What do you think?
Rate this book
Are We There Yet?
Sixteen-year-old Elijah is completely mellow and his 23-year-old brother Danny is completely not, so it’s no wonder they can barely tolerate one another. So what better way to repair their broken relationship than to trick them into taking a trip to Italy together? Soon, though, their parents’ perfect solution has become Danny and Elijah’s nightmare as they’re forced to spend countless hours together. But then Elijah meets Julia, and soon the brothers aren’t together nearly as much. And then Julia meets Danny and soon all three of them are in a mixed-up, turned-around, never-what-you-expect world of brothers, Italy, and love.
Are We There Yet? isn’t about a place on a map, it’s about a place in the heart. David Levithan has written a magical story of a journey definitely worth taking.
Are We There Yet? isn’t about a place on a map, it’s about a place in the heart. David Levithan has written a magical story of a journey definitely worth taking.
215 pages, Hardcover
First published July 12, 2005
91 people are currently reading
5932 people want to read
About the author
David Levithan
119 books19.5k followersDavid Levithan (born 1972) is an American children's book editor and award-winning author. He published his first YA book, Boy Meets Boy, in 2003. Levithan is also the founding editor of PUSH, a Young Adult imprint of Scholastic Press.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 390 reviews
April 11, 2021
2.5 stars if I'm being generous. The Julia storyline was so dumb and pointless. Honestly, if that part had been left out of the book, this could have gained another star or more. I enjoyed the traveling aspect and the brothers getting to know each other again, and I appreciated the snippets about how they maintained the relationship in the future.
August 4, 2011
First of all, I'm surprised by my own reaction to this book. Usually, I am completely against any books that includes drug use but does not condemn it. In Are We There Yet?, one of the main characters smokes pot in a sort of neutral way--- this habit is neither encouraged nor discouraged. Since I am stubbornly against any drug use whatsoever, I was surprised that this didn't severely lower my enjoyment of the book. Because I enjoyed it very much.
This book was also sort of unusual for me because its two main characters are boys and it is centered on relationships . No--I know what you're thinking--not romantic ones, family relationships. ;) I've never delved very far into this category, always sticking with sister-mother, sister-brother, and etc, but never brother-brother. This meant that this book was a huge insight into the world of brother-to-brother relationships for me. This book also illustrates sibling-to-sibling relationships and how age differences affect them.
I loved how this book made you an expert on both brothers. By the end of the book, any reader would be able to read a passage from one brother's point of view and figure out who it was. This is one of the few books in which I have been so quickly in tune with the main characters thoughts, feelings, goals, and actions.
I cannot give this five stars because I thought the resolution came quickly and without as much communication as I hoped. Perhaps that is a female point of view that wishes for that, while the male point of view is satisfied... I also am unsure if I'm rating it as a four star because it lacks action, which I love. But it was funny and kept me hooked... oh I don't know! I'll indecisively give it four and a half stars. :)
The book looks very personally into the hearts and minds of the brothers, removing the stoic masculine shield. Thus, my deepest desire after reading this book would probably be to throw it at some real-life brothers and ask them if this book truthfully touches upon parts of their own relationships. But I'm afraid I'm not quite that brave... and I'm not sure if the situation was reversed and I was one of the brothers, if I would even answer truthfully.
December 15, 2024
It had been a very long break on my part, and I completely forgot how stupid Young Adult literature could actually get.
'Are We There Yet?' is a very old book. A 2005 novel from back in time, when YA was still on top of the game, and David Levithan was a household name. The copy I own is a recent rebranding. A colourful, cartoonish cover, accompanied by the 'Harper Collins Children's' labelling and a glowing endorsement by the ever-amazing Alice Oseman. Although, let's be honest, the brand is as good as dead. It's stale, and it's a waning breed of literature.
So much so that nobody even bothered to add this edition to Goodreads.
It tells you about reading as an activity in general. The frailty of the publishing industry. The virtual booting of YA into oblivion. And the influx of BookTok in influencing an ageing demographic. The 'new adult' genre and the post-pandemic reader base have made sure that books like these are a relic of the past. I don't think you will easily find middle-aged authors writing seventeen-year-olds as moody, gloomy, anarchists anymore. And even if they do, they'll probably fill the pages up with copious amounts of sex to distract the audience!
Anyways, this one has two estranged brothers in the middle. 23-year-old budding 'workaholic' Danny Silver. And 16-year-old happy-go-lucky teenage escapist, Elijah. They are brothers. They don't see eye to eye. And they're tricked into going on a trip to Italy, and now must learn to co-exist together throughout the journey!
How fun is that?
There's also a hint of a summer romance and a volatile love triangle between the three main characters. All of it, lodged within the tirade of endless museum hopping and a 'lifeless' implementation of the English language. I use the word so callously because that's precisely what I felt while reading this thing. Although the book was racy and I gobbled it up very quickly, I was probably expecting a lot more comprehension out of its silly, shallow premise.
The author religiously treads the line between witty and edgy but doesn't help his own cause by failing to imbibe the vibe of tourist Italy. There's obviously the icky prose, the awkwardness in dialogues, and the never-ending barrage of placeholder descriptions, but it's somehow made worse by its rushed relationship dynamics and utterly pointless character arcs. Ending up with a surface-level exploration in brotherhood, relationships, and tension that leaves a lot to be desired.
In short, this was quite lame. Made me feel nothing. And I probably won't be recommending this to anyone expecting a wholesome, fluffy, movie-like read to blow some steam off.
(2/5 || December, 2024)
'Are We There Yet?' is a very old book. A 2005 novel from back in time, when YA was still on top of the game, and David Levithan was a household name. The copy I own is a recent rebranding. A colourful, cartoonish cover, accompanied by the 'Harper Collins Children's' labelling and a glowing endorsement by the ever-amazing Alice Oseman. Although, let's be honest, the brand is as good as dead. It's stale, and it's a waning breed of literature.
So much so that nobody even bothered to add this edition to Goodreads.
It tells you about reading as an activity in general. The frailty of the publishing industry. The virtual booting of YA into oblivion. And the influx of BookTok in influencing an ageing demographic. The 'new adult' genre and the post-pandemic reader base have made sure that books like these are a relic of the past. I don't think you will easily find middle-aged authors writing seventeen-year-olds as moody, gloomy, anarchists anymore. And even if they do, they'll probably fill the pages up with copious amounts of sex to distract the audience!
Anyways, this one has two estranged brothers in the middle. 23-year-old budding 'workaholic' Danny Silver. And 16-year-old happy-go-lucky teenage escapist, Elijah. They are brothers. They don't see eye to eye. And they're tricked into going on a trip to Italy, and now must learn to co-exist together throughout the journey!
How fun is that?
There's also a hint of a summer romance and a volatile love triangle between the three main characters. All of it, lodged within the tirade of endless museum hopping and a 'lifeless' implementation of the English language. I use the word so callously because that's precisely what I felt while reading this thing. Although the book was racy and I gobbled it up very quickly, I was probably expecting a lot more comprehension out of its silly, shallow premise.
The author religiously treads the line between witty and edgy but doesn't help his own cause by failing to imbibe the vibe of tourist Italy. There's obviously the icky prose, the awkwardness in dialogues, and the never-ending barrage of placeholder descriptions, but it's somehow made worse by its rushed relationship dynamics and utterly pointless character arcs. Ending up with a surface-level exploration in brotherhood, relationships, and tension that leaves a lot to be desired.
In short, this was quite lame. Made me feel nothing. And I probably won't be recommending this to anyone expecting a wholesome, fluffy, movie-like read to blow some steam off.
(2/5 || December, 2024)
June 18, 2009
This book is a quick, relaxed read because it doesn't have many pages, because most pages aren't even fully filled and because of the short chapters with the changing points of view.
What I enjoyed most about this book was the language, Levithan is quite a genius when it comes to describing feelings/thoughts/architecture/whatever. His style is so original and poetic without being boring or incomprehensible.
It was funny that Danny's and Elijah's journey took them through almost the same cities I've been to in Italy myself. It was much easier for me to imagine all the places they visited and it was also nice to see them through different eyes. Danny and Elijah are mostly amazed by everything they see while I didn't like much of what I saw when I visited Rome and Florence.
One last thing I liked was the Julia/Danny twist. I really didn't expect that one.
What I enjoyed most about this book was the language, Levithan is quite a genius when it comes to describing feelings/thoughts/architecture/whatever. His style is so original and poetic without being boring or incomprehensible.
It was funny that Danny's and Elijah's journey took them through almost the same cities I've been to in Italy myself. It was much easier for me to imagine all the places they visited and it was also nice to see them through different eyes. Danny and Elijah are mostly amazed by everything they see while I didn't like much of what I saw when I visited Rome and Florence.
One last thing I liked was the Julia/Danny twist. I really didn't expect that one.
January 7, 2022
Lowkey, started reading this and didn’t really think I’d enjoy it because it had a messy love triangle and I hate love triangles, but surprisingly, I kind of loved it!
It was sweet and funny and the characters were likeable enough. Four stars because the love triangle was unnecessary haha and I didn’t really LOVE Julia (also could have been because I was more invested in repairing the relationship between the brothers)
It was sweet and funny and the characters were likeable enough. Four stars because the love triangle was unnecessary haha and I didn’t really LOVE Julia (also could have been because I was more invested in repairing the relationship between the brothers)
May 6, 2011
Liked it! It was short, yet surprisingly satisfying. I do have to say that there could have been a lot of stuff that can happen, but hey, it's not my book. The voice used in Are We There Yet? is different from David Levithan's collaborations. First of all, it's not in the first person point-of-view. I admit, I was kind of disappointed at first. Levithan's first person narrations are a riot. However, the third person narrative gave an in-depth no-nonsense feel to the story. Which I surprisingly dig. Dug? Hmmm.
I gave it three stars becauseI feel like all I'm giving are fours and fives and I'm being a little lenient I feel that there are some major things missing. I can see the character development, especially with Danny, the older brother, but it feels forced and too sudden. I liked Danny's character though, and I feel like he's the face of most of the twenty-somethings that's part of the corporate world (aka the world were friends are scarce). I feel bad for him, really! He has no one to send postcards to, unlike Elijah who has Cal. He has nobody to miss, and no one's back home to miss him. Man, that's so sad. Then there's Elijah, who I basically like because of his amiable personality and all. In many ways I relate to him, because I don't feel like growing up too. But what can we really do about it, huh? Julia, I don't like much. I feel like she's not a major part of the story. It would have gone on smoothly without her. Maybe she's a catalyst? I don't know. But one thing's for sure: I. Don't. Like. Her.
Despite the three stars, I still think this book is worthy of reading. I'm looking forward to more Levithan books (although they're really rare in bookstores, like really rare). Hopefully I'd stumble upon a copy of, let's say, The Realm of Possibility. And hopefully it'll be on sale too.
I gave it three stars because
Despite the three stars, I still think this book is worthy of reading. I'm looking forward to more Levithan books (although they're really rare in bookstores, like really rare). Hopefully I'd stumble upon a copy of, let's say, The Realm of Possibility. And hopefully it'll be on sale too.
April 15, 2019
"So is this normal?" Danny asks.
"Don't go for normal", Ari suggests. "Go for happy. Go for what you want it to be instead of settling for what it is."
.
I breezed through this in a day because I got connected with both brothers immediately. I have 3 younger brothers myself. I take pride with how close they are to me and I to them. But this book gave me a better perspective on brother-brother relationship.
It made me realize that they are all sweet and loving to me. But not really with each other. They tell me everything (relationships, difficulties in school/work, frustration with our parents and themselves, etc.) but I don't think they do that with each other. They are not the typical rowdy and bully to each other either. They just are what they are.
This book gave me a better understanding of that. It's a story about two brothers who think the only thing linking them together now is the same set of parents they have, when in reality, they are more alike than what they would care to believe.
When I finished it, I felt that there should've been more to it. More communication between the two. More expression of things. More verbalization. Just something more. Then I realized, this is something I should understand more as well, that for brothers, that's how things are resolved. That's how they show and know that they care and love each other.
.
I recommend this to anyone who want to understand sibling relationships better. Especially that of brother-brother.
Also Communication- this applies to all types of relationships. We are often quick to assume and embarrassed to talk. May reading this remind you of the importance of that.
"Don't go for normal", Ari suggests. "Go for happy. Go for what you want it to be instead of settling for what it is."
.
I breezed through this in a day because I got connected with both brothers immediately. I have 3 younger brothers myself. I take pride with how close they are to me and I to them. But this book gave me a better perspective on brother-brother relationship.
It made me realize that they are all sweet and loving to me. But not really with each other. They tell me everything (relationships, difficulties in school/work, frustration with our parents and themselves, etc.) but I don't think they do that with each other. They are not the typical rowdy and bully to each other either. They just are what they are.
This book gave me a better understanding of that. It's a story about two brothers who think the only thing linking them together now is the same set of parents they have, when in reality, they are more alike than what they would care to believe.
When I finished it, I felt that there should've been more to it. More communication between the two. More expression of things. More verbalization. Just something more. Then I realized, this is something I should understand more as well, that for brothers, that's how things are resolved. That's how they show and know that they care and love each other.
.
I recommend this to anyone who want to understand sibling relationships better. Especially that of brother-brother.
Also Communication- this applies to all types of relationships. We are often quick to assume and embarrassed to talk. May reading this remind you of the importance of that.
July 21, 2017
Can't say that the plot was dramatic enough to keep me on edge like my usual reads in fact there's barely action and mostly thoughts, descriptions and feelings. Usually I try to keep away from this type of books as much as possible because they bore me and feel like a waste of time but god dammit, David Levithan makes me want to consider reading more of this style. The way he words out Elijah and Danny's feelings, the tiny details of their trip to Italy, the sappy flashbacks (my favourite) it's all so poetic and passionate and far from boring. Perfect for a short, chill evening read.
August 8, 2015
De alguna forma es el más flojito que he leído de David. Tiene un problema con el ritmo que se nota más que en otros libros suyos. La trama no es muy compleja, pero eso es algo que tienen todos los libros de Levithan. El problema está realmente en que el argumento quizá no sea tan llamativo o esté tan bien planteado como podría haberlo estado.
Lo que más me ha sorprendido es que me gustaba uno de los dos hermanos hasta la mitad del libro, para pasar a dejar de gustarme y entender por completo al otro en la segunda mitad. No sé si fui yo, que cambié en el tiempo que lo he estado leyendo, David, que lo tenía así pensado, o mi sensibilidad momentánea.
Pero tiene las frases de Levithan, pese a todos, y la misma capacidad de conmover con sus pequeñas (pero grandes) cápsulas de sabiduría.
Lo que más me ha sorprendido es que me gustaba uno de los dos hermanos hasta la mitad del libro, para pasar a dejar de gustarme y entender por completo al otro en la segunda mitad. No sé si fui yo, que cambié en el tiempo que lo he estado leyendo, David, que lo tenía así pensado, o mi sensibilidad momentánea.
Pero tiene las frases de Levithan, pese a todos, y la misma capacidad de conmover con sus pequeñas (pero grandes) cápsulas de sabiduría.
February 7, 2017
Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...
Elijah is 16. He's about to finish highschool and move onto college with his bestfriend Cal. Danny is 23. He's a successful business man in a big company. Elijah and Danny are brothers, although they don't feel this way. Their parents decide to send them to Italy together as a surprise. Neither of them are thrilled by the idea, until they meet Julia.
The entire book I was just bored.... I didn't like the characters and didn't connect to any of them. I hated the writing style and found it difficult to read. Just not the book for me.
Elijah is 16. He's about to finish highschool and move onto college with his bestfriend Cal. Danny is 23. He's a successful business man in a big company. Elijah and Danny are brothers, although they don't feel this way. Their parents decide to send them to Italy together as a surprise. Neither of them are thrilled by the idea, until they meet Julia.
The entire book I was just bored.... I didn't like the characters and didn't connect to any of them. I hated the writing style and found it difficult to read. Just not the book for me.
August 6, 2015
2.5 stars
This was a decent enough book, but most of the time I found myself annoyed with the pretentious-feeling over-the-top philosophical writing. For most of the book I was just ready for it to be over. I really only liked Danny's character, and I liked what little we saw of Cal. All of the other characters I was not particularly fond of. There were certain points where I was enjoying the story, and I liked the ending, but overall I felt like the story was just okay, and I was definitely disappointed by it.
This was a decent enough book, but most of the time I found myself annoyed with the pretentious-feeling over-the-top philosophical writing. For most of the book I was just ready for it to be over. I really only liked Danny's character, and I liked what little we saw of Cal. All of the other characters I was not particularly fond of. There were certain points where I was enjoying the story, and I liked the ending, but overall I felt like the story was just okay, and I was definitely disappointed by it.
August 2, 2017
“How did my world get so small?”
Elijah and Danny are connected by blood and nothing more. As a manipulative ploy to get them to work out their issues, Danny and Elijah's mother tricks them into going on a holiday together. In Italy. For nine days. You can imagine how thrilled both of them were about their mother's deception. Danny is furious and Elijah is complacent. Awkward small-talk ensues.
I really love the premise of this book. My brother and I are also 7 years apart, and it's crazy how we went from loving each other as kids to resenting each other as teens, to understanding each other as adults. It took a long time and a lot of long talks to get to where we are today but now we are closer than ever. Are We There Yet? manages to explore that strange sibling dynamic over a period of nine days. That's pretty cool.
I really appreciated how the focus remained on the brothers all throughout the story. The romance with Julia was more of a quick fling to further the plot and did not take the attention away from the sibling drama. If anything, it actually helped develop both the conflict and resolution between Elijah and Danny.
Another thing I really enjoyed was seeing all of the different cities through both Elijah and Danny's eyes. I've been to all of the same places they visited, so it was really interesting to see how they felt about each city and what they had to offer. I've come to the conclusion that, as a traveler, sometimes I'm Danny and sometimes I'm Elijah. It really depends on how much sleep I've gotten, haha.
All in all, the story was just okay. The ending was a little abrupt but it did end in a promising way. Perhaps this book was meant to be short for a reason but I believe it had potential to be so much more.
In any case, this book served its purpose for BookTube-A-Thon. I might have DNF'd it if not for that reason. For me, it was just a tedious box to check off on a list. It also left me feeling profoundly lonely... but that's probably just a Layla-issue and not a book-issue.
David Levithan's books are usually hits or misses for me, and although I appreciated the focus on siblings in this one, it was still a miss. Take from that what you will.
Find me (and my reviews) elsewhere:
My Blog ● Instagram ● Twitter
Elijah and Danny are connected by blood and nothing more. As a manipulative ploy to get them to work out their issues, Danny and Elijah's mother tricks them into going on a holiday together. In Italy. For nine days. You can imagine how thrilled both of them were about their mother's deception. Danny is furious and Elijah is complacent. Awkward small-talk ensues.
I really love the premise of this book. My brother and I are also 7 years apart, and it's crazy how we went from loving each other as kids to resenting each other as teens, to understanding each other as adults. It took a long time and a lot of long talks to get to where we are today but now we are closer than ever. Are We There Yet? manages to explore that strange sibling dynamic over a period of nine days. That's pretty cool.
I really appreciated how the focus remained on the brothers all throughout the story. The romance with Julia was more of a quick fling to further the plot and did not take the attention away from the sibling drama. If anything, it actually helped develop both the conflict and resolution between Elijah and Danny.
Another thing I really enjoyed was seeing all of the different cities through both Elijah and Danny's eyes. I've been to all of the same places they visited, so it was really interesting to see how they felt about each city and what they had to offer. I've come to the conclusion that, as a traveler, sometimes I'm Danny and sometimes I'm Elijah. It really depends on how much sleep I've gotten, haha.
All in all, the story was just okay. The ending was a little abrupt but it did end in a promising way. Perhaps this book was meant to be short for a reason but I believe it had potential to be so much more.
In any case, this book served its purpose for BookTube-A-Thon. I might have DNF'd it if not for that reason. For me, it was just a tedious box to check off on a list. It also left me feeling profoundly lonely... but that's probably just a Layla-issue and not a book-issue.
David Levithan's books are usually hits or misses for me, and although I appreciated the focus on siblings in this one, it was still a miss. Take from that what you will.
Find me (and my reviews) elsewhere:
My Blog ● Instagram ● Twitter
November 23, 2022
anotha one
January 18, 2020
This was an enjoyable easy read with the odd moral issue and the odd romance thrown in. May be addressed to younger readers but enough in it for those a bit older like me.
January 26, 2015
Are We There yet focuses on the characters of Elijah and Danny who are brothers. It would seem that Elijah is the dreamy brother, who loves to hang out with his friends at boarding school and has endless conversations with strangers. Meanwhile, Danny is the elder brother who is hardworking, serious, and completely devoted to his first job in advertising.
Throughout the novel, we learn that Elijah thinks of Danny as being a sellout, a phony, and a liar. While Danny throughout the novel thinks of Elijah as being a penniless, pothead fallback, with no sense of reality. Both brothers have forgotten the affection they once had for each other.
In an attempt to get the two siblings to communicate again, their parents send them on a tour of Italy. Through an impressionistic blend of novel, travelogue and poetry, Are We There Yet is about the brothers' travels through Venice, Florence and Rome.
In the novel, Levithan tackles the notion of travelling especially in a foreign country (which is to be making things seem simultaneously immediate and very faraway) using the two brothers’ interactions with people they meet along the way on their travels. He covers the major sites of each city, along with minor sites important to each character throughout the novel which for me works extremely well and drives the novel forward.
Notably, Levithan writes about the remnants of once-thriving Jewish communities in each city. When the bothers visit the infamous Jewish ghetto in Venice, immortalized by Shakespeare's Shylock, they read that 8,000 Italian Jews were sent to concentration camps during the Holocaust. Only eight returned.
Later, a guide notes that the Venetian Jewish community now numbers about 600 in a city of approximately 63,000. Doubly an outsider, as an American-Jew in an Italian city filled with some of the most famous Christian artwork in the world, Danny starts to question his place in the world, and a system of values that has left him largely alone.
When he and Elijah fight about a woman Elijah meets at the scene of an accident, the brothers separate, leaving them both truly alone in a foreign country. Slowly each comes to realize that despite the pleasures and autonomy of being alone, "it's good to share a life."
But Elijah then realizes that he isolates himself through casual relationships and does not express his feelings for the people he truly loves. Danny sees that his work has come between him and the people who love him most. The brothers reunite in Rome. They share a serendipitous sunrise at the Parthenon, followed by a tour of all the sites in the movie Roman Holiday, which they are surprised to discover they both love.
One of my favourite parts of the novel is where in a touching conversation between Danny and one of his childhood friends, Levithan touches on the difficulty of being brothers, when the process of growing up interferes with the bond they once shared. That to me not only explores the dynamic of accumulating distance between brothers, but also looks at the way Danny and Elijah begin to close the gap as they gain maturity.
But overall, I enjoyed this novel. Levithan has a way of making you think about things in the most simplistic way possible that doesn’t put you off, it only draws you in even closer. To me, the optimism that is part of Levithan's other novels saturates this book, offering the following advice for relationships: "Don't go for normal. Go for happy. Go for what you want it to be instead of settling for what is.
That is what this novel has taught me and will teach you too. And that is advice that we should all use on a daily basis, no matter what your goals and aspirations are in life. And that is why to me Literature is and always will be an important part in my life.
Throughout the novel, we learn that Elijah thinks of Danny as being a sellout, a phony, and a liar. While Danny throughout the novel thinks of Elijah as being a penniless, pothead fallback, with no sense of reality. Both brothers have forgotten the affection they once had for each other.
In an attempt to get the two siblings to communicate again, their parents send them on a tour of Italy. Through an impressionistic blend of novel, travelogue and poetry, Are We There Yet is about the brothers' travels through Venice, Florence and Rome.
In the novel, Levithan tackles the notion of travelling especially in a foreign country (which is to be making things seem simultaneously immediate and very faraway) using the two brothers’ interactions with people they meet along the way on their travels. He covers the major sites of each city, along with minor sites important to each character throughout the novel which for me works extremely well and drives the novel forward.
Notably, Levithan writes about the remnants of once-thriving Jewish communities in each city. When the bothers visit the infamous Jewish ghetto in Venice, immortalized by Shakespeare's Shylock, they read that 8,000 Italian Jews were sent to concentration camps during the Holocaust. Only eight returned.
Later, a guide notes that the Venetian Jewish community now numbers about 600 in a city of approximately 63,000. Doubly an outsider, as an American-Jew in an Italian city filled with some of the most famous Christian artwork in the world, Danny starts to question his place in the world, and a system of values that has left him largely alone.
When he and Elijah fight about a woman Elijah meets at the scene of an accident, the brothers separate, leaving them both truly alone in a foreign country. Slowly each comes to realize that despite the pleasures and autonomy of being alone, "it's good to share a life."
But Elijah then realizes that he isolates himself through casual relationships and does not express his feelings for the people he truly loves. Danny sees that his work has come between him and the people who love him most. The brothers reunite in Rome. They share a serendipitous sunrise at the Parthenon, followed by a tour of all the sites in the movie Roman Holiday, which they are surprised to discover they both love.
One of my favourite parts of the novel is where in a touching conversation between Danny and one of his childhood friends, Levithan touches on the difficulty of being brothers, when the process of growing up interferes with the bond they once shared. That to me not only explores the dynamic of accumulating distance between brothers, but also looks at the way Danny and Elijah begin to close the gap as they gain maturity.
But overall, I enjoyed this novel. Levithan has a way of making you think about things in the most simplistic way possible that doesn’t put you off, it only draws you in even closer. To me, the optimism that is part of Levithan's other novels saturates this book, offering the following advice for relationships: "Don't go for normal. Go for happy. Go for what you want it to be instead of settling for what is.
That is what this novel has taught me and will teach you too. And that is advice that we should all use on a daily basis, no matter what your goals and aspirations are in life. And that is why to me Literature is and always will be an important part in my life.
March 2, 2011
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story of two semi-estranged brothers on a forced trip "alone together" in Italy. Yes, your expectation is "they will learn to appreciate each other" but Levithan approaches that sideways, typical of his quirky atypicalness. I appreciated the less-stereotypical-than-you-think-at-first characters, the offbeat travelogue of Italy seen through both brothers' experiences, and the
realistic, engaging sibling dynamics both in the brothers' current strained relationship and in flashbacks to their sometimes-annoyed, sometimes close childhood.
Levithan is uniquely creative with words and phrases, as usual, and delight is a thread throughout even in the mildly angsty bits.
I did puzzle a bit over the potential teen audience for this one. The story is very upper-middle/upperclass Caucasian, with a definite but not pervasive secular-Jewish flavor. I'd say this is one for introspective teen boys of one or both of those social groups, teen girls who enjoy reading about books written from a boy's and young man's point of view, and existing Levithan fans who don't know about it but aren't looking only for his LGBT-themed titles (warning: heterosexual romance in this one!) Oh, and it's a fast read, so it's good for those teens who "need to read something short" for school assignments (and who fit the other demographics; I can just hear what a working-class or poor teen would say about these spoiled-but-don't-realize-it 'rich kids' and their 'problems')
August 13, 2010
OH, my. Every Levithan book I've read is an amazing gift of words. ARE WE THERE YET? is funny, heartbreaking. I love Danny and Elijah and I want to strangle them. But what deep, reflective characters they are. Danny and Elijah, the Silver brothers, are 7 years apart and have never really been close. Their mother forces the issue the summer before Elijah's senior year in high school by tricking the boys into taking an Italian vacation together. We see all the petty resentments, misunderstandings, irritations, patterns of ugliness...we recognize all of them from our own dealings with siblings.
The boys go to Venice, to Florence, and to Rome. Danny makes pilgrimages to the Jewish ghettos in each city, and Elijah visits museums.
We see each brother grow, make bad decisions, make good decisions. The two brothers who return to the US in nine days are NOT the ones who left.
Along the way, Levithan has written a love letter to Italy, to travel, to love, and to family.
The boys go to Venice, to Florence, and to Rome. Danny makes pilgrimages to the Jewish ghettos in each city, and Elijah visits museums.
We see each brother grow, make bad decisions, make good decisions. The two brothers who return to the US in nine days are NOT the ones who left.
Along the way, Levithan has written a love letter to Italy, to travel, to love, and to family.
January 27, 2015
I liked it. There was a lot of insight but I didn't feel the same character connection I've felt with other David Levithan stories.
I never usually comment on what tense a story is written--whether it's first or third or even second person narrative, because if a story is well written it doesn't bother me, and if someone were to ask me what tense or POV some of my favourite stories were written in I probably wouldn't know without reading--but I LOVED that this was written third person present tense :)
I never usually comment on what tense a story is written--whether it's first or third or even second person narrative, because if a story is well written it doesn't bother me, and if someone were to ask me what tense or POV some of my favourite stories were written in I probably wouldn't know without reading--but I LOVED that this was written third person present tense :)
December 28, 2021
Very short but we'll written novel. Loved the Italian setting! I could relate to the characters, when there is a larger gap in age it can be hard for siblings to bond when they are younger. I liked how they started to bond and I can see it strengthening as they get older and are more in the same places in their lives.
August 6, 2011
I want to go to Italy with Danny & Elijah. And I'd go anywhere with David Levithan.
September 24, 2016
I still wonder how David's books manage to give me the answers to questions I have about life, even those I haven't asked yet.
May 27, 2021
Essentially, this is a 4.5 rating for me but Goodreads still hasn't added half ratings (which should really be a thing). I stormed through ARE WE THERE YET? in a day, less than a day, really, because I started way after midday and finished just after midnight!
Danny and Elijah are complete opposites, common in only one factor: being brothers. One is laid back, goes where the wind takes him, while the other is rigid plans and crisp suits. When they're forced to spend nine days together touring several cities in Italy, it sounds like both their worst nightmare. Seven years apart in age, time and life simply pushed it's way between them and forced them apart, away, and to a weird place that they have no idea where to start rebuilding back. Yet over Venice, Florence, and Rome, Elijah and Danny both equally and respectively recall that once upon a time they were close, caring of each other, and had inside jokes as siblings do. While none of the brothers share the revelations and recollections, they do share the sights and experience of Italy in their own ways.
Danny has a thoughtful pointed view of the attractions he sees. It makes him think about life on a larger scale, of seeing one thing as a bigger piece of the entire picture. It makes him feel like he belongs--and if in any environment he doesn't he tries to look for his people. Where Danny actively tries to find his moments, Elijah wants to let the moments find him. He doesn't always know where he's going when he sets out but he knows when he arrives. He can stand in the middle of an experience and only know it was the thing he meant to find as it happens. He takes everything in this way best. Both the brothers give thoughtful, speculative, intimate descriptions of the sights they see on holiday, spinning a new light on tourism, culture, being a fish out of water but knowing every fish has it's own pond anywhere, and how we're viewed when nobody's watching--and how we're viewed when everyone is.
When a girl, Julia--the reason for my lack of stars because honestly what was WITH her character? She had no explanation except to be a barrier between the brothers and make Elijah experience a fling, a brief love (which was underage because he was 16 and she was 19), and learn from his actions--forces them physically apart, taking up all Elijah's time, it gives Danny more space to think than he'd like. But this ends up being so pivotal to his own realisations: who is he when nobody expects anything from him? And why is he the person he is when people *are*? While Danny finds himself, Elijah loses himself in terms of forgoing his previous no-plans-only-walk method and forgets to write postcards to his best friend, Cal. They gain and lose, lose and gain, and come together in the end to an understanding only distanced siblings can: life happens and it can really suck but there are moments to recall when you realise that time spent was great, better than you think in the moment.
And while time and life can wedge itself between people, they're essentially invisible things and distances can be crossed if both people are willing to start sewing the tear everything made.
Danny and Elijah are complete opposites, common in only one factor: being brothers. One is laid back, goes where the wind takes him, while the other is rigid plans and crisp suits. When they're forced to spend nine days together touring several cities in Italy, it sounds like both their worst nightmare. Seven years apart in age, time and life simply pushed it's way between them and forced them apart, away, and to a weird place that they have no idea where to start rebuilding back. Yet over Venice, Florence, and Rome, Elijah and Danny both equally and respectively recall that once upon a time they were close, caring of each other, and had inside jokes as siblings do. While none of the brothers share the revelations and recollections, they do share the sights and experience of Italy in their own ways.
Danny has a thoughtful pointed view of the attractions he sees. It makes him think about life on a larger scale, of seeing one thing as a bigger piece of the entire picture. It makes him feel like he belongs--and if in any environment he doesn't he tries to look for his people. Where Danny actively tries to find his moments, Elijah wants to let the moments find him. He doesn't always know where he's going when he sets out but he knows when he arrives. He can stand in the middle of an experience and only know it was the thing he meant to find as it happens. He takes everything in this way best. Both the brothers give thoughtful, speculative, intimate descriptions of the sights they see on holiday, spinning a new light on tourism, culture, being a fish out of water but knowing every fish has it's own pond anywhere, and how we're viewed when nobody's watching--and how we're viewed when everyone is.
When a girl, Julia--the reason for my lack of stars because honestly what was WITH her character? She had no explanation except to be a barrier between the brothers and make Elijah experience a fling, a brief love (which was underage because he was 16 and she was 19), and learn from his actions--forces them physically apart, taking up all Elijah's time, it gives Danny more space to think than he'd like. But this ends up being so pivotal to his own realisations: who is he when nobody expects anything from him? And why is he the person he is when people *are*? While Danny finds himself, Elijah loses himself in terms of forgoing his previous no-plans-only-walk method and forgets to write postcards to his best friend, Cal. They gain and lose, lose and gain, and come together in the end to an understanding only distanced siblings can: life happens and it can really suck but there are moments to recall when you realise that time spent was great, better than you think in the moment.
And while time and life can wedge itself between people, they're essentially invisible things and distances can be crossed if both people are willing to start sewing the tear everything made.
November 1, 2017
Sadly, I was rather dissapointed by this book. I was expecting to get deep emotions, family drama, brotherly bonding, charcter development and so much more... I didn't really get any of that. Halfway through the book Elijah and Danny even stopped spending time together almost completely, which I found extremly strange since this book is supposed to be about two brothers finding their way BACK to each other. On top of it all I wasn't a fan of Julia and found some of her actions extremely questionable.
All in all I gave "Are we there yet?" 2,5 stars.
All in all I gave "Are we there yet?" 2,5 stars.
January 1, 2023
I really wanted to finish this book, but like the title itself, I kept going, "Are we there yet?" because, despite my best efforts, the agonizing reading journey wouldn't end.
June 7, 2012
Seriously, David Levithan could come to me and ask me to be his slave for life, and I would say yes. I have never met a book of his that I didn't like. (Ok, so I wasn't THRILLED with The Realm of Possibility, but his writing was still absolutely fantastic. The format just killed it for me.)
First and formost this man just puts sentences together like a dream. I have never once seen an author who does it quite in the way he does. And you read a sentence and then you're just like, "Oh. My. GOD, did I just read that?" It's magic. It's poetry. It's an experiance that I just don't have with other authors. John Green makes me laugh. Jane Austen makes me sigh with romance. Levithan makes my jaw hang in wonder and awe.
The other thing he does, which this book captures AMAZINGLY, is relationships between people. Danny and Elijah are two brothers who have once had a great relationship but.. just don't anymore. With an age difference of nine years, they've drifted. A rift has separated them.
This relationship hit home with me a little more than usual. The whole book did. There is a tweleve year age gap between my younger sister and I. I can definitely relate to Danny pulling away from his brother, going through his high school years, just as his brother was in elementary school. It's a time in your life you don't want to be associated with the younger sibling. Just when you're starting out on that trek to be an adult, there you have a kid wanting to tag along and idolize you. Only, as a moody annoyed teenager, you don't see it like that. You think everyone is siding with the kid and against you.
Then, the younger brother becomes the moody annoyed teenager and you become the adult and suddenly he annoys you just as much. I can see it all happening in my mind. What's worse is Elijah was always a sweet, polite kid. Everyone loved him, something that annoyed Danny even more.
The thing about these two brothers I loved the most, was how much alike they are without even realizing it. Elijah has most of his habits because deep down, he knows it drives his brother crazy. Danny does most of the things he does for much of the same reason. They share similar interests but refuse to tell each other because they can't believe they'd share similar interests (other than a love for museums and that's because it's one their parents intilled into them both.) So here they are, stuck on this trip to Italy together, so alike that they're really very different.
I kind of hated Julia. But... then again, maybe I was supposed to hate her. I hate how she treated the brothers. I hate how she treated Elijah. And I hate how she didn't really bring them closer; that she almost tore them apart. Maybe Elijah wouldn't have grown closer to his brother... or maybe they would have spent more time together. I don't really know but I didn't like her.
I LOVED when Danny met up with Ari. I love that he rekindled his relationship with a real FRIEND while in Italy. And Ari gave me probably my favorite line in the entire book. "Relationships with brothers are different than relationship with sisters." It's such a crazy true statement. So simple but yet it never occurred to me until Levithan put it right there in front of my face. My relationship with my sisters is night and day from what it is with my brother. And I'm sure my brother (if he had a brother), would say the same. My sisters, while I love them, share complicated relationships with me. They take work and effort. It's not that way with my brother. It's about as uncomplicated as you can get with him. He calls once in a blue moon, we chit-chat for awhile and make sure everything is great in our worlds. However, despite our nonchalance, I never doubt for a second that my brother will fiercly protect me if he has to. He would be there every second of every day if that's what I needed. He'd done it before. My brother has been supportive when I needed it and brutally honest even when I didn't want it. I know that he will be there for me in a heartbeat. Ari said almost the same exact thing to Danny and it was as if every feeling I'd ever had for my brother had been put into words.
Honestly, I think this book has pushed Boy Meets Boy out of the #1 David Levithan spot. Which is saying a lot because I ADORE BMB. I mean, so much freakin' love. But this book just flowed so well and I just fell in love with Danny and Elijah (and you think you're going to hate Danny and adore Elijah, but I think I love Danny a little more than Elijah.) Pick up this book. I mean... PLEASE, really pick up this book... I would give it a six if I could. I've NEVER SAID THAT BEFORE!!!
First and formost this man just puts sentences together like a dream. I have never once seen an author who does it quite in the way he does. And you read a sentence and then you're just like, "Oh. My. GOD, did I just read that?" It's magic. It's poetry. It's an experiance that I just don't have with other authors. John Green makes me laugh. Jane Austen makes me sigh with romance. Levithan makes my jaw hang in wonder and awe.
The other thing he does, which this book captures AMAZINGLY, is relationships between people. Danny and Elijah are two brothers who have once had a great relationship but.. just don't anymore. With an age difference of nine years, they've drifted. A rift has separated them.
This relationship hit home with me a little more than usual. The whole book did. There is a tweleve year age gap between my younger sister and I. I can definitely relate to Danny pulling away from his brother, going through his high school years, just as his brother was in elementary school. It's a time in your life you don't want to be associated with the younger sibling. Just when you're starting out on that trek to be an adult, there you have a kid wanting to tag along and idolize you. Only, as a moody annoyed teenager, you don't see it like that. You think everyone is siding with the kid and against you.
Then, the younger brother becomes the moody annoyed teenager and you become the adult and suddenly he annoys you just as much. I can see it all happening in my mind. What's worse is Elijah was always a sweet, polite kid. Everyone loved him, something that annoyed Danny even more.
The thing about these two brothers I loved the most, was how much alike they are without even realizing it. Elijah has most of his habits because deep down, he knows it drives his brother crazy. Danny does most of the things he does for much of the same reason. They share similar interests but refuse to tell each other because they can't believe they'd share similar interests (other than a love for museums and that's because it's one their parents intilled into them both.) So here they are, stuck on this trip to Italy together, so alike that they're really very different.
I kind of hated Julia. But... then again, maybe I was supposed to hate her. I hate how she treated the brothers. I hate how she treated Elijah. And I hate how she didn't really bring them closer; that she almost tore them apart. Maybe Elijah wouldn't have grown closer to his brother... or maybe they would have spent more time together. I don't really know but I didn't like her.
I LOVED when Danny met up with Ari. I love that he rekindled his relationship with a real FRIEND while in Italy. And Ari gave me probably my favorite line in the entire book. "Relationships with brothers are different than relationship with sisters." It's such a crazy true statement. So simple but yet it never occurred to me until Levithan put it right there in front of my face. My relationship with my sisters is night and day from what it is with my brother. And I'm sure my brother (if he had a brother), would say the same. My sisters, while I love them, share complicated relationships with me. They take work and effort. It's not that way with my brother. It's about as uncomplicated as you can get with him. He calls once in a blue moon, we chit-chat for awhile and make sure everything is great in our worlds. However, despite our nonchalance, I never doubt for a second that my brother will fiercly protect me if he has to. He would be there every second of every day if that's what I needed. He'd done it before. My brother has been supportive when I needed it and brutally honest even when I didn't want it. I know that he will be there for me in a heartbeat. Ari said almost the same exact thing to Danny and it was as if every feeling I'd ever had for my brother had been put into words.
Honestly, I think this book has pushed Boy Meets Boy out of the #1 David Levithan spot. Which is saying a lot because I ADORE BMB. I mean, so much freakin' love. But this book just flowed so well and I just fell in love with Danny and Elijah (and you think you're going to hate Danny and adore Elijah, but I think I love Danny a little more than Elijah.) Pick up this book. I mean... PLEASE, really pick up this book... I would give it a six if I could. I've NEVER SAID THAT BEFORE!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2009
David and Elijah Silver are 10 years apart, and while they were thick as thieves when Elijah was young, and Danny would wake the house every night to make sure the baby was ok, once Danny hit his teens, Elijah was shut out. Being so young, he didn’t understand, but he did learn to deal. Danny shut himself into his world, Elijah got lost in another.
One morning each brother receives a call from their mother explaining about Italy. She and their father were going to go, but his leg is acting up. The trip is entirely pre-paid, non-refundable. She wants her sons to go. And while each smells a ruse, each agrees to go.
The trip gets off to a rocky start. Try as they might (or might not) the brothers don’t know how to relate. Danny thinks Elijah is lazy, and wonders how he’ll survive in the real world, Elijah thinks Danny is too caught up in work and seriousness, and worries that he’ll never really live. Danny has strict plans on what he wants to do and when and how, whereas Elijah is content to wander and wonder and let the trip happen to him.
It’s on one such outing that he meets Julia, who appears from nowhere, and promises she’ll see him soon. Though he doesn’t know how that could be, he believes her anyway, and anxiously spends the end of his time in Venice searching for her. And on a balcony, he does indeed find her, much to his delight. Even more delightful: she’s also going to Rome.
Elijah spends most of the trip between asleep. Danny’s driving strikes him as restless, and he figures if he can’t see, he can’t be scared. But when Danny wakes him while they’re driving through a field of sunflowers, he feels a moment of sincere appreciation, knowing he could have slept right through and missed a wondrous thing.
Once in Rome, Elijah is impatient to find Julia, and so Danny says they should go find her and ask her to dinner. I’m sure you can see the dilemma. But dinner goes well. When Elijah befriends a neihboring table, Julia and Danny entertain one another. When Elijah returns his attention, Julia returns hers, and jealousy is kept at bay. When dinner ends, Elijah and Julia head off on their own, and Danny is left feeling a perpetual third wheel. Wherever he goes, he seems to be intruding, or inivisible.
Through the twists and turns of life containing Julia, both brothers come to certain relizations. Given plenty of time to himself, Danny starts to reevaluate, and reaches out to old friends. Elijah tries to balance his life back home with life as it is in Italy, unsure how to make them mesh. In the end, the separate ordeals give them a new kind of understanding of one another. And while the trip didn’t go down as smoothly as the parents might have ideally hoped, it did in the end have the desired effect. Danny and Elijah will likely never again be thick as theives, but they’re no longer worlds apart either. Or if they are, the world is certainly manageable, where it was once a distance impossible to breach.
One morning each brother receives a call from their mother explaining about Italy. She and their father were going to go, but his leg is acting up. The trip is entirely pre-paid, non-refundable. She wants her sons to go. And while each smells a ruse, each agrees to go.
The trip gets off to a rocky start. Try as they might (or might not) the brothers don’t know how to relate. Danny thinks Elijah is lazy, and wonders how he’ll survive in the real world, Elijah thinks Danny is too caught up in work and seriousness, and worries that he’ll never really live. Danny has strict plans on what he wants to do and when and how, whereas Elijah is content to wander and wonder and let the trip happen to him.
It’s on one such outing that he meets Julia, who appears from nowhere, and promises she’ll see him soon. Though he doesn’t know how that could be, he believes her anyway, and anxiously spends the end of his time in Venice searching for her. And on a balcony, he does indeed find her, much to his delight. Even more delightful: she’s also going to Rome.
Elijah spends most of the trip between asleep. Danny’s driving strikes him as restless, and he figures if he can’t see, he can’t be scared. But when Danny wakes him while they’re driving through a field of sunflowers, he feels a moment of sincere appreciation, knowing he could have slept right through and missed a wondrous thing.
Once in Rome, Elijah is impatient to find Julia, and so Danny says they should go find her and ask her to dinner. I’m sure you can see the dilemma. But dinner goes well. When Elijah befriends a neihboring table, Julia and Danny entertain one another. When Elijah returns his attention, Julia returns hers, and jealousy is kept at bay. When dinner ends, Elijah and Julia head off on their own, and Danny is left feeling a perpetual third wheel. Wherever he goes, he seems to be intruding, or inivisible.
Through the twists and turns of life containing Julia, both brothers come to certain relizations. Given plenty of time to himself, Danny starts to reevaluate, and reaches out to old friends. Elijah tries to balance his life back home with life as it is in Italy, unsure how to make them mesh. In the end, the separate ordeals give them a new kind of understanding of one another. And while the trip didn’t go down as smoothly as the parents might have ideally hoped, it did in the end have the desired effect. Danny and Elijah will likely never again be thick as theives, but they’re no longer worlds apart either. Or if they are, the world is certainly manageable, where it was once a distance impossible to breach.
Read
December 20, 2011Ahhh, David Levithan what a special gift you have for pulling the reader into your stories and allowing the reader to be a witness to important snapshots of your characters' lives. ARE WE THERE YET? is one of those novels that needs to be thought about after the last word is finished. For me, ARE WE THERE YET? is a metaphor for so much more than the obvious. What is the obvious? The plot. This is a novel about two brothers who have grown apart and their parents "almost" desperate attempt to help them reconnect by giving them (or tricking them, depending on whose perspective) into taking a nine day trip to Italy. Just the two of them. Danny is seven years older than Elijah and as different as brothers can be - reserved vs outgoing, a planner vs go-with-the-flow, unhappy vs happy, rigid vs flexible. These two don't have a clue on how to relate to each other, and this journey is as much painful as it is revealing and reconciling. So back to the metaphor - ARE WE THERE YET? isn't just about getting to a specific destination but also, in my opinion, a space of acceptance for one another. It also makes me realize that we're never always "there" when we need to be, that perhaps only when we read between the lines, look at someone from a different angle, take the time to listen and care that we're truly in the moment, in the NOW. There is a character named Julia who meets up with the boys and she definitely shakes things up - she too epitomizes the question, "Are we there yet?" Clearly she's not. Because she not only is running away from herself and her past, but she doesn't know what she's running to.
Maybe I'm being too philosophical. Maybe I'm reading too much into this exquisitely written novel but take it my final thoughts and do with them what you will: We're all on a journey. Appreciate the moment. Don't focus on if you're "there yet." Instead, just be. Be your best in the moment and see where it leads you. That's what I take from David Levinthan's novel.
PS. I was fortunate to travel to Italy with my family and saw many of the sites mentioned in this this novel. It was a beautiful trip down memory lane. :-D
Highly recommend.
Maybe I'm being too philosophical. Maybe I'm reading too much into this exquisitely written novel but take it my final thoughts and do with them what you will: We're all on a journey. Appreciate the moment. Don't focus on if you're "there yet." Instead, just be. Be your best in the moment and see where it leads you. That's what I take from David Levinthan's novel.
PS. I was fortunate to travel to Italy with my family and saw many of the sites mentioned in this this novel. It was a beautiful trip down memory lane. :-D
Highly recommend.
March 20, 2016
5/10
Ehhh...
This was a nice book but there wasn't too much I liked about it. I liked Elijah but he was too one sided. There was no character development and Levithan just made him have like only one trait. At least make him more complex, or have a hobby he likes to do (no, smoking weed doesn't count as a hobby). He just seems to have no characteristics. David, I didn't like him. Too much of a workaholic, has literally no friends. However, he was the one who had more character development throughout the trip to Italy.
Now, I'm gonna put a spoiler about something else I hated.
So yeah, those are my thoughts on this book. I would've liked it if there was more character development and more of a plot. There is a "plot twist" but it's so stupid and pettiful. I'm a little disappointed David Levithan- usually your books are really good and sometimes blow me away.
Ehhh...
This was a nice book but there wasn't too much I liked about it. I liked Elijah but he was too one sided. There was no character development and Levithan just made him have like only one trait. At least make him more complex, or have a hobby he likes to do (no, smoking weed doesn't count as a hobby). He just seems to have no characteristics. David, I didn't like him. Too much of a workaholic, has literally no friends. However, he was the one who had more character development throughout the trip to Italy.
Now, I'm gonna put a spoiler about something else I hated.
So yeah, those are my thoughts on this book. I would've liked it if there was more character development and more of a plot. There is a "plot twist" but it's so stupid and pettiful. I'm a little disappointed David Levithan- usually your books are really good and sometimes blow me away.
June 12, 2017
I'd really give this about 3.75 stars. The book is good. The literary writing style works perfectly and flows well. You feel a general sense of ennui while reading and the pacing shows great control by the author.
I had a couple of problems though with it though.
1. If the brothers are 17 and 24, I have trouble believing the 24 year old is treated the way he presents or that his inner life is the way it's described. It sounds like a 34 year old and I just didn't believe it. Without some description to convince me of how this character had overcome his age at his workplace, it just didn't work for me.
2. I had a little trouble with a 20/21 year old girl having a relationship with a 17-year old high schooler. She seemed too worldly and knew how old he was and that fact in American teens with the gender split this way is usually a problem.
I could have ignored one or the other of these problems, but the two combined to make me feel too aware of the age of the author and question his connection to teens. Hopefully teens wouldn't be bothered by this.
In the end, I enjoyed reading the book but the problems distracted me. I feel like the authors should have made the characters 21 and 28 and it would have worked better as pure fiction. It didn't fit YA for me.
I had a couple of problems though with it though.
1. If the brothers are 17 and 24, I have trouble believing the 24 year old is treated the way he presents or that his inner life is the way it's described. It sounds like a 34 year old and I just didn't believe it. Without some description to convince me of how this character had overcome his age at his workplace, it just didn't work for me.
2. I had a little trouble with a 20/21 year old girl having a relationship with a 17-year old high schooler. She seemed too worldly and knew how old he was and that fact in American teens with the gender split this way is usually a problem.
I could have ignored one or the other of these problems, but the two combined to make me feel too aware of the age of the author and question his connection to teens. Hopefully teens wouldn't be bothered by this.
In the end, I enjoyed reading the book but the problems distracted me. I feel like the authors should have made the characters 21 and 28 and it would have worked better as pure fiction. It didn't fit YA for me.
September 1, 2010
I only really decided to read this, because I wanted to read something written by David Levithan before I read Will Grayson, Will Grayson, so I had no real expectations as to how it would be.
Elijah and Danny are brothers, but they don't have anything in common. At all. Elijah thinks Danny's life is boring and too "grown-up", while Danny thinks Elijah is too much of a child and even a bit naïve. They used to spend all their time together when they were kids, but they haven't seen each other socially since Danny started High School. Their parents send them on a vacation to Italy, where things, of course, are a bit different.
The story is a pretty generic one, and it doesn't try to hide that fact, which is rather refreshing.
All in all, it's not really the story, but more the way the book is written that makes me give the book 4 stars. It was a really sweet take on the typical story, and even though it is a bit too "all-american-romantic-blah-blah-blah" throughout the entire story, you still develop a kind of love for the book, the environment and, of course, the characters.
All in all, a good book if you want to read something short and sweet.
Elijah and Danny are brothers, but they don't have anything in common. At all. Elijah thinks Danny's life is boring and too "grown-up", while Danny thinks Elijah is too much of a child and even a bit naïve. They used to spend all their time together when they were kids, but they haven't seen each other socially since Danny started High School. Their parents send them on a vacation to Italy, where things, of course, are a bit different.
The story is a pretty generic one, and it doesn't try to hide that fact, which is rather refreshing.
All in all, it's not really the story, but more the way the book is written that makes me give the book 4 stars. It was a really sweet take on the typical story, and even though it is a bit too "all-american-romantic-blah-blah-blah" throughout the entire story, you still develop a kind of love for the book, the environment and, of course, the characters.
All in all, a good book if you want to read something short and sweet.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 390 reviews