Я выбрал бы жизнь

by Thierry Cohen, Тьерри Коэн, Нина Хотинская (Translator)

Тьерри Коэна недаром сравнивают с Марком Леви: его захватывающие романтические, с оттенком мистики произведения расходятся огромными тиражами, две книги вскоре будут экранизированы. Известность пришла к нему с выходом первого романа "Я выбрал бы жизнь", награжденного Гран-при Жана д'Ормессона и переведенного на одиннадцать языков. Жереми был уверен, что они с Викторией любят друг друга и всегда будут вместе. Однако девушка неожиданно бросила его - прямо в день рождения, когда ему исполнилось двадцать лет. Жереми решил, что дальше жить нет смысла, и покончил с собой. Очнувшись, он не поверил своим глазам: Виктория рядом с ним, они и не думали расставаться. Оказывается, прошел целый год, а он не помнит ни единого мгновения. После долгого счастливого дня Жереми проваливается в глубокий сон - и снова открывает глаза лишь годы спустя...

Genres: Fiction, Romance, France, Fantasy, Mystery, Love, Audiobook

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Born in Casablanca, Morocco, Thierry Cohen moved to France at the age of two in a family with five children. After a dramatic childhood, he found comfort reading books. He discovered literature, particularly American, for its diversity and richness (Hemingway, Steinbeck, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Jack Kerouac, John Fante, Norman Mailer, Jim Harrison, Philip Roth, etc.). He began writing without telling a soul, just for the pleasure of putting his emotions into words. He wrote I'd Rather Have Lived following the suicide of his best friend, in order to exorcise the pain, to tell others the story of his friend's decision so they'd avoid making it themselves. He never considered it might be published.

Source: amazon.com

Reviews

[Lê Tuyền ICHI · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chàng trai Jeremy tự sát vì tình. Anh chàng chọn đúng ngày sinh nhật 20 tuổi: 8/5/2001. Và đó trở thành cột mốc để đời với anh.
Ngất đi bởi tác dụng của rượu và thuốc ngủ, Jeremy sẵn sàng bước vào thời khắc cận tử.
Mở mắt tỉnh dậy... 9 lần trong đời.. trong 9 ngày sinh nhật tiếp đó... năm tháng thật đã đi qua!
Mỗi khi tỉnh dậy với những điều lạ lẫm, không tưởng, anh phải đối diện với một cuộc sống mà anh không hẳn tồn tại, lại không thể kiểm soát. Biết bao điều tốt đẹp đã tan biến. Chỉ còn niềm hối tiếc vô biên.
Lần tỉnh dậy cuối cùng, 8/5/2055, anh đã là ông cụ 75 tuổi, và đang đối diện với giờ phút lâm chung.
Bí mật về mọi chuyện được giải đáp.
Trong sự ân hận ngập tràn, anh có được thứ tha và được vãn hồi mọi thứ?

Cuốn sách được lấy cảm hứng từ vụ tự sát của người bạn thân, tác giả đã thể hiện rõ ràng thái độ phê phán của việc khước từ sống, lựa chọn chết, một điều phản đạo và bất dung, một lựa chọn đáng bị trừng phạt và chịu tổn thương lớn nhất.

Đồng thời, những ai hối tiếc và quay đầu, đều được ban cho cơ hội để sống, để được làm những điều tốt đẹp nhất cho bản thân và những người xung quanh.

Nội dung như vậy đã được nhiều nhà làm phim khai thác. "Cũ nhưng không cũ", dù qua bao nhiêu năm tháng, giá trị của sinh mạng và gia đình bạn bè đều là bất biến. Cho nên mình vẫn sụt sùi trước những tình cảm bình dị trong đó.

Mình sẽ đánh giá cao hơn nếu đây không phải là một quyển sách nặng về tôn giáo (ngược với tư duy của mình).

[Luci · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a person who lost a dearly loved one to suicide, this book intrigued me, so when it was a daily deal, I picked it up and steeled myself to read it. There are many elements of "Its a Wonderful Life" in this book: man contemplates suicide, gets to see what life is like (except in this case it's what life is like if he had lived). I am glad that Cohen dealt with the deeper issues of depression and looks at the history of Jeremy's life. However, I was somehow turned off by the religious undertones of the book (if Jeremy asks for God's forgiveness, he will live) and that he was somehow being punished by God by seeing what an absolute jerk he could be when he wasn't "young Jeremy". I think this novel does take the stance of suicides being punished for their "sin" and that is unfortunate, because this is part of the reason that people have such a reaction to the mention of suicide. Cohen deals with mental illness well, but unfortunately he mires the conversation about suicide in a religiousity that doesn't work for me. Ultimately, Jeremy makes the choice to live because he has seen the effects of his "darker soul" not because he has seen life without himself in it and the effects it has on his loved ones. That may have been the more powerful message to send home rather than the idea of the man vs. self paradigm that is used throughout the novel. I am glad Cohen has used this novel to discuss suicide and I hope that the writing of this novel helped him deal with the death of his friend.

[Mr B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Một câu truyện tuyệt vời, ấn tượng hơn cả là nhân vật chính chỉ tỉnh dậy vào ngày sinh nhật. Và thật đặc biệt là ngày sinh nhật ấy trùng với sinh nhật tôi.

Chỉ đến khi chết đi rồi thì chúng ta mới thấy tiếc nuối và biết buông bỏ phải ko? Tôi vẫn chưa hiểu một câu chuyện xuất sắc thế này mà chưa bị tuyệt bản?

[Heaven Yassine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une très belle lecture. Plein de rebondissements,pas de temps morts. L'histoire ne ressemble a aucune autre, un très bon moment de lecture !

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cuộc đời là sự đấu tranh giữa cái tà và thiện trong tâm hồn mỗi con người.

Nếu cuộc đời của bạn chỉ là sự tồn tại trong thời gian vài ngày, bạn có tiếp tục chiến đấu với cuộc sống và sống thật với con người của mình trong khoảng thời gian ngắn ngủi ấy? Riêng tôi, tôi cũng không biết mình sẽ như thế nào, sẽ chọn con đường tiếp tục sống hay bước sang ngã rẽ để mặc cho mọi thứ đưa đẩy bản thân mình…

Sau lời tỏ tình chân thành với Victoria nhưng không thành, ngày 8 tháng 5 năm 2001, vào đúng cái ngày kỉ niệm sinh nhật lần thứ 20 của đời mình, Jeremy đã đưa ra quyết định rồ dại nhất đời, chàng tự tử.
Sau cái lần điên với quyết định điên cuồng rồ dại vì tình, Jeremy tỉnh lại cũng vào đúng cái ngày sinh nhật của mình. Anh đã có vợ, vợ anh là cô bạn thanh mai trúc mã Victoria. Từ một người vô cùng ghét uống rượu, anh đã bắt đầu uống say khướt.
Mỗi lần tỉnh dậy, được sống là chính mình, Jeremy lại phát hiện ra những điều xấu xa anh đã làm, khám phá ra bản đối lập về tính cách từ hình ảnh con người kia trong thân xác anh. Mọi thứ dường như dần thay đổi với một tính cách đối lập đầy mâu thuẫn của một con người khác tồn tại trong thân xác của Jeremy. Jeremy chỉ thực sự là chính mình trong những ngày sinh nhật đặc biệt. Mỗi ngày như thế dường như thời gian như dài hơn, vì càng ngày anh càng nhận ra con người thối tha đồi bại đang sống cùng vợ là người mà trước đây anh đã hết lòng yêu thương đến độ tự tử vì nàng.
Điều đặc biệt là, cứ mỗi lần như thế tưởng chừng như anh sẽ dần bỏ cuộc để số phận nghiệt ngã đánh gục mình nhưng sức mạnh tình yêu gia đình vợ con trong anh đã chiến thắng. Con người lương thiện trong Jeremy vẫn tiếp tục chiến đấu vật lộn với cái tà ác thâm hiểm để cuối cùng cũng được đáp lại bởi tình yêu thương.
Tôi rất thích cách Thierry Cohen miêu tả về cuộc đấu tranh nội tâm này. Trong sâu thẳm tâm hồn con người, có lẽ ai cũng có những mặt tốt và những mặt xấu ngày ngày chiến đấu với nhau để giành ưu thế, song bản chất con người vốn luôn hướng đến cái thiện.
Dù rằng, khi gặp phải một điều xấu, ta luôn ý thức được về điều đó song ta luôn yếu đuối nhiều lúc không thể vượt qua được nó. Phạm lỗi cũng giống như trở thành một con nghiện. Khi ta phạm những lỗi nhỏ, nếu ta không thể vượt qua nó, cứ thế phạm phải nhiều lần dần sẽ thành thói quen khó bỏ và hiển nhiên nó sẽ trở thành thường tình. Điều khó khăn là ta phải dùng đến cái lý trí để vượt qua chính con người yếu đuối. Ở nơi nhân vật Jeremy này, tác giả đã vẽ ra cho thấy một phần của bản tính mỗi người.
Tôi cũng rất thích một tình tiết gây ấn tượng mạnh với mình khi đọc, đó là tình cảm cha con giữa Jeremy và Simon luôn có một sự gắn kết kì diệu, để giúp Simon thấu hiểu được những điều sâu thẳm trong tâm hồn bố Jeremy. Để đến cuối cùng, ở nơi cuối con đường luôn có một tình yêu chờ đón sự trở lại của bố Jeremy trong yêu thương.
Một chút điểm lại những điều mà tôi đã học để bắt đầu bước vào một chuyến phiêu lưu mới cùng tác giả trong tập truyện mới.

[Obsidian · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Still With Me" by Thierry Cohen was written in response to a close friend of his committing suicide. Apparently this novel opened up a huge discussion of suicide in France and led to some practices being implemented in response to suicide.

"Still With Me" revolves around Jeremy, a 20 year old student who commits suicide on his 20th birthday when the girl he has loved since he was a child, Victoria, rejects his declaration of love and informs him she is engaged to someone else. Jeremy committing suicide wakes up and finds that a year has passed and it is now his 21st birthday and he is happily dating Victoria. Jeremy cannot remember the year proceeding and cannot believe that he and Victoria are not together.

Through discussions with Victoria and his best friend Pierre Jeremy we find is still selfish and solely fixated on Victoria for the cause of his own happiness.

The novel follows Jeremy from his 20th birthday til his old age still waking and finding that time has passed. I don't want to spoil the novel but when Jeremy finds out what is going on and why he is missing huge chunks of his life you will get chills. I loved how Thierry framed the story and the resolution at the end. Also seeing how Jeremy's own Judaism and religious beliefs came into play was very good and thoughtfully interwoven into the story.

I would recommend reading this but I think if anyone has known someone who has committed suicide or attempted it this subject and the way it is portrayed in this novel may be a bit too raw for you.

Please note that I received this novel for free via the Amazon Vine Program.

[Liliana Saquicela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok so, Thierry Cohen's Still with Me book cover caught my attention. To me it seemed very romantic but like the guy was in pain (not physically bit mentally.) Reading the blurb made me more interested so i was like, "hmm, looks interesting; lets see the reviews..." all of them if not most, were in (what really looks like) french......so i started to browsed thru it since its relatively short to some i've read (come on people, we all do it, sometimes book covers can be deceiving LOL).....going to the end i didn't understand one bit what happened, but it did leave me perplexed.....so i said,"what the heck, LETS DO THIS THING!!!" LOL
OMG!!!!...this book is so heart wrenching !!!Towards the end i sobbed and sobbed and sobbed, this would make a really good indie film!!!! (just sayin'!!)

Ok so the the novel starts of with jewish french guy named Jeremy (couldn't stop picturing TVD LOL) he very bravely professing his true feelings to his best friend Victoria on his 20th birthday , but she rejects him (harshly in my opinion but what do i know "/ guess poor guy thought she would say yes since it was his b-day..YIKES!)....Jeremy in his distraught state decides to end his life (no worries it was not anything gruesome)....When he wakes up he, Victoria is on his side very in love with him (WHAT?!?!) and it's his 21 birthday. Poor guy does not remember anything of the past year and is pretty confused about the whole thing. His moments are always on his birthday and last for only a day. This goes on and on, sometimes skipping several years. Every time Jeremy wakes up he realizes that the man that lives all that time he cannot remember is a monster. In the Little by little Jeremy looses those he loves. In the little time Jeremy does have on his days of awareness he tries his best to write the wrongs his other self has done and prevent (his other self) from doing anymore harm. Each visit becomes harder and harder for Jeremy, and he just wants it to stop, not being able to understand what would drive him to hurt his most loved ones.

QUOTES THAT STAND OUT TO ME

"I remember once hearing a religious person say that man has three chances to make somthing of himself. First, with the love and support of his parents. If he doesn't make it, his wife gives him another chance...If he fails, then his children are a last recourse. After that...he's doomed."

"...future. The word is misleading. It gives you the sense that there's some eternal race. But life comes to an end without ever making sense."

"What is hell but an awareness of our mistakes without the possibility of making them right?"

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Ich hätte es vorgezogen zu leben" ist ein sehr emotionaler Roman aus der Feder des französischen Autors Thierry Cohen, der mir insgesamt sehr gut gefallen hat.

Inhalt: Jeremy begeht am Abend seines 20. Geburtstags Selbstmord, da seine große Liebe Victoria seine Gefühle nicht erwidert. In einem hitzigen Streitgespräch mit Gott verabschiedet sich Jeremy von der Welt, doch ein Jahr später, am Morgen seines 21. Geburtstags wacht er wieder auf. An seiner Seite liegt Victoria, die ihm liebevoll zum Geburtstag gratuliert. Offenbar sind die beiden doch noch ein Paar geworden, nur Jeremy kann sich an nichts erinnern. Der Verdacht auf einen vorübergehenden Gedächtnisverlust bewahrheitet sich nicht, denn, als Jeremy das nächste Mal erwacht, hat er erneut Geburtstag - dieses Mal sind Jahre vergangen. Mit Entsetzen stellt er fest, dass sein Leben ganz anders verläuft, als gedacht, und er sich in dem Jeremy, der dieses Leben abgesehen von seinen wenigen wachen Stunden an seinen Geburtstagen führt, gar nicht wieder erkennt. In der kurzen Zeit, die ihm bleibt, versucht er den Schaden in Grenzen zu halten, doch wird er damit sein gemeinsames Leben mit Victoria retten können?

"Ich hätte es vorgezogen zu leben" ist ein emotional mitreißender Roman mit überzeugendem Hauptprotagonisten. Jeremy befindet sich oft am Rande der Verzweiflung, während er hilflos mit ansehen muss, wie ein anderer - sein anderes Ich, an das er keine Erinnerung hat - sein Leben zerstört. Mit allen und teilweise sehr drastischen Mitteln versucht er zu retten, was noch zu retten ist, und muss doch zusehen, wie sein Leben innerhalb weniger Stunden an ihm vorbeizieht, wie er jedes Mal in einem älteren Körper erwacht, ohne zu wissen, wie viele Jahre ihm dieses Mal fehlen werden, und wie Freunde und Familie sich von ihm abwenden.

Die Informationen darüber, was in den vergangenen Jahren passiert ist, streut der Autor sehr geschickt ein, ohne seine Protagonisten allzu unrealistisch reflektieren zu lassen. Stattdessen klaubt Jeremy sich alles aus Andeutungen und Fundstücken zusammen, die für ihn oft kaum Sinn ergeben. Auch der Leser tappt zusammen mit dem Protagonisten im Dunkeln und das Buch bleibt bis zum Ende fesselnd, sehr emotional, rührend und spannend.

Insgesamt hat die Geschichte einen ausgeprägten religiösen Hintergrund, was mich als unreligiöse Leserin aber nicht abschreckte. Der Roman wird schlüssig erzählt und vor allem hat dieses Buch, die zu Tränen rührende Aufforderung, das Leben zu nutzen, das man zur Verfügung hat, eine Aussage, die es nicht nur lesenswert macht, sondern es auch lange im Gedächtnis bleiben lässt.

Fazit: Ein wundervoller, emotionaler Roman, der mir Tränen in die Augen steigen ließ. Sehr lesenswert. 5 Sterne.

[belva hullp · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3 1/2*)
I found this book to be uniquely & hauntingly eerie.
It is the story of a young man who commits or attempts (?) to commit suicide upon being spurned by his one & only love. But he awakens to find himself married to the young woman and also the father of a new baby boy. Needless to say he is in shock. At the end of the day he finds himself falling back into the labyrinth from whence he had awakened that morning.
Through the remaining years of his life (?) time he will occasionally awaken on his birthday to find that years have passed, he is much older and his life is irrevocably changed and not for the better. For with each awakening he learns that during the span of time between, he has lived a life that has had a great negative effect on his family and friends. He comes to realize that he is not a good man. His family & friends have come to fear him. So he attempts to find a way to protect them from himself.
The concept of this book is HUGE! I found it to be fascinating and think that in the hands of a more experienced writer, Still with Me could have been an absolutely brilliant book. As it is, I found it to be very good and the reading of it has left me with much to ponder.
I do recommend it to a certain breed of reader but definitely not for all.

[mina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of this story was interesting, but at the end it felt eh... I didn’t have a problem with the religious aspects; at the beginning I didn’t know about it so when religion started to appear I was confused, I feel that it could’ve been introduced better.

Seeing Jeremy’s life only on his lucid birthdays and finding out he’s a jerk on all the other days didn’t really show me his life, what he’s going through – the characters seem too cardboard and I couldn’t connect to them. If I would to compare this book to food it would be like… having delicious food but without real flavor and eating it of a paper plate.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

The neurologist said I could start to read 20 to 30 minutes a day. Well, that was very hard with this book because I couldn't put it down, yet I had to. Intriguing, addicting, unlike anything I've ever read before, I highly recommend this book.

[Hiipatiia · Rating 4 out of 5]

{ redención - perdón - impotencia }

Una vida en nueve días; es el resumen más fiel que puedo dar del libro.

Una de las primeras historias que menciona a ese "dios" al que imploramos o castigamos, que pudo atraparme y engancharme. Y al que vuelvo siempre que recuerdo su historia.

[Elisia Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book addresses suicide, and the value of the life God has given us. It was amazing.

[Максим Дранко · Rating 5 out of 5]

Книга про жизнь. Читается стремительно, а послевкусие крайне долгое.

[Melanie Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite interesting and entertaining. Got you thinking ✨

[Özgün Onat]

YAŞAYABİLSEYDİM – THIERRY COHEN
Hediye olarak gelen Thierry Cohen’in Yaşayabilseydim adlı kitabını okudum. Bu türü sevenlere saygım sonsuz ama ben çok nadir olarak okuyorum. Ama kitap hızlıca yormadan okundu.
Tuhaf ve güzel bir aşk hikâyesi. Ölüm ve yaşam arasında gidip gelen… 8 Mayıs 2011 günü, 20 yaşına bastığında Jeremy intihar eder. Çünkü sevdiği kadın onu reddetmiştir. 8 Mayıs 2002 günü Jeremy uyanır. Yanında ona sırılsıklam âşık Victoria vardır. Gerçekten ölmüş müdür? Cennette midir? Cehennem? Gerçek nedir? Aradan geçen bir yılı neden hatırlayamaz?
Sadece doğum günlerinde, o da her sene değil bazen aradan bir yıl bazen birkaç yıl geçmiş olarak uyanır. Bilinçli olarak geçireceği sadece bir günü vardır ve bu süre içinde tüm gizemi çözmesi gerekmektir. Yaşadıklarının, hatırladıklarının hangisi gerçek, hangisi rüyadır? Kitabı okurken paralel evren senaryosunun içinde gibi hissediyorsunuz. Sanki De Javu, Yaşam Şifresi, Matrix gibi bir filmin sahnelerini izliyorsunuz.
Jeremy’nin çaresizliği, umutsuzca çabaları, Victoria’nın sonuna kadar eşine güvenip yardımcı olmaya çalışması ama yeterli olmayınca evlatlarını seçerek iyi bir anne olarak onları kurtarmaya ve korumaya çalışması, Jeremy’nin tek dostu Pierre’in önceleri yardım etmesi ama yıllar içinde çift kişilikli Jeremy’nin onu yorması ve kandırması sonucu artık dostuna yüz çevirmesi, Clotide'’in bencilce aşkına öncelik vermesi… Yaşananlar karşısında tüm insani davranışları, ruh hallerini okuyorsunuz. Jeremy’nin yaşadıkları kimi zaman psikiyatrik hastalıkla bilime kimi zamanda uykuya dalarken gördüğü dua eden ermişle dine yaklaşsa da dengeli giden bir kurgu. Tam yaz için plaj kitabı, yorulmadan merakla okuyacağınız bir roman.

[Scarlett Janeway-keck · Rating 3 out of 5]

God that was so heart wrenching I had my heart in my stomach the whole time reading this book. Yes it was very French reminded me a bit like Amélie where she sent the gnome on the trip and had a friend send postcards back to her father but that wasn't her life. At least that what I think happen don't remember the movie as clearly as I'd like. I feel so sorry for Jeremy even though I would never condone suicide someone life is to precious to just throw away. I know sone people's lives are tough a brutal and have to deal with tons of things, but that is what makes us human we have to take the good with the bad we have to have the ups and down cause if life were good all the time it be a flat line like on an EKG machine showing a person is dead that is no way to live. So Jeremy's life was so sad to keep waking up on his birthday with no memory of what happened before and to find out his other self was such an asshole and he was helpless to stop it. He sure had a lot of guilt and what would of happened if he ask for forgiveness sooner would his life changed and he get away from his amnesia he needed to understand his action of trying to kill himself did not just harm him it hurt everyone who knew and loved him. People who commit suicide need to think about the consequences of their actions before they go off and ruining other people's lives. It made seemed like an easy way out for that person but it selfish and cowardly. The endings a bit ambiguous because it could go two ways it seems kinda like he waking up from a coma or something the day after he tried to kill himself or he is finally being released to death and the afterlife what ever that is for him. It was a very hard book to read I was in tears for 90% of the book it was quite deep in places I enjoyed it.

[Joe Stamber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeremy grows up with Victoria and they are great friends. However, as adults Jeremy wants this to develop into romance but Victoria has no such desire. Things come to a head on Jeremy's 20th birthday when he decides to tell Victoria how he feels in an effort to win her heart. Unfortunately, Victoria chooses the same moment to introduce her fiancee. Oops.

Lovesick fool that he is, Jeremy is distraught and thinks that suicide is the only way to end this rejection. After this attempt to end his life, Jeremy's next moment of conciousness finds him waking up in bed with Victoria exactly a year later, with no explanation as to what has really happened.

I don't want to say more about the plot as it could be considered spoilers. Cohen has written a fascinating story that is quite difficult to describe. After giving up on love and life, a year later Jeremy seems to have everything he wants. Every time he wakes up, things have changed for the worse and every hour is a desperate struggle to put things right.

I can't quite make my mind up about the ending and how well it works. It's not that it disappointed me, it was more of a "hmmm" feeling. It was great to read something different that isn't easy to pigeon hole. I wanted to keep reading to find out what calamity occured next and how Jeremy dealt with it and ultimately an explantion of what had happened. Still With Me gripped me completely and gets a well-deserved 4 stars.

[Mi Camino Blanco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lectura rápida, de un día, y a pesar del exceso de trasfondo religioso, una bonita historia sobre la vida, el amor y la inevitabilidad de las consecuencias de nuestros actos.

Nuestras decisiones abren diferentes caminos, afectan nuestro devenir pero también el de las personas que de algún modo se han vinculado o se vincularían a nosotros.

Dice una reseña en la portada del libro que el autor dedicó el libro a un amigo que se suicidó y que tal vez de haber tenido la suerte de leerlo no lo hubiera hecho. Yo no lo afirmaría con tanta contundencia. Si bien la historia me ha atrapado por su belleza y la magia de su mensaje de esperanza, repito que para mí, el centrarse tanto en la vertiente religiosa, su análisis me parece algo sesgado limitándose a una cara de la moneda y sin sumergirse en las complejidades del comportamiento humano. El alma y no la mente es lo que prima en la novela.

No obstante, la lectura de este libro deja huella y su esencia permanece flotando un buen rato tras el paso de la última página.



https://www.micaminoblanco.blogspot.c...

[Asma Kirli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnifique roman, que j'avais tout d'abord pris pour un roman sur la seconde chance, le fait de réparer les erreurs d'une vie. En fait, ce n'est pas du tout comme cela que je l'ai ressenti, c'est pour moi un hymne à la famille, à l'amour, à l'amitié.
Ce roman parle des erreurs commises sur un coup de tête et que l'on paient durant sa vie entière. La vie est courte et pour le personnage central, elle l'est encore plus.
Il subit sans comprendre pourquoi.
La délivrance finit par arriver, elles arrive sous la forme de l'amour des siens, qui l'entourent durant ses dernières heures, ils lui donnent e bonheur précieux de faire partie d'une famille.
J'ai été extrêmement touché par cette histoire.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe this loses something in the translation. It felt really flat and characters seemed to speak more in speeches than sentences. It could have been a short story or novella since the point generally seemed to be, "Suicide is bad." There was often a reverse "It's a Wonderful Life" vibe where it seemed like Jeremy was being shown that everyone would have been better off without him, which is at odds with the suicide is bad message.

Not recommended.

[Julia Amante · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark love story. Not my typical read, but any book that makes me think about life and the reasons we are here is worth my time. Deals with the implications of suicide. Should be assigned to high schoolers who often need to be reminded about the value of life and how important life choices can be since they affect not only them, but those that love them.

[Shannon The Co-Captain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is definitely worth reading and it's a very quick read. I gave it 3.5 stars because the story is so original and that seems hard to find. I didn't know it was originally written in French until after I finished reading it. That fact made some things make a little more sense.

[Morgan White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although religion is a huge part of "Still With Me," I simply could not put it down. I am a religious person, but the only religious book I really like is the Bible itself. "Still With Me" broke my heart and kept me engaged nonstop.

[Stancy ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

C'était sympa mais ça a été long à démarrer. Il m'a fallu une centaine de pages pour commencer à apprécier le livre. Et il a fallu la fin pour que je sois vraiment dans l'histoire et que j'apprécie les personnages. Dommage !

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started off slow but by the time I finished this I was impressed. Very good!

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haunting, interesting, confusing at times, but the story stays with you long after you finish. It makes you think about the consequences of your actions and how they affect others around you.

[Julie Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

While reading this book I often found myself confused and have to go back and read passages again. With that being said this was a beautifully written story.

[Katya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not your usual read. On the contrary, this one is a very interesting and thought-provoking book. The theme is so close to my heart and reading it was a painful, but cathartic experience.
After I read it, I understood that this book is a result of the author’s own encounter with suicide. His best friend has committed suicide and the book came as the author’s response to this event, his coping mechanism to the devastating loss of a loved one.

On his twentieth birthday Jeremy takes his life. Rejected by Victoria, the girl whom he is in love with, he doesn’t have any more reason to keep on living. He commits the greatest sin known to humankind by defying God’s commandments.
On his twenty-first birthday he wakes up to find that he has survived his attempt and now his life has turned around. He has everything he has ever dreamed of.
But nothing is what it seems to be. Every once in a while, on his birthday, Jeremy wakes up to realize that he has missed years of his life. It is like someone else is living his life and he just comes for a day to see what has happened to him. The “other” Jeremy is cruel, manipulative, and malicious. He has hurt the people he loves the most, leaving nothing but pain and destruction.
Slowly, the truth is revealed and the reader is taken on a soul journey, both devastating and enlightening.
I must say that although the book is kind of an easy read, sometimes the plot is difficult to follow. It takes some effort to understand what exactly is happening. For me, it was like walking in a maze with some turns, which I didn’t expect, with some thoughts and emotions I couldn’t quite understand and cope with.
But because it is a personal and a deeply emotional journey, for each reader it is a different, in some parts an incomprehensible, but also a very captivating, read.
At the end, the author summarizes the very meaning of this act – committing suicide. There lies the revelation as well, which brings comfort and hope for one’s life.
Honestly, this book helped me a bit to understand some of the reasons why people could do this – refuse to live, deny the very right to be.
And, of course, the devastating consequences of this act for others.
I recommend it.

[Nika Vigo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Świetna lektura i dająca do myślenia. Połknęłam w kilka godzin na dwa razy.
Szkoda tylko, że polskie tłumaczenie (Wiktor Dłuski) pozostawia sporo do życzenia. Odnosiłam momentami wrażenie, że autor od dawna nie mieszka w Polsce, a korektor czytał pobieżnie i nie wyłapał "kwiatków" (korekta: Marianna Filipkowska i Julita Czahorowska). Chyba przeczytam sobie kiedyś jeszcze raz tę powieść w oryginale.

Przykład 1: strona 83
- Tato, widziałeś, jakiego mam skocza na ramieniu?
- To nie skocz, tylko opatrunek - sprostował Tomaszek...

Podejrzewam, że w oryginale jest słowo Scotch, jakim potocznie określa się taśmę klejącą. Ciekawe, czy czytelnik, który nie zna francuskiego, zorientuje się o co chodzi?

Przykład 2: strona 105
Taksówkarz opuścił gardę.

Ciekawe, jak to odbiera polski czytelnik? Może wyobraża sobie, że taksówkarz trzymał wcześniej jakiś oszczep albo inną broń? Tymczasem jest to prawdopodobnie po prostu kalka z francuskiego wyrażenia "baisser la garde". Czy nie można było jakoś obrazowo opisać sytuację, w której taksówkarz przestał być nieufny czy ostrożny. Na pewno coś by się po polsku znalazło.

Przykład 3: strona 113
Zauważył, że z ogrodzonego skwerku naprzeciwko domu mógł mieć widok na wielkie okna. Poszedł tam i znalazł mały boskiet, który nadawał się idealnie na punkt obserwacyjny.

Czy w języku polskim istnieje słowo boskiet? Ciekawe, co niby miało to oznaczać. Podejrzewam, że tym razem to nieudane spolszczenie słowa bosquet (zagajnik, lasek, kępa drzew). Ale czy przeciętny polski czytelnik musi to wiedzieć?

Doprawdy, aż poszukam oryginału, żeby sprawdzić, czy moje domysły były słuszne. Sama powieść jest bowiem świetna i trzyma w napięciu. Gdy zamykamy ja, długo jeszcze jej przesłanie chodzi nam po głowie. Szkoda, że niedociągnięcia tłumaczenia odciągają uwagę od jej istoty.

Świat Książki 2008