through it isn't there. How much harder is it for those who don't have the monetary means to deal with it all. Attitude is everything, and some will hang onto life through anything, but is it wrong or giving up if you'd rather not endure an existence?

After I read the book, I watched the movie, and I thought they did a really good job with the adaptation. I really wasn't sure going in how I'd feel about "Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, First of Her Name, the Unburnt, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons" (Game of Thrones) in a contemporary role. And Louisa certainly had her own personality! But she did a good job, as did the other actors.

I didn't know the story continued on ... but it does. Two additional books continue to cover Louisa and her life after Will. At first, the second book seemed to have some incidents that were just a little too much for belief. Too coincidental. But I kept reading (or listening, audiobook again). 

I absolutely enjoyed this story. Enjoyed may be the wrong word, because while it wasn't the same heart-wrenching tragedy of the first book, there were three big blows that Lousia had to deal with, beyond still coming to terms with losing Will. The first one absolutely caught me off guard, I guess the second one did too. I was almost expecting the third at that point.

But I have to say, there were so many laugh out loud moments. I don't laugh easily. I smile. But I was laughing. I'm a little embarrassed to say that many of them were potty humor (about farts, or intestinal worms) or "I'm a good catholic woman, we don't divorce. We just make our men suffer for all eternity." There were so many more moments, but as I was listening to audio, I couldn't stop and highlight them all like I would with Kindle. But ... a lot of humor to balance out the serious stuff.

It was really interesting to see the story continue. To see how Lou was dealing (or not), how it impacted Will's parents, if Lou's mother stayed true to her threat at the end of book 1, or if it had just been said in the moment. To see how often Will's memory continued to impact events afterward ...

So while this book didn't NEED to be written, I was glad it was, and I enjoyed the third book as well. The majority of my reads are apocalyptic, paranormal or otherwise sensational. While Lousia lived anything but a "normal" life, it was still tame and "real" compared to my usual fare. But I absolutely enjoyed this series and will look back on it fondly.