My one major problem with this book is that moral of the story seems to be: "To work through depression you have to change your mindset", which is reductive. You have to make active steps to work to a place where it's possible to change your mindset, which Nora doesn't do (besides trying out different lives, but nobody gets this option in real life, so it's not helpful at all). Making steps to manage depression include (but are not limited to): Exercising, eating healthy, getting enough sleep, psychotherapy, working through repressed memories, working through grief, reducing stress, working on passion projects, finding or creating a job you like, keeping in contact with supportive people, feeling valued, feeling like you're part of a community, creating small but manageable goals, being altruistic, medicating, and so so much more. You can't change your mindset from suicidal to non-suicidal with out some serious work, and Nora doesn't put in any of the work necessary to change her outlook. I get that Matt wanted to inspire a shift of mindset in people with depression, but you can't do that with out giving people actionable advice. The only actionable advice I see is more-or-less "appreciate what you have in this life", but that's not fair. It's valid to become depressed if you hate your job. It's valid to become depressed if you have financial worries. It's valid to become depressed if you're grieving. You have to work through or alongside the things that are contributing to your depression in order to get to a place where you have a mindset change.
I wholeheartedly agreed with you. I understand what the author is trying to do and I appreciate that but this book seems kinda shallow and surface-level. There’s much more to depression than just facing your regrets. And the poorly-developed characters also didn’t help with the boring plot lines. Those alternative lives flashed by so fast I could hardly connect with any of the characters. In the end, a book that was supposed to give me the feels made me feel nothing at all.
You know, I'm someone who absolutely loved the book, but hearing your reasons I can totally understand why someone would dislike the novel. I agree with you that Matt Haig's writing style is very simplistic and can be downright cheesy and cringe at times, but I guess I sorta expected that because he also wrote similarly in his two non-fiction books about depression and to a certain degree the cheesiness is kinda endearing. I also agree with you on the characters. Nora is shallow, absolutely. But honestly, I didn't even really think about her needing to be this super well developed character because I basically saw her as the vehicle for the premise. I also think she's meant to be a bit of a blank canvas so readers can relate to the story more easily. I admit that the ending is a little to happy and simple. I think it would've been okay if she had survived but not all of her problems were automatically fixed: her brother coming to see her I get because he just heard about his sister having attempted suicide; but maybe something like her still not getting her job back should've remained. Personally, I think it was the better idea to keep her alive at the end because it could quickly become problematic if a character successfully commits suicide which then could wrongly be perceived by some readers as "a good solution". Though I guess that depends on how the writer is able to portray such an ending, your idea with the bother expressing his grief is actually quite interesting. I guess it all comes down to personal perception. Matt Haig is able to describe feelings I personally find very relatable so I don't mind him being direct or simple at times. By no means did I think the book was perfect, however it was a nice, emotional, and oddly comforting read for me. But I can absolutely understand your reasons for disliking the novel, so it was interesting for me to hear another opinion ^_^
I see! I was pretty harsh but that I can certainly see how easily you could get caught up in it. Had I read it when I was younger I would probably have really liked it. I totally see where you’re coming from, though as I tend to personally enjoy well developed characters I generally have a hard time reading a book that is almost purely plot driven, especially when the subject at hand is depression - a highly personal issue. And you’re right, it would take a tremendous amount of skill to frame noras death correctly without encouraging the behavior. The reason I suggested it is because I believe Matt Haig would have been capable of doing it correctly. Thank you so much for offering your point of view, I understand much better why so many people liked it!
OMG YESSSF FELT THE SAME WAY!!!!!! I was so disappointed . Thought it’d be a life changing amazing book but I thought it made me so much more sad to see all her dreams weren’t even good outcomes after all? How’s that even good? It’s basic message is don’t be sad be grateful cause it could always be worse
Thanks for making this. After seeing this win best fiction of the year on Goodreads, seeing raving reviews, seeing it all over social media, etc., I thought I was crazy after finishing this book and not loving it.
I have found you because I googled "I hated the midnight library" because I thought it was just me! It's absolute corny crap and so disappointed because the idea was brilliant.
I am so glad I found someone who didn't like this book.. it's fucking boring.. I do understand the message what the author is trying to project.. but her entering into different lives one after another n all of them ending with same realisation it just gets so boring after a point that I didn't feel like reading it any more
I really enjoyed this book and related to it a lot. I've read it at a point in my life where things are beginning to look up in my mental health so I might have a certain perspective. You mention not liking that she wakes up with her problems "magically fixed" but to me that's the opposite of what happens. It's more about her perspective has changed. It's like the midnight library was a sort of therapy. "It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see."
I found it so shallow and predictable I struggled getting trough to the end. Came to youtube to find another disappointed reader so thank you for this rant.
Thank you so much for this validation. I'm a hundred pages in and was waiting for the real Matt Haig to suddenly appear. It was so bad I decided to search for 'bad reviews'. Every review on Goodreads said this book was a banger. You just saved me a few hours of disappointment.
Thank you for this critique of The Midnight Library. I hated this book start to finish; it’s complete shite. I had to read it for an upcoming book club, and everyone is already commenting on what a fantastic read it is. I thought I was going crazy until I watched your video. And, because you have read previous works by him and liked them, I won’t completely dismiss the author.
WOW, why did I not find this video when I read this book? This is the emotional support I needed! Fully agree with you on everything, "The Humans" is also one of my top 10 favourite books (if not top 5) and I just couldn't believe my eyes when I read "The Midnight Library".
I got through the first 100 pgs and I couldn't finish it. It made me sad because I really had high hopes for it. I came to find spoilers just so I knew how it ended and I was right on my theory it's sad that it was that predictable.
Nora was able to be an olympic swimmer and rock star in this book because of the theory of infinite realities. The likelihood of either of those things happening is probably extremely low but the idea is that it couldve happened and theres no way of saying those outcomes are impossible given we’re talking about literally infinite possibilities. The brother explained at the end that he was being mean to her not because she left the band but because he was an alcoholic who couldnt cope with their mother’s death on top of the stress of hiding his sexual identity. Her being “fixed” at the end wasnt the result of an easy magical experience - it took her hundreds of lives to come to the realization that her depression stemmed from regrets of letting people (dad, brother, boyfriend) down and she had to live her own authentic, self driven life. When she went back to her original life she still had to contend with all the external issues of being jobless etc but shes no longer gripped by depression induced regret and instead optimistically sees that she has the potential to control her life (before she leaves the library her book is blank and shes holding a pen implying that she has the power to influence her future). Its not a stretch to believe that this new found sense of control would bring a person out of depression especially given there is scientific literature showing people with a higher locust of control are happier.
This was the first Matt Haig book that I have read. Dreadful rubbish, I struggled to finish it. I will not be reading any more of his works. I should have watched your video before buying it.
So this is the 'Cat Lady'(an amazing game, and a very in depth and complex view of depression). Also, I am not for the take that if things go differently in your life or you are living 'a dream' you still wouldn't be depressed or have a mental illness. It isolates people who genuinely need help but feel like they don't 'deserve' to be depressed
Personally, I read this book so I can get back into reading since each chapter was quite short and plus with it only being 288 pages it seemed like a good place to start. It did what I wanted it to do for me, it was a quick, engaging book to get me back into a reading phase but other then that I found it quite disappointing since each review was so overly positive.
Oh, you NAILED IT!! Depression is due to chemical imbalances at least as often as it is to circumstances. Also, using the Everett Interpretation of quantum physics as a premise, calling her band String Theory and her cat Voltaire ("the best of all possible worlds") and then writing in his oversimplified manner was jarringly incongruous for me.
Thank you so much for this review. I don’t usually get so worked up by reading books but this one really irritated me and I’m thankful I’m not the only one who found elements of the book problematic!
I had the same thought: this is like a novelization of a high school essay you'd write based on a theme/topic your teacher assigned. And agree, you have to treat the root cause of her issues, not simply put rose coloured glasses on her.
I was unsure whether to watch this on the off chance I wanted to read it in the future, but I glad I did, as now I know I never want to read this book. The idea that I could have a magical dream and wake up without depression....... that's insulting. I'm not surprised you're so pissed off, if my favourite author pulled this sh!t I'd be fuming.
Thank you for thiiiiis, you perfectly expressed what I was feeling about this book. For a while, I've been looking for an adult fantasy book about mental health, and this one seemed promising. The book is marketed to an adult audience, but the book is written in a very plain way, full of cringy dialogues and overstatements. On the same note, Nora is supposed to be a thirty-something full-on adult, and she's written as a YA. That makes her unrelatable as an adult reader. It was annoying how predictable were the first chapters, how obvious it was what were the lives she was going to visit and their outcomes. From the start, it felt weird and gave me "Bedazzled " movie vibes, with the whole "I wish this life, but this thing I haven't anticipated made me not wanting it anymore". And about the ending... I really can’t emphasize enough how frustrated and angry I am. It felt rushed and highly unrealistic, even for fiction. Your problems and depression won't fix themselves magically in one day, especially if you attempted suicide. It requires firstly a close medical observation and a ton of therapy. Overall is a miss for me.
I don't think this book is as bad as you describe it but there are other good and amazing books out there more worthy the time and effort. I found the concept really interesting and initially enjoyed travelling through different lives with Norah. I thought she was an authentic character in the way she was describing her depression. I don't think her problems were magically solved as she had to try hundreds of lives to understand herself and the concept of time in the library worked differently. After a while though it becomes a bit repetitive and boring. I also didn't like the ending but I don't think she should have died.
I cant stand when they show a person dying or dead and then they show the possible lives he could have had and in those lives they change only his fucking profession. How naive is that shit? These people actually think, that being a rockstar or a doctor means your problems go away? If you have bad qualities you will suffer. Its about internal problems not external. If you have anger issues and you alienate all the best people around you, for example, being paid more a week wont fix that. 99% of everyone that ever lived, lived like a fucking slave and now we all want to be a rcok star or else life is worthless to us. I cant believe I live in a world where people above 12 have that mentality and not only that but some of them write praised books on the subject. Now, there is something depressing.
Thank you for this video! I've just finished reading and I'm so perplexed about the popularity of this book. You've summed up my issues with it! Great to see from the comments that we aren't alone 😅
I feel like your points about the characters in the book were all explained in the ending. At the beginning of the book I thought Matt haig did an exceptional job at portraying the despair Nora seed was feeling in the events that led up to her trying to end her life. And by the end of the book, it shows that the way she was perceiving her life and relationships wasn’t how she thought it was. Izzy texted her back, her brother showed up and apologized as well as confessed that he was going through some things as well. When she was in other universes, the characters weren’t explained because Nora didn’t know anything about the universe she was in, we had to figure it out with her. I personally loved this book so much.
I've only just started a matt haig book that is not the midnight library, but I sure as heck will finish this video bc I trust u and dont want to waste my time reading it uwu
I saw someone on here mention that they read it at a point where their mental health was starting to improve, and their perspective starting to change, and I think that’s kinda the place where you have to be to really enjoy this book. Right in that shift of perspective time, where you can more so relate to Nora. I think if I’d read this before that point, I would have hated it and it would’ve made me feel like my problems and perspective were being diminished, and if I had read it after I would just have found it “meh” . To me it was just a good story to look back on at a point where I was starting to find hope in my life again after having been in a dark place for around 3 yrs. The inspirational Instagram quote lines 😂 I was a sucker for those at the time. Just little smidges of ‘it gets better hope’ during the days where I felt like I was struggling again, and I think we need that a little sometimes. At least, I do. I think your review is great, and I see where you’re coming from. We all have a different type of story we need at different points of life and what we are going through, this was it for me, at the time I read it. I actually haven’t read The Humans, but it’s going on my list after this review. 💞
I don’t think you’re being nit picky. I enjoyed your review and agree with many of the points you make,I am a lot older than you and enjoy a variety of writing genres. I thought it might turn out to be a thought provoking syfy novel but it lacked any depth and did not challenge my way of looking at the world. In used to study physics and thought the description of heisenbergs uncertainty principle was ok for a very young audience. I thought it might have been aimed at perhaps a young teenage market with the message that life is too short for regrets, mistakes are just learning experiences and that to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway is not a bad way to live your life. I have no snobbery about reading and enjoying fiction written for young teenagers. I have revelled in pullmans Dark Materials and Book of Dust novels for example. It thought the style of writing condescending for that age group never mind adults.Must admit I didn’t look at it as an exploration of how to tackle a mental health issue. I am from a generation where we just had to learn ‘to get over ourselves’ and ‘just do it’ so I can’t comment on how this would help anyone with mental health issues. I think her finding issues and disappointments in the alternate lives is just trite. It would have been more interesting if she had found an alternate life she wanted to risk living and follow that. I am half way through it at the moment & feel it’s a wasted plot idea .I am not inclined to buy any other titles by this author.
Ok I havent read this book but here's a theory from what you have said so far .....what of she didn't wake up and instead she went to heaven is experiencing a "perfect life "?
I know I'm late for the party again but I'm here for the tea now. (Also when I asked you to do a video about it last time, I didn't expect it that fast. lol)
Side Characters: “For all they brought to the story they could have been furniture. It wouldn’t have made a difference.” 🤣🤣🤣 You had me laughing so hard the whole 20 mins. Such a great and honest review!
The way she treats people in each life she experienced also irritated me. She acts like they’re being the weird ones when they interact with her. Especially the guy who worked at the veterinary office. You’re the one being weird Nora!! She doesn’t grasp the concept that they’re used to a completely different version of her, and when they say or do something like they normally would, she gets all disgruntled and weird about it. Incredibly irritating protagonist throughout.
First of all bulimia and depression are two completely different things so you can't compare it. In my opinion the things aren't fixed at the end. He just shows the prospectives of this life and that it's not as bad as she thought it was. And she said she's going to therapy meaning she is aware of her problem and she's willing to fix it. It's not the best book I've read but i don't think it was that bad. I have gone to therapy so i know that yes actions are important but changing your mindset is really important too and this book can have this small impact and change your mindset.
I co-sign every point you made. I heard so many good things about this book and people went on like it was so profound. After reading it, I was like "Huh?" I can only assume that hallmark cards must illicit an existential crisis from them. I mean, the book is simply, dumb. Just flat dumb. A shallow, silly trifle that can only be generously praised as, at least it was short.
Okay firstly when you said that nora is just ranting about someone or delivering a monologue that's what depressed people do who are overthinkers and are completely alone. Especially when they don't have anyone to talk to and when u said that a lot of characters are underdeveloped just tell me how many people's backstory do u know completely. Do you know everything about everyone from ur school? Some people just enter ur life and contribute in small ways sometimes it plays a vital and sometimes not but it helps in shaping ur life in the way in which it's turned out to be. When his brother disowns her because she js having panic attacks and doesn't wanna sign the contract. Its because when u have a goal in ur mind and u have worked very hard to achieve it and ur so close but the final step depends on ur sister and she says no. Ur heart just implodes. Any person would have done the same. What hideous and sinister crimes people are committing for fame and money. But noras brother was able to finally get what he wanted doing what he likes so that's something rare and precious for him. U gotta understand his sentiment here. coming to the part where ur talking about his writing style I think the story is very painful and to not to complicate things Matt might have made sure to make the readers focus more on the story and not the literary aspects. Also comparing the book with some of his other works is not at all appreciated. Each book has its own character and authenticity. Just bcoz your standards have been set after reading humans doesn't mean that they need to be fulfilled in the same way or atleast come close to it . Every book is different. Imperfection is what makes something unique and u need to embrace it. Some trait that may seem imperfect to you may seem perfect for someone else. U cannot compare earth with Jupiter and say earth is so small but what makes it unique is its capacity to help life sustain with its abundant resources. Comparing two things which are not measured using the same metrics might make u seem like there are flaws in something. Infact comparison destroys uniqueness. Coming to moral of the story well u said u couldn't understand lemme help you with that nora thinks she is good for nothing and has no one to live for. After living so many lives she has come to the conclusion that ni matter how many people u love or date irrespective of their social, financial or educational status its going to be almost the same experience with that person. Making subtle changes in the current life if best to bring the best version out if ur own self. Every life that she got a chance to experience taught her one thing that she was actually living the best life she could and doing anything differently did not make any sense bcoz she was able to experience everything whether poor or rich, popular or not, healthy or not. And by making very trivial changes she gets the confidence she needs to make certain changes and live a happy life.
This video felt like coming back home. Great review. I am also curious about your opinion on John Green's books, specifically Looking for Alaska. Since they are so similar. Also, what did you thought of Norwegian Wood
I’ve actually never read a John Green book entirely, I skim read paper towns and got halfway through looking for Alaska before putting it down; I haven’t read Norwegian Wood but I’d really like to !
Looking for Alaska is so terrible asfgjfkgl I thought my 12 year old self was tripping when she reached that conclusion and when I read it again... a piece of me died a little let me tell u. Pls don't ever finish it, Barbara
@@kindred.spirit I wouldn't say that Looking For Alaska is a masterpiece. But it is not terrible either. It has a beautiful, chill, haunting atmosphere though. The book really got bogged down by some of its preachiness, otherwise, the story and the characters were really good. As a matter of fact, I feel like this book really wanted to be Norwegian Wood. Like that book already achieved a lot of the things that John Green and similar writers like him wanted to achieve.
I thought the premise sounded interesting. But after reading this book I don't understand the overwhelmingly positive reception it has gotten. Usually I don't care but it honestly confuses me... but I don't feel like I "missed something". In fact it was all _very_ obvious.
I just finish this book and I am soooooo disappointed!!! I knew from the beginning how is gonna ends and what messeges it wants us to take... All wrong!!! I think that I was the only person in the word who DIDN'T like this book!!! Just find you and I'm gonna be your subscriber for sure!!
I got through 60 pgs and am already so bored. The review on the cover says the book is filled with warmth and humor but I couldn't help myself thinking "Really? Where?" This book sucks!
Thank you. Freakin thank you. You've articulated my exact feelings about this trash book. Reflects the abysmal intellect of the general populace- to exalt this shallow poorly executed novel. And yes about the Humans. So bewildering how same author
I'm a year late to this review but omg I am so happy you have said as you've said. I've just fired off a 40 minute rant about this to my friend in which I state this is the worst book I've read this year, and some of the worst characters I've ever read, period. Absolutely terrible and so poorly executed. 1/5 (vs zero) for the sheer act of having a decent message--even though at best, said message is drowned in pompous artifical dialogue every step of the way. So disappointed in the time spent on it. 🥲
I felt like I was the only person who didn’t absolutely love this book and I’m so happy to hear you put words to my thoughts🙌
Live. Laugh. Love but make it 300 pages.
As someone in a shitty situation, this book makes me pissed, hate reading this shit for a college lecture 😂😂
I couldn’t even finish this book. I was so tired and bored out of my mind by the time Nora tried her fourth life…So happy to have found your video.
same here. Bored out of my mind! :D
"r/I'm 13 and this is deep" might be the best description of this book I have stumbeld upon and I couldn't agree more.
My one major problem with this book is that moral of the story seems to be: "To work through depression you have to change your mindset", which is reductive.
You have to make active steps to work to a place where it's possible to change your mindset, which Nora doesn't do (besides trying out different lives, but nobody gets this option in real life, so it's not helpful at all).
Making steps to manage depression include (but are not limited to):
Exercising, eating healthy, getting enough sleep, psychotherapy, working through repressed memories, working through grief, reducing stress, working on passion projects, finding or creating a job you like, keeping in contact with supportive people, feeling valued, feeling like you're part of a community, creating small but manageable goals, being altruistic, medicating, and so so much more.
You can't change your mindset from suicidal to non-suicidal with out some serious work, and Nora doesn't put in any of the work necessary to change her outlook. I get that Matt wanted to inspire a shift of mindset in people with depression, but you can't do that with out giving people actionable advice. The only actionable advice I see is more-or-less "appreciate what you have in this life", but that's not fair. It's valid to become depressed if you hate your job. It's valid to become depressed if you have financial worries. It's valid to become depressed if you're grieving. You have to work through or alongside the things that are contributing to your depression in order to get to a place where you have a mindset change.
I wholeheartedly agreed with you. I understand what the author is trying to do and I appreciate that but this book seems kinda shallow and surface-level. There’s much more to depression than just facing your regrets. And the poorly-developed characters also didn’t help with the boring plot lines. Those alternative lives flashed by so fast I could hardly connect with any of the characters. In the end, a book that was supposed to give me the feels made me feel nothing at all.
You know, I'm someone who absolutely loved the book, but hearing your reasons I can totally understand why someone would dislike the novel. I agree with you that Matt Haig's writing style is very simplistic and can be downright cheesy and cringe at times, but I guess I sorta expected that because he also wrote similarly in his two non-fiction books about depression and to a certain degree the cheesiness is kinda endearing.
I also agree with you on the characters. Nora is shallow, absolutely. But honestly, I didn't even really think about her needing to be this super well developed character because I basically saw her as the vehicle for the premise. I also think she's meant to be a bit of a blank canvas so readers can relate to the story more easily.
I admit that the ending is a little to happy and simple. I think it would've been okay if she had survived but not all of her problems were automatically fixed: her brother coming to see her I get because he just heard about his sister having attempted suicide; but maybe something like her still not getting her job back should've remained. Personally, I think it was the better idea to keep her alive at the end because it could quickly become problematic if a character successfully commits suicide which then could wrongly be perceived by some readers as "a good solution". Though I guess that depends on how the writer is able to portray such an ending, your idea with the bother expressing his grief is actually quite interesting.
I guess it all comes down to personal perception. Matt Haig is able to describe feelings I personally find very relatable so I don't mind him being direct or simple at times. By no means did I think the book was perfect, however it was a nice, emotional, and oddly comforting read for me. But I can absolutely understand your reasons for disliking the novel, so it was interesting for me to hear another opinion ^_^
I see! I was pretty harsh but that I can certainly see how easily you could get caught up in it. Had I read it when I was younger I would probably have really liked it. I totally see where you’re coming from, though as I tend to personally enjoy well developed characters I generally have a hard time reading a book that is almost purely plot driven, especially when the subject at hand is depression - a highly personal issue. And you’re right, it would take a tremendous amount of skill to frame noras death correctly without encouraging the behavior. The reason I suggested it is because I believe Matt Haig would have been capable of doing it correctly.
Thank you so much for offering your point of view, I understand much better why so many people liked it!
I fucking hated this book, honestly all the 5 star reviews made me feel like I was living in an alternative reality. So overhyped. Fake deep is right.
OMG YESSSF FELT THE SAME WAY!!!!!! I was so disappointed . Thought it’d be a life changing amazing book but I thought it made me so much more sad to see all her dreams weren’t even good outcomes after all? How’s that even good? It’s basic message is don’t be sad be grateful cause it could always be worse
I've got 60 pages left..... It's absolute trash. He even appears bored in his writing as the story progresses.
Right! The end is really rushed lol
Thanks for making this. After seeing this win best fiction of the year on Goodreads, seeing raving reviews, seeing it all over social media, etc., I thought I was crazy after finishing this book and not loving it.
I hated the main character and could not get through the book. I don't get the hype at all. Thank you for honest review 💕
I have found you because I googled "I hated the midnight library" because I thought it was just me! It's absolute corny crap and so disappointed because the idea was brilliant.
I am so glad I found someone who didn't like this book.. it's fucking boring.. I do understand the message what the author is trying to project.. but her entering into different lives one after another n all of them ending with same realisation it just gets so boring after a point that I didn't feel like reading it any more
I really enjoyed this book and related to it a lot. I've read it at a point in my life where things are beginning to look up in my mental health so I might have a certain perspective. You mention not liking that she wakes up with her problems "magically fixed" but to me that's the opposite of what happens. It's more about her perspective has changed. It's like the midnight library was a sort of therapy. "It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see."
I found it so shallow and predictable I struggled getting trough to the end. Came to youtube to find another disappointed reader so thank you for this rant.
This premise sounds like it would make me depressed from all the shit I haven't done in my life
Haha honestly didn’t even think of it but true
Thank you so much for this validation. I'm a hundred pages in and was waiting for the real Matt Haig to suddenly appear. It was so bad I decided to search for 'bad reviews'. Every review on Goodreads said this book was a banger. You just saved me a few hours of disappointment.
You're so welcome. I thought I was the only one, I'm really glad I'm not the only one who hated this
Thank you for this critique of The Midnight Library. I hated this book start to finish; it’s complete shite. I had to read it for an upcoming book club, and everyone is already commenting on what a fantastic read it is. I thought I was going crazy until I watched your video. And, because you have read previous works by him and liked them, I won’t completely dismiss the author.
WOW, why did I not find this video when I read this book? This is the emotional support I needed! Fully agree with you on everything, "The Humans" is also one of my top 10 favourite books (if not top 5) and I just couldn't believe my eyes when I read "The Midnight Library".
Never knew what I needed during quarantine, was a rant review
Hope it helps make quarantine more bearable lol
@@chapterbarbara8161 omg yes, it did. I really enjoyed it, thank you!
I got through the first 100 pgs and I couldn't finish it. It made me sad because I really had high hopes for it. I came to find spoilers just so I knew how it ended and I was right on my theory it's sad that it was that predictable.
Nora was able to be an olympic swimmer and rock star in this book because of the theory of infinite realities. The likelihood of either of those things happening is probably extremely low but the idea is that it couldve happened and theres no way of saying those outcomes are impossible given we’re talking about literally infinite possibilities.
The brother explained at the end that he was being mean to her not because she left the band but because he was an alcoholic who couldnt cope with their mother’s death on top of the stress of hiding his sexual identity.
Her being “fixed” at the end wasnt the result of an easy magical experience - it took her hundreds of lives to come to the realization that her depression stemmed from regrets of letting people (dad, brother, boyfriend) down and she had to live her own authentic, self driven life.
When she went back to her original life she still had to contend with all the external issues of being jobless etc but shes no longer gripped by depression induced regret and instead optimistically sees that she has the potential to control her life (before she leaves the library her book is blank and shes holding a pen implying that she has the power to influence her future).
Its not a stretch to believe that this new found sense of control would bring a person out of depression especially given there is scientific literature showing people with a higher locust of control are happier.
This was the first Matt Haig book that I have read. Dreadful rubbish, I struggled to finish it. I will not be reading any more of his works. I should have watched your video before buying it.
So this is the 'Cat Lady'(an amazing game, and a very in depth and complex view of depression).
Also, I am not for the take that if things go differently in your life or you are living 'a dream' you still wouldn't be depressed or have a mental illness. It isolates people who genuinely need help but feel like they don't 'deserve' to be depressed
Personally, I read this book so I can get back into reading since each chapter was quite short and plus with it only being 288 pages it seemed like a good place to start. It did what I wanted it to do for me, it was a quick, engaging book to get me back into a reading phase but other then that I found it quite disappointing since each review was so overly positive.
Oh, you NAILED IT!! Depression is due to chemical imbalances at least as often as it is to circumstances. Also, using the Everett Interpretation of quantum physics as a premise, calling her band String Theory and her cat Voltaire ("the best of all possible worlds") and then writing in his oversimplified manner was jarringly incongruous for me.
Thank you so much for this review. I don’t usually get so worked up by reading books but this one really irritated me and I’m thankful I’m not the only one who found elements of the book problematic!
"I feel like this should have had a character limit" I-
I had the same thought: this is like a novelization of a high school essay you'd write based on a theme/topic your teacher assigned. And agree, you have to treat the root cause of her issues, not simply put rose coloured glasses on her.
Alright this book is flying off of my tbr. I have no time for THAT. Thank You for saving my time
I was unsure whether to watch this on the off chance I wanted to read it in the future, but I glad I did, as now I know I never want to read this book. The idea that I could have a magical dream and wake up without depression....... that's insulting. I'm not surprised you're so pissed off, if my favourite author pulled this sh!t I'd be fuming.
Thank you for thiiiiis, you perfectly expressed what I was feeling about this book.
For a while, I've been looking for an adult fantasy book about mental health, and this one seemed promising.
The book is marketed to an adult audience, but the book is written in a very plain way, full of cringy dialogues and overstatements. On the same note, Nora is supposed to be a thirty-something full-on adult, and she's written as a YA. That makes her unrelatable as an adult reader.
It was annoying how predictable were the first chapters, how obvious it was what were the lives she was going to visit and their outcomes. From the start, it felt weird and gave me "Bedazzled " movie vibes, with the whole "I wish this life, but this thing I haven't anticipated made me not wanting it anymore".
And about the ending... I really can’t emphasize enough how frustrated and angry I am. It felt rushed and highly unrealistic, even for fiction. Your problems and depression won't fix themselves magically in one day, especially if you attempted suicide. It requires firstly a close medical observation and a ton of therapy.
Overall is a miss for me.
I don't think this book is as bad as you describe it but there are other good and amazing books out there more worthy the time and effort. I found the concept really interesting and initially enjoyed travelling through different lives with Norah. I thought she was an authentic character in the way she was describing her depression. I don't think her problems were magically solved as she had to try hundreds of lives to understand herself and the concept of time in the library worked differently. After a while though it becomes a bit repetitive and boring. I also didn't like the ending but I don't think she should have died.
I cant stand when they show a person dying or dead and then they show the possible lives he could have had and in those lives they change only his fucking profession. How naive is that shit? These people actually think, that being a rockstar or a doctor means your problems go away? If you have bad qualities you will suffer. Its about internal problems not external. If you have anger issues and you alienate all the best people around you, for example, being paid more a week wont fix that. 99% of everyone that ever lived, lived like a fucking slave and now we all want to be a rcok star or else life is worthless to us. I cant believe I live in a world where people above 12 have that mentality and not only that but some of them write praised books on the subject. Now, there is something depressing.
Thank you for this video! I've just finished reading and I'm so perplexed about the popularity of this book. You've summed up my issues with it! Great to see from the comments that we aren't alone 😅
I’ve been waiting for this ever since I saw your goodreads :D
I feel like your points about the characters in the book were all explained in the ending. At the beginning of the book I thought Matt haig did an exceptional job at portraying the despair Nora seed was feeling in the events that led up to her trying to end her life. And by the end of the book, it shows that the way she was perceiving her life and relationships wasn’t how she thought it was. Izzy texted her back, her brother showed up and apologized as well as confessed that he was going through some things as well. When she was in other universes, the characters weren’t explained because Nora didn’t know anything about the universe she was in, we had to figure it out with her. I personally loved this book so much.
I've only just started a matt haig book that is not the midnight library, but I sure as heck will finish this video bc I trust u and dont want to waste my time reading it uwu
“Nora shook her head quickly, like a dog shaking off water” this analogy in the book though 😭
I saw someone on here mention that they read it at a point where their mental health was starting to improve, and their perspective starting to change, and I think that’s kinda the place where you have to be to really enjoy this book. Right in that shift of perspective time, where you can more so relate to Nora. I think if I’d read this before that point, I would have hated it and it would’ve made me feel like my problems and perspective were being diminished, and if I had read it after I would just have found it “meh” . To me it was just a good story to look back on at a point where I was starting to find hope in my life again after having been in a dark place for around 3 yrs. The inspirational Instagram quote lines 😂 I was a sucker for those at the time. Just little smidges of ‘it gets better hope’ during the days where I felt like I was struggling again, and I think we need that a little sometimes. At least, I do.
I think your review is great, and I see where you’re coming from. We all have a different type of story we need at different points of life and what we are going through, this was it for me, at the time I read it. I actually haven’t read The Humans, but it’s going on my list after this review. 💞
Just finished this book and couldn't agree more! The book was just meh
Yeah, if she gotten eaten by a polar bear in the glaciologist life - perfect ending. Oh, well, let's write a better book.
I was also disappointed. Does not ring true. Did he make a deal with the devil?
I don’t think you’re being nit picky. I enjoyed your review and agree with many of the points you make,I am a lot older than you and enjoy a variety of writing genres. I thought it might turn out to be a thought provoking syfy novel but it lacked any depth and did not challenge my way of looking at the world. In used to study physics and thought the description of heisenbergs uncertainty principle was ok for a very young audience. I thought it might have been aimed at perhaps a young teenage market with the message that life is too short for regrets, mistakes are just learning experiences and that to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway is not a bad way to live your life. I have no snobbery about reading and enjoying fiction written for young teenagers. I have revelled in pullmans Dark Materials and Book of Dust novels for example. It thought the style of writing condescending for that age group never mind adults.Must admit I didn’t look at it as an exploration of how to tackle a mental health issue. I am from a generation where we just had to learn ‘to get over ourselves’ and ‘just do it’ so I can’t comment on how this would help anyone with mental health issues. I think her finding issues and disappointments in the alternate lives is just trite. It would have been more interesting if she had found an alternate life she wanted to risk living and follow that. I am half way through it at the moment & feel it’s a wasted plot idea .I am not inclined to buy any other titles by this author.
Ok I havent read this book but here's a theory from what you have said so far .....what of she didn't wake up and instead she went to heaven is experiencing a "perfect life "?
"Excuse me Nora, I've seen ya root life, you're in no position to complain about bad sex." 😂😂 Brilliant.
I know I'm late for the party again but I'm here for the tea now. (Also when I asked you to do a video about it last time, I didn't expect it that fast. lol)
Side Characters: “For all they brought to the story they could have been furniture. It wouldn’t have made a difference.” 🤣🤣🤣 You had me laughing so hard the whole 20 mins. Such a great and honest review!
The way she treats people in each life she experienced also irritated me. She acts like they’re being the weird ones when they interact with her. Especially the guy who worked at the veterinary office. You’re the one being weird Nora!! She doesn’t grasp the concept that they’re used to a completely different version of her, and when they say or do something like they normally would, she gets all disgruntled and weird about it. Incredibly irritating protagonist throughout.
It sounds like this book would make me super angry. Mental illness doesn’t magically disappear.
Most importantly. Are you posting that rant essay? Please do. I haven't finished the video. But please.
Ahahah yes that’s what it is 😂
I'm all for it. Ranting is healthy. I hope? 😂
@@chapterbarbara8161 damn can I please have one mara dyer rant essay? I want to frame it
Well try Midnight Story ;) i write all my own short stories.
First of all bulimia and depression are two completely different things so you can't compare it. In my opinion the things aren't fixed at the end. He just shows the prospectives of this life and that it's not as bad as she thought it was. And she said she's going to therapy meaning she is aware of her problem and she's willing to fix it. It's not the best book I've read but i don't think it was that bad. I have gone to therapy so i know that yes actions are important but changing your mindset is really important too and this book can have this small impact and change your mindset.
I co-sign every point you made. I heard so many good things about this book and people went on like it was so profound. After reading it, I was like "Huh?" I can only assume that hallmark cards must illicit an existential crisis from them. I mean, the book is simply, dumb. Just flat dumb. A shallow, silly trifle that can only be generously praised as, at least it was short.
I agree with pretty much everything you said! It was extremely disappointing :(
That is so true, you can have the most "amazing" life with money, a big house or whatever but still have depression.
Okay firstly when you said that nora is just ranting about someone or delivering a monologue that's what depressed people do who are overthinkers and are completely alone. Especially when they don't have anyone to talk to and when u said that a lot of characters are underdeveloped just tell me how many people's backstory do u know completely. Do you know everything about everyone from ur school? Some people just enter ur life and contribute in small ways sometimes it plays a vital and sometimes not but it helps in shaping ur life in the way in which it's turned out to be. When his brother disowns her because she js having panic attacks and doesn't wanna sign the contract. Its because when u have a goal in ur mind and u have worked very hard to achieve it and ur so close but the final step depends on ur sister and she says no. Ur heart just implodes. Any person would have done the same. What hideous and sinister crimes people are committing for fame and money. But noras brother was able to finally get what he wanted doing what he likes so that's something rare and precious for him. U gotta understand his sentiment here. coming to the part where ur talking about his writing style I think the story is very painful and to not to complicate things Matt might have made sure to make the readers focus more on the story and not the literary aspects. Also comparing the book with some of his other works is not at all appreciated. Each book has its own character and authenticity. Just bcoz your standards have been set after reading humans doesn't mean that they need to be fulfilled in the same way or atleast come close to it . Every book is different. Imperfection is what makes something unique and u need to embrace it. Some trait that may seem imperfect to you may seem perfect for someone else. U cannot compare earth with Jupiter and say earth is so small but what makes it unique is its capacity to help life sustain with its abundant resources. Comparing two things which are not measured using the same metrics might make u seem like there are flaws in something. Infact comparison destroys uniqueness. Coming to moral of the story well u said u couldn't understand lemme help you with that nora thinks she is good for nothing and has no one to live for. After living so many lives she has come to the conclusion that ni matter how many people u love or date irrespective of their social, financial or educational status its going to be almost the same experience with that person. Making subtle changes in the current life if best to bring the best version out if ur own self. Every life that she got a chance to experience taught her one thing that she was actually living the best life she could and doing anything differently did not make any sense bcoz she was able to experience everything whether poor or rich, popular or not, healthy or not. And by making very trivial changes she gets the confidence she needs to make certain changes and live a happy life.
I liked the book but I loved your review. Im glad I found you, you gave me a new perspective and I'm thankful for that.
I loved the book! Although, I am a Instagram quote type of girl 😅 this video made me view the book from a different perspective!
When the review is better than the book
This video felt like coming back home. Great review.
I am also curious about your opinion on John Green's books, specifically Looking for Alaska. Since they are so similar.
Also, what did you thought of Norwegian Wood
I’ve actually never read a John Green book entirely, I skim read paper towns and got halfway through looking for Alaska before putting it down; I haven’t read Norwegian Wood but I’d really like to !
Looking for Alaska is so terrible asfgjfkgl I thought my 12 year old self was tripping when she reached that conclusion and when I read it again... a piece of me died a little let me tell u. Pls don't ever finish it, Barbara
@@kindred.spirit I wouldn't say that Looking For Alaska is a masterpiece. But it is not terrible either. It has a beautiful, chill, haunting atmosphere though. The book really got bogged down by some of its preachiness, otherwise, the story and the characters were really good.
As a matter of fact, I feel like this book really wanted to be Norwegian Wood. Like that book already achieved a lot of the things that John Green and similar writers like him wanted to achieve.
I thought the premise sounded interesting. But after reading this book I don't understand the overwhelmingly positive reception it has gotten. Usually I don't care but it honestly confuses me... but I don't feel like I "missed something". In fact it was all _very_ obvious.
That warning of depression and suicide trigger should be at the front of the book then I wouldn't start reading it.
Trigger warning: Barbara 'bout to shoot your book full of holes. (No offense kids.)
Idk how appropriate it is for me to put a trigger warning as I get triggered during the entire video
I just finish this book and I am soooooo disappointed!!!
I knew from the beginning how is gonna ends and what messeges it wants us to take...
All wrong!!!
I think that I was the only person in the word who DIDN'T like this book!!!
Just find you and I'm gonna be your subscriber for sure!!
I finished this through tremendous effort, and I'm here to listen to you hate on it lol. I'm so glad you also didn't like it.
I hate the fact this book got published,meaning so many true suffered genius are still suffering.
I got through 60 pgs and am already so bored.
The review on the cover says the book is filled with warmth and humor but I couldn't help myself thinking "Really? Where?" This book sucks!
I don't know, it helped me to realize something I wouldn't have realized without reading this book, idk why you hate it that much, I like it so much
It wasn't the death of her cat. It was Ravi's comment about her having life fright.
I didn’t even bother finishing it. It was getting so repetitive and so, SO preachy.
I just read like 40 minutes of this book on audible and already came to all the same conclusions 😂
Thank you. Freakin thank you. You've articulated my exact feelings about this trash book. Reflects the abysmal intellect of the general populace- to exalt this shallow poorly executed novel. And yes about the Humans. So bewildering how same author
i lmao for the trigger warning at the start of the video.. not sure if it's serious
I review books the way I would if the author was in front of me. Which is why I gave it 4 stars
I very much enjoyed 📖. It is reflective. I give 4.5 out of 5.
not a gay chair 😫😫
Thank you
I won't read it I'm good
I was disappointed 2! Great idea badly written
I dnfd it
Yesss lol love your review I feel the exact same lmao
not read it. not going to. the premise alone is cringe enough for me. :'D
you are so right not to waste your time ahah
I love this review. I felt the same way.
😂 I fucking love you!!
Ahhaah I’m glad you enjoyed!!
Great review!.....by the way, I loved the book!
curse more
I think you said yourself why this book did not work for you. You did not get the message.
I totally disagree
Do you have to swear that much?
I'm a year late to this review but omg I am so happy you have said as you've said. I've just fired off a 40 minute rant about this to my friend in which I state this is the worst book I've read this year, and some of the worst characters I've ever read, period.
Absolutely terrible and so poorly executed. 1/5 (vs zero) for the sheer act of having a decent message--even though at best, said message is drowned in pompous artifical dialogue every step of the way. So disappointed in the time spent on it. 🥲