8.16.2010

the death and life of charlie st. cloud


Has anyone seen the Charlie St. Cloud movie yet? Does anyone else think Zac Efron is a little cutie? I sure do.
I read this entire book in one day. Yesterday, to be exact. It wasn't particularly long, and it was an easy read.  I didn't want to put it down without finishing!

From Goodreads:
The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud tells the haunting story of a young man who narrowly survives a terrible car wreck that kills his little brother. Years later, the brothers’ bond remains so strong that it transcends the normal boundaries separating life and death. Charlie St. Cloud lives in a snug New England fishing village. By day he tends the lawns and monuments of the ancient cemetery where his younger brother, Sam, is buried. Graced with an extraordinary gift after surviving the accident, he can still see, talk, and even play catch with Sam’s spirit. But townsfolk whisper that Charlie has never recovered from his loss.
Into his carefully ordered life comes Tess Carroll, a captivating, adventuresome woman training for a solo sailing trip around the globe. Fate steers her boat into a treacherous storm that blows her back to harbor, to a charged encounter with Charlie, and to a surprise more overwhelming than the violent sea itself. Charlie and Tess discover a beautiful and uncommon connection that leads to a race against time and a desperate choice between death and life, between the past and the future, between holding on and letting go. 

Last Sunday I had three family members drown in the American Falls Reservoir, so needless to say, it was a rough week for me and death has been on the brain. Perfect timing for this book to pop into my life. Although its not really what I believe in as far as life and death and everything in between are concerned, it brought me an oddly fulfilling sense of peace at a time when I really needed it. Despite my own religious beliefs, I loved the idea of it all... I loved the story. I loved the beautiful bond that lived for so long between these two brothers. I loved their dedication to each other, even beyond the grave. I loved the notion that those we love who pass on from this life have ways of letting us know they are still with us and always will be. I really loved a lot of things about this book. There is one sexualesque* scene, but it is really tastefully written and didn't bother me at all. Overall it was a really clean, beautiful read. I don't even remember any swearing at all... which was nice.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Sadly, it has probably set my expectations too high for Hollywood and Zac Efron to reach. We shall see..

*sexualesque is not a word :)

4 comments:

Gina said...

You had three family members die?! Are you kidding me? Oh Stephanie, I'm so sorry to hear that.

On a brighter note: I'll be adding this book to my "to-read" list. :) Thanks for the recommend.

stephani said...

Thanks Gina. Did you not hear about that? It was seriously national news because it was such a weird, freak accident. One man was my uncle and two others were my cousins (technically they are my dads cousins kids, but its all the same to me). It has been a rough week but we are doing okay!
I do hope you read this book, I think you'll enjoy it! :)

stephani said...

ps. im taking your advice. i started the book thief last night :)

ariel said...

i do think zac efron is a cutie... but i'm annoyed with some things that he has said recently. all of those tween stars feel like they have to prove something when they aren't tweens anymore.

i am adding this to my to-read too!