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Underground
Welcome to Underground, the most prominent music television station in the United States, where young, talented entertainers and VJs live their normal lives, that is if you can call living under the limelight for ten hours a day, flying on Marquis Jet to cover AmsterJam and Live 8, and pose for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine `normal`.
Under the spotlight, everything seems perfect. Liv has just been listed as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. Stefan, the so-called most eligible bachelor in New York, successfully started a celebrity online promotion company. Gavin got his band signed on a major label. Claire is being headhunted by MTV and VH1. Heather and Jared are making the most of their love story on set. Shareef and Aaliyah can easily replace Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to pose for W magazine as the perfect American family.
But when the spotlights have went out and the red carpet has been rolled, they have to face the hard truth. Abstinence versus promiscuity, gossips on tabloids, drugs, plastic surgery, to unwanted pregnancy are just the tip of the iceberg.
Underground is a simple novel about the complex life of celebrities, although like most of us, they are too still trying to define the true meaning of friendship and love.
Under the spotlight, everything seems perfect. Liv has just been listed as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. Stefan, the so-called most eligible bachelor in New York, successfully started a celebrity online promotion company. Gavin got his band signed on a major label. Claire is being headhunted by MTV and VH1. Heather and Jared are making the most of their love story on set. Shareef and Aaliyah can easily replace Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to pose for W magazine as the perfect American family.
But when the spotlights have went out and the red carpet has been rolled, they have to face the hard truth. Abstinence versus promiscuity, gossips on tabloids, drugs, plastic surgery, to unwanted pregnancy are just the tip of the iceberg.
Underground is a simple novel about the complex life of celebrities, although like most of us, they are too still trying to define the true meaning of friendship and love.
552 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 8, 2010
About the author
Ika Natassa
25 books2,392 followersIKA NATASSA is an Indonesian author who is also a banker at the largest bank in Indonesia and the founder of LitBox, the first literary startup of its kind in the country, which combines the concept of mystery box and onine promotions for writers.
She loves writing since since was a little kid and finished writing her first novel in English at the age of 19. She is best known for writing a series of popular novels focusing on the lives of young bankers in Indonesia. Her debut novel A Very Yuppy Wedding is published in 2007, and she has released six books since: Divortiare (2008), Underground (2010), Antologi Rasa (2011), Twivortiare (2012), dan Twivortiare 2 (2014), and Critical Eleven (2015). A Very Yuppy Wedding is the Editor's Choice of Cosmopolitan Indonesia magazine in 2008, and she was also nominated in the Talented Young Writer category in the prestigious Khatulistiwa Literary Award in the same year. She loves to experiment with writing methods, Twivortiare and Twivortiare 2 are the two novels she wrote entirely on Twitter. Antologi Rasa and Twivortiare are currently being adapted into feature films by two of the most prominent production houses in Indonesia.
Natassa is also one of the finalists of Fun Fearless Female of Cosmopolitan Indonesia magazine. In 2008, she was awarded with The Best Change Agent at her company for her active role in corporate culture implementation in the bank, and in 2010 she was awarded for 2010 Best Employee Award. Her success in maintaining a career at the bank whilst pursuing writing as her other passion led to her being awarded awarded as the Women Icon by The Marketeers in 2010.
Out of the love of books, in 2013 she founded LitBox, a brand new concept she's in introducing to readers in Indonesia. It's the first literary startup company of its kind, aiming to provide readers with recommended books, to help writers get their writings read by people, and to help publishers introduce new talents to the market. On July 2014, she commenced a social movement campaign to promote the joy of reading called Reading is Sexy, so far supported by Indonesian and regional public figures such as Acha Septriasa, Jason Godfrey, Hamish Daud Wyllie, Karina Salim, Ernest Prakasa, Mouly Surya, and many more.
Twitter and Instagram: @ikanatassa
LinkedIn: Ika Natassa
Personal website: www.ikanatassa.com
She loves writing since since was a little kid and finished writing her first novel in English at the age of 19. She is best known for writing a series of popular novels focusing on the lives of young bankers in Indonesia. Her debut novel A Very Yuppy Wedding is published in 2007, and she has released six books since: Divortiare (2008), Underground (2010), Antologi Rasa (2011), Twivortiare (2012), dan Twivortiare 2 (2014), and Critical Eleven (2015). A Very Yuppy Wedding is the Editor's Choice of Cosmopolitan Indonesia magazine in 2008, and she was also nominated in the Talented Young Writer category in the prestigious Khatulistiwa Literary Award in the same year. She loves to experiment with writing methods, Twivortiare and Twivortiare 2 are the two novels she wrote entirely on Twitter. Antologi Rasa and Twivortiare are currently being adapted into feature films by two of the most prominent production houses in Indonesia.
Natassa is also one of the finalists of Fun Fearless Female of Cosmopolitan Indonesia magazine. In 2008, she was awarded with The Best Change Agent at her company for her active role in corporate culture implementation in the bank, and in 2010 she was awarded for 2010 Best Employee Award. Her success in maintaining a career at the bank whilst pursuing writing as her other passion led to her being awarded awarded as the Women Icon by The Marketeers in 2010.
Out of the love of books, in 2013 she founded LitBox, a brand new concept she's in introducing to readers in Indonesia. It's the first literary startup company of its kind, aiming to provide readers with recommended books, to help writers get their writings read by people, and to help publishers introduce new talents to the market. On July 2014, she commenced a social movement campaign to promote the joy of reading called Reading is Sexy, so far supported by Indonesian and regional public figures such as Acha Septriasa, Jason Godfrey, Hamish Daud Wyllie, Karina Salim, Ernest Prakasa, Mouly Surya, and many more.
Twitter and Instagram: @ikanatassa
LinkedIn: Ika Natassa
Personal website: www.ikanatassa.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
May 21, 2016
Ika Natassa
Underground
Gramedia Pustaka Utama
548 halaman
-10.0
Ika Natassa's first book is easily a waste of paper, which is not an easy feat.
Reading Underground be like:
Moment of silence for trees that need to be cut down to print the book:
Just kidding, though. It's just not my taste.
When I read the blurb of Ika Natassa's first novel that she wrote, "Underground", it seems like it wants to scream everything that I love the most in this world: US pop culture, music, and MTV--which Natassa veraciously describes, "back in the era when you're still pampered with lots and lots of music videos". But, that's the first and the last time we're consonant. I know based on Natassa's way of describing MTV, she watched it on the pricey cable TV, while I watched it only on a local terrestrial TV. Even so, the spirit of MTV's youth is still the same. So, when "Underground", which is first self-published in nulisbuku, is republished again in a mega-major publisher, it becomes viral by word of mouth, just like all of her "previous" novels, including "Critical Eleven".
"Underground" is first drafted when Natassa was still 19 years old, circa late 90's and beginning of 2000's, back when No Doubt is still relevant and Britney Spears just released "I'm A Slave 4 U"'s music video. As you can see and probably notice, you can still feel Natassa's rawness and amateurishness. You can feel her teenage angst which is portrayed by the reaction of her characters' which are in twenty-something, but act like a bunch of teenagers who can't get past of their glorious days of adolescence; teenagers are the most presumptuous creature in this world. So, Natassa's amateurism is completely understandable because I, myself, underwent the same thing. "Underground" somehow reminds me of the first draft of young adult book that I wrote when I was in sixth grade: jumpy plot, trying to pour everything I know in the book, cringeworthy and unbearably pretentious. Natassa's just a teenager back then. But, even a late teenager knows about the intrinsic elements of literary work: about point of view, description, plot, and setting.
Clearly, Natassa doesn't use outline when she wrote Underground. It's shown in the way she structures the plot: it's expansive, unfocused, and heartless. Natassa's "Underground" is filled with plethora of characters who talk and behave the same, and each of them has conflicts which are (un)surprisingly similar. It basically is like a rendition of Indonesian soap opera, full of promiscuity and dramatic characters. It's arduous to grasp the summary of "Underground"'s main plot. The intention of the book is unclear, and the plot is just plotless. I know that Natassa is having fun when she wrote "Underground"; once again, it's elucidated clearly in the book. The cool music events, glamorous lifestyle of New York socialites, pretty girls and handsome boys; I completely understand how enticing those are and I'm sure Natassa is fascinated by them back then. So, why does she need to think about the plot back then? After all, this is like the coolest book ever, that's probably what she thought back then. Again, I understand this completely. I went through the same phase back then.
But, trust me. Reading "Underground" must be accompanied by an ample level of understanding. If it were Persona 4, I'm sure my understanding level can reach "saintly" quite fast if I read "Underground" regularly. So, I must understand when "Underground"'s point of view doesn't make sense. Natassa writes from, what I called, the-omniscient-first-and-third point of view, a new classification of point of view, specifically is created only for "Underground". Even in my first draft, I don't mix first and third point of view in the same scene. I may mix the omniscience of the narrator, but that's still understandable. That's just only point of view. The characters, which are really cool and good-looking and perfect, are like the epitome of fictional characters' shallowness and superficiality. With incredulous amount of jealousy and simple thinking--what they talk about is only opposite gender and music--"Underground"'s characters are not struggling, and it's not fun. What makes us, a normal human being, sympathize with a character is because they struggle a lot. The characters may go into something drastic that changes their life, but Natassa resolves it pretty quickly, leaving no impression. "Underground" mostly contains the mundane luxurious life of these characters and once again, it's understandable if people struggle when they read the book.
In "Underground", you can also observe the seed of what I call "Natassa's pretentiousness", a fun fact that she wants to spread around to the world. Again, I've done the same thing in my first draft. Natassa sows her seed of pretentiousness that she reaps in her following opuses where she does it quite smoothly (gladly). Again, I can understand it completely and I'm glad that she improves her ability to sow the seed in her next books. "Underground" is also filled with a lot of metonymy where she mentions a lot of brand in her narration, like:
or
or
In "Underground", there's no description. It's just like a drama script, with only a few lines of brief explanation. It's a rarity to see a paragraph containing more than five lines. The favorite line of "Underground" is I laughed, and indeed I laughed at this book's stupidity. But once again, it's understandable.
"Underground" is like the ultimate chimera of hers, an escape from shitty life where fictional characters are the only people people who completely understand what she goes through. Trust me, I know that feel. When I decide to read this book, I give it my benefit of doubt. Oh, well, okay, I admit I have a little mocking tendency, but I really hope that this book will surprise me in a good way, but apparently not. I believe that when your work is published, you are ready to be deconstructed like this as a consequence, even by nobody like me. There's no justification even if the author is still juvenile. I just still don't understand the reason why "Underground" is republished without going through editing process or rewriting. I may sound covetous, which is true; a little, but if it isn't Ika Natassa, I'm sure it won't be published. I have an evil suspicion in my mind, but I better keep it to myself. For me, "Underground" is not a complete book, it's a joke and that's why the rating is low.
The review is written from my cheap Asus and it can also be read here.
Underground
Gramedia Pustaka Utama
548 halaman
-10.0
Ika Natassa's first book is easily a waste of paper, which is not an easy feat.
Reading Underground be like:
Moment of silence for trees that need to be cut down to print the book:
Just kidding, though. It's just not my taste.
When I read the blurb of Ika Natassa's first novel that she wrote, "Underground", it seems like it wants to scream everything that I love the most in this world: US pop culture, music, and MTV--which Natassa veraciously describes, "back in the era when you're still pampered with lots and lots of music videos". But, that's the first and the last time we're consonant. I know based on Natassa's way of describing MTV, she watched it on the pricey cable TV, while I watched it only on a local terrestrial TV. Even so, the spirit of MTV's youth is still the same. So, when "Underground", which is first self-published in nulisbuku, is republished again in a mega-major publisher, it becomes viral by word of mouth, just like all of her "previous" novels, including "Critical Eleven".
"Underground" is first drafted when Natassa was still 19 years old, circa late 90's and beginning of 2000's, back when No Doubt is still relevant and Britney Spears just released "I'm A Slave 4 U"'s music video. As you can see and probably notice, you can still feel Natassa's rawness and amateurishness. You can feel her teenage angst which is portrayed by the reaction of her characters' which are in twenty-something, but act like a bunch of teenagers who can't get past of their glorious days of adolescence; teenagers are the most presumptuous creature in this world. So, Natassa's amateurism is completely understandable because I, myself, underwent the same thing. "Underground" somehow reminds me of the first draft of young adult book that I wrote when I was in sixth grade: jumpy plot, trying to pour everything I know in the book, cringeworthy and unbearably pretentious. Natassa's just a teenager back then. But, even a late teenager knows about the intrinsic elements of literary work: about point of view, description, plot, and setting.
Clearly, Natassa doesn't use outline when she wrote Underground. It's shown in the way she structures the plot: it's expansive, unfocused, and heartless. Natassa's "Underground" is filled with plethora of characters who talk and behave the same, and each of them has conflicts which are (un)surprisingly similar. It basically is like a rendition of Indonesian soap opera, full of promiscuity and dramatic characters. It's arduous to grasp the summary of "Underground"'s main plot. The intention of the book is unclear, and the plot is just plotless. I know that Natassa is having fun when she wrote "Underground"; once again, it's elucidated clearly in the book. The cool music events, glamorous lifestyle of New York socialites, pretty girls and handsome boys; I completely understand how enticing those are and I'm sure Natassa is fascinated by them back then. So, why does she need to think about the plot back then? After all, this is like the coolest book ever, that's probably what she thought back then. Again, I understand this completely. I went through the same phase back then.
But, trust me. Reading "Underground" must be accompanied by an ample level of understanding. If it were Persona 4, I'm sure my understanding level can reach "saintly" quite fast if I read "Underground" regularly. So, I must understand when "Underground"'s point of view doesn't make sense. Natassa writes from, what I called, the-omniscient-first-and-third point of view, a new classification of point of view, specifically is created only for "Underground". Even in my first draft, I don't mix first and third point of view in the same scene. I may mix the omniscience of the narrator, but that's still understandable. That's just only point of view. The characters, which are really cool and good-looking and perfect, are like the epitome of fictional characters' shallowness and superficiality. With incredulous amount of jealousy and simple thinking--what they talk about is only opposite gender and music--"Underground"'s characters are not struggling, and it's not fun. What makes us, a normal human being, sympathize with a character is because they struggle a lot. The characters may go into something drastic that changes their life, but Natassa resolves it pretty quickly, leaving no impression. "Underground" mostly contains the mundane luxurious life of these characters and once again, it's understandable if people struggle when they read the book.
In "Underground", you can also observe the seed of what I call "Natassa's pretentiousness", a fun fact that she wants to spread around to the world. Again, I've done the same thing in my first draft. Natassa sows her seed of pretentiousness that she reaps in her following opuses where she does it quite smoothly (gladly). Again, I can understand it completely and I'm glad that she improves her ability to sow the seed in her next books. "Underground" is also filled with a lot of metonymy where she mentions a lot of brand in her narration, like:
I looked at my Tag Heuer.
or
He wore his Ermenegildo Zegna, looking attractive.
or
Daniel wore his Cressida jeans.
In "Underground", there's no description. It's just like a drama script, with only a few lines of brief explanation. It's a rarity to see a paragraph containing more than five lines. The favorite line of "Underground" is I laughed, and indeed I laughed at this book's stupidity. But once again, it's understandable.
"Underground" is like the ultimate chimera of hers, an escape from shitty life where fictional characters are the only people people who completely understand what she goes through. Trust me, I know that feel. When I decide to read this book, I give it my benefit of doubt. Oh, well, okay, I admit I have a little mocking tendency, but I really hope that this book will surprise me in a good way, but apparently not. I believe that when your work is published, you are ready to be deconstructed like this as a consequence, even by nobody like me. There's no justification even if the author is still juvenile. I just still don't understand the reason why "Underground" is republished without going through editing process or rewriting. I may sound covetous, which is true; a little, but if it isn't Ika Natassa, I'm sure it won't be published. I have an evil suspicion in my mind, but I better keep it to myself. For me, "Underground" is not a complete book, it's a joke and that's why the rating is low.
The review is written from my cheap Asus and it can also be read here.
March 8, 2016
Kesal.
Itu kesan pertama gue saat baca buku ini. Bukan, ini bukan masalah Bahasa Inggris nya, ini tentang isi ceritanya. Guess I had some serious problems with it at first:
1) Tokohnya banyak. And by "banyak" I mean "banyaaaaaaaaaaak". Sampe lupa2 inget hubungan antar tokohnya. Dan saking banyaknya, pas di tengah cerita sampe ada scene yg typo salah nyebut nama tokoh. Lol I found it!
2) CMIIW, POV novelnya dari Liv, kan? Terus tiba2 ada dialog Aaliyah, Kobe, & baby sitternya di rumah Aaliyah yg gak mungkin didenger Liv (si POV). Atau saat Stefan & Alisha ngedate, dialog Stefan & Steve, dll. Jadi mau pake sudut pandang org pertama atau ketiga serba tahu atau gimana? Sorry kalau terdengar berlebihan, but it bothered me a lot.
4) Masih nyambung dengan no. 3 sih, tapi gue nemu ini udah di tengah2 buku (hal 246). Jadi ada scene Shareef & Micha ngobrol di NYU ngomongin Aaliyah (Yep, Liv wasn't even there). Setelah mereka selesai ngobrol-tanpa ada pembatas cerita (entah apa itu namanya)-tiba2 scene berganti ke Stefan yg lagi road trip nyetel CD Green Day. Wait, what?
5) Oke, yg ini murni salah gue. Gue susah banget nangkep jokes dari tokoh2 ini di awal. Like when they discussed something & they suddenly laughed, and I was like, guys what are you laughing at?! What's so funny??? Guys? Guuuyysss???? *cried desperately*
Untunglah kau ini buku PO, nak... *elus2 halaman spesial ber-ttd kak Ika*
Gue baru mulai 'masuk' ke cerita di halaman 50an. Ceritanya mulai seru krn muncul konflik dimana-mana. If it wasn't for my skripsheet proposal, I wouldn't put this book down. I really enjoyed it, so I guess I can take it easy on those issues I mentioned at first paragraph. Okay, so these are some plus points I found in Underground:
1) This is important. First Claire, then Liv, Heather.... Well, what's wrong with the pooping thing? Hahahaha (and I'm creepy enough to remember all 'buang hajat' scenes in this book)
"Why do you girls have to go poop all the time?" Jared said.
Because we need to, Jared. We. Need. To.
2) I found it hilarious that Kak Ika used "Tiiiit tiiiit", "Niiiiit", "Treeek", "Plak!", etc instead of 'The bell suddenly rang' or something like that.
3) Is it lame if I laughed at Liv's joke about BMW & chicken?
4) I would like to see the visual version of Stefan, I mean Stephanie Bradley Marciano in a dress. Thank you.
5) The Mardi Gras road trip reminds me of Quentin's road trip in Paper Towns. Those are my fav parts! Yes, the Valentine's Day part is included too hehehe
6) Gue lebih familiar dgn lagu2 & penyanyi2 yg disebutkan di buku ini daripada di buku2 Kak Ika yg lain. Dan ini lagu2 jadul semua. Duh apa selera musik gue makin jatuh seiring bertambahnya umur ya :(
7) I surprised how tragic Will & Sarah 's love story turned out. Lah ini seriusan jadi begini? Sampe hilang kantuk gue pas baca bagian ini (gue baca tengah malem)
8) Semakin mendekati akhir cerita, gue makin geregetan dgn Liv & Stefan yg susah banget buat balikan. Masnya marah2 mulu, terus mbaknya keras kepala, kelar udah. Gemes pengen ngeskip cerita ke bagian yg ada mereka aja hahaha (didn't do that anyway). Daaan endingnya berhasil bikin gue senyum2 gak jelas jam 3 pagi. Guess I'm satisfied with the ending *peluk mz Stefan*
9) Tokoh favorit gue di buku ini, well siapa lagi kalo bukan Stefan. Lol, you guys know why. Dan siapapun yg menganggap Stefan ini Harris versi NYC, sorry gue gak setuju, krn nasib Harris lebih apes daripada Stefan.
Jadi, menurut gue, membaca Underground itu unik. At first, I got confused a lot that I thought I should stop reading this, but then it gave me more and more reasons to finished it til I became a fan of its story.
Although I still found some typos; no big deal, I can read it with no problem. Bahasa Inggris nya gampang dan kosakata yg digunakan juga gak sampe bikin gue harus buka kamus hahaha. Menurut gue, ini bisa jadi solusi buat org2 yg komplain "Kak Ika kok kalo nulis campur2 sih bhs inggris & indonesia nya?" Guys, seriously? Nih baca Underground, paling konsisten, full english, gak campur2!
Sebelum baca ini, gue udah baca CE, AR, Twivortiare 1&2. And this one's not my most fave actually. Buku ini boleh jadi karya Kak Ika yg pertama, tapi buku favorit gue tetep Critical Eleven dan tokoh favorit gue tetep Harris Risjad. Since I gave 5 stars to CE & 4 stars to AR, maybe 3 stars are enough for Underground? Maafin aku, kak Ika :( :( :(
Itu kesan pertama gue saat baca buku ini. Bukan, ini bukan masalah Bahasa Inggris nya, ini tentang isi ceritanya. Guess I had some serious problems with it at first:
1) Tokohnya banyak. And by "banyak" I mean "banyaaaaaaaaaaak". Sampe lupa2 inget hubungan antar tokohnya. Dan saking banyaknya, pas di tengah cerita sampe ada scene yg typo salah nyebut nama tokoh. Lol I found it!
2) CMIIW, POV novelnya dari Liv, kan? Terus tiba2 ada dialog Aaliyah, Kobe, & baby sitternya di rumah Aaliyah yg gak mungkin didenger Liv (si POV). Atau saat Stefan & Alisha ngedate, dialog Stefan & Steve, dll. Jadi mau pake sudut pandang org pertama atau ketiga serba tahu atau gimana? Sorry kalau terdengar berlebihan, but it bothered me a lot.
4) Masih nyambung dengan no. 3 sih, tapi gue nemu ini udah di tengah2 buku (hal 246). Jadi ada scene Shareef & Micha ngobrol di NYU ngomongin Aaliyah (Yep, Liv wasn't even there). Setelah mereka selesai ngobrol-tanpa ada pembatas cerita (entah apa itu namanya)-tiba2 scene berganti ke Stefan yg lagi road trip nyetel CD Green Day. Wait, what?
5) Oke, yg ini murni salah gue. Gue susah banget nangkep jokes dari tokoh2 ini di awal. Like when they discussed something & they suddenly laughed, and I was like, guys what are you laughing at?! What's so funny??? Guys? Guuuyysss???? *cried desperately*
Untunglah kau ini buku PO, nak... *elus2 halaman spesial ber-ttd kak Ika*
Gue baru mulai 'masuk' ke cerita di halaman 50an. Ceritanya mulai seru krn muncul konflik dimana-mana. If it wasn't for my skripsheet proposal, I wouldn't put this book down. I really enjoyed it, so I guess I can take it easy on those issues I mentioned at first paragraph. Okay, so these are some plus points I found in Underground:
1) This is important. First Claire, then Liv, Heather.... Well, what's wrong with the pooping thing? Hahahaha (and I'm creepy enough to remember all 'buang hajat' scenes in this book)
"Why do you girls have to go poop all the time?" Jared said.
Because we need to, Jared. We. Need. To.
2) I found it hilarious that Kak Ika used "Tiiiit tiiiit", "Niiiiit", "Treeek", "Plak!", etc instead of 'The bell suddenly rang' or something like that.
3) Is it lame if I laughed at Liv's joke about BMW & chicken?
4) I would like to see the visual version of Stefan, I mean Stephanie Bradley Marciano in a dress. Thank you.
5) The Mardi Gras road trip reminds me of Quentin's road trip in Paper Towns. Those are my fav parts! Yes, the Valentine's Day part is included too hehehe
6) Gue lebih familiar dgn lagu2 & penyanyi2 yg disebutkan di buku ini daripada di buku2 Kak Ika yg lain. Dan ini lagu2 jadul semua. Duh apa selera musik gue makin jatuh seiring bertambahnya umur ya :(
7) I surprised how tragic Will & Sarah 's love story turned out. Lah ini seriusan jadi begini? Sampe hilang kantuk gue pas baca bagian ini (gue baca tengah malem)
8) Semakin mendekati akhir cerita, gue makin geregetan dgn Liv & Stefan yg susah banget buat balikan. Masnya marah2 mulu, terus mbaknya keras kepala, kelar udah. Gemes pengen ngeskip cerita ke bagian yg ada mereka aja hahaha (didn't do that anyway). Daaan endingnya berhasil bikin gue senyum2 gak jelas jam 3 pagi. Guess I'm satisfied with the ending *peluk mz Stefan*
9) Tokoh favorit gue di buku ini, well siapa lagi kalo bukan Stefan. Lol, you guys know why. Dan siapapun yg menganggap Stefan ini Harris versi NYC, sorry gue gak setuju, krn nasib Harris lebih apes daripada Stefan.
Jadi, menurut gue, membaca Underground itu unik. At first, I got confused a lot that I thought I should stop reading this, but then it gave me more and more reasons to finished it til I became a fan of its story.
Although I still found some typos; no big deal, I can read it with no problem. Bahasa Inggris nya gampang dan kosakata yg digunakan juga gak sampe bikin gue harus buka kamus hahaha. Menurut gue, ini bisa jadi solusi buat org2 yg komplain "Kak Ika kok kalo nulis campur2 sih bhs inggris & indonesia nya?" Guys, seriously? Nih baca Underground, paling konsisten, full english, gak campur2!
Sebelum baca ini, gue udah baca CE, AR, Twivortiare 1&2. And this one's not my most fave actually. Buku ini boleh jadi karya Kak Ika yg pertama, tapi buku favorit gue tetep Critical Eleven dan tokoh favorit gue tetep Harris Risjad. Since I gave 5 stars to CE & 4 stars to AR, maybe 3 stars are enough for Underground? Maafin aku, kak Ika :( :( :(
March 4, 2012
Ohaiyooo! I’m back with one more book review. This time I’ll discuss about my favorite writer’s book Ika Natassa, Underground. Underground is actually her first novel. She wrote it when she was 19 and she wrote it in English! Yes, this book was fully written in English. Super nice!
Okay back to the Underground itself, this book tells about the biggest music TV station in USA. It is a kind of MTV in real life. VJs, celebrities, music are easily found here. The plot of this book is easily to be understood, it is all about friendship and love. Let’s talk about it deeper:
Meet Liv Hunter, one of the Underground’s VJs and one of the Most 50 Beautiful People in the world. She is Blonde, edgy, chick, beautiful (of course), famous and lovable. Then meet her best friend, Stefan Marciano, her fellow VJ friend at Underground. Liv and Stefan are a best friend, until they’re tired of searching what-so-called soulmate and decided to become more than friends at last. Not only them, Underground has some coolest other VJs like Jared, Heather, Claire and many others. They bring their own unique stories I’m sure you won’t regret while reading it :)
Nah that’s a bit clue about this story that I wanna tell you. You have to buy this book to know the complete story :D
Overall this book is really refreshing. Because some characters here are very different with other Ika Natassa’s books. If her four novels (AVYW, Divortiare, Antologi Rasa, and Twivortiare) tell about a banker’s life, Underground serves some fresh characters. Even though this is Ika Natassa’s first novel (but came out after AVYW and Divortiare for some reasons), but this is the last book I read and of course it gives me something new about Ika’s books. This book flies my times back when I was in primary and secondary school, where MTV was my whole life! Haha true it is, I couldn’t live my any single day without watching it. So thank God I bought this book and thank you Ika Natassa for writing it :D
But there are things that “mengganjal” in my head about some parts of this book like, it is quite impossible for a popular and pretty lady like Liv who still remains virgin and she doesn’t drink beer? :| Also, this book was written in 1997, but why some VJs in this book mention about Jennifer Lopez’s Play and Nsync’s Girlfriend? Those songs supposed to be released after 2000s. But I don’t know if then Ika Natassa made some revisions about this story.
Well very good job for the author, and I deeply hope that she will write another English novel soon. :)
Okay back to the Underground itself, this book tells about the biggest music TV station in USA. It is a kind of MTV in real life. VJs, celebrities, music are easily found here. The plot of this book is easily to be understood, it is all about friendship and love. Let’s talk about it deeper:
Meet Liv Hunter, one of the Underground’s VJs and one of the Most 50 Beautiful People in the world. She is Blonde, edgy, chick, beautiful (of course), famous and lovable. Then meet her best friend, Stefan Marciano, her fellow VJ friend at Underground. Liv and Stefan are a best friend, until they’re tired of searching what-so-called soulmate and decided to become more than friends at last. Not only them, Underground has some coolest other VJs like Jared, Heather, Claire and many others. They bring their own unique stories I’m sure you won’t regret while reading it :)
Nah that’s a bit clue about this story that I wanna tell you. You have to buy this book to know the complete story :D
Overall this book is really refreshing. Because some characters here are very different with other Ika Natassa’s books. If her four novels (AVYW, Divortiare, Antologi Rasa, and Twivortiare) tell about a banker’s life, Underground serves some fresh characters. Even though this is Ika Natassa’s first novel (but came out after AVYW and Divortiare for some reasons), but this is the last book I read and of course it gives me something new about Ika’s books. This book flies my times back when I was in primary and secondary school, where MTV was my whole life! Haha true it is, I couldn’t live my any single day without watching it. So thank God I bought this book and thank you Ika Natassa for writing it :D
But there are things that “mengganjal” in my head about some parts of this book like, it is quite impossible for a popular and pretty lady like Liv who still remains virgin and she doesn’t drink beer? :| Also, this book was written in 1997, but why some VJs in this book mention about Jennifer Lopez’s Play and Nsync’s Girlfriend? Those songs supposed to be released after 2000s. But I don’t know if then Ika Natassa made some revisions about this story.
Well very good job for the author, and I deeply hope that she will write another English novel soon. :)
May 17, 2018
Okay, this is a book that I've been eyeing for the past couple of years. And I really, REALLY tried to force myself to finish it, but I just can't. You see, I read books for fun, to unwind and de-stress—and this particular one is taking all those away from me. So yeah.
Here are my top 5 reasons why this book sucks:
1.
False advertisement. Let’s start with the appearance, shall we? When I saw this book, the cover and the title gave me a whole other impression on what the inside was going to be like, which is not at all what it turns out to be. I thought it would tell a story of this band who are struggling to become established musicians, scouring through the less well-known places to make their way to mainstream media. The title literally says ‘Underground!’ But it turns out to just be the name of the MTV-wanna-be channel that the author conjured up, filled with who seem to be very basic, cliché bunch of people. I feel like the packaging looks SO much better than the product and it’s really disappointing.
2.
Lack of research. Everything about this book makes zero sense, and I think it’s due to the fact that the author has done basically no research whatsoever on the topic being discussed. If the author wanted to write a story on VJ-ing in the ‘90s, she should have read up on it or watched interviews with VJs of the time and really get to know what the job looks like—because I’m sure their job doesn’t only entail taping a show for less than a minute every time. Also, the author is an Indonesian who tries to write as an American—presuming, of course, since the background of the characters are rarely ever discussed—but fails miserably because she doesn’t know what is quintessentially American, be it in speech, in cultural references and in behaviour. Her 'American' characters end up looking like nothing but stereotypical Westerners, often seen in cheesy movies. Lastly, of course, the part about Juilliard that seems to be thrown in there without any knowledge on what a huge role that would play in a person’s life—honestly, I doubt a Juilliard student would have such free time on their hands, since they are usually quite ambitious. Then again, what do I know?
3.
Terrible grammar, vocabulary and writing in general. There are too many times I had to overlook—not without cringing—the grammar mistakes that adorn the pages of this book. It can be something quite simple and minor, or even something that takes the sense out of a sentence. What I notice the most is the author’s faulty use of the words ‘utter,’ ‘gaze’ and ‘snap’—which would really give the situation a whole other feel than what, I’m sure, is intended. It would be different if the author is trying to show the American way of the characters, by purposely using sloppy grammar—no offence to Americans, but it does happen a lot—but the author also writes as such outside of dialogues, which just exposes her inability to write in proper English. Wouldn’t it be better if she has just written it in Indonesian then? Apart from that, though, the writing as a whole is terrible. The transition from one scene to another is awfully sloppy, the setting of the scene itself is wildly vague—a character could be turning around to see someone else and suddenly he/she's in a car on the way to somewhere—and there is literally no sense of time. We don't know how long time has actually passed within the story.
4.
Shallow characterisation, if any. The characters all have the same personality—if we can even call it that. They laugh all the time, due to godknowswhat! None of them have ever said any real opinions with substance that may or may not be received very well by their peers. They all seem to have the same lifestyle, with pretty much the same social class and going through very basic—not to mention cliché—daily problems. There is no time to let wounds heal. Someone has literally cheated on someone else in the group and nobody is taking sides, it just blows over so quickly. Wow! In fact, all the problems seem to work out the same way: everyone just forgives everyone else and moves on without worry. Nothing is even remotely moving or relatable about the way they think and feel. They just seem like either a bunch of like-minded people who can have no difference of opinions OR they are so uncomfortable with one another that they can't be honest about their thoughts and feelings.
5.
Incessant name-dropping. Wow, if I could have a nickel for every time the author references an artist, a song or a movie from the ‘90s in this book, I could probably book a plane ticket right now. Honestly, it’s really annoying! These references don’t even have any deeper meaning to the story at the time—or, if they do, it’s not made at all clear to the readers. It just looks like the author is showing off that she knows a lot about American pop-culture at the time. Ditto on the NYC references. We get it, you used to live there! And don’t get me started on the song lyric quotes at the start of every chapter—she even got the words wrong sometimes. Wildly irrelevant and incredibly redundant!
I understand that this was the first manuscript the author has ever finished—when she was only 19—and it may hold some kind of sentimental value to her. But, if she’s a good author at all, she should have re-read and re-checked her old writing before deciding to send it to a publisher. The story and writing style at the moment just look incredibly amateurish—and, according to earlier reviews, it seems like she has proven to be a much better writer in her other works. Shouldn’t there be an editor who makes sure that crap like this doesn’t make it to printing? Shouldn’t her agent advise her not to mar her good name by putting it on this thing?
I feel kind of bad for Ika Natassa. Thanks to this book, now I’m almost completely put off her works and will most likely not flip through books written by her in the future. They could be really great and I could be missing out, sure. All I know is, the one time I was willing to give it a try, I was let down. Never again.
Here are my top 5 reasons why this book sucks:
1.
False advertisement. Let’s start with the appearance, shall we? When I saw this book, the cover and the title gave me a whole other impression on what the inside was going to be like, which is not at all what it turns out to be. I thought it would tell a story of this band who are struggling to become established musicians, scouring through the less well-known places to make their way to mainstream media. The title literally says ‘Underground!’ But it turns out to just be the name of the MTV-wanna-be channel that the author conjured up, filled with who seem to be very basic, cliché bunch of people. I feel like the packaging looks SO much better than the product and it’s really disappointing.
2.
Lack of research. Everything about this book makes zero sense, and I think it’s due to the fact that the author has done basically no research whatsoever on the topic being discussed. If the author wanted to write a story on VJ-ing in the ‘90s, she should have read up on it or watched interviews with VJs of the time and really get to know what the job looks like—because I’m sure their job doesn’t only entail taping a show for less than a minute every time. Also, the author is an Indonesian who tries to write as an American—presuming, of course, since the background of the characters are rarely ever discussed—but fails miserably because she doesn’t know what is quintessentially American, be it in speech, in cultural references and in behaviour. Her 'American' characters end up looking like nothing but stereotypical Westerners, often seen in cheesy movies. Lastly, of course, the part about Juilliard that seems to be thrown in there without any knowledge on what a huge role that would play in a person’s life—honestly, I doubt a Juilliard student would have such free time on their hands, since they are usually quite ambitious. Then again, what do I know?
3.
Terrible grammar, vocabulary and writing in general. There are too many times I had to overlook—not without cringing—the grammar mistakes that adorn the pages of this book. It can be something quite simple and minor, or even something that takes the sense out of a sentence. What I notice the most is the author’s faulty use of the words ‘utter,’ ‘gaze’ and ‘snap’—which would really give the situation a whole other feel than what, I’m sure, is intended. It would be different if the author is trying to show the American way of the characters, by purposely using sloppy grammar—no offence to Americans, but it does happen a lot—but the author also writes as such outside of dialogues, which just exposes her inability to write in proper English. Wouldn’t it be better if she has just written it in Indonesian then? Apart from that, though, the writing as a whole is terrible. The transition from one scene to another is awfully sloppy, the setting of the scene itself is wildly vague—a character could be turning around to see someone else and suddenly he/she's in a car on the way to somewhere—and there is literally no sense of time. We don't know how long time has actually passed within the story.
4.
Shallow characterisation, if any. The characters all have the same personality—if we can even call it that. They laugh all the time, due to godknowswhat! None of them have ever said any real opinions with substance that may or may not be received very well by their peers. They all seem to have the same lifestyle, with pretty much the same social class and going through very basic—not to mention cliché—daily problems. There is no time to let wounds heal. Someone has literally cheated on someone else in the group and nobody is taking sides, it just blows over so quickly. Wow! In fact, all the problems seem to work out the same way: everyone just forgives everyone else and moves on without worry. Nothing is even remotely moving or relatable about the way they think and feel. They just seem like either a bunch of like-minded people who can have no difference of opinions OR they are so uncomfortable with one another that they can't be honest about their thoughts and feelings.
5.
Incessant name-dropping. Wow, if I could have a nickel for every time the author references an artist, a song or a movie from the ‘90s in this book, I could probably book a plane ticket right now. Honestly, it’s really annoying! These references don’t even have any deeper meaning to the story at the time—or, if they do, it’s not made at all clear to the readers. It just looks like the author is showing off that she knows a lot about American pop-culture at the time. Ditto on the NYC references. We get it, you used to live there! And don’t get me started on the song lyric quotes at the start of every chapter—she even got the words wrong sometimes. Wildly irrelevant and incredibly redundant!
I understand that this was the first manuscript the author has ever finished—when she was only 19—and it may hold some kind of sentimental value to her. But, if she’s a good author at all, she should have re-read and re-checked her old writing before deciding to send it to a publisher. The story and writing style at the moment just look incredibly amateurish—and, according to earlier reviews, it seems like she has proven to be a much better writer in her other works. Shouldn’t there be an editor who makes sure that crap like this doesn’t make it to printing? Shouldn’t her agent advise her not to mar her good name by putting it on this thing?
I feel kind of bad for Ika Natassa. Thanks to this book, now I’m almost completely put off her works and will most likely not flip through books written by her in the future. They could be really great and I could be missing out, sure. All I know is, the one time I was willing to give it a try, I was let down. Never again.
March 9, 2016
FINALLY! FINALLY! FINALLY! Selesai juga baca buku ini.
Well, I only give 2 stars karena gak menikmati banget baca ini :(( Tapi tetep maksa harus diselesaiin karena sayang soalnya bukunya tebel :p
Jadi, aku mau nge-review buku ini, dilihat dari nilai plus dan minus.
plus:
- Buku ini banyak baget cerita tentang persahabatan, cinta, dan lika-liku kehidupan.
- Parties, dan tentunya jadi bisa tau kehidupan the A-lists itu kaya gimana
- Liv dan Stefan romantis abis..
minus:
- Tokohnya banyak, "banyak" di sini artinya beneran banyaaaaaak banget. Mungkin ada sekitar 10 tokoh yang saling berakitan
- Alur cerita kadang bikin bingung saking kompleksnya.
- Banyak bagian-bagian yang ga penting dimasukkin ke buku ini.
- Agak aneh sih baca bahasa inggris tapi maknanya Indonesia banget.
- Ika Natassa mestinya pakai sudut pandang orang ketiga serba tahu aja, jangan pake sudut pandang Liv kalo ujung-ujungnya ada beberapa bagian yang memang Liv bukan peran utama dalam suatu cerita. Jadinya bingung, sumpah
- ceritanya bener-bener kompleks, mbulet, dangkal.
Maaf...kelihatanya aku mencerca buku ini tapi engga kok, cuma gemes aja :(( 500 halaman lho yaaa, dan cuma ngasih kesan meh!. Wajar sih, ini kan novel pertama yang ditulis, jadi masih banyak kekurangan. Ika Natassa tetep penulis favorit koook :) tapi yang jelas Underground bukan favorit saya. Ciao! xoxo
Well, I only give 2 stars karena gak menikmati banget baca ini :(( Tapi tetep maksa harus diselesaiin karena sayang soalnya bukunya tebel :p
Jadi, aku mau nge-review buku ini, dilihat dari nilai plus dan minus.
plus:
- Buku ini banyak baget cerita tentang persahabatan, cinta, dan lika-liku kehidupan.
- Parties, dan tentunya jadi bisa tau kehidupan the A-lists itu kaya gimana
- Liv dan Stefan romantis abis..
minus:
- Tokohnya banyak, "banyak" di sini artinya beneran banyaaaaaak banget. Mungkin ada sekitar 10 tokoh yang saling berakitan
- Alur cerita kadang bikin bingung saking kompleksnya.
- Banyak bagian-bagian yang ga penting dimasukkin ke buku ini.
- Agak aneh sih baca bahasa inggris tapi maknanya Indonesia banget.
- Ika Natassa mestinya pakai sudut pandang orang ketiga serba tahu aja, jangan pake sudut pandang Liv kalo ujung-ujungnya ada beberapa bagian yang memang Liv bukan peran utama dalam suatu cerita. Jadinya bingung, sumpah
- ceritanya bener-bener kompleks, mbulet, dangkal.
Maaf...kelihatanya aku mencerca buku ini tapi engga kok, cuma gemes aja :(( 500 halaman lho yaaa, dan cuma ngasih kesan meh!. Wajar sih, ini kan novel pertama yang ditulis, jadi masih banyak kekurangan. Ika Natassa tetep penulis favorit koook :) tapi yang jelas Underground bukan favorit saya. Ciao! xoxo
March 8, 2016
FINALLY!!!! FINALLY!!!!
It took everything in me to finally finish this book.
2 is not Bad. 2 is OK
I. You people need to chill. I am not a mean person who like to write a bad thing about a book. Almost everytime I feel sad that I gave a 2 stars for a book but at the same time I try to be honest with my review.
I dont know why but my expectations was so high about this book it turns out to be hmm...
How do I explain it?
Flat.... So flat.... too long... sometimes it made me yawn and I knew that I need to put this on hold. I dont know but I thibs it's almost a month since I first open the first page.
Ughhhh.... I realize that I gave 2 stars for two latest novel from mbak Ika Natassa (Critical eleven and Underground)
Sorry mbak Ika. No hard feelings oke ?
:))
It took everything in me to finally finish this book.
2 is not Bad. 2 is OK
I. You people need to chill. I am not a mean person who like to write a bad thing about a book. Almost everytime I feel sad that I gave a 2 stars for a book but at the same time I try to be honest with my review.
I dont know why but my expectations was so high about this book it turns out to be hmm...
How do I explain it?
Flat.... So flat.... too long... sometimes it made me yawn and I knew that I need to put this on hold. I dont know but I thibs it's almost a month since I first open the first page.
Ughhhh.... I realize that I gave 2 stars for two latest novel from mbak Ika Natassa (Critical eleven and Underground)
Sorry mbak Ika. No hard feelings oke ?
:))
Read
May 31, 2016Simply i just lost my interest to read this pieces and most of Ika Natassa's books not my cup of tea.
I am really sorry about that
I am really sorry about that
i-give-up
June 29, 2016Dah, saya nyerah. Buku ini baru saya baca sampai sepertiganya saja dan sejauh itu saya enggak menemukan sesuatu yang bikin saya kepingin buru-buru menamatkan Underground dalam waktu dekat. Selain nama besar penulis Ika Natassa dan simbol penerbit gramedia yang tercetak pada kover depan, hal lain yang mungkin menjadikan Underground begitu menarik minat seseorang untuk membelinya adalah setting tempatnya yang di New York, itu saja. Jalan ceritanya sendiri benar-benar membosankan. Banyak side story yang sebetulnya tidak perlu dimasukkan ke dalam plot. Banyak dialog-dialog dan percakapan yang bagi saya fungsi keberadaannya hanyalah semata-mata demi mempertebal halaman karna itu pointless dan enggak penting banget, seharusnya bisa dihilangkan saja (ya tahu, kan, demi mempermurah harga bukunya). Belum lagi karakter di buku banyak banget, bikin pusing. Yang paling menyebalkan juga ada, seperti pemakaian sudut pandang yang tidak konsisten. Underground memakai sudut pandang orang pertama dari sisi Liv, terkadang diselipkan juga POV orang ketiga, jujur saja saya merasa POV orang ketiga-nya ini teramat maksa dan tidak terlalu dibutuhkan juga. Kembali kepada fungsi pemakaian POV orang pertama yang memang membatasi pengetahuan pembaca dan menjadikan cerita lebih fokus, kalau ingin melanggar semua aturan itu kenapa dari awal tidak memakai POV orang ketiga saja? Malah di bab 8 saya menemukan perpindahan POV dari orang pertama ke orang ketiga tanpa adanya hint sama sekali bahwa sudut pandangnya telah diubah, bahkan latar tempat yang tadinya di rumah Liv pun tiba-tiba berubah menjadi apartment Stefan!
Rasanya lelah sekali memutarkan bola mata terus menerus selama proses membaca novel ini. Saya enggak tahu Underground bakal separah apa kebelakangnya atau malah jadi lebih baik, yang jelas sekarang ini saya kehilangan mood untuk melanjutkan. Sayang banget Ika, saya benar-benar berusaha untuk bisa menikmati karya pertamamu :D
Rasanya lelah sekali memutarkan bola mata terus menerus selama proses membaca novel ini. Saya enggak tahu Underground bakal separah apa kebelakangnya atau malah jadi lebih baik, yang jelas sekarang ini saya kehilangan mood untuk melanjutkan. Sayang banget Ika, saya benar-benar berusaha untuk bisa menikmati karya pertamamu :D
February 2, 2017
To be frank, it was really difficult to finish this book because I couldn’t help but cringe the whole time. I saw it coming though—I looked through some reviews prior reading the book and they mostly discussed about how “amateur” this book is. To which I agree. Ika wrote the book when she was 19—the first manuscript she successfully finished working on—so I could understand why the plot is all over the place and the characters are dull (plus there are too many of them I could barely keep up with who is who). It is amateur. Ika herself said that it is raw. Still, at the same time, I’m glad she chose to publish this because, personally, as someone who wishes to publish her own book one day, sometimes I want to know how writers started their journey. What was their first piece like? How did they develop their writing skills? It’s nice to see that 19-year-old Ika managed to write a 500++ page novel (man, something 19-year-old-me wasn’t able to do), improved her writing skills and overcame the amateurism through the years, and eventually became the Ika Natassa who’s well-known for her lovely and baper-inducing works like Critical Eleven and The Architecture of Love.
So long story short, plot-wise, I didn’t enjoy this book. Nevertheless, Ika is still one of my favorite Indonesian chick lit writers and I am looking forward to her next book.
So long story short, plot-wise, I didn’t enjoy this book. Nevertheless, Ika is still one of my favorite Indonesian chick lit writers and I am looking forward to her next book.
January 30, 2012
Buku ini menceritakan banyak kisah. Dari banyak kisah aku hanya ingin menjelaskan kisah antara persahabatan dan cinta antara Liv dan Stefan.
Diawal buku, kita akan melihat bagaimana persahabatan Liv dan stefan, bahkan disaat Liv kesusahan, Stefan yang akan selalu membantu dirinya.
*berharap punya teman seperti Stefan...:)
Tapi disaat baca ini, aku jadi ingat kisah Keara dengan Harris..:)
Kisah Liv dan Stefan yang diawali dengan persahabatan,sampai akhirnya mereka berdiskusi mengenai soulmate.
Liv : Have you ever worried about not finding your soulmate?
Stefan : Constantly
Stefan : why are you suddenly wondering about this soulmate thing?
Liv : It's Just that,,,I've been dating around these past few years, and...I know you're gonna laugh at this one, but, I'am just tired of it...
Stefan : I believe that you are not supposed to find your soulmate. You are supposed to find each other, And you know, someday it will happen, you just don't know when. Meanwhile, you just live life the way it's meant to be...
Keeps on dating until you find the one.
Sampai akhirnya mereka sadar bahwa mereka tidak butuh mencari lagi dikarenakan soulmate mereka ada didepan mata. Sebelum mereka berpacaran, mereka sudah mencoba untuk berpacaran dengan pasangan mereka masing-masing. Liv dengan Mark dan Stefan dengan Alisyah, tetapi hubungan mereka tidak berjalan dengan baik dan memutuskan untuk berpisah.
Dan akhirnya, ada percakapan manis antara Liv dan Stefan, seperti ini
Stefan : Actually, I need to tell you something
Do you still belive in soulmate?
Liv : Yeah, why?
Stefan : Well, I have found my soulmate. I'm just, you know, not sure that I'm hers too
Liv : Really? congratulations, who is she?
Stefa : It's You
I can't believe it took me so long to realize this...I can't think on any other woman I want to be with but you
I'm in love with you, beautiful
Liv :I love you too
Aduh romantis banget,,,,Stefan mengatakan ini semua kepada Liv, disaat hari paling romantis sedunia? What???
Yes, all of you have know about that day, that is 'Valentine Days'
Tapi kalau ceritanya hanya dibuat dengan kisah-kisah romantis,,,
buku ini gak akan menjadi hal yang seru duks..
so pastinya banyak rintangan yang mereka harus hadapi.
Dimulai dari pekerjaan, cara berpikir bahkan sampai kepada teman-teman disekitar mereka.
Sampai akhirnya, kejadian yang paling tidak diinginkan pun terjadi.
Liv yang bertemu dengan sahabat lamanya, bernama Rene
dan Stefan tidak menyukai atas perlakuan Rene yang 'keliatan manis'
dan kata-kata yang tidak romantis harus terungkapkan, seperti ini
(jujur,waktu baca bagian ini, aku seperti merasakan gimana sakitnya hati keduanya...*sorry agak lebay)
Liv : Would you listen to yourself?
This is what i was talking about, Stefan, You being irritatingly jealous
Stefan : I do have a reason, don't I? you're so cought up with Rene, you're asking for a break up right now?
Liv : Stefan, please, you're making it harder for me...
Stefan : Do you think it;s not hard to me to listen to you like this?
God, Liv, after eight months. This is the longest relationship I've ever had, and you just come to me and told me that we should cool down?
I don't need to sort my feeling. I'm already sure what I'm feeling for you.
Liv, are you doing this because you're not sure if you really love me or not? Is that it?
I'am doing this because I love you. I don;t want to losse you.
We need this clear up all the jealousy between us.
I love you
Liv : I love you too
Aduh, setelah baca ini kata-kata pasti buat orang yang mungkin sudah pernah mengalaminya, jadi ingat kisah-kisah sedih itu...
*gak nyambung banget ya,,intinya Stefan keren banget kan,,,,dia romantis,,,:D
Tapi tenang saja, buku ini tidak berakhir dengan kegalauan buat para pembacanya.
Karena kisah cinta Stefan dan Liv akhirnya kembali lagi.
Seperti yang Stefan ungkapkan
Stefan : I love you liv, everything about you...
Aduh,,,intinya aku suka Stefan...
Intinya secara keseluruhan buku ini menarik dan tidak membosankan, selain itu buku ini gak akan buat kita pusing. Karena konfliknya bukan sinetron banget kok. Dan kita gak akan menjumpai orang jahat atau orang baik. Buku ini hanya menceritakan kisah Liv dan Stefan serta cinta mereka, persahabatan mereka beserta kehidupan yang mereka jalani selama kerja di Underground.
JAdi buat yang pengen baca buku romantis, buku ini cukup direkomendasikan.
Berharap, dilain waktu mbak penulis mau melanjutkan kisah Liv dan Stefan...:)
Diawal buku, kita akan melihat bagaimana persahabatan Liv dan stefan, bahkan disaat Liv kesusahan, Stefan yang akan selalu membantu dirinya.
*berharap punya teman seperti Stefan...:)
Tapi disaat baca ini, aku jadi ingat kisah Keara dengan Harris..:)
Kisah Liv dan Stefan yang diawali dengan persahabatan,sampai akhirnya mereka berdiskusi mengenai soulmate.
Liv : Have you ever worried about not finding your soulmate?
Stefan : Constantly
Stefan : why are you suddenly wondering about this soulmate thing?
Liv : It's Just that,,,I've been dating around these past few years, and...I know you're gonna laugh at this one, but, I'am just tired of it...
Stefan : I believe that you are not supposed to find your soulmate. You are supposed to find each other, And you know, someday it will happen, you just don't know when. Meanwhile, you just live life the way it's meant to be...
Keeps on dating until you find the one.
Sampai akhirnya mereka sadar bahwa mereka tidak butuh mencari lagi dikarenakan soulmate mereka ada didepan mata. Sebelum mereka berpacaran, mereka sudah mencoba untuk berpacaran dengan pasangan mereka masing-masing. Liv dengan Mark dan Stefan dengan Alisyah, tetapi hubungan mereka tidak berjalan dengan baik dan memutuskan untuk berpisah.
Dan akhirnya, ada percakapan manis antara Liv dan Stefan, seperti ini
Stefan : Actually, I need to tell you something
Do you still belive in soulmate?
Liv : Yeah, why?
Stefan : Well, I have found my soulmate. I'm just, you know, not sure that I'm hers too
Liv : Really? congratulations, who is she?
Stefa : It's You
I can't believe it took me so long to realize this...I can't think on any other woman I want to be with but you
I'm in love with you, beautiful
Liv :I love you too
Aduh romantis banget,,,,Stefan mengatakan ini semua kepada Liv, disaat hari paling romantis sedunia? What???
Yes, all of you have know about that day, that is 'Valentine Days'
Tapi kalau ceritanya hanya dibuat dengan kisah-kisah romantis,,,
buku ini gak akan menjadi hal yang seru duks..
so pastinya banyak rintangan yang mereka harus hadapi.
Dimulai dari pekerjaan, cara berpikir bahkan sampai kepada teman-teman disekitar mereka.
Sampai akhirnya, kejadian yang paling tidak diinginkan pun terjadi.
Liv yang bertemu dengan sahabat lamanya, bernama Rene
dan Stefan tidak menyukai atas perlakuan Rene yang 'keliatan manis'
dan kata-kata yang tidak romantis harus terungkapkan, seperti ini
(jujur,waktu baca bagian ini, aku seperti merasakan gimana sakitnya hati keduanya...*sorry agak lebay)
Liv : Would you listen to yourself?
This is what i was talking about, Stefan, You being irritatingly jealous
Stefan : I do have a reason, don't I? you're so cought up with Rene, you're asking for a break up right now?
Liv : Stefan, please, you're making it harder for me...
Stefan : Do you think it;s not hard to me to listen to you like this?
God, Liv, after eight months. This is the longest relationship I've ever had, and you just come to me and told me that we should cool down?
I don't need to sort my feeling. I'm already sure what I'm feeling for you.
Liv, are you doing this because you're not sure if you really love me or not? Is that it?
I'am doing this because I love you. I don;t want to losse you.
We need this clear up all the jealousy between us.
I love you
Liv : I love you too
Aduh, setelah baca ini kata-kata pasti buat orang yang mungkin sudah pernah mengalaminya, jadi ingat kisah-kisah sedih itu...
*gak nyambung banget ya,,intinya Stefan keren banget kan,,,,dia romantis,,,:D
Tapi tenang saja, buku ini tidak berakhir dengan kegalauan buat para pembacanya.
Karena kisah cinta Stefan dan Liv akhirnya kembali lagi.
Seperti yang Stefan ungkapkan
Stefan : I love you liv, everything about you...
Aduh,,,intinya aku suka Stefan...
Intinya secara keseluruhan buku ini menarik dan tidak membosankan, selain itu buku ini gak akan buat kita pusing. Karena konfliknya bukan sinetron banget kok. Dan kita gak akan menjumpai orang jahat atau orang baik. Buku ini hanya menceritakan kisah Liv dan Stefan serta cinta mereka, persahabatan mereka beserta kehidupan yang mereka jalani selama kerja di Underground.
JAdi buat yang pengen baca buku romantis, buku ini cukup direkomendasikan.
February 16, 2016
Akhirnya sukses melahap novel berbahasa inggris setebal 549 halaman karya Ika Natassa ini. Sebagai fans tulisan ka ika, gw Pribadi suka suka aja sama novel ini (totally biased) hahaha, tapi gw akan coba bikin sedikit review plus minus nya :
Plus :
- Bahasa inggris nya tergolong gampang banget dicerna, yah Cuma conversation English biasa lah, jadi buat manusia yang kemampuan Bahasa inggrisnya rendah kayak gw, gw ga ngerasa kesulitan buat bacanya.
- Novel ini kayak ngebawa gw balik ke akhir taun 90 dan awal taun 2000 an,, dimana kita sebagai remaja masa lampau ikut Hype juga sama MTV dan lagu2 hitz saat itu XDDDDDD Sebagai contoh, lagu2 nya Christina aquilera, Britney, Saybia, the corrs,, dan masih banyak lagi
- Setting nya di US, dan sukses bikin gw mupeng dan bingung pengen ikut melipir kesana
- Seperti tulisan ika yang lain, dia bisaan banget bawa kita kebawa ke alur ceritanya, walau novel ini tergolong tebel, tapi gw asik-asik aja sih bacanya
Negatif :
- Too many character,, bener-bener banyak,,, hahahaha gw ampe bingung ini siapa tokoh utamanya. Hubungan antara satu sama lain kayak apa
- Saking banyaknya tokoh,, deskripsinya pun berasa kurang… kurang banget… gw bahkan baru tau kalo will afro amerika di tengah. Baru tau Stefan itu blonde udah di akhir-akhir banget XDDD… gw ga tau tokoh-tokoh lain bentuk fisiknya kayak apa, sukunya darimana, gw ga tauuuu hahahahhaa
- POV nya tumpeng tindih, kadang pake orang pertama, nanti ada orang ketiga, terus nanti pov orang pertama dari tokoh A,, bab selanjutnya ada dari B, C, D XDDDD
- Gimana dengan kekuatan cerita? Oke,, ceritanya banyak banget, konfliknya banyak,, tapi ya itu, kurang di eksplore, kurang di deskripsiin karena terlalu banyak orang, seperti memaksakan semua harus masuk dalam satu buku.
Tapi overall, gw maklum banget, dan dari awal pun ka ika udah bilang, ini novel masih “virgin” banget, novel pertama ka ika yang ditulis pas umur 19 tahun, tanpa ada pembaharuan sama sekali pas di terbitin, jadi no wonder ya, kalo jauh banget dibandingin sama best seller ka ika yang lain,,
Dan sebagai pembaca setia novel ka ika, gw ga nyesel sih beli dan baca novel ini, karena gw tetep fun, tetep suka sama gaya cerita ka ika, dan tetep jatuh cinta sama tokoh2 nya (walau belum ada yang ngalahin om beno dan haris hihihi)
Terakhir,, dan kesimpulan : Underground adalah novel ka ika yang paling “biasa” bahkan lebih biasa disbanding “A Very Yuppy Wedding” yang juga biasa,, tapi tetap saya sukai XDDDDD terima kasih ka ika, udah ngebawa gw balik ke jaman-jaman MTV, yang sungguh ngangenin banget hihi
Plus :
- Bahasa inggris nya tergolong gampang banget dicerna, yah Cuma conversation English biasa lah, jadi buat manusia yang kemampuan Bahasa inggrisnya rendah kayak gw, gw ga ngerasa kesulitan buat bacanya.
- Novel ini kayak ngebawa gw balik ke akhir taun 90 dan awal taun 2000 an,, dimana kita sebagai remaja masa lampau ikut Hype juga sama MTV dan lagu2 hitz saat itu XDDDDDD Sebagai contoh, lagu2 nya Christina aquilera, Britney, Saybia, the corrs,, dan masih banyak lagi
- Setting nya di US, dan sukses bikin gw mupeng dan bingung pengen ikut melipir kesana
- Seperti tulisan ika yang lain, dia bisaan banget bawa kita kebawa ke alur ceritanya, walau novel ini tergolong tebel, tapi gw asik-asik aja sih bacanya
Negatif :
- Too many character,, bener-bener banyak,,, hahahaha gw ampe bingung ini siapa tokoh utamanya. Hubungan antara satu sama lain kayak apa
- Saking banyaknya tokoh,, deskripsinya pun berasa kurang… kurang banget… gw bahkan baru tau kalo will afro amerika di tengah. Baru tau Stefan itu blonde udah di akhir-akhir banget XDDD… gw ga tau tokoh-tokoh lain bentuk fisiknya kayak apa, sukunya darimana, gw ga tauuuu hahahahhaa
- POV nya tumpeng tindih, kadang pake orang pertama, nanti ada orang ketiga, terus nanti pov orang pertama dari tokoh A,, bab selanjutnya ada dari B, C, D XDDDD
- Gimana dengan kekuatan cerita? Oke,, ceritanya banyak banget, konfliknya banyak,, tapi ya itu, kurang di eksplore, kurang di deskripsiin karena terlalu banyak orang, seperti memaksakan semua harus masuk dalam satu buku.
Tapi overall, gw maklum banget, dan dari awal pun ka ika udah bilang, ini novel masih “virgin” banget, novel pertama ka ika yang ditulis pas umur 19 tahun, tanpa ada pembaharuan sama sekali pas di terbitin, jadi no wonder ya, kalo jauh banget dibandingin sama best seller ka ika yang lain,,
Dan sebagai pembaca setia novel ka ika, gw ga nyesel sih beli dan baca novel ini, karena gw tetep fun, tetep suka sama gaya cerita ka ika, dan tetep jatuh cinta sama tokoh2 nya (walau belum ada yang ngalahin om beno dan haris hihihi)
Terakhir,, dan kesimpulan : Underground adalah novel ka ika yang paling “biasa” bahkan lebih biasa disbanding “A Very Yuppy Wedding” yang juga biasa,, tapi tetap saya sukai XDDDDD terima kasih ka ika, udah ngebawa gw balik ke jaman-jaman MTV, yang sungguh ngangenin banget hihi
May 13, 2017
Plotnya terlalu lompat-lompat, karakternya cenderung datar semua, model ceritanya kayak manga yang ber-arc-arc tanpa suatu plot goal utuh. Tidak ada klimaks utama, konflik subplot terlalu banyak dan terlalu cepat. Kurang narasi sehingga kurang penjelasan--novel ini hampir 90% dibangun dengan dialog dan adegan-adegan pendek. Bahasa Inggris-nya sendiri termasuk mudah--jangan dibandingkan lah dengan novel English asli tulisan native speaker--tapi banyak jokes dan kalimat yang terasa terlalu "Indonesia", yang rasanya janggal kalau dibayangkan orang bule--Amerika asli, New Yorker--mengatakannya. Hal ini menyebabkan saya sulit membayangkan Liv dkk sebagai orang Amerika. Dan saya merasa terganggu dengan terlalu banyaknya adegan tertawa.
Benar kata pengantar Ika Natassa sendiri bahwa Underground ini "mentah".
Tapi.
Untuk ukuran suatu novel yang "mentah", saya cukup salut dengan Underground ini. Effort Kak Ika dalam menyelesaikan novel setebal 500 halaman lebih ini--dengan konflik yang silih berganti--patut dihargai. Uniknya lagi, meski terus-terusan mengernyitkan dahi akibat cerita yang terlalu melompat-lompat ("Kok baru selesai konflik ini langsung cooling down ke adegan lain tanpa ada tanda-tanda baru ada konflik besar? Mana konflik tersebut nggak diungkit-ungkit lagi seolah nggak pernah terjadi apa-apa!"), saya cukup menikmati membaca ini, bahkan bisa menyelesaikannya sampai akhir.
Satu lagi: saya suka bagaimana Kak Ika membuat Liv sebagai karakter berprinsip kuat tentang premarital sex.
So I think the rawness of this book deserves two stars, and the effort deserves one more star.
Benar kata pengantar Ika Natassa sendiri bahwa Underground ini "mentah".
Tapi.
Untuk ukuran suatu novel yang "mentah", saya cukup salut dengan Underground ini. Effort Kak Ika dalam menyelesaikan novel setebal 500 halaman lebih ini--dengan konflik yang silih berganti--patut dihargai. Uniknya lagi, meski terus-terusan mengernyitkan dahi akibat cerita yang terlalu melompat-lompat ("Kok baru selesai konflik ini langsung cooling down ke adegan lain tanpa ada tanda-tanda baru ada konflik besar? Mana konflik tersebut nggak diungkit-ungkit lagi seolah nggak pernah terjadi apa-apa!"), saya cukup menikmati membaca ini, bahkan bisa menyelesaikannya sampai akhir.
Satu lagi: saya suka bagaimana Kak Ika membuat Liv sebagai karakter berprinsip kuat tentang premarital sex.
So I think the rawness of this book deserves two stars, and the effort deserves one more star.
August 13, 2018
Hmmm. I seriously wanted to like this book, I really did... konsepnya lucu dan universe-nya bikin nostalgia ke awal 2000an waktu MTV dkk beken banget. But the more I continued reading the more I realized this book is plotless. And so it became unbearable. I didn't even have to finish it to give it a rating.
Buku ini mostly consists of dialogues... unfortunately they were all written in a kind of choppy manner gitu. Jadi bingung ini teh novel atau skrip sandiwara wkwk. Banyak banget karakternya, Stefan, Liv, Claire, Shareef, Jack, Jared, Will, Rob, Gavin, Shawn dll jadi tambah nggak fokus. Buat yang suka budaya AS mungkin buku ini lumayan bisa dibaca.
Mb Ika waktu bikin buku ini masih 19 tahun, jadi mungkin bisa agak dimengerti 'kenapa'. Gue mikir-mikir sebenernya target pasar buku ini siapa ya. Kayak nanggung gitu, di satu sisi buku ini bertema coming of age, di sisi lain ni buku pake Bahasa Inggris yang basic (maaf) banget, dan di sisi selanjutnya Underground serasa nggak diedit samsek seakan sengaja mau nunjukin belum matengnya Mb Ika...
Ah sudahlah. Berniat baca bukunya, eh malah jadi 'baca' penulisnya.
Buku ini mostly consists of dialogues... unfortunately they were all written in a kind of choppy manner gitu. Jadi bingung ini teh novel atau skrip sandiwara wkwk. Banyak banget karakternya, Stefan, Liv, Claire, Shareef, Jack, Jared, Will, Rob, Gavin, Shawn dll jadi tambah nggak fokus. Buat yang suka budaya AS mungkin buku ini lumayan bisa dibaca.
Mb Ika waktu bikin buku ini masih 19 tahun, jadi mungkin bisa agak dimengerti 'kenapa'. Gue mikir-mikir sebenernya target pasar buku ini siapa ya. Kayak nanggung gitu, di satu sisi buku ini bertema coming of age, di sisi lain ni buku pake Bahasa Inggris yang basic (maaf) banget, dan di sisi selanjutnya Underground serasa nggak diedit samsek seakan sengaja mau nunjukin belum matengnya Mb Ika...
Ah sudahlah. Berniat baca bukunya, eh malah jadi 'baca' penulisnya.
September 16, 2020
I've read a half of book last year. However, when leisure time comes now and this book is re-opened, i can't figure it out.
First, i honestly have forgotten how the plot spins. Second, the writer puts too many subjects there until you can't remember even their names. Latter, the way she indites the story, personally for me, it's a bit odd. Shortly, this book feels shallow. If you have read her other books; Antologi Rasa, Twivortiare, Critical Eleven, and many more, you'll get what i mean. The storyline of those books i mention are built and dug deeper, meanwhile this Underground is merely like a rush. Yet still, i can understand as this is her first-born book.
First, i honestly have forgotten how the plot spins. Second, the writer puts too many subjects there until you can't remember even their names. Latter, the way she indites the story, personally for me, it's a bit odd. Shortly, this book feels shallow. If you have read her other books; Antologi Rasa, Twivortiare, Critical Eleven, and many more, you'll get what i mean. The storyline of those books i mention are built and dug deeper, meanwhile this Underground is merely like a rush. Yet still, i can understand as this is her first-born book.
October 2, 2021
If you are treating this book as a time capsule to go back to the 90's, the era of 'real music' and we could only get to see celebrities on TV, then the book is quite interesting. Hence, the two stars.
But, if you see it as a whole package of book, it's just too 'raw' and Gordon Ramsay will just throw it away. I know kak Ika probably wants us to feel the 'raw' writing of hers when she was 19 yo, but since this book is published under a major, don't we deserve a cut and edit here and there because we have to pay quite amount for it?
But, if you see it as a whole package of book, it's just too 'raw' and Gordon Ramsay will just throw it away. I know kak Ika probably wants us to feel the 'raw' writing of hers when she was 19 yo, but since this book is published under a major, don't we deserve a cut and edit here and there because we have to pay quite amount for it?
September 28, 2023
So-so
I quite enjoyed the story. However, there are too many characters and they are not well described. At the beginning, you may be confused and even forget about each character and their relation towards each other.
The characters that mentioned are the VJ’s at Underground. Each character has their own story and conflict, but the main characters of all are Liv and Stefan.
Most of the stories in this novel are taken from Liv’s pov. So if you find the term 'I' it refers to Liv.
It would be great if there’s an epilogue the story.
I quite enjoyed the story. However, there are too many characters and they are not well described. At the beginning, you may be confused and even forget about each character and their relation towards each other.
The characters that mentioned are the VJ’s at Underground. Each character has their own story and conflict, but the main characters of all are Liv and Stefan.
Most of the stories in this novel are taken from Liv’s pov. So if you find the term 'I' it refers to Liv.
It would be great if there’s an epilogue the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2017
Buku ini berbeda dari buku-buku kak Ika yang lain yang sudah matang. Terasa berbeda, terburu-buru, dan agak membingungkan. Jumpy plot nya luarbyaza. Butuh perjuangan untuk membaca 200halaman pertama, karena ceritanya agak membingungkan karena terlalu banyak tokoh dan plot twist. 200halaman terakhir baru bisa membaca dg kecepatan penuh.
January 16, 2018
I understand that this is her very first writing book but I am so sorry to say that this book has been published only because she is a well known author at this moment. But, believe me it will ruin the new readers and old as well. It's not a good campaign. Book should be published based on the story. Please do correct me if I am wrong.
October 14, 2021
Novel kali ini full english, mengambil latar MTV dan kisah cinta yang tidak serius seperti novel lainnya, namun tetap sangat menyenangkan untuk dibaca! Cocok buat yang mau belajar baca novel bahasa inggris!
March 12, 2022
It was rare, nemuin novel berbahasa Inggris yg ditulis penulis Indonesia. Bukan hasil translasi, tapi memang ditulis dengan bahasa Inggris.
Ceritanya not bad. Cuma bikin kangen nikmatin MTV di tv aja si.
Ceritanya not bad. Cuma bikin kangen nikmatin MTV di tv aja si.
November 1, 2024
some of the subplots in the book are irrelevant, some comedic moments come off as corny, and this book really struggles with the concept of show-not-tell. there is definitely a lot of room for improvement, but it was an okay read overall.
May 26, 2020
Buku ini cukup asik untuk diikuti, meskipun saya sempat bingung dan susah hafal dengan karakter yang ada karena terlalu banyak menurut saya
Currently Reading
September 16, 2020Mee
December 18, 2023
I'm sorry i guess this is not for me.
July 18, 2024
Ceritanya ringan, plotnya mengalir jelas. Hanya kadang suka bingung dengan tokohnya, karena terlalu banyak tokoh yang diceritakan dengan berbagai latar belakang.
July 23, 2013
Dalam rangka menyambut novel terbaru Ika Natassa, Critical 11, April nanti, gue baca satu-satunya buku dia yang belum pernah gue baca, Underground. Buku ini cuma dijual di Nulisbuku.com dan gue dikasih sama Adit, hehehe.
Ceritanya khas Ika Natassa banget, sekalipun katanya novel ini ditulis sewaktu dia masih SMA. Keseluruhan isi novel ditulis full English. Komentar gue, Inggris-nya kak Ika ciamik parah. Tapi nggak susah kok, enak dibaca dan serasa ini orang mother language-nya emang Inggris kali ya, hehehe.
Underground bercerita tentang kehidupan para VJ Underground, sebuah stasiun televisi khusus musik macam-macamnya MTV atau VH1 gitu lah. Kata Ika, inspirasinya memang dari hobi dia nonton MTV—hei, who doesn’t, right? Settingnya di New York sehingga kesan ini-bukan-novel-Indonesia semakin kentara. Menurut gue ceritanya biasa tapi gaya ceritanya Ika yang luar biasa—that’s why I love her because I adore her writing so much. Meski ini ditulis full English, ciri khas Ika yang blak-blakan dan straight to the point masih kerasa.
Namun, gue punya banyak catatan untuk novel ini, hehehe. Pertama, kebanyakan tokoh sehingga gue nggak tahu konflik utamanya apa dan tokoh utamanya mana. Semakin ke tengah gue baru mengerti ceritanya apa. Menurut gue, Underground lebih cocok disebut sebagai journal karena berisi tentang keseharian para VJ. Mereka adalah Liv, Stefan, Claire, Heather, Jared, Gavin, Shareef, Aaliyah, serta pasangan mereka seperti Micha dan Alisha. Itu belum cukup karena masih banyak tokoh lain seperti Sarah, Will, Mark, and so on and so on. Banyak banget dan Ika memotret keseharian mereka semua. Gue sempat frustasi karena terus bertanya, konflik utamanya apa? Barulah di tengah-tengah gue ketemu kalau cerita lebih terpusat ke Liv dan konfliknya adalah friendship turned into love dengan Stefan. Satu-satunya yang bikin gue bertahan sampai selesai adalah gaya bercerita Ika. Saran gue kalau seandainya Ika mau menulis ulang, please ambil satu konflik utama aja, biarin tokoh lain hadir dan bercerita sebagai penunjang konflik Liv-Stefan. Karena menurut gue, semua tokoh—dan pasangannya—punya konflik sendiri dan semuanya dituangkan di buku ini. Kalau cuma mengambil konflik utama, gue yakin bukunya nggak akan jadi setebal ini.
Catatan kedua, pemilihan PoV. Berangkat dari catatan pertama, ada banyak tokoh di sini, but awalnya Ika mengambil PoV satu, dari sudut Liv. Gue berasumsi akan digiring ke masalah Liv aja. Tapi ternyata abis itu Ika ambil PoV 3 dan menceritakan semua masalah dan keseharian semua tokoh. PoV yang campur aduk ini jujur aja membuat gue merasa terganggu.
Catatan ketiga, full of dialogue. Dari awal sampai akhir hanya dialog. Cerita, perasaan tokoh, apa pun, dibangun melalui dialog. Narasi hanya seputar pengantar saja, kayak “The elevator took Stefan to the first floor, and there he met Jared.” Atau “I open the door and threw myself against the couch.” Hanya sebatas itu. Untunglah percakapannya seru-seru dan emosi yang terpancar hanya bisa didapat melalui ucapan. Coba ya emosi dan perasaan lain juga dideskripsikan melalui narasi dan deskripsi, novel ini pasti lebih bagus.
Catatan keempat, karena semuanya hanya diketahui melalui dialog, lompatan adegan-adegannya nggak smooth. Tahu-tahu mereka ada di studio, tahu-tahu ada di London meliput acara musik apa, tahu-tahu ada di mana. Begitu terus. Dan karena VJ-nya banyak, mereka juga nyebar kemana-mana. Belum lagi mereka kuliah juga. Sudahlah gue susah menghafal nama-nama mereka, menghafal mereka kuliah apa juga susah. Jadinya gue sering berhenti dan mikir, kok mereka di sini atau si Jared ini yang mana ya tadi? Terus, kemunculan tokoh-tokoh baru yang mendadak gitu aja. Atau tokoh yang di awal ada di tengah menghilang lalu muncul lagi. Atau tokoh selingan yang banyak dan suka nongol tiba-tiba. Selalu membuat gue bertanya-tanya, ini yang mana ya tadi? Yah, butuh daya ingat yang tinggi untuk mengingat semuanya.
But so far, Underground bolehlah. Kepiawaian Ika menggambarkan suasana VJ yang lagi shooting on air atau taping dan pengetahuan musiknya TOP banget. Secara ini ditulis tahun 1990an, tentu aja musik-musiknya yang hot di dekade itu and I love it so much karena sampai saat ini gue sangat suka musik 90an. Membaca novel ini juga bikin gue teringat MTV dan masa ketika MTV benar-benar pure membahas musik. I miss this music channel. Selama membaca Underground, hanya satu yang melintas di benak gue; VJ Utt. I miss him. Yeah, every teenager in 90 era had a crush with him, right?
Ceritanya khas Ika Natassa banget, sekalipun katanya novel ini ditulis sewaktu dia masih SMA. Keseluruhan isi novel ditulis full English. Komentar gue, Inggris-nya kak Ika ciamik parah. Tapi nggak susah kok, enak dibaca dan serasa ini orang mother language-nya emang Inggris kali ya, hehehe.
Underground bercerita tentang kehidupan para VJ Underground, sebuah stasiun televisi khusus musik macam-macamnya MTV atau VH1 gitu lah. Kata Ika, inspirasinya memang dari hobi dia nonton MTV—hei, who doesn’t, right? Settingnya di New York sehingga kesan ini-bukan-novel-Indonesia semakin kentara. Menurut gue ceritanya biasa tapi gaya ceritanya Ika yang luar biasa—that’s why I love her because I adore her writing so much. Meski ini ditulis full English, ciri khas Ika yang blak-blakan dan straight to the point masih kerasa.
Namun, gue punya banyak catatan untuk novel ini, hehehe. Pertama, kebanyakan tokoh sehingga gue nggak tahu konflik utamanya apa dan tokoh utamanya mana. Semakin ke tengah gue baru mengerti ceritanya apa. Menurut gue, Underground lebih cocok disebut sebagai journal karena berisi tentang keseharian para VJ. Mereka adalah Liv, Stefan, Claire, Heather, Jared, Gavin, Shareef, Aaliyah, serta pasangan mereka seperti Micha dan Alisha. Itu belum cukup karena masih banyak tokoh lain seperti Sarah, Will, Mark, and so on and so on. Banyak banget dan Ika memotret keseharian mereka semua. Gue sempat frustasi karena terus bertanya, konflik utamanya apa? Barulah di tengah-tengah gue ketemu kalau cerita lebih terpusat ke Liv dan konfliknya adalah friendship turned into love dengan Stefan. Satu-satunya yang bikin gue bertahan sampai selesai adalah gaya bercerita Ika. Saran gue kalau seandainya Ika mau menulis ulang, please ambil satu konflik utama aja, biarin tokoh lain hadir dan bercerita sebagai penunjang konflik Liv-Stefan. Karena menurut gue, semua tokoh—dan pasangannya—punya konflik sendiri dan semuanya dituangkan di buku ini. Kalau cuma mengambil konflik utama, gue yakin bukunya nggak akan jadi setebal ini.
Catatan kedua, pemilihan PoV. Berangkat dari catatan pertama, ada banyak tokoh di sini, but awalnya Ika mengambil PoV satu, dari sudut Liv. Gue berasumsi akan digiring ke masalah Liv aja. Tapi ternyata abis itu Ika ambil PoV 3 dan menceritakan semua masalah dan keseharian semua tokoh. PoV yang campur aduk ini jujur aja membuat gue merasa terganggu.
Catatan ketiga, full of dialogue. Dari awal sampai akhir hanya dialog. Cerita, perasaan tokoh, apa pun, dibangun melalui dialog. Narasi hanya seputar pengantar saja, kayak “The elevator took Stefan to the first floor, and there he met Jared.” Atau “I open the door and threw myself against the couch.” Hanya sebatas itu. Untunglah percakapannya seru-seru dan emosi yang terpancar hanya bisa didapat melalui ucapan. Coba ya emosi dan perasaan lain juga dideskripsikan melalui narasi dan deskripsi, novel ini pasti lebih bagus.
Catatan keempat, karena semuanya hanya diketahui melalui dialog, lompatan adegan-adegannya nggak smooth. Tahu-tahu mereka ada di studio, tahu-tahu ada di London meliput acara musik apa, tahu-tahu ada di mana. Begitu terus. Dan karena VJ-nya banyak, mereka juga nyebar kemana-mana. Belum lagi mereka kuliah juga. Sudahlah gue susah menghafal nama-nama mereka, menghafal mereka kuliah apa juga susah. Jadinya gue sering berhenti dan mikir, kok mereka di sini atau si Jared ini yang mana ya tadi? Terus, kemunculan tokoh-tokoh baru yang mendadak gitu aja. Atau tokoh yang di awal ada di tengah menghilang lalu muncul lagi. Atau tokoh selingan yang banyak dan suka nongol tiba-tiba. Selalu membuat gue bertanya-tanya, ini yang mana ya tadi? Yah, butuh daya ingat yang tinggi untuk mengingat semuanya.
But so far, Underground bolehlah. Kepiawaian Ika menggambarkan suasana VJ yang lagi shooting on air atau taping dan pengetahuan musiknya TOP banget. Secara ini ditulis tahun 1990an, tentu aja musik-musiknya yang hot di dekade itu and I love it so much karena sampai saat ini gue sangat suka musik 90an. Membaca novel ini juga bikin gue teringat MTV dan masa ketika MTV benar-benar pure membahas musik. I miss this music channel. Selama membaca Underground, hanya satu yang melintas di benak gue; VJ Utt. I miss him. Yeah, every teenager in 90 era had a crush with him, right?
July 4, 2012
punya buku ini udah lama, tapi baru dibaca kemarin ini. karena agak ragu, bisa nggak ya saya ngerti ceritanya. secara buku ini ditulis full dalam bahasa Inggris dan sini kemampuan bahasa inggrisnya agak-agak gimana gituuu. etapi, setelah mulai baca nggak bisa berhenti loh. bahasa inggrisnya termasuk mudah dicerna. beneran deh! :)
untuk ceritanya sendiri sih, buku ini tentang cinta dan persahabatan yang terjadi di antara para VJ di stasiun musik terbesar di Amerika bernama Underground. baca buku ini seperti diajak berkeliling Amerika oleh penulis. selain itu kita juga diajak bernostalgia bagaimana dulu MTV menjadi hiburan bagi kita. tapi nih ya, ini wawasan saya yang sempit mengenai musik atau karena beda generasi sama penulis? itu lagu-lagu dan artisnya banyak yang saya nggak tahu. -___-
tokoh utama di buku ini adalah Liv dan Stefan. dari awal sudah bisa menduga sih bahwa Liv dan Stefan yang bersahabat akan berakhir sebagai pasangan. meski demikian, saya penasaran bagaimana cara mbak Ika memberikan konflik ke dalam hubungan mereka berdua. selain Liv dan Stefan, juga ada pasangan Jared-Heather, Claire-Micha, Shareef-Aaliyah, Gavin-Alisha, Sarah-Will. mereka semua bersahabat. dan mbak Ika mengupas satu per satu konflik di antara pasangan tersebut dengan baik.
pada mulanya (mungkin 3 bab awal), saya memang merasa bosan dan belum 'klik' sama ceritanya. apalagi ditambah banyak sekali nama yang bermunculan (ini salah satu kelemahan saya dalam membaca buku). sampai-sampai saya mencatat nama-nama mereka di kertas serta membuat deskripsi singkat tentang mereka, agar saya tidak lupa. tapi setelah memasuki sepertiga bagian buku dan konflik mulai bermunculan, saya mulai bisa mnegingat siapa aja yang ada di dalam buku ini.
jujur saja, saya seperti tidak membaca buku sih, tapi lebih ke baca naskah drama. kenapa? karena 90% isi buku ini memang terdiri dari percakapan. tapi dari percakapan-percakapan tersebut saya bisa menangkap seperti apa karakter Liv, Stefan, dan kawan-kawan. misalnya Liv yang saya tangkap adalah dia gadis yang mandiri dan keras kepala untuk mempertahankan sesuatu yang dia anggap benar. Sedangkan Stefan orangnya cemburuan tapi di sisi lain dia cowok yang romantis dan kata-katanya yang sweet.
secara emosi, dibanding buku-buku mbak Ika yang lain, mungkin emosi di buku ini agak datar. nggak bikin saya gregetan yang gimana gitu ketika setiap konflik terjadi. tapi saya sempet terharu sih pas scene Stefan dan Liv bicara di malam natal. gitu aja sih.
tadinya mau kasih 3 bintang, tapi berhubung mbak Ika udah sukses bikin saya jatuh cinta sama Stefan, saya tambahin 1 bintang lagi deh. ini menandakan di setiap bukunya mbak Ika mampu membuat pembaca jatuh cinta dengan tokoh di cerita yang dia buat.padahal mah saya aja yang gampang luluh sama cowok sweet kayak Stefan. mau tau gimana sweet-mya Stefan, nih ya saya kasih beberapa kutipan perkataan dia.
i believe that you are not supposed to find your soulmate. you are supposed to find each other. and you know, someday it will happen, you just don't know when. meanwhile, you just live life the way it's meant to be...
i can't think of any other woman i want to be but you
Other guys should be jealous that i have you
And I might not be this happy if i'm not with you
I can't imagine not being with you even for one second, Liv. And you want us to stay away from each other? You can rip out my heart while you're at it, and it's still beating for you.
gimana, udah kesemsem belum sama Stefan??? ;)
anyway, buku ini nggak cocok dibaca untuk dalam perjalanan. karena font-nya kecil banget, yang ada malah pusing pas bacanya.
untuk ceritanya sendiri sih, buku ini tentang cinta dan persahabatan yang terjadi di antara para VJ di stasiun musik terbesar di Amerika bernama Underground. baca buku ini seperti diajak berkeliling Amerika oleh penulis. selain itu kita juga diajak bernostalgia bagaimana dulu MTV menjadi hiburan bagi kita. tapi nih ya, ini wawasan saya yang sempit mengenai musik atau karena beda generasi sama penulis? itu lagu-lagu dan artisnya banyak yang saya nggak tahu. -___-
tokoh utama di buku ini adalah Liv dan Stefan. dari awal sudah bisa menduga sih bahwa Liv dan Stefan yang bersahabat akan berakhir sebagai pasangan. meski demikian, saya penasaran bagaimana cara mbak Ika memberikan konflik ke dalam hubungan mereka berdua. selain Liv dan Stefan, juga ada pasangan Jared-Heather, Claire-Micha, Shareef-Aaliyah, Gavin-Alisha, Sarah-Will. mereka semua bersahabat. dan mbak Ika mengupas satu per satu konflik di antara pasangan tersebut dengan baik.
pada mulanya (mungkin 3 bab awal), saya memang merasa bosan dan belum 'klik' sama ceritanya. apalagi ditambah banyak sekali nama yang bermunculan (ini salah satu kelemahan saya dalam membaca buku). sampai-sampai saya mencatat nama-nama mereka di kertas serta membuat deskripsi singkat tentang mereka, agar saya tidak lupa. tapi setelah memasuki sepertiga bagian buku dan konflik mulai bermunculan, saya mulai bisa mnegingat siapa aja yang ada di dalam buku ini.
jujur saja, saya seperti tidak membaca buku sih, tapi lebih ke baca naskah drama. kenapa? karena 90% isi buku ini memang terdiri dari percakapan. tapi dari percakapan-percakapan tersebut saya bisa menangkap seperti apa karakter Liv, Stefan, dan kawan-kawan. misalnya Liv yang saya tangkap adalah dia gadis yang mandiri dan keras kepala untuk mempertahankan sesuatu yang dia anggap benar. Sedangkan Stefan orangnya cemburuan tapi di sisi lain dia cowok yang romantis dan kata-katanya yang sweet.
secara emosi, dibanding buku-buku mbak Ika yang lain, mungkin emosi di buku ini agak datar. nggak bikin saya gregetan yang gimana gitu ketika setiap konflik terjadi. tapi saya sempet terharu sih pas scene Stefan dan Liv bicara di malam natal. gitu aja sih.
tadinya mau kasih 3 bintang, tapi berhubung mbak Ika udah sukses bikin saya jatuh cinta sama Stefan, saya tambahin 1 bintang lagi deh. ini menandakan di setiap bukunya mbak Ika mampu membuat pembaca jatuh cinta dengan tokoh di cerita yang dia buat.
i believe that you are not supposed to find your soulmate. you are supposed to find each other. and you know, someday it will happen, you just don't know when. meanwhile, you just live life the way it's meant to be...
i can't think of any other woman i want to be but you
Other guys should be jealous that i have you
And I might not be this happy if i'm not with you
I can't imagine not being with you even for one second, Liv. And you want us to stay away from each other? You can rip out my heart while you're at it, and it's still beating for you.
gimana, udah kesemsem belum sama Stefan??? ;)
anyway, buku ini nggak cocok dibaca untuk dalam perjalanan. karena font-nya kecil banget, yang ada malah pusing pas bacanya.
March 2, 2017
the first book I read in English lol. It remembered me about my frienndship condition. LOVE, MUSIC, YOUTH, etc
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