Me Before You (Me Before You Trilogy, #1)

by Jojo Moyes

Multiple Narrators (Narrator), Steven Crossley (Narrator), Anna Betinck (Narrator), Andrew Wincott (Narrator), Jo Hall (Narrator), Alex Tregear (Narrator), and Owen Lindsay (Narrator)

• ISBN10: 1407494864
• ISBN13: 9781407494869
• Publish Date: 1 January 2012
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 11 July 2024
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: W F Howes Ltd
• Imprint: Whole Story Audio Books
• Format: Audiobook (CD)
• Duration: 17 hours and 15 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[EBookObsessed]

I saw the trailer for the upcoming movie release and I was intrigued. Since reading the novel usually gives you more insight into the characters, I decided to grab a copy, drop my TBR list and not wait until the movie comes out. From what I can see from the trailer compared to what I read, I would suggest saving your $11 for the movie ticket.

Louisa Clarke was a girl without ambition. Lou was quite content with her life working at The Buttered Bun, dating her boyfriend of the last seven years, and crowding in her house with her parents, grandfather, her sister and nephew. Her life was just passing her by as every day was the same old, same old.

When Louisa’s boss decides the close the restaurant, Louisa needs to find a job fast. She and her father are the only ones supporting the family and her father might soon loose his job too. With only one job as a waitress, and not a very good one, she isn’t qualified for much but is given an interview for the position of a temporary carer of a quadriplegic man, someone to be with him while his medical assistant is unavailable.

Louisa’s inexperience should work against her, but it is her chatty nature and odd dress that gets her the position. Will’s family is hoping that the quirky Louisa will distract Will from his depression.

Former CEO, Will Traynor used to live an active and adventurous lifestyle but an motor vehicle accident put an end to that, leaving him a quadriplegic. After two years, Will has had enough of the pain, the infections and humiliation of never being able to care for himself again. After a very close suicide attempt, Will has promised his parents six more months and then he wants to be taken to a hospital in Switzerland for assisted suicide.

Louisa and Will do no get along well in the beginning but as Louisa starts to win over the reluctant Will, she overhears what Will is planning to do. Now she knows she only has months to get Will to change his mind and does everything that she can to show Will that being confined to a wheelchair might mean the end of the life he has known, but he can still live a full life…and maybe with Louisa at his side.

THOUGHTS:
This is not the type of book that I usually read. This is like all those Nicholas Sparks novels that I avoid like a rash where miserable disasters ruin the life of a perfectly happy people. Warning: This is not going to have a HEA for Will and Louisa. You only have to read the description for the follow up novel, After You, (hint, hint) to know that.

The basic premise of this story is two people to will try to teach each other how to live life. Will wants Louisa to get out of her boring life and live like he can no longer do and Louisa simply wants Will to accept his limitations and and learn to live his life differently but happily.

I was intrigued by the trailer that I was seeing posted several places and I would like to see this when it comes out later this spring. I thought I would get a jump on the story and get more insight into the characters as you usually do when you read the novel. This was mostly, a first person POV, with four chapters written from the perspective of others. We never did get to see inside of Will’s head, which I think takes away from what we could have learned.

Louisa is a bit of an odd duck and a little bit depressing. I would have anticipated from her clothing choices that she would be more wacky and free-spirited, but she had a lot of issue with confidence. She also has a boyfriend in this story, which I hadn’t anticipated from the trailer. This is a seven year relationship which seems to have no zing to it. Like everything in Louisa’s life, her relationship just trudges along at a standstill. The only thing that prompts Louisa to move in with her boyfriend is when Will offers her the spare room in his home when things get too crowded at home. Her boyfriend is jealous when he finds out the man Louisa is caring for is actually an attractive and intelligent man. There is such a lack of relationship, I am no even certain he is necessary for the story. He doesn’t add or subtract from the development of Louisa except showing how dull her life is and there was plenty of other things to point that out. We do see that Louisa spends less time with him and more time and interest in Will.

The story is interesting but for once I did not feel that I got any deep insight into Louisa and certainly nothing in depth on Will. I could pick out from the trailer the important scenes which I followed from the novel.

This would definitely be one of the few times I would tell you to save your $11 from the purchase price of the book and simply wait a few weeks for the movie to be released. The casting looks very good and hopefully they will breathe a little more energy and a little less pathetic into Louisa.

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

I feel sort of rotten putting a "numerical label of worth" (rating) on this particular piece because it had such an indescribable effect on me. I will admit that the main thing that motivated me to start Me Before You was learning through the movie trailer that it contained a character with a severe disability (quadriplegia). I'm sure that could be a major turn off for others because disability isn't something that is often spoken about in the open, much less written about! There has been a major push recently for authors to write more diverse books and I could make the argument that disability should be a primary topic in that discussion because it is something that affects all orientations, races, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds. It is indeed the largest minority on the planet. I'm not trying to take anything away from other minorities, but disability is frequently glossed over in those discussions and deserves to be addressed.
Speaking of "glossing over", I was fully expecting the more realistic aspects of Will's disability to go unmentioned completely or be merely hinted at in a "fade to black" way. I give Jojo Moyes so much respect and admiration for not romanticizing the disability. Given that this is technically classified as a romance novel, she could have very easily done so. But I am so glad she didn't. She wrote about Will's physical discomfort, the daily medical issues he faced, and his frustrations at being stripped of his dignity and free will. She described his hesitance to eat in public (or even go in public) because of the reactions he got from other people and the physical barriers that prevented him from enjoying public events. She showcased how difficult it is for the caregiver/family member to watch a loved one with a disability endure all of this and be able to do very little about it. Most of all, she shined a bright spotlight on the way society still (indirectly) shuns those with disabilities. The characters in this story were more than characters to me because I know that there are millions of people experiencing these same obstacles right now (literally, millions). This story needed to be told.

Slightly Spoiler-y ⬇︎

I think the thing I love most about Me Before You is that we hear from almost everyone's point-of-view except Will's. His story is told exclusively through the perspectives of those around him. It's possible I'm reading too much into this, but I think this could have been Moyes' subtle way of making the point that Will's voice largely went unheard after his paralysis. As he said, everyone thought they knew what was best for him, but no one ever actually listened to him. Thus, the reader never gets to listen to him either. I've seen reviews that complained about this, but I think it's a powerful way to make Will's point. I've also seen some readers/listeners lower this book's rating based on their dissatisfaction with the way it ended. Those readers were likely looking for a swoon-worthy romance where Will and Louisa live happily ever after. Some of them may have even been expecting Will to eventually walk again. Not to sound snarky, but those people really should have watched a Disney film instead. Jojo Moyes' book was more realistic than that. I have so much respect for Moyes for not sending Will and Louisa off into the sunset together and tying everything up with a pretty ribbon (therefore potentially dishonoring the genuine struggles and sacrifices of those with disabilities). What Will wanted more than anything was the power to take his life into his own hands. This is something that the non-disabled often take for granted. He wanted to make a choice for himself and for it to be honored. Ultimately, he wanted that even more than he wanted Louisa. This didn't please many readers because it's not the choice they wanted Will to make. But that's the point! Will's decision wasn't about what anyone else wanted, readers included. I think part of the point Moyes was trying to make was that we should respect someone's decision, even if we wholeheartedly do not agree with it. The other part was that everyone has the right to make their own choices in life. Just because someone's physical abilities have been taken away does not give others the right to take away their free will. My point is: It's not pretty, but it's real. To me, that's worth a lot more.

Narration review: According to Audible, this audiobook had six narrators, although I only remember hearing five. It was told from the perspective of Louisa, Camilla, Nathan, Stephen, and Katrina (and possibly a sixth I'm forgetting). This audiobook perfectly exemplified how to do multiple POVs correctly: Few, far between, and with multiple narrators for maximum character distinction. Aside from Louisa, we only heard from the other character POVs once each, so there wasn't a lot of flip-flopping to cause confusion. Having multiple narrators, although probably expensive, goes a long way toward ensuring the listener doesn't confuse character voices. Each of the narrators did a wonderful job of inserting an appropriate amount of emotion into their performances. Well done! ♣︎

[Cocktails and Books]

I was expecting to be a blubbering mess with this one. But instead I was charmed by both Will and Louisa. I loved how this quirky woman managed to brighten Will's life and that he helped Louisa finally start to live hers.

Keep the tissues handy, because you will eventually need them.

[Sam@WLABB]

Sorry, I have to sop up all these tears. My goodness! That was deep. I couldn't help but fall in love with the MCs. They both had different life challenges and hurdles to overcome, and I loved how both Lou and Will gained something by meeting each other. The story was emotional, but beautiful too. My heart was exploding towards the end. Seriously, I am getting misty just thinking about it.

I liked the way Moyes told the story. The bulk of the story is told from Lou's point of view, but we get a little peek at how she is evolving or reacting to the situation when we get another character's point of view. There are a lot of sad parts, but Moyes balances those sad parts with humor and happy parts. We get to experience a wide spectrum of emotions. This book also made me quite introspective. So many interesting opinions about life and living are raised during the story and these discussion made me quite thoughtful

I also appreciate the education I received. I never knew the full extent of the health issues quadriplegics faced. I appreciate Moyes giving me this information, in order for me to better understand our Hero's life.

[nightingalereads]

This book left me overwhelmed with grief. I feel like I should say more, but I don't know what to write. Really beautiful and really devastating.

[phyllish]

The book told a sweet, heartwarming story, but the language was offensive to me. I also was not happy with the ending - it just seemed like it should have ended differently

[mary]

I adored this love story. I thought I was going to be able to make it through the entire novel without tearing up, but that wasn't the case. Of course from the beginning the end of the story is rather predictable, but you will still catch yourself wiping away tears. My favorite part about this book was how even though it is a love story it isn't overly romantic or cheesy. It just works. Their relationship and witty conversation just work and you can feel the strong bond between them. This is an incredibly fast read, but I wanted to savor the last few chapters. This was beautiful, heartbreaking, and a must read.

[blackbibliophile]

This is quite possibly the first book that ever made me cry....and not in a good way.

[ellieroth]

Publicado originalmente: El Extraño Gato del Cuento

Obviamente todo esta dicho sobre este libro, basta con ver los gifs en las reseñas de Goodreads, basta que con mencionar este libro a cualquiera que lo haya leído para que empiece una interminable lista del porque este libro es un maldito y TIENES que leerlo. No creo que pueda agregar más, no creo que pueda decir absolutamente nada más bueno o malo. No hay muchos libros que en realidad me hagan llorar, o sea, lo máximo que llego a veces es que se me llenen los ojos de lágrimas o esa picazón en la nariz, pero eso es todo. Pero con Me Before You... gasté unos cuantos pañuelitos y las lágrimas recorrieron el borde mi nariz hasta caer en la cama, juntándose con el otro montoncito que ya había caído. Soy muy buena controlando mis ganas de llorar con los libros, sólo que esta vez no pude. Al terminar de leer solo me quedé... ahí. Nada más.

Pero me quedé con ganas de algo, tengo algunas cosas que decirle a Will, y tomaré mi blog para escribirle una carta


Querido señor Traynor:

Desde el comienzo tuve miedo de conocerlo, he tenido un montón de razones en los libros para llorar o al menos querer hacerlo, todas las advertencias y toda la publicidad me decían me alejará lo más que pueda de usted y su historia. Pero no hice caso. ¿Hay que vivir, verdad?

No me enamoré de ti pero conecté contigo en demasiados niveles, comprendí tus decisiones y no estoy molesta.

Estoy furiosa.

¿Qué no piense en ti demasiado? ¿QUÉ CLASE DE COSA ES ESA PARA DECIRLE A LOU? ¿Sabes qué es lo que más me duele? Sí, está bien, yo no me enamoré de ti, pero Lou sí, ella te quería Will. ELLA TE QUERÍA. Se supone que los libros son para enseñarnos algo, que son quizá para avergonzarte de esa parte un poco destructiva de uno, pero Will... Will, siendo la persona que soy, también tomaría tu decisión, estuve a punto de hacerlo años atrás y cada día es difícil. Es sólo que no logro quitarme de la cabeza algo Will, comprendo completamente por qué lo hiciste pero... Si nos ponemos a pensar, Lou quizá tampoco hubiera sido suficiente para ti en tu anterior vida, tú hubieras sido el novio de la boda y no solo un invitado, nunca la hubieras conocido. No estoy dolida por mí, Will, estoy dolida por ella. Fuiste un imbécil hasta el final, Will, eso es algo que no nos podrán quitar jamás.

Will me hiciste llorar y eso es algo que pocas cosas tienen el orgullo de alardear. Quizá en otra vida las cosas sean diferentes, ¿verdad?




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[Bianca]

I told him a story of two people. Two people who shouldn't have met, and who didn't like each other much when they did, but who found they were the only two people in the world who could possibly have understood each other.