Book Review: By the Book by Amanda Sellet
This book was embarrassingly relatable and totally lovable.
When I first started reading this book, I was ready to DNF by the 4th chapter, but I abhor the idea of DNF-ing books, so I carried on, reconsidered it for another chapter, and then finally reached Chapter 6. From that point, it felt like I was reading my own diary back in high school and I loved it.
“Dear Diary,
Confession: I never reread the depressing part of books. The first time I’ll make myself slog through the wretched childhoods and tragic mishaps, but once I know about the floods and bankruptcy and scarlet fever, I skip straight to the first signs of hope, like when the orphan gets a bit of bread, or the hero and heroine exchange meaningful glances.
I wish there was a way to do that in real life. Flip a few pages and boom! Everything’s better.
M.P.M.”
In this book, 16-year-old Mary, a child of two English professors, is equally obsessed and in love with nineteenth century literature. In fact, she lives her life by the lessons (and big words) that she learns in them. After getting thrown into the world of public school, she tries to navigate the new world and make friends with only the social lessons she learned from those books. While she thought her love of these classis novels would be a deterrent to making friends, it actually had them flocking her way when they realized all the great advice she pulled from them! In enters, Alex Ritter, handsome book-worthy beau who Mary swears is bad news as he becomes the inspiration for her and her friend’s, Scoundrel Survival Guide. Now, Mary is forced to get her nose out of her books and go out and learn to live in the real world and be the true heroine of her own story!
I was originally thrown off by the big words that I am sure no 16-year-old would ever use (or even know) but I loved looking them up and learning them myself. As someone who hasn’t even read the classics yet (sorry, YA novels have a special place in my heart), I still enjoyed all of the anecdotes about the pieces of literature and the romancing of life and all of its toils and tribulations!
Also, cute nick names are my kryptonite. In this one our male MMC refers to Mary (named as an afterthought after her three sisters got the great literary names) as Merrily after one time referring to her as Mary Christmas.
“It suits you. Merrily, merrily, merrily, as in, ‘life is but a dream.” Pg 253
Definitely worth a read!
Adult me, 4 out of 5 stars. 16 year old me, 5 out of 5 (would definitely read again).
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy” pg 192
Honorable mention to these fun words I got to look up:
Bildungsroman- a novel dealing with one person’s formative years or spiritual education
Circumlocution- the use of many words where fewer would do, especially in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive
Wanton- 1. (of a cruel or violent action) deliberate and unprovoked 2. sexually unrestrained or having many casual sexual relationships
Fop- a man who is concerned with his clothes and appearance in an affected and excessive way; a dandy
Popinjay- 1. a vain or conceited person, especially one who dresses or behaves extravagantly
Philistine- a person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts, or who has no understanding of them
