In three words:
Beautiful, funny, heart-breaking
What I thought:
Many years ago I read a book called The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes and I loved it. Why then has it taken me this long to pick another of her books up? If I loved Ship of Brides then I ADORED this!
Me Before You stars a young, eccentricly dressed young woman called Lou Clark who has lost her job at the local cafe and has to make a choice about her next job betweenworking in a chicken factory or being a carer to a disabled man. At the time, neither seem appealing but Lou opts for the role of carer which is where she meets Will Trayor. Will is in his mid thirties and up until his accident he was a high-flying, adrenaline-junkie, career-minded business man with a great appartment in London and a gorgeous girlfriend. Since the accident which left Will quadriplegic, he is now living with, and being cared for by, his parents and hating every second of it. The first meeting between Lou and Will is anything but comfortable and Lou begins to wonder what she has let herself in for. Before long though, Lou has decided to try to make Will’s life a happy one again and show him that it might just be worth living afterall.
What is amazing about this book is that despite dealing with a serious subject matter such as the right to die, Me Beofre You is infused with humour and comic relief that had me howling at parts. Believe me, the humour is needed and Will is one of the funniest characters I have read for a while. Moyes never sugar-coats Will’s condition and this and his sarcastic sense of humour are what makes him so human
Now a warning: Do not read this book in public! I am not kidding when I say that I sobbed my way through the last 50 or so pages, and from reading other reviews I am not alone. You would have to have a heart of stone not to be moved by this book.
Verdict: Highly, highly recommended. I was so invested in this small cast of characters that I felt as though I had lost friends when I finished this book. The growing friendship between Lou and Will is one of the most touching and heart-breaking I have ever read and I found myself willing them on at every turn of the page: I still find myself thinking about them now.
Have you read this book or anything else by Jojo Moyes? What did you think?
The Book Whisperer 
I utterly loved this too! I was lucky enough to be reading it at home but I definitely second not reading in public. I think it’s the most emotional I’ve gotten reading a book in a long time.
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Sounds good! I’ve read one or two other books by Moyes, which I enjoyed but no more than that. This is one to look out for, it sounds like.
Tonight I’ll be going to the film Untouchables, a French story about a man who is quadriplegic and hires an unemployed man to aid him. The man only takes the job because he’s on social security and forced to accept the job. Apparently, this is more fun than sad. Maybe one to keep an eye out for.
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I’ve always been in two minds about Jojo Moyes, some of her books go straight to the charity pile, others like The Last Letter From Your Lover are savoured, adored and recommended to everything one I can think of. Me Before You arrived last week, I’m really looking forward to it.
Intouchables is a a wonderful film! It’s very very funny and makes some excellent points about how we treat the disabled. Some people have said it’s racist because the helper is black whereas in real life he was Algerian – the fact is the role was a vehicle for Omar Sy, a hugely popular black comedian in France.
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Lovely review, so glad this book is worth it. I’ve been wanting to read it for ageeeees now. 🙂
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This was the first JoJo Moyes I had read and also sobbed all the way through the ending. Brilliant book, could have been a bit tighter in the middle but still very good.
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I read this recently and was pleasantly surprised by it. Not my usual cup of tea and I doubt I’d read anything more by this author but it was an enjoyable read.
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I loved this book! And sobbed so much at the end, my book of the year so far x
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Great review 🙂 I would never have picked this up ordinarily – I don’t think the cover really reflects the subject matter and makes it look a little ‘light’ – I wonder if you agree having read it? I’ve had it recommended sooo many times now I may just have to pick it up!
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I would agree, Lucy, that the book was not as light as I was expecting. You must read this book (I insist!); I’m dying to know what yout thinkg 🙂
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