Да се биеш с Рубен Улф

Wolfe Brothers #2

by Markus Zusak, Маркъс Зюсак, Силвана Миланова (Translator)

Казвам:
- Не губи сърцето си, Руб.
Брат ми отговаря много ясно, без да помръдне:
- Не се опитвам да го изгубя, Кам.
Опитвам се да го намеря.

Братята Улф знаят как да се бият. Те са се били през целия си живот. Но сега залогът е нещо повече от това да победиш. Какво ще стане, когато двамата се изправят на ринга един срещу друг?

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Coming Of Age, Family, Australia

180 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2000

About the author

Markus Zusak is the author of five books, including the international bestseller, The Book Thief , which spent more than a decade on the New York Times bestseller list, and is translated into more than forty languages – establishing Zusak as one of the most successful authors to come out of Australia.

To date, Zusak has held the number one position at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, the New York Times bestseller list, as well as in countries across South America, Europe and Asia.

His books, The Underdog, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, When Dogs Cry (also titled Getting the Girl ), The Messenger (or I am the Messenger ) and The Book Thief have been awarded numerous honours ranging from literary prizes to readers choice awards to prizes voted on by booksellers.

Zusak’s much-anticipated new novel, Bridge of Clay , is set for release in October 2018 in the USA, the UK and Australia, with foreign translations to follow.

Reviews

[Megan]

So, I'm convinced that Markus Zusak could write an entire novel about mashed potatoes or asphalt and it would be brilliant. I also know that there is surely no other writer on the planet that could make me give a book about two boxing brothers 5 stars and hate that I've finished it so quickly!

[Kim]

Wow.

This book is about two things that I know very little about.

Brothers & Boxing.

So, I thought maybe I'd sort of float through it. Large font, little over 200 pages... an overnight shift... no biggie.

Right.

Markus, I'm sorry I gave you such little credit. What was I thinking? I'd read I Am the Messenger. I bawled over The Book Thief. So, why was I so surprised by this? Maybe because I didn't want to believe that someone so young could deliver like this from the get-go.

Again, sorry about that.

So, yeah this is about 2 brothers, Ruben and Cameron Wolfe. It's about pride, fear, complacency, ego and a small Pomeranian named Miffy. I really could go on or you could you know, read the book. Here's one of my favorite quotes, that's one of the things that I love so much about Markus.. the way his lines translate so well into everyday kinda situations:

'Smile with instinct, then lick your wounds in the darkest corners. Trace the scars back to your own fingers and remember them.'

Like I said earlier, I know little about brothers (and boxing) but I have a son, he's 4, his favorite word is 'awesome' and he knows all the lyrics to 'Renegades of Funk.' And I pray to any deity of your choosing that he turns out as amazing as Ruben, Cameron or Markus.

[Maggie]

I HAVE JUST READ YOU AND I LOVE YOU.

Or rather, I have just read y' and I love y'.

*************

Before I even read the book, I decided this cover was perfect and ordered it from a UK seller. Colored hoodies FTW.

[Adiee]

Actual rating: 4.5
Втората книга за братята Улф бе невероятно продължение на поредицата и толкова по-добра от първата част. Маркъс Зюсак отново ме накара да се вклюбя и ми припомни защо толкова обичам творчеството му. *скоро ревю в блога*

[Emma]

Better than the previous entry in the series, this is a heartwarming story of two teenage brothers from a down on its luck family, who in this installment join some kind of underground boxing tournament to raise money.

The main character is a sweet soul, and I enjoyed the dynamic between the two brothers. This is no Book Thief but you can see the author developing as the series goes on.

[Federico DN]

Book interrupted 2/3.

The story of the Wolfe brothers, Ruben and Cameron, two underdogs living in a poor and forgotten neighborhood, trying to overcome an almost marginal existence. They will fight to live, and they will live to fight. In school, in life, in love, and in the ring. Sometimes together, and sometimes against each other.

A trilogy that goes from lesser to greater, starting with an almost forgettable first, moving to an enjoyable second, and finishing with a very memorable last. This trilogy should be considered as a single book divided into three parts. "Underdog", "Fighting Ruben Wolfe", and "Getting the Girl". Three books that individually lack identity, but together gain personality.

-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[2000] [224p] [Young Adult] [Not Recommendable] [“Don’t lose your heart, Rube.” “I’m not trying to lose it, Cam. I’m trying to find it.”]
-----------------------------------------------

★★☆☆☆ 1. "Underdog."
★★★☆☆ 2. "Fighting Ruben Wolfe."
★★★★☆ 3. "Getting the Girl."
★★★☆☆ 1-3. "Underdogs."

-----------------------------------------------

Libro interrumpido 2/3.

La historia de los hermanos Ruben y Cameron Wolfe, dos marginados viviendo en un barrio pobre y olvidado del mundo, tratando de sobrellevar una existencia cuasi marginal. Lucharán para vivir, y vivirán para luchar. En la escuela, en la vida, en el amor, y en el cuadrilátero. A veces juntos, y a veces uno contra otro.

Una trilogía que va de menor a mayor, empezando por una primera casi olvidable, pasando a una segunda disfrutable, y terminando con una última muy memorable. Esta trilogía debería considerarse como un único libro dividido en tres partes: “El Marginado”, “Peleando con Ruben Wolfe” y “Consiguiendo la Chica”. Tres libros que individualmente carecen de identidad, pero que juntos adquieren personalidad.

-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[2000] [224p] [Joven Adulto] [No Recomendable] [“No pierdas tu corazón, Rube.” “No estoy tratando de perderlo, Cam. Estoy tratando de encontrarlo.”]
-----------------------------------------------

[Marianne]

Fighting Ruben Wolfe is the second in the Wolfe Brothers series by Australian author, Markus Zusak. The audio version is narrated by Stig Wemyss. Quite a bit has changed in the Wolfe household in the last year: Cliff was injured at work, now has no jobs coming in and is feeling inadequate as the breadwinner; Mrs Wolfe, with two jobs, is working harder than ever; Steve is leaving home as his parents’ pride won’t allow them to take a contribution from him; Sarah is taking her break-up with Bruce hard, drinking too much and getting a less-than-desirable reputation; Ruben uses his fists to defend the family name.

This and his bouts of backyard One Punch with Cam (born of having only one set of boxing gloves) helps set them on the road of illegal fights with promoter Perry Cole, not just for the money, Rube says, but “to get our self-respect back”. This is a story about family loyalty, brothers supporting each other and having the heart to get up after you’re knocked down.

The format this time is sixteen chapters of Cameron’s narration in a genuine teenage voice, each ending in a conversation between Rube and Cam. There is some lovely prose: “…..the sun is screaming out in pain on the horizon. The horizon swallows it slowly, eating it up whole.” The dog illustrations are a cute touch. Excellent early Zusak.

[Kaya Dimitrova]

Ревю => http://justonebooklover.blogspot.com/...
~ ~ ~
Втората книга от трилогията предоставя много по – забързано действие и доразвиване на персонажите. Силата на семейната връзка, братската любов и съперничество и търсенето на идентичността, са само част от темите, застъпени в нея.

[miyopastronot]

3,5

...Ruben Wolfe'u düşünüyorum.
İçimden.
Ruben Wolfe'u bulmayı düşünüyorum.
Konuşuyorum.
Anlatıyorum.
Söylüyorum.
Șunu diyorum: "Yüreğini kaybetme, Rube."
Çok açık biçimde, hiç kıpırdamadan, ağabeyim yanıt veriyor.
Șunu diyor: "Kaybetmeye değil, bulmaya çalışıyorum, Cam."


//

Ah benim zavallı çocuklarım. 💔

[Burçak]

Ehh işte.. Pek sevemedim ben bu seriyi ya üçüncüyü sırf seri bitsin diye okuyacağım :)

[Yoana]

Цялото ревю: http://bloodyravenblog.blogspot.bg/20...

,,Да се биеш с Рубен Улф'' е втората част от поредицата за братята Улф, с която Маркъс Зюсак вдига летвата наистина много високо. Първата несъмнено беше симпатична, добро начало, но втората.. просто разбива конкуренцията. Харесва ми, че се съсредоточава не само върху Кам, но и върху Руб, разгръщат се нови негови страни.
,,Да се биеш с Рубен Улф'' притежава някакво особено очарование, сурова красота. Трябва да си призная, че я четях с постоянно лепната на лицето усмивка. В някои книги съм срещала страшно по - необичайни идеи. Но тази поредица достигна до мен много по - силно от всяка друга. Изградих здрава връзка с героите и дори имам чувството, че сякаш аз съм я написала.
Всъщност тази поредица показва, че не всички момчета са незаинтересовани идиоти, които не оценяват нищо и никого. Че момчетата понякога също се чувстват самотни и отритнати.
Едно реалистично, запомнящо се, мъдро и бунтарско четиво, което сякаш остава недооценено в сянката на другите книги на Маркъс Зюсак, но за мен си остава най - голямото му постижение. Една от малкото поредици, които със следващата книга стават все по - интересни! Горещо препоръчвам!

[Tarsila]

Zusak never dissapoints me, there is something about his work that makes feel free. His books are wild and young and reckless. It is magic! His writing is simple but filled with feelings you couldnt really try and describe, yet he does an excellent job. When I read his books, specially Fighting Ruben Wolfe, I feel like Everything is perfect!, I mean, yeah, those boys theirselves are not perfect and the book proves that life itself is not perfect but that doesnt really matter. It is everything where it needs to be and somehow everything feels fine! I like the way Zusak writes, in my opinion, this is the pure literature. I SEE HIS HEART THROUGH THE PAGES OF HIS BOOKS. I see it beating and moving the blood all around! I see his hormons filled with pleasure and I see him as the completely strong man that he is. I see the pulses of his life in his books, they live!! His. Books. Live.
PS.: have you ever talked to words? You know, if you pay enough attention, you will hear this book whispering "I am not afraid of who I am."

[Христо Блажев]

Да се биеш с Рубен Улф, да се бориш със себе си: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/d...

“Да се биеш с Рубен Улф” е книга за братската обич и братското съперничество. Те си вървят заедно и са неизбежни – и Маркъс Зюсак е направил невъзможното: описал ги е с толкова топлота, че прочетох книгата на един дъх, а не исках да свършва. Да, първата част от трилогията – “Аутсайдерът” – беше приятна, но нищо особено, но тази втора част изведнъж скочи в дълбокото и без колебание ѝ давам 5 звезди, което по принцип запазвам само за наистина велики и общопризнати книги. Е, знам, че тази не е такава – но за мен е, така че мога да го направя и да се чувствам в мир със себе си. Тази книга ме превзе, накара ме да я чета ненаситно, погледът ми да скача напред в нетърпение да науча какво ще се случи. Да видя кой ще спечели. При все че знаех, че в битка между двама братя няма победители.

Издателство" Пергамент Прес"​
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/d...

[Madison]

~4.75⭐️~

Had to read this for school, I was a little iffed when I realised it was the second book in a series but this book is my favourite book read in school. I particularly loved Ruben and Cameron's relationship as brothers. An awesome and quick read.

[Annalisa]

While not his best work, by the end Zusak found that prose I so love and the characters became the ones I love in Getting the Girl. It gave me my Zusak fix.

[Tanner]

This book was the second book in a three book series. You follow two brothers Ruben and Cameron Wolfe. The brothers learn they can box and thus begins the story.

[Clementini]

Så jävla bra. Sitter på balkongen, helt utmattad med en känslostorm inom mig. Älskar böcker när jag fattar precis vad karaktärerna känner, även om jag aldrig kännt eller tänkt något liknande själv

[JESSICA 🍃]

Markus Zusak and his ability to write has me completely obsessed with this series. Not only are the books amazing, the moral behind them has you questioning so many things within your own life. As he simply writes in this book, it’s not about the win, it’s about the fight. And those words can be used in all aspects, of everyone’s life’s.

[Reynje]

RUBEN AND CAMERON LET ME LOVE YOU!

I love this book. I have more things to say over here

[Meg]

"She smiles pretty, and in that split second, I forget. I forget about Perry Cole and all those future punches. It makes me wonder, Do we spend most of our days trying to remember or forget things? Do we spend most of our time running toward or away from our lives? I don't know."

So wonders Cameron Wolfe, the big-hearted, tender protagonist of Fighting Ruben Wolfe. Passages like the one above--full of a quiet sort of wisdom, almost a ache to it--aren't uncommon in this book. They're plentiful, since in only 200 pages or so, Markus Zusak crafts a heartwarming, coming-of-age story full of beauty and uncanny insight. It' not surprising, given that this is the same author who wrote the magnificent The Book Thief and contemporary must-read I am The Messenger.

Yeah, that Zusak.

I haven't gone on a fangirl spiel about Zusak on this blog for a while, so some of you might not know that I'm, well, an obsessive fangirl about his works, to put it lightly. I've been trying to track down a reasonably priced Fighting Ruben Wolfe for the longest time, and last week, I finally managed to snatch up a cheap copy on Amazon.

It arrived yesterday.

I devoured it instead of breakfast.

This is the second book I've read about Cameron Wolfe, having caved and read Getting the Girl, the sequel, a while back. It doesn't really matter though, since even though this novel is part of a 3-book series, each book is standalone.

I loved it.

I love it because it's like an early sneak-peak of Zusak. If you start with the Cam books, move to I am the Messenger, and finish at The Book Thief, you can see a clear progression. The prose becomes more refined. The subject topic, more serious. The books, longer.

Still, you get the trademark Zusak: the swaggering sentence fragments, the standalone single-sentence paragraphs falling in quick succession down a page, the wonderful writing that steals your breath away, the characters that are so real that you can almost hear their hearts beating in between the pages.

I'm quite convinced that the Wolfe family are real people. Cameron, the main character, has a voice that's memorable. He's the boy who cares too much about everybody, who's scrawny and a little bit like a loser, who yearns for a girl to notice him, who's afraid, but who'll fight for anything, his heart is so big. Ruben is his brother--hungry, wolfish, trying to prove something. Then there's his tired mother, his out-of-work father, older siblings Sarah and Steve, and a house full of unpaid bills and encroaching despair.

When the brothers get their chance at money and a bit of glory by fighting in underground boxing ring, they seize the day. But really, this book isn't just about throwing punches, since all the action is secondary to the character growth. The brothers earn themselves a bit of self-respect, they mature, and their sibling relationship--it just expands, till you can feel the love the two brothers have for each other, till you can feel the love the whole Wolfe family has for each other. The Wolfe brothers' relationship really comes out in the passages at the end of every chapter--short conversations the brothers have before they fall asleep.

Then, there's the prose. When it's Zusak, you can expect to be blown away. Here's one of the many passages that made me stop reading so I could just sit and take in:

"We run together in track pants and old football jerseys and the city is awake and smoky-cold and our heartbeats jangle through the streets. We're alive. Our footsteps are folded neatly, one after the other. Rube's curly hair collides with sunlight. The light steps at us between the buildings. The train line is fresh and sweet and the grass in Belmore Park has the echoes of dew still on it. Our hands are cold. Our veins are warm. Our throats suck in the winter breath of the city, and I imagine people still in bed, dreaming. To me it, feels good. Good city. Good world, with two wolves running through it, looking of the fresh meat of their lives. Chasing it. Chasing hard even though they fear it. They run anyway."


The hair colliding with sunlight part...that just killed me. It really did.

So, what I've been meaning to say as I've bumbled around in this review, throwing words out left and right, is that I wish this book was readily available in every bookstore. It's beautifully written, and it's one of those books that YA readers need more of. For one thing, it's a boy book. For another, it's a contemporary book with an original plot (nope, no dead characters here) with characters and conflicts that are real.

I just plain wish this book was easier to get a hold of.

If you're a dedicated Zusak fan, I'd definitely recommend that you do the best you can to get a hold of this, short of murder. If you're just a reader who is hungering for a lovely contemporary read, take a look around and see if you can't snatch up a copy somehow.

[Bilge B]

3.5. Çeviri ilkinden daha iyiydi.

[Simona]

Questa opera di Zusak differisce moltissimo, per quanto riguarda la trama, ma anche lo stile da "Storia di una ladra di libri".
E' il secondo volume di una trilogia che ha come protagonisti i fratelli Wolfe. I fratelli Wolfe sono molto diversi tra di loro: da un lato vi è Ruben, più sicuro e dall'altro lato vi è Cameron, più timoroso e voce narrante della storia. Con un linguaggio semplice, ma che riesce ad arrivare, Zusak ci racconta la vita di due giovani fratelli cresciuti in un ambiente familiare difficile (il padre ha perso da poco il lavoro) e i due, grazie agli incontri di boxe, cercano di aiutare la famiglia a sbarcare il lunario.
In questo nuovo ambiente difficile e brutale, i due fratelli Wolfe non sfideranno solo i rivali negli incontri, ma combatteranno anche e soprattutto per se stessi, conducendo una battaglia molto più dura e temeraria, ovvero la lotta per la vita, la battaglia per scoprire se stessi e non dimenticare mai chi sono.

"Darò la caccia alla mia vita e l'acchiapperò.
Poi ci tiriamo su il cappuccio e andiamo.
E adesso c'è la strada.
C'è il mondo.
Ci siamo noi".

[Noah]

Fighting Ruben Wolfe is a brilliant novel about two brothers searching for a purpose. I found it really interesting and had an overall great writing style. I really liked Ruben Wolfe as a character, because when he fought people, he knew he was going to win. They knew he was going to win. He just had this champion vibe that made me like him the best. My least favorite character was probably Perry Cole. Perry was a nasty guy that liked smoking, drinking, and didn't give a crap about anybody else. He would constantly threatens the brothers and warn them what he will do if they back out of the boxing league. My favorite event would probably be the very last match where Ruben fights Cameron. This was the climax of the book, and just the intense build up really made me pumped for that event. I enjoyed the writing style of the book, because it really made everything nice and clear, while still being funny and sarcastic. The pace of the novel I also felt was pretty good, however towards the beginning it was lacking. Overall, the book is definitely one of my favorites and I'm glad I took the time to read it.

[Faithly]

I read this book without even knowing there was a first one, I picked it up randomly at the library but I loved it still. It's actually kind of rare for a YA contemporary to feature genuinely working class people and teens fighting for their lives and family in a real and believable way. I could relate to a lot of the themes and emotions that were in this book. Especially the relationship between the brothers. Me and my sister are like that as well. Always in sync and we understand each another in a way that no one else can.

I also related to the aspect of growing up in a poor household and how that affects you mentally. The mantras they had to tell themselves to keep going. As well as the difficulty of admitting how much of a tragedy your life is and how much of a loser you are but still having to tell yourself to "lift" because "If we fail, we're gonna blame us". It's a great book.

[Doğan]

İlk kitapla kıyaslarsak oldukça başarılı bir devam kitabı diyebilirim. Genel olarak karakterlerin gelişmeleri, Cameron ve Rube'un arasındaki bağların iyice sıklaşması gayet güzel şeylerdi. Ben seride genel olarak bir şeye takıldım: Serinin üç kitabında da özgün isimler kullanılmamış ve kapaklardaki çocuksu duruş kitapların ciddiyetini bozmuş. Neyse hız kesmeyelim ve üçüncü kitaba başlayalım.

Puanım: 5 / 4,5

[Yvette Adams]

I almost didn't read this because I didn't like the first in the trilogy (could be because I could only get that in audio book). Wow, I'm so glad I decided to read this! What a little gem. Markus Zusak is a genius. A poet. The relationship between the two main characters is so beautiful. Boy I loved this.

[Victoria Olivera]

4.5 No se, me encariñe tanto con Cam.

“It's funny, don't you think, how time seems to do a lot of things? It flies, it tells, and worst of all, it runs out.”

[Nora’nın Kitaplığı]

http://www.noraninkitapligi.club/2015...

[Klaudia]

I love this. I love Zusak and I love how Australian this is.

[Tracey- Jo]

Not a great read . I found that I didn’t really care about the brothers . I didn’t find it as poignant as it’s suggested.