Though Bronte and Tennyson are sad, they realize that this is the moment when their family finally took all of their pain back. Immediately after this happens , they discover that Brewster had woken up.
Who wrote bruiser? Neal Shusterman. What is the theme of bruiser? Then we come to Brewster. I knew right away that I wanted his voice to be in free verse. It was harder than I thought it would be. I threw away a lot of verse until I came up with material that I felt captured the character. The fact that my friend, Ellen Hopkins who has made her career writing verse-novels really liked it, meant the world to me! As for the farm house in the middle of a suburban development, and the weird old bull that lived there, that came from my neighborhood in SoCal.
Funny thing — I got an e-mail the other day from someone who lives in my neighborhood, and freaked out when they read that, because they knew the exact farm house, and the exact bull I was talking about! View all 14 comments. I'm talking The Talented Mr.
Ripley weird. That being said, one of the main characters is the victim of child abuse, so if that's one of your triggers, you have been warned. The abuse isn't pointless, it's a catalyst, so while, yes, it was painful--such subjects should always be painful--it was tolerable.
Moving on. I've read several other Shusterman books, and I've never more than just gotten through them. I find his writing to be too. They've all had an overwhelming sense of melancholy that dragged me down into the doldrums. But there's a difference between telling a story with painful elements, and telling a story in which the entire tone is pain and suffering.
Shusterman's other books have been the latter. Too depressing. While Brewster is a wretchedly unfortunate individual, Tennyson is snarkily hilarious enough to counter it, and Cody's child-like exuberance also tips the balance. So while the story plays out, spiraling further and further toward the inevitable conclusion--life cannot continue in the previous manner; there has to be change--the characters are fantastic enough to stave off the gloom, and wonder-of-wonders, the books ends with hope.
I love books that end with hope. First of all, this book might just have the best first chapter I've ever read in my life. View all 6 comments. Seriously, I don't think Neal Shusterman's genius will ever fail to amaze me.
He is too awesome for words. It's not fair. Well, okay——Unwind is still my favorite. Everlost and Everwild are pretty hard to beat, too. But Bruiser is also very very amazing. I don't really want to say what it's about, since part of its magic is in finding out Bruiser's secret on your own.
But I can tell ya, this book——like all of Shusterman's books——is highly original. I absolutely adore the premise, and Shusterman executes it perfectly. His writing is amazing, his characters are realistic and likable … Basically, this is the kind of book that will keep you thinking for days afterward. View all 9 comments. Dec 19, Anoud rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: everyone and their moma's.
Shelves: poetry , contemporary , fantasy , ya , favorites , realistic-fiction , magical-realism , want-to-re-read , best-of , sci-fi. He can't control this ability, he just takes away the hurts of his friends and family, whenever he is close to them, and experiences it, regardless of if he wants it or not.
Bruiser has always tried to not get attached to people, to spare himself unnecessary suffering. His social circle is limited to his abusive uncle and younger brother Cody. Things change when he becomes an object of interest of 2 twins - Bronte and Tennyson. These two give Brewster friendship and love that he craves, but as he gets involved with the siblings and their uneasy family life, he is forced to take on more pain than he can possibly handle.
It is a premise with a lot of room for thought, even though the idea itself is not necessarily an original one think Stephen King 's The Green Mile. What if there is someone in your life that can take away your hurts?
Would you want to live pain-free? How would that alter your experience of life? Will it make your life easier? Or will absence of pain devalue your appreciation of the rare moments of happiness? Will you ever learn of the dangers of the world if someone always takes your falls? Would you be comfortable knowing that someone suffers for you? Would you want that person by you at all times? Will you become dependent on this stolen sense of safety? Bruiser raises and answers these questions quite well, but never lives up to its full potential.
This story is handicapped by too many perspectives IMO. Granted, all 4 Brewster, Tennyson, Bronte and Cody's are unique, but splitting the plot 4 ways dilutes it. Writing Brewster's story from one perspective would have focused it better, would have made it more personal, more urgent.
As is, this novel is not bad, but neither is it great or unforgettable. View all 10 comments. Jun 24, Allyson rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites. I won't even say that I was so intrigued by the synopsis or the title or the cover art that I paid for it with my own hard earned dollars. All I will say is that my mom told me I would like it and practically put her copy of Bruiser in my hands, and the next day at work I was so incredibly bored I decided to read a few pages. I got little work done that night.
Bruiser is one of those punch-yo I won't pretend I thought Shusterman, the Tim Burton of YA literature, was worth my time before this book. Bruiser is one of those punch-you-in-the-gut, stab-you-in-the-heart kind of books that you run across only once in a long while. Does it have a bit of supernatural? A little bit of romance? Maybe a sliver. Just a taste. What it is rich in is humanity. Shusterman's character study isn't for the faint of heart and this book isn't for those seeking a quick and easy read.
He puts a price on happiness and asks the terrifying question, what would you do if you had a chance to live without pain? Narrated by four strikingly different characters, Shusterman delves into the timeless theory that happiness is merely the contrast to sorrow. And you can't have one without the other. What's a life devoid of pain? Is it full of pure happiness? It's completely neutral which is no life at all. Brewster "Bruiser" Rawlins is the embodiment of all the pain in the world, at least in the world of the other narrators, Bronte his girlfriend , Cody his kid brother , and Tennyson Bronte's brother and the would-be voice of the novel.
The thing about these kids is that they are just your average, everyday, normal kids. And the plot of the novel is driven by their average, everyday, normal situations. Think classmate rivalry. Think sibling quarrels. Think parent divorce. Think about your own adolescence and you'll probably come pretty close.
The seeming super power of Bruiser to absorb the pain both external and internal of those he cares about is very much played down. It's never explained why he has this ability, and unlike most YA novels involving supernatural elements, the kids don't go all Nancy Drew and try to unravel the mystery surrounding Bruiser's ability.
Instead, they accept that it can't be explained and go on with their very real lives. Bronte is the rational one. The one who sees the big picture and may be a little slow to notice things outside her teenage girl bubble, but once she does she makes very deep, very reflective assumptions about life, love, and happiness. Her voice is fast and forward and a little annoying at times but her narrations tend to be short so it's okay.
Cody is about ten and his narration is very convincingly naive. His voice is fun and entertaining. You just can't help but love him, yet it's hard to read as the events and consequences of his innocent reasoning unfold. But you can't look away from the car wreck, especially when it's as irresistible as this unstoppable kid. Tennyson seems to be the real voice of the novel and as a reader you are inclined to take his point of view even when other characters are taking their turn in the narration.
You don't always agree with his decisions but you relate to him and ultimately understand what he is feeling. He is the character that feels the most. His pain is raw and real and his happiness is sky high.
When Tennyson chooses to live without pain by keeping Brewster close, you can't help but wonder, would you do the same? Such is this book. Don't think you can sit back, detached, and come out clean. Shusterman puts a spotlight on flaws in humanity such as abuse, addiction, divorce, bullying, and assault, but counters it with true heroics such as self-sacrifice and accountability for one's actions.
Be prepared to witness realistic brutality and decide for yourself what could be right in a world so full of pain. What is it we want more than anything? To be happy. Shusterman is known for delivering the bizarre, the creepy, the unsettling. But maybe Peace is just around the corner after all.
Maybe if it hadn't been for that unsettling stuff, you wouldn't have recognized Peace when it arrived. Brewster gets a few pages of narration, but not until Shusterman paints a vivid image of him through the other characters. His voice is written in verse which sets him apart even more and breathes some fresh air into book that is so deep at times its almost stifling.
Although the novel revolves around Brewster in a way, and how the other character's lives are changed when they get to know him, he is really just the emblem of what life would be like if someone could take all your pain away. Tennyson and Bronte are the true heroes of the story who ultimately decide that you must accept the pain with the happiness because true happiness is a flee from pain. Without the pain, then you are just standing still.
And if you stand still for too long, you will forget what happiness is altogether. Shusterman dissects the human heart beautifully. Emotional pain is something that psychologists are still trying to understand. It plagues the human race, but it's still shrouded in mystery. One thing is certain: it can be as hurtful as physical pain; it can lead to depression, isolation, violence, illness, and suicide. But as Shusterman points out, happiness is always on the horizon.
A divorce may break your heart today, but tomorrow something else will come along to mend it. View all 5 comments. A deeply touching emotional story!
In a nutshell, this story centers around how much of yourself your willing to give to protect, shelter, and save those you love. Brewster "Bruiser", the main male protagonist, has a unique ability, or rather abilities, which I won't touch on so I don't ruin the story for potential readers.
Keep in mind, nothing, nothing at all is at it seems. The paranormal element worked, it was different, a little strange at first, but once you understand what' 4. The paranormal element worked, it was different, a little strange at first, but once you understand what's happening, it all makes sense.
At times it's painful to read about, and my heart hurt for Brewster She was also strong, determined and I adored her. She didn't let rumors and misconceptions sway her feelings, she saw past what everyone else thought they knew to be true, and was able to see the awesomeness that was a boy named Brewster! If there were only more people like her in this world.
I had no idea how much this story would affect me, and I was praying for a good outcome Sometimes when you give of yourself there are those willing to give back, even if it means they won't be the same, but it will make you whole again.
A poignant message in this beautiful book, and I think about these characters and this story quite often. It definitely left its mark on me.
I was relieved and satisfied with the ending, but an epilogue would put my heart in a little better place. I'd love to get back into the lives of these characters someday. About the audiobook There is no doubt the author, Neal Shusterman, wrote a beautiful story, but the combined efforts of these individuals brought it to another level. I'm not always a fan of multiple narrators for one book, but this flowed incredibly well and each of them captured the essence of the characters they voiced!
View all 8 comments. It has an interesting concept and I felt for Brewster, but listening to what he was going through was exhausting, to be honest. Especially since we learn about him early on and the whole thing just dragged for me. By the time the story finished I ended up disliking all the other characters. I found Tennyson and Bronte very annoying and I think they behaved very selfishly throughout most of the book.
Their parents weren't any 2. Their parents weren't any better either. View all 11 comments. Jul 28, Arlene rated it really liked it Shelves: read , young-adult. I read his novel Unwind years ago, about the time it first came out, and I can still remember to this day how my imaginary safe place was rocked to its core by a simple and short chapter in that book which left me speechless and shocked.
He simply gave me a few sparse statements that led my imagination into overdrive. Well I have to thank Bruiser for making me a little bit braver and a helluva lot more convinced that Shusterman is capable of unbounded twisted. I mean, who in their right mind is capable of creating a character like Bruiser to be a receiver of pain, physical damage and emotional turmoil from those he has the unfortunate opportunity of coming to care about?
Come on! Cut him a break! Call me mental. I guess this all leaves me wondering… what does Shusterman have against kids? I started wondering that in Unwind , but Bruiser definitely had me considering the fact that he might just like to torture them… in a fictional sense mind you.
Overall, that same illogical side of my brain coupled with my morbid curiosity to find out what else Shusterman has up his sleeve, will lead me to grab the first copy of UnWholly when it hits the shelf. That man sure knows how to entertain his audience. Aug 13, Katie Grace rated it it was amazing Shelves: contemporary , 5-star , favorite-books-of , made-me-cry. View all 3 comments. Nov 06, Lia rated it it was amazing Shelves: english-and-american-lit-and-more , books-i-love , amazing-characters-are-amazing , favorites , magical-realism , beautiful-writing.
This book is art. It's beautiful and meaningful, and I don't even want to shelve it as YA, because it's not a novel meant solely for teenagers or young people.
It's the kind of book that hits something really deep inside you, and after I read the last page this was a lovely edition by the way, with lots of extra c "Sometimes I feel things very deeply, y'know? It's the kind of book that hits something really deep inside you, and after I read the last page this was a lovely edition by the way, with lots of extra content! I think the book's title is strangely appropriate, because now it's like I've got a big purple bruise where it hit me, and I can't quite shake off this feeling, as if I'm still feeling the pain from the blow.
Bruiser was my first book by Neal Shusterman, but it certainly won't be the last. The writing is so unbearably good that I ended up underlining a lot of it with my pencil, something I mostly do with poetry, and the whole book is original, surprising and amazingly touching.
I love magical realism, but Bruiser felt like something new, like a yet unexplored land. His skin is bruised with the pain of others. His mind his torn by the emotions of all the people he cares about.
Brewster - or Bruiser, as some kids call him - does not have a gift: he bears the weight of a curse. He is forced to take away the pain from the ones he loves, even when he doesn't want to, and this is exactly why he cannot care about anyone too deeply, if he wants to survive.
I expected Bruiser to be mean and vindictive, but I couldn't have been more wrong: there was something so undeniably good in his heart that it was disarming. He simply couldn't bring himself to hurt other people, not even the ones who hurt him - not even a monster like his uncle. The book is split into four POVs: the most important ones are Tennyson's and Bronte's and, with my mother being a teacher and me being named after Julius Caesar, I can relate to all the literary strangeness , but there are also some chapters from Bruiser and Cody's his little brother point of view.
The four narrating voices are very different from each other: Tennyson's was probably my favorite, and I loved that Bruiser's chapters were all written in mostly free verse. Only a great author can write poetry about a drunk uncle that wants to beat you.
The first chapter from Cody's point of view was a little difficult to follow - a kid's mind is a really confusing place to be in - but after that first one I immediately got used to it. Bruiser is a powerful, poetic and sometimes even funny story. It's beautiful in an heartbreaking way, and even now I'm still not sure what's going to happen to all of them.
I don't know if they can fix it. I don't even know if they've got anything left to fix. My mother and I had a serious talk. View all 4 comments. April 11, at pm. Holly Day says:. May 19, at am. Jack Montgomery says:. February 22, at pm. Losiram says:. September 16, at pm. Fyah Ty says:. December 15, at am. Mak says:. October 9, at pm. Ian Norman says:.
June 10, at am. Neal says:. January 18, at am. Terrell Reid says:. October 5, at pm. Aja Blackmon says:. December 18, at am. May 2, at am. May 5, at am. October 25, at am. October 27, at pm. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Yes, sign me up No We use MailChimp as our marketing automation platform. Advertica Theme by SketchThemes.
0コメント