Reviews

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

hannahchair's review against another edition

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sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I have heard a great deal about the Netflix adaptation but little about the actual book content, the start was established fairly, with a dual narrator with the tape and Clay’s voice. Another notable point was the very clear structure of each one character’s part in the story, yet there were a few critical flaws that ruined it for me. 

For one, the whole tape situation seemed too unrealistic, you are telling me someone suicidal would make this much of tapes narrating every bit of pains that made her want to kill herself? 

The story also fails to give us what it promised. Clay’s character kept emphasising how these tapes changed his outlook on life, but we mostly see Hannah’s tapes accompanied by Clay’s conversation-like narration with her, but little of the actual reflection of HOW this had changed him, as he liked to say. Another hyped up event was how does innocent Clay play a role in causing Hannah’s suicide, repeatedly a little too excessively, and to be quite a disappointing revelation of “nothing” at all. I thought this reasoning was alright, but poorly executed. Even if Clay had no role in this, the book still did not address properly why Clay would be part of the recipients of the list of tapes. 

In generally, I feel like this was a creative idea for a novel, yet the execution was a bit of a letdown. Overrated lmao.

llfoofaye's review against another edition

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5.0

I liked this book. A lot. I think that it's an important book and one I will probably give my kids to read when they're old enough. I understand some people believe that Hannah's reasons for committing suicide were shallow and not enough of a reason. It may be true, if hannah had lived to be 20 or 30 would she feel the same way about the events that led up to her suicide? Probably not. But I think that's an important part of this book. Especially for young people to understand. It doesn't have to be a big thing that happens or one reason, it just has to be yours and yours in that moment. I think this book showed how one small thing can snowball into many small things and that you never know how your actions may affect someone....This book will stay with me for a long time.

allivenger's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

nathalyalvarez's review against another edition

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3.0

Tengo esta relación de amor-odio con este libro por dos razones: Primero me gusto mucho el planteamiento del autor en cuanto a la historia. Me gusto como fue narrado a través de las cintas. Hannah explicaba cada una de las razones y Clay las complementaba con sus pensamientos, ame eso. Algunos personajes eran muy consistentes pero la trama realmente no deja que los conozcamos. Y segundo no me gusto para nada la historia en si. Hannah Baker es mi principal problema en este libro ¿Por que? Porque simplemente busco razones suicidarse. Estúpidas razones para suicidarse. Estaba buscando excusas para como se sentía en ese momento. Y lo entiendo. Entiendo que se haya sentido mal. Entiendo como es buscar excusas para odiarte a ti misma. Yo también pase por ahí pero mi vida vale mucho como para suicidarme o dañarme a mi misma o mi familia.

Este libro tiene material para un gran libro, si tan solo el escritor fuera sabido desarrollarlo y aunque sea buscar buenas razones para que Hannah Baker se suicidara fuera sido un libro excelente. Pero no, las razones son increíblemente patéticas.

En algún punto en el libro realmente me identifique e incluso conecte con Hannah, pero mientras sigo analizando el libro, sigue pareciendo patético.

trin's review against another edition

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1.0

Hannah Baker is a psychopath. Concocting an elaborate suicide-cum-revenge scheme? Psychopath. Thinking everyone's thoughts and actions revolve around you? Psychopath. (Trust me, other people -- other teenagers, especially -- are mostly just thinking about themselves.) Taunting people from beyond the grave via audiotape? Horror movie psychopath. I shudder.

Of course, Hannah is in good company, because she lives in yet another contemporary YA novel small town in which half the residents are rapists, Peeping Tom perverts, or teenage Machiavellian manipulators. The only decent person in the entire town, we're led to believe, is perhaps Clay, our saintly narrator, who features on Hannah's revenge tapes even though he's the only one of the lucky 13 not to be blamed for her suicide. Because that would be too morally complicated. Can't have that, folks!

This book made me really angry. It does not strike me as a realistic depiction of teenage suicide at all. In fact, rather than encourage teens to realize that their actions have consequences and that they might be able to reach out and help a peer who's struggling, I think this book is more likely to riddle them with guilt when they fail to prevent something that's out of their control.

Obviously, lots of people disagree with me: Thirteen Reasons Why is considered a modern classic, with a 10th Anniversary edition being printed next year. But boy-howdy, this is not where I would want kids to get their suicide prevention information from -- any more than I would want them to learn about drug risks from [b:Go Ask Alice|46799|Go Ask Alice|Beatrice Sparks|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1327870536s/46799.jpg|2115708].

boob's review against another edition

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4.25

reading this book always puts me in a certain dark headspace. Story-wise, it’s gripping. I do take issue with its romanticization and portrayal of suicide. It makes Hannah’s suicide seem rational when suicide isn’t a rational decision. The characters are hard to like, there’s a lot of victim blaming, but that doesn’t stop it from being a great read. It’s a great story but readers have to be aware of its flaws.

ilianaelizabeth's review against another edition

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2.0

Bueno, este libro lo leí porque me intrigó mucho cómo iban a tratar un tema tan delicado como el suicidio y como si fuera suficiente, el suicidio adolescente. Lamento decir que me sentí muy decepcionada con el resultado.
Supongo que ya tratando semejante tema, el autor dijo bueno, ahora voy a agarrar todos los demás temas sensibles que pueda, tocando también drogas, bullying, abuso sexual, padres negligentes, ausentes, sistema educacional arcaico que no sabe tratar las problemáticas actuales, deserción escolar, y eso por nombrar algunos.
Es difícil criticar duramente al personaje de Hannah porque estoy de acuerdo con muchas reseñas, y en ciertos momentos casi parece que se glorifica el suicidio como una solución real a los problemas que podemos llegar a tener que afrontar durante la juventud, pero el tema es que lamentablemente, y no puedo hacer suficiente énfasis en el lamentablemente, estos problemas, por así llamarlos, también nos pueden perseguir en la niñez y la adultez, pero un libro donde un niño tome la decisión de suicidarse no sería tan bien recibido, no? Y con esto no quiero decir que debería existir, por favor no, pero a lo que voy es a que creo que este libro sólo aporta a esa imagen de la juventud decadente y perdida, donde el que no es víctima, es victimario pero al final del camino entendemos que también es víctima, entonces si miramos a un lado tenemos a Hannah decidiendo quitarse la vida para lidiar con sus problemas, y si miramos al otro tenemos a otros jóvenes abusando sexualmente de otros, consumiendo drogas, peleando o acosando a otros, y sino tenemos a Clay que no hace nada de todo eso que se consume a sí mismo intentando entender el mundo y salvando de sí mismos a los demás, o cargando con la culpa del suicidio de la chica que le gustaba, o sea QUE?
Me parece que lejos de visibilizar los temas que trata, estigmatiza a los adolescentes como si fueran todos causas perdidas y tuvieran suerte si llegan a ser un adulto decente, como si la decencia y la adultez fueran de la mano y como si todos los que hoy son adultos lo fueron siempre. Simplemente no es realista. Apoyo muchísimo la idea de hablar de estos temas y no mantenerlos como tabú, pero creo que este no es el camino.
El giro de las cintas y contar cada historia a través de cada una de ellas estuvo ingenioso, pero no puedo terminar de apreciarlo porque la moraleja es que renunciar a la vida vale la pena siempre y cuando dejes a un puñado de adolescentes traumados y sintiendo culpa de tu muerte. Tal vez mi óptica es errada, por supuesto es una posibilidad, pero no lo puedo ver de otra manera, simplemente me parece mucho el desacierto en este libro.
Tampoco voy a recomendar la serie porque si bien hoy en día se eliminaron las escenas más sensibles, la serie sigue siendo fiel a los libros en gran medida y no es algo que quiero promover por lo menos yo. No sé si es necesario pero aclaro que al que le guste el libro, lo ame incluso, está perfecto, están en su derecho y una crítica al libro no es una crítica a quien lo disfruta, sólo un punto de vista que puede o no ser compartido.

sienna727's review against another edition

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dark sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

stephaniesteen73's review against another edition

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4.0

I have a hard time saying I liked this book because it was so disturbing...especially because my 11 year old wanted to read it. It was definitely not appropriate for him, but it frightens me that a world filled with suicide, sex and drugs are just potentially a few years away from his sweet innocent soul.

annalie_rose's review against another edition

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4.0

A great message, that the way you interact with somebody affects many unexpected fronts of their lives. I didn't necessarily enjoy the way Clay's narration was written, but I did sympathize and hurt with him. I actually found the book more impressive when I realized that Jay Asher was male- he must have undergone a tedious journey relaying the female mind! Overrall, an important book to pay attention to, and a somber yet suspenseful read