Matthew Crow (1) (1987–)

From the book jacket: Francis has plans to come into his own, forging his way in school and life, despite his loony, awkward, broken family … and noticeable lack of friends. Then he is diagnosed with leukemia. … In the hospital, Francis meets fellow patient Amber. Fierce, tough, one-of-a-kind Amber.

My reactions
I really liked the relationship that Francis had with his older brother. I never did figure out what was up with his Mom, but she grew on me by the end. (This was probably indicative of Francis’ maturation and the way he came to appreciate his mother more as he grew up.)

Amber was an enigma. I liked her bravery and outlandish refusal to conform. But I never really felt the love between her and Francis.

There are some scenes that had me rolling my eyes, but in general, as “teens-with-cancer-romance” genre books go, this is pretty entertaining. It held my attention and was a fairly fast read. And yes, I did tear up.… (mais)

Some books just speak to you, some books just make you look at the world with a more positive outlook. Matthew Crow has written an utterly charming story of finding hope in loss, of finding friendship in unlikely places, and of escaping the life we perhaps feel we are forced to live.

94-year old Mr Baxter, resident of the Melrose Gardens Retirement Home, has one last thing he needs to do in his life. The Home is populated by a suitably eccentric cast of characters, and Baxter finds connection with one of the part-time staff, Greg Cullock, a young man carrying a burden of grief with which Baxter can connect. Together they embark on a trip to France – evading the clutches of care home manager Suzanne – to find closure for Baxter, as he prepares to make an emotional journey to say goodbye at a war memorial to his lost love Thomas, missing in action from the war.

Yes, this is a well-trodden path for books (and films): cross-generational friendship, a journey to find peace, lost love. But Crow writes with such a vitality that, through the tears, you can’t help but laugh and take sheer joy in the life-affirming tale as it unfolds. That is not to say that there is not sadness – there is, in bucket-loads. There is such injustice in what happens to Thomas – revealed to us as readers but not, tellingly, to Baxter – and Greg’s burden in having to cope with the suicide of his younger brother is hard to read. However, as the characters find their own peace and some sort of resolution in the quiet of the war memorials of France, you can’t help but feel the life-force that the novel emits: ‘Live your life, live it bravely and beautifully. That is the greatest tribute you can pay to all those who could not.’

It’s the kind of book that you need when life is a bit grey and getting you down. It will make you cry and laugh, and hopefully leave you with a smile on your face. I definitely recommend it.

(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.)… (mais)

Have I ever hated a main character so much? This kid had his head so far up his own ass he was talking out of his asshole but the sound came out his mouth. Look - I'm all for smart kids. What I can't take is the 'better than thou' attitude that Francis had throughout the whole book. He called himself a sophisticate, an intellectual, which is annoying, but then Matthew Crow would give him an "impressive array of literature" and make him like Romantic poets and then go ahead and put down Kelly and Paul, making them caricatures of teenagers. He didn't even have any redeeming qualities either. He whined a lot. Like, actually whining.

And Amber - typical Manic Pixie Dream Girl. She dies at the end to change Francis's life. It's typical and annoying and unsurprising. Bad trope. She's a Cool Girl who Changes The Boy's Life and Gets Him Into Trouble and shit like that.

This book was trying too hard to be The Fault in Our Stars, too, but at the same time ... cancer really wasn't a huge part of the book? There was no explanation of treatment. It was very badly written. Oh, and it was romanticising a terminal illness as well. Yeah. Not good all around.… (mais)

Francis comes from a broken family. His twin sister was killed accidentally when they were children and his father left his mother for another woman. His older brother and his friends became his best friends because he was not the most popular kid in school. However, his life totally changed with a leukemia diagnosis. In the hospital he meets Amber, his polar opposite. Their story is a wonderful one but heartbreaking as Francis gets better while Amber does not. This is a wonderful story of love, heartbreak and continuing to live on, even though one never forgets.… (mais)