Book Review: Me Before You

 

I actually saw a trailer for the film on YouTube and remembered thinking that I'd really like to see it when I noticed it said adapted from a book; after going onto google afterward I found a book which matched what gist of the plot I'd got from the film trailer. With no further ado, I paid and downloaded the book Me Before You onto my kindle paperwhite and began to read. Whenever a book has been adapted into a film, 90% of the time I do my best to read the novel first as films never live up to your own imagination. The one thing that I really got from this book is that the writer had a really compelling way of delving in and out of different characters and using them to provide an overview of situations from all angles which I really liked.

The main character and overall voice of the book was somehow very simple but effective. What resonated with me was how she wasn't desperate to achieve anything, she was fairly content with her life; she just wanted to be able to provide for her family. It was nice to read a book where the main character wasn't made out to be this incredibly talented or beautiful being; instead she was a normal person who had flaws which was actually very refreshing. That said, she was definitely intelligent but she had never felt an impulses to improve her intelligence. At the start of the book, she was (in my opinion) a chatty, well meaning and carefree person. The book was fairly slow to begin with but as the chapters rolled onward it definitely picked up and became difficult to put down as the story expanded.

She finds herself changing careers and accidentally changes her life completely during the process. Suddenly her life is put into perspective due to the arrival of a severely disabled person becoming the one person to open her mind to possibilities and the outside world. I got the impression that she's very sensitive and genuinely struggles with the path that her life has taken. If I'm honest I didn't want this book to end, the message throughout was exceedingly powerful; there were many funny moments but many more emotionally difficult moments where you genuinely wanted to cry alongside the various characters. For me this book wasn't the standard rom-com or chic-lit as the story didn't pan out at all as I expected and definitely was far more sad then first thought. I absolutely loved it and would read it again in a heartbeat, but the ending definitely didn't live up to my personal expectations; it seemed to end so suddenly and without much thought, which was a shame.

I've now seen the film version and it was rubbish in comparison to the book but I still enjoyed it too. Both the book and the film forced me to feel as though I needed to be utterly and completely absorbed in the characters lives, particularly the main two but in reality I still can't explain the pull of seeing their relationship develop and ultimately come to an end. The book is an absolute rollercoaster but I definitely don't regret reading it and I actually have the sequel lined up to read in a week or so when I've recovered from this book. It takes a lot from the reader emotionally but that's what I think a novel should be able to do, to make you feel completely at one with what you're reading and want to know more. It's one to read if you want to read something well written, with plenty of substance that will make you think about taboo subjects. 

 

AW13 Bag lust!

1- Longchamp le Pliage [buy here]

2- Cath kidston Biker [buy here]

3- Cambridge Satchel Company [buy here]

4- Accessorize Fox Rucksack [buy here]

I decided to talk bags; out of the four bags shown above, I currently own three of the four [I don't own the Cambridge Satchel… Yet!] and therefore can recommend all.

The Longchamp bag is a classic shape and style and is timeless; an investment piece that will go with any outfit or occasion. Its one of those bags which holds literally everything as well. I suggest one of the autumnal colours such as taupe, chocolate, navy or black as all of those are interchangeable with any colour and outfit. I have the navy, however I want another in chocolate [lust haha] and it is just so French and effortlessly chic. It has a way of dressing up a rainy/bad day especially as its waterproof!

The Cath Kidston biker bag is a vintage pattern based, fun and flirty burst of colour for AW13. The image is actually of the SS13, the AW13 one is a burgundy with grey and black florals; much more fitting but identical in shape. What I love about CK is that all of the shapes and styles are classic and so typical CK whilst remaining fresh and new each season. The bag is literally packed with pockets, although it has a velco opening as opposed to a full zip. Its particularly fab for school/college/university, which is what I use it for, a huge plus is the waterproof matte oilcloth, nothing gets wet!

The Cambridge Satchel is again a statement yet classic piece; originally for school, its now almost too cool for school, ha. What the main appeal of the bag is that it is designed to hold literally everything, as a schoolbag should; again the browns and autumnal colours seem to appeal the most to me, perhaps because of the bright harshness of the colours such as fuchsia. Also, as the satchels are more expensive the quality is better and is going to last far longer than any of the other cheap and cheerful satchels I have bought from the high street.

The Accessorize Fox Rucksack is a beautiful design and for that alone, I love it. It is so clearly a fox, it is also barely noticeable in the perfect craftsmanship and overall swift lines of the features. It holds more than it looks, although it is not as safe as I'd like as there is no inside pocket expect one; as its a backpack its difficult to keep an eye on your purse and phone, etc. Therefore I use it for sketchbooks and pencilcases for university, rather than my everyday bag.

Basically, I need a bag for every occasion, as many women probably do! I guess its a case of choosing what you need for what situation, and how to use it safely and securely. My favourites of the four are the Longchamp and the Cath Kidston, for that reason alone. I hope you enjoyed reading this, see ya soon, Rach x x x

I'd like to start this blogpost by linking to ONE of my favourite blogs, charmsaddict! What I love about it is that that it has a reliable and perfect theme; for my twentieth birthday I received a Pandora charm bracelet, and became addicted straightaway! The charm below was the first ever Pandora charm I ever had or bought; at £30 it was a bargain for sterling silver and it's such a classic, feminine and generally beautiful charm, no regrets whatsoever from me!

Inspired by charmsaddict, I've kept pretty up to date with whatever is going on with charm bracelets. Personally, I prefer Pandora, although that may change as my addiction continues! Right now, I'm intrigued by the 'Pandora Essence Collection'; as it is smaller and lighter, as well as using values rather than ideas of memorable moments. Plus the beads are made using semi-precious stones and so no two beads are identical, which adds a uniqueness - shame that Christmas is coming and so therefore I have no money [sighs].

So far, the beads that I particularly like are Freedom, Love and Positivity - but then again, no money; maybe once Christmas has gone and sales etc. come in [excitement!!!] What I also like about the collection is that the charms stay put without clips like the traditional pandora, which is a plus as it means no extra expenses - I wish they would make a similar set of charms for the original line though, but that would be tooooo tempting.

 

 

As you can probably see - I love jewellery a little too much! However I justify it by that fact that although it costs more as its silver/two tone/gold, it will last a long time and Pandora clean it for free [if you can part with your jewellery for that long, ha]. The other thing is that it all means something, and no two bracelets are identical, its a personal thing. Below are my bracelets [as they were, they're all too big other than the leather, am selling and saving for new, smaller ones as we speak!]

Of the three bracelets, the one I would recommend the most for everyday wear and my preferred favourite is the bangle; as it doesn't look like a traditional charm bracelet and can be worn with or without charms and goes with everything. The leather one is very pretty and comes in a variety of colours, and either single, double or triple. The top bracelet is the original Pandora charm bracelet, and needs two clips to secure the links completely; it is also the heaviest of the three bracelets and the one most likely to last the longest - at the end of the day its all down to preference. If you want to buy one, I recommend Beadazzle; as they offer free first class recorded UK delivery and it arrives amazingly fast - I've never had a problem with them!

Let me know what you thought of this post, it'll help me to improve my writing skills etc. for university amongst other things; I hope you enjoyed reading this rather long post! See ya soon, Rach x x x