How I Live Now By Meg Rosoff

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My name is Luc Anderson, and I am a sophomore. For my summer reading project I read the novel How I live Now, by Meg Rosoff. I really enjoyed reading this book, so on a scale of one to five I would give it a four.

This novel begins with a teenager by the name of Daisy who must move from her home in Manhattan, New York to go live with her four cousins and Aunt Penn on their farm in a very rural part of England. Daisy is quite furious with her father since he listened to her diabolical stepmother 's aspirations to do so. Daisy believes that her stepmother, "Davina the Diabolical", despises her and wants to poison her, so Daisy has taken up eating quite gingerly. It 's difficult to analyze the time period in which this book takes place in, but it seems similar to present day and could even be said to be in the somewhat close future. In both America and England there have recently been talks of some terrorist bombings as well as war. Daisy is picked up after her flight at the airport by one of her cousins named Edmond. She is quickly taken by his dashing yet affable demeanor. Daisy has simply fell in love with every aspect of the farm and the people associated with it, notably with Edmond after her interest with him turned into love that he felt back for her. Aunt Penn leaves the children while she goes to attend an anti-war conference. While she is gone a bomb goes off at the London train station that kills very many. The war begins to enlarge and before long the occupying forces have completely taken over England. Daisy and Edmond 's love continues to grow, but there is worry that the war will soon threaten there peaceful lives. The children desperately wait for Aunt Penn 's return, but they soon realize that she won 't be coming...

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...ays war, fear, death, loss of those close to you, and human and animal suffering. It’s a sad and tragic book, but at the same time a happy vibrant one as well. Although it is quite strange that in such a modern time period two cousins are having sexual relations, the book really shows how madly in love they are and the costs they are willing to go to so they can be together. This book shows how terrible and painful war is. Death is everywhere in this book and we are being told about it and shown it by a teenage girl, who already has enough problems, like anorexia, as is. All in all this book was utterly wonderful and should not be shrugged off. I would recommend this book to teens and up since some of the content may not be appropriate for younger ages. My overall rating of this would be a four out of ten, since love books are not necessarily my favorite genre.

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