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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
I originally read this story when it was published as "The Samaritan" three years ago. There's a lot I want (and plan) to say (via Youtube video) on the experience of reading the rerelease, because of the changes to this book I rated five stars three years ago, and because of the changes I've gone through as a reader.
For now, I just want to say that this is still a damn good story. I only read it once so it was interesting to have an impression of certain scenes and characters and to wonder if and what changed. I'll include my original review of the first version below.
This go-around, I felt a little more detached from the characters in the story, which is probably part of why I rated it just one star lower. Again, this is strictly a personal preference thing. This is a story about some very damaged people and I just found it harder to root for them. I also found myself hating Rae and couple other minor characters.
I was curious, after I finished the book because I knew the end was changed. I went back and read the last two chapters of The Samaritan and I have to say... I like the original ending better. I was also surprised to find that about 4 quotes I'd highlighted in those last two chapters were missing from The Heart Does Not Grow Back. It reaffirmed my suspicion that this version was tightened up in some places, though for me, that wasn't necessarily an improvement. I tend to like the flowery bits, especially when they are amazing commentary on life, loss, giving and receiving.
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"Simple really," I said. "The heart does not grow back."
In that line, Venturini appropriately sums up his well-written, raw and character driven story.
I turned the last page feeling slightly depressed, but mostly impressed at Ventirini's seamless story telling and at his ability to illicit such a reaction from his readers.
It's amazing to me that a story that features limb regeneration could feel so true and so relate-able. His tone is always conversational, though his descriptions and observations are anything but simple.
The truth is that the story is about more than just its supernatural element. At its core, it is a story of friendship, loss, trauma, chaos, guilt, expectations and reality. It's about getting along when your heart is taken from you.
The friendship between Dale and Mack really helps the entire thing progress nicely. In other circumstances, in another story or perhaps apart from each other, Mack and Dale might be entirely unlikeable. Together, and in this story, they sell a story of an unlikely friendship, loyalty and love.
I truly enjoyed reading this story and would recommend it to those who don't flinch too easily. Venturini's descriptions can get a little graphic in places, though never gratuitously so. It fits the story.
Overall, Venturini uses a story of physical regeneration to explore tragedy and creates an honest, well written, dark, fast paced story that will leaving you thinking even after the last page.
For now, I just want to say that this is still a damn good story. I only read it once so it was interesting to have an impression of certain scenes and characters and to wonder if and what changed. I'll include my original review of the first version below.
This go-around, I felt a little more detached from the characters in the story, which is probably part of why I rated it just one star lower. Again, this is strictly a personal preference thing. This is a story about some very damaged people and I just found it harder to root for them. I also found myself hating Rae and couple other minor characters.
I was curious, after I finished the book because I knew the end was changed. I went back and read the last two chapters of The Samaritan and I have to say... I like the original ending better. I was also surprised to find that about 4 quotes I'd highlighted in those last two chapters were missing from The Heart Does Not Grow Back. It reaffirmed my suspicion that this version was tightened up in some places, though for me, that wasn't necessarily an improvement. I tend to like the flowery bits, especially when they are amazing commentary on life, loss, giving and receiving.
------------------------------
"Simple really," I said. "The heart does not grow back."
In that line, Venturini appropriately sums up his well-written, raw and character driven story.
I turned the last page feeling slightly depressed, but mostly impressed at Ventirini's seamless story telling and at his ability to illicit such a reaction from his readers.
It's amazing to me that a story that features limb regeneration could feel so true and so relate-able. His tone is always conversational, though his descriptions and observations are anything but simple.
The truth is that the story is about more than just its supernatural element. At its core, it is a story of friendship, loss, trauma, chaos, guilt, expectations and reality. It's about getting along when your heart is taken from you.
The friendship between Dale and Mack really helps the entire thing progress nicely. In other circumstances, in another story or perhaps apart from each other, Mack and Dale might be entirely unlikeable. Together, and in this story, they sell a story of an unlikely friendship, loyalty and love.
I truly enjoyed reading this story and would recommend it to those who don't flinch too easily. Venturini's descriptions can get a little graphic in places, though never gratuitously so. It fits the story.
Overall, Venturini uses a story of physical regeneration to explore tragedy and creates an honest, well written, dark, fast paced story that will leaving you thinking even after the last page.
Not for the squeamish!
This is the best book I have read on netgalley! Our protagonist's struggle to relate to others through his super-power is great - but what is better is the fact that the fantasy aspect of the book does not overwhelm the human aspect.
Can not recommend enough
This is the best book I have read on netgalley! Our protagonist's struggle to relate to others through his super-power is great - but what is better is the fact that the fantasy aspect of the book does not overwhelm the human aspect.
Can not recommend enough
I finished it, but I can't say I liked it. The female characters really are terrible, and in one case (pseudo-spoiler) . The male characters are pretty bad too, to be honest - everyone is an extreme caricature.
I think the idea of a person who regenerates turning it into a reality show is pretty good (especially having watched UnREAL, which was horribly awesome), but the writing and the way it plays out, and the weak ending...no.
Spoiler
literally interchangeableI think the idea of a person who regenerates turning it into a reality show is pretty good (especially having watched UnREAL, which was horribly awesome), but the writing and the way it plays out, and the weak ending...no.
the heart does not grow back
I had a moment of worry that this book would take the easy, cheesy way out. I am so glad it didn't. It explores the ideas of love and friendship and recovery and hurt and what these things really are and what they mean. It is pretty intensely fantastic.
I had a moment of worry that this book would take the easy, cheesy way out. I am so glad it didn't. It explores the ideas of love and friendship and recovery and hurt and what these things really are and what they mean. It is pretty intensely fantastic.
Win a copy of this book here: http://bennitheblog.com/bookbiters/the-heart-does-not-grow-back-by-fred-venturini/
I first read The Samaritan, the previously published version of The Heart Does Not Grow Back, in 2011. I loved it (see http://www.rantingdragon.com/the-samaritan-by-fred-venturini/).
You know that feeling you get when you watch an incredibly awesome movie for the first time? You watch that same movie over and over, but you’re never able to replicate that original rush in full force. You wish that you could forget the movie, just so you can experience the First Time again.
Well, I experienced something like the First Time again with The Heart Does Not Grow Back. As much as I loved The Samaritan, due to the number of books I’ve read since 2011 (and my terrible memory in general), I forgot much of the plot. In addition, The Heart Does Not Grow Back had been rewritten in parts and expanded upon. I only remembered details from The Samaritan as I was reading The Heart Does Not Grow Back, so I felt every punch like the first time. It was exhilarating.
Now, the book itself.
Dale Sampson grew up being a nobody. But one day in sixth grade, popular jock Mack decides he’ll be Dale’s best friend, and so best friends they become. That doesn’t change Dale’s personality, and though he’s granted an air of mystique by being Mack’s friend, picking up girls doesn’t get any easier for him: (Please note that all quotes are from an ARC and are subject to change. But they are too good not to be included here.)
When Mack rescues Dale from isolation and obscurity, if not awkwardness, their bond is one that should last forever. Before they can graduate from high school, however, tragedy strikes. And through that tragedy, Dale discovers that his body parts regenerate rather quickly:
Things can never be the same again, and Dale spirals into depression.
When Dale runs into a girl from the past, he becomes motivated enough to pull himself out of his emotional ditch. He decides to pitch a reality show where he donates his body parts and organs to those who need them; Hollywood bites and bites hard.
What starts out as a decent idea grows dangerous when Dale pushes his body to its limits. Nor is self-redemption as easy a task as it would seem, not even for the world’s most famous organ donor.
Melancholy has never been more poetic as it is in The Heart Does Not Grow Back. Dale literally gives himself away to have a chance to feel love—not just romantic love, but self-love. This desperation takes on such a voracious appetite that it’s hard for readers’ hearts not to go out to this guy. As depressing as this may sound, it is precisely Dale’s renewed lust for life that sustains hope and inspires us to root for him. He admits his own selfish motives to the reader, and that honesty, even though it reveals thoughts that are less than altruistic, makes Dale more relatable and sympathetic.
After I finished The Heart Does Not Grow Back, I went back and reread portions of The Samaritan. In 2011, I had thought The Samaritan to be near perfect. With The Heart Does Not Grow Back, Mr. Venturini has fleshed out that original premise and has delivered a tale that packs even more of an emotional impact.
Here’s to hoping that with this new Picador version, The Heart Does Not Grow Back, finally gets the attention this story deserves.
I received a review copy of the book courtesy of Picador and TLC Book Tours.
I originally read The Samaritan in Feb. 2011; that review is located at http://www.rantingdragon.com/the-samaritan-by-fred-venturini/
Win a copy of this book here: http://bennitheblog.com/bookbiters/the-heart-does-not-grow-back-by-fred-venturini/
I first read The Samaritan, the previously published version of The Heart Does Not Grow Back, in 2011. I loved it (see http://www.rantingdragon.com/the-samaritan-by-fred-venturini/).
You know that feeling you get when you watch an incredibly awesome movie for the first time? You watch that same movie over and over, but you’re never able to replicate that original rush in full force. You wish that you could forget the movie, just so you can experience the First Time again.
Well, I experienced something like the First Time again with The Heart Does Not Grow Back. As much as I loved The Samaritan, due to the number of books I’ve read since 2011 (and my terrible memory in general), I forgot much of the plot. In addition, The Heart Does Not Grow Back had been rewritten in parts and expanded upon. I only remembered details from The Samaritan as I was reading The Heart Does Not Grow Back, so I felt every punch like the first time. It was exhilarating.
Now, the book itself.
Dale Sampson grew up being a nobody. But one day in sixth grade, popular jock Mack decides he’ll be Dale’s best friend, and so best friends they become. That doesn’t change Dale’s personality, and though he’s granted an air of mystique by being Mack’s friend, picking up girls doesn’t get any easier for him: (Please note that all quotes are from an ARC and are subject to change. But they are too good not to be included here.)
“You never miss,” I said.
“I only batted .650 last year, so—”
“No, with girls. You’ve always got your pick of the litter. You never miss.”
He smiled and picked up my bat. “You never swing.”
When Mack rescues Dale from isolation and obscurity, if not awkwardness, their bond is one that should last forever. Before they can graduate from high school, however, tragedy strikes. And through that tragedy, Dale discovers that his body parts regenerate rather quickly:
Three days later, my fingers were back, my ear was whole, and the only reminder of those cuts that remained was a new set of white lines tracing the border between who I am and who I used to be.
Things can never be the same again, and Dale spirals into depression.
Call suicide what you want, but a cowardly act, it is not. If you’re not blowing your brains out, you’re dying by neglect. You’re ignoring that suspicious mole, or smoking, or cultivating that roll of belly fat, or eating too much sodium, or fucking without a condom, or snorting coke, or driving without a seat belt.
Simply put, some deaths are acceptable because everyone loves salt, but most can’t stand the taste of a gun barrel.
When Dale runs into a girl from the past, he becomes motivated enough to pull himself out of his emotional ditch. He decides to pitch a reality show where he donates his body parts and organs to those who need them; Hollywood bites and bites hard.
What starts out as a decent idea grows dangerous when Dale pushes his body to its limits. Nor is self-redemption as easy a task as it would seem, not even for the world’s most famous organ donor.
Melancholy has never been more poetic as it is in The Heart Does Not Grow Back. Dale literally gives himself away to have a chance to feel love—not just romantic love, but self-love. This desperation takes on such a voracious appetite that it’s hard for readers’ hearts not to go out to this guy. As depressing as this may sound, it is precisely Dale’s renewed lust for life that sustains hope and inspires us to root for him. He admits his own selfish motives to the reader, and that honesty, even though it reveals thoughts that are less than altruistic, makes Dale more relatable and sympathetic.
After I finished The Heart Does Not Grow Back, I went back and reread portions of The Samaritan. In 2011, I had thought The Samaritan to be near perfect. With The Heart Does Not Grow Back, Mr. Venturini has fleshed out that original premise and has delivered a tale that packs even more of an emotional impact.
Here’s to hoping that with this new Picador version, The Heart Does Not Grow Back, finally gets the attention this story deserves.
I received a review copy of the book courtesy of Picador and TLC Book Tours.
I originally read The Samaritan in Feb. 2011; that review is located at http://www.rantingdragon.com/the-samaritan-by-fred-venturini/
Win a copy of this book here: http://bennitheblog.com/bookbiters/the-heart-does-not-grow-back-by-fred-venturini/
ugh i got like 90% of the way through this & decided i didn't care enough to finish it. the author has great ideas but doesn't really seem to do anything with them? i would also be slightly shocked if the author has any close relationships with women, because he doesn't know how to write any type of realistic female character, none at all. :( disappointing. the cover and title are neat though?
... um my heart needs to grow back a tad and wait till my emotions clear to review this magnificent novel about friendship,emotional trauma, young love and sacrifice...thank you Amanda for giving me this book =^^=