Life: An Exploded Diagram Audiobook

" There's a lot here that wants to be liked. I enjoyed the characters, the plot is interesting. I didn't read far enough to know how the whole thing was connected to the Cuban Missile Crisis. I gave up on the book after the history lesson that tried to be written in Clem's voice about 188 pages in. For the whole of those 188 pages, I have no idea why a teenager would be interested in reading this book. I kept wondering, Why is this YA? What did me in (besides a fairly slow pace) was the narrative voice. About a 1/3 of the book is first person by an adult Clem and the rest third person. It didn't work for me even a little. "

" A fabulous coming of age story, with the angst of first love juxtaposed against the Cuban Missile Crisis. A great read for all ages. "

" I enjoyed this story set in England in the 1950s and 60s, a coming-of-age story of a boy with a twist. "

" A unique book which told many stories over a large period of time, blending in big historical events with fictional people's lives. Even through it read like a biography during some parts it stayed witty all the way through, and presented very real characters. The start was very good; although I did find Clem's parents and grandparents more interesting than his relationship with Frankie, which could have been edited down. More emphasis on Clem's school life and the changing world would have made the middle section more interesting, and the parts on the cold war could probably have been made shorter. However, the different perspectives, and overall portrayal of life made it an entertaining book. It teaches you a few things about history as well. "

" Beautiful, poetic writing, but I found the story slow and overly cynical. The ending also felt somewhat unnecessary. "

" Really good I liked that it included real Cold war history. Shocked at the ending! but others might have seen it coming:) "

" felt like a YA version of On Chesil Beach. "

" It was ok. I like the whole structure of it. At first it seemed like rambling and tangents but at the end it all pulled itself together into the big picture. "

" An enjoyable read, especially as it doesn't really finish as such. I liked the threads of different stories too. "

" Interesting format - a mix of fiction and history run as a parallel. "

" A sexual coming-of-age story, with an ending that made me want to throw it across the room. A cheap ending, not worthy of Mal Peet's skill. "

" Very clever, amusing and thoughtprovoking. "

" This book is masterfully, fantastically brilliant in every way. I need to go on a Mal Peet bender after that... "

" Definitely a upper middle school or high school book. I think one needs some perspective on the cold war and Great Britain to fully appreciate it. I beautifully written and engaging story. "

" A funny, well-written, well paced read. Recommended "

" I agree with another reviewer--I would have given this 5, but I found myself getting impatient when I read the historical parts. I knew they were important to the story, but I wanted to skip ahead to read about Clem and Frankie! "

" A fabulous coming of age story, with the angst of first love juxtaposed against the Cuban Missile Crisis. A great read for all ages. "

" This book is masterfully, fantastically brilliant in every way. I need to go on a Mal Peet bender after that... "

" I love the opening to this book, it reels you in. The cover is intriguing. It describe this book perfectly. It is explosive yet mysterious and twisted. "

" Exquisite! That's the best word I can come up with to describe Mal Peet's writing. The narration was excellent. By the last CD, I didn't want to leave my car because it got so good. "