Thursday, May 5, 2011

Review: One Day by David Nicholls

One Day (Vintage Contemporaries Original) One Day by David Nicholls chronicles the story of Dex and Em - two undergrads that get together on the night before their graduation from university in Scotland.  Em is a little insecure while Dex is confident and decidedly more carefree than Em. Although their encounter on graduation day is brief, they stay in each other's lives for the next twenty years - they meet each year on the same day.  With this one day as the anchor, the reader gets to see Dex and Em's lives (and their relationship with each other) evolve and change in the twenty year time span.

Emma is more earnest in her love for Dexter than he is in return although even he realizes that she is a better friend to him than most.  The establishment of this "cat and mouse" dynamic between the two creates the necessary tension to keep the reader wanting more and more of the story as it follows these two from University into adulthood.  Emma does come into her own as the book progresses while Dex starts to spiral downwards; their friendship is what remains constant for both. 

My Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book - in fact, I was sitting by the pool in Thailand until dark (good thing for the backlight on my iPad) riveted and unable to put it down.  I have deliberately been vague about the plot in my review because I think knowing very little about the book is what added to my reading experience - I was genuinely surprised by some of the twists and turns. 

I found myself really caring about Dex and Emma as characters.  There were times, however, when I grew weary of the cat and mouse - I either wanted Em to stand up for herself or for Dex to move on but these periods were brief and I mostly enjoyed the give and take of their friendship and, at times, love.  This is a lovely story about the friendship and romance of two friends but what captivated me the most was the evolution of the characters from their idealistic early twenties to their more pragmatic thirties and forties - it is an evolution to which I can relate (not the forties - at least not yet) and Nicholls writes so accurately about the experience that the book is relevant and make you nostalgic for your own early adulthood but appreciative of all you have learned in the years beyond. 


18 comments:

  1. Great review, I so wan tot get this book now and be nostalgic for those years. I had a similar friendship too....

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  2. I've tried starting this twice and just couldn't get into it. I'm determined to try again because everyone is really enjoying it! You know the movie comes out in August, right?

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  3. @ Jenny - yes, I think it will translate well to film - I just hope they don't ruin it :)

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  4. Great review! I have read about this book and I'm really looking forward to reading it soon.

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  5. You really captured this book and what I loved about it. I'm amazed that Americans appreciate it because there are so many British jokes in it. It brought me back to my year living in London in the late 80s. My British husband loved this book too. I'm looking forward to the movie this summer although I wish they'd cast a British actress as Emma. The trailer was disappointing.

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  6. I was all set to love this book, but wound up not really enjoying it as much as I'd hoped I would. Still worth a read for me but, like you, I got tired of the "cat and mouse" (great analogy!) games between Em and Dex.

    SUPER excited to see the movie, though -- I think it's going to be great. And rip my heart out... but great.

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  7. Thanks for such a thoughtful review! I've been sitting on the fence on whether or not to read it, especially with a movie coming out. I don't think this would be a buy for me since I'm not sure how much I would like the game playing between the characters, but definitely a library borrow.

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  8. Nice review. I've heard from a lot of people that this is a good book. The reviews are definitely peaking my interest.

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  9. Great review.
    I too enjoyed this novel.
    I could relive the 80's with the characters.

    carol

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  10. I thought this book was brilliant. I loved the way Dex and Em grew up and became different people and I particularly liked the way the book was formatted.
    Thanks for the review.
    Lynn

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  11. I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I was urged to read it by a co-worker, so I was skeptical from the start, but I liked the format of the book and the characters as well.

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  12. I like the premise of the novel, and it definitely seems like most are liking it. Another one for the wish list!

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  13. This sounds like a great books. Maybe I should move it up on my TBR

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  14. One of these days I have to get around to this. You made it sound great- it's been sitting in my TBR for ages though! Lots of people love this one!

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  15. Thanks for the review. I've added this to my books to be read list.

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  16. i'm glad to see that you enjoyed this one so much! i need to read it before the movie comes out1

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  17. I've got to agree with you that Nicholls' relates the growth of Dex and Em's characters quite accurately. I saw my younger self in Emma during her college years, her uncertainty as a young 20-something and later as she discovers who she is and embraces it.

    I'm glad you liked this book as well. I'm looking forward to the movie! Although I'm not sure how I feel about Anne Hathaway as Emma. Jim Sturgus on the other hand, is perfect for Dexter!

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  18. I have this one on my reading list and am looking forward to it.

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