I had a two year relationship in high school. A lot of people have relationships in high school. Is it the same as an adult relationship? No, but they do happen, and it feels intense and real at the time.

Yes I have been. Perhaps it was only my experience, but I didn’t have real romantic relationships ‘till I became an adult.

My wife can do this, I cannot. If I don't understand everything, it makes me want to jump out a window. It takes me months to crawl through hard books, taking notes, underlining, looking up every word.

Thank you!

It is most present in the Illuminae trilogy, but I have found the same problems with other space fiction YA books. There are some that do it well. For example: The Monsters of Men trilogy by Patrick Ness.

For me, the only way to really enjoy it is to read with pencil in hand. Underline every word you don't understand and look them all up (get your own copy first, haha). I also make notes about names, and jot down questions in the margins. When I don't understand something, I put a question mark next to it, and return to it later to see if I have any ideas. It's like solving a puzzle of sorts.

At the very least, you MUST look up all the words. It's the only way to understand the story. Kindle is great, you can just click for a definition. Kindle is a great way to read public domain books.

I prefer physical books, so I do it the hard way. Look up images of David Foster Wallace's copy of Blood Meridian. That's what my favorite books look like. It's a little like work, but it's worth it.

I'd say it's the opposite if there isn't a tacked on romance it can't be young adult.

You know teenagers have romantic rationships right? Why was this your first issue? Is it because they are fade to black?

>1) Why do most YA books contain romantic relationships when the protagonist(s) are/is a teenager or young adult?

With no disrespect intended, you have been a teenager in school right?

is this the issue with YA books in general or the Illuminae trillogy specifically?

YA is cheap entertainment. The authors aren't that skilled, the editors don't care that much and the audience just wants to not be bored

It was previously on Netflix.

Currently on CBC Gem.

If you don't like those books read different books.

Are YA books not allowed to have romance in them? I’m confused

I’m sorry, are you asking why a YA book contains a romantic relationship between two YA characters?

>TV miniseries

That sounds interesting, too... ...is that streaming somewhere, by any chance?

I'll have to keep that in mind for my next Atwood read- Thanks!

>I've been itching to re-read it but I'm not sure about re-entering such a heavy book.

That's understandable to me! It's extremely well-thought-out and articulate, but "heavy" is the perfect word for it...

“A day will come when men will discover an alphabet in the eyes of chalcedonies, in the markings of the moth, and will learn in astonishment that every spotted snail has always been a poem.“

-Alejo Carpentier, The Lost Steps

...but his arrival at the barricades had nothing to do with The Cause. At least the ABC's were fighting for something they believed in- a new Republic. Marius wasn't fighting for anything, or to make France a kinder, gentler democracy someday. He was depressed that the girl he was interested in was moving to England and he couldn't follow her (not that he'd introduced himself to her guardian like civilized people did back then). And Grandpa G wouldn't approve of their marriage. So he was mulling over a death wish. he wanted to die quickly, and he got this message that his "friends" were waiting for him at the barricades.

What he was doing was "suicide by cop" or in this case, getting involved in a shooting match against gov't troops. He took two lives for a cause that meant nothing to him. Not badass or heroic at all.

Yep. And it’s worth noting that all the novels listed by OP are written by women.

If this theme seems more prominent today than previously then perhaps it’s because the novels that get attention today are more likely to be written by women than those that were written in (say) the 1950s. But this has long been a notable theme in literature. I believe it’s fair to say that all three Brontë sisters wrote about domestic violence.

I've read too many books to have an all-time favorite, but here is my favorite from this month:

"Physicists claimed that time moved slower the farther you traveled toward the edge of the universe and that time also bent back upon itself, suggesting all that has ever been will repeat, perhaps endlessly. If so, there must also be a place along the continuum, at the end of one cycle and the start of the next, where the mouth and tail of time meet, where all that has been exists in a perfect timeless condition, where a husband and wife embrace in an endless kiss, where a father holds his child forever in his loving arms, where death has no dominion." - Dean Koontz, The Night Window

Don't know about french, but when I did read it in my native tongue, his language was very hard to enjoy. even though I quite liked the plot, I just COULDN'T read it. put it down after 100 pages or so.

And I adore Crime and Punishment. Brilliantly written. One of the best novels I've ever read.

Whoa!!! This looks like a great and controversial posting!

1. Marius was apolitical, and Grandpa G was somewhat neutral but knew how to survive no matter which faction was in power. He hated Napoleon, and disowned his son-in-law (Marius' Dad), so Marius grew up not knowing a thing about Daddy. That changed, and Marius went into hero-worship mode (for Daddy), and even absorbing Daddy's Bonapartist beliefs at a time when it was all irrelevant (Napoleon already died). The hilarious part was that Marius was so ignorant that he didn't even know who the current King was, and shouted "Down with Louis XVIII, that pig!" when Louis was also dead.
2. No argument there. He was a creepy stalker and Valjean was right to be annoyed and suspected him of being a police spy. Marius wasn't raised by wolves. He should have known better and behaved like any well-brought up young man. Introduce himself to the girl's guardian and ASK to speak to her!
3. The Letter under the Rock. LOL. I fail to see how Cosette even got through reading it. Most of it didn't even sound like it was about her, just some vague metaphysical musings. Dude can't write a love letter worth a damn.
4. I think she was 15. And she was also attracting the attention of that handsome lancer, Theodule Gillenormand. I believe in those times, young men could court a girl (in her home, and with permission from her guardians) and eventually a marriage could be planned out in a few years.
5. I don't get the reference? What happened here?
6. That bothered the F out of me too. Marius was being a fool, so obsessed with his debt to Thenn that he delayed in helping "his" girl's guardian when the older man was trapped in a tenement by thugs. And throwing all that money at Thenn in the end, so he can ruin the lives of black people in America by being a slave trader. Knowing that Victor Hugo was anti-slavery, I never quite understood why Thenn would have such a happy ending... has a good chunk of change, and maybe 30 years of prosperity on the backs of enslaved people. He should have drowned on the voyage to America, or gotten killed in a slave revolt.
7. What annoys me is that Marius let his imagination get the best of him, but we have to admit that Valjean never tried to clarify the situation. He just bowed to Marius' authority as Cosette's hubby and allowed them to ghost him.
8. How wonderful it was that Valjean reconciled with Marius and Cosette, 30 seconds before dying! And he could have been happier for MONTHS and part of Cosette's life if Marius wasn't such a self-righteous d-bag! Valjean stole bread decades ago. Marius was technically a traitor, ready to blow himself and a boatload of soldiers and fellow rebels with dynamite for a cause that he didn't even believe in!

Other musings...

Maybe Cosette would have been better off married to Theodule.

You're right about marriage being a "transfer of property" in those times, so whatever Marius said, she pretty much had to do. Victor Hugo tried to make them ghosting Valjean as palatable as possible... "we mustn't blame these children. They were young and deeply in love" etc.

Marius even offered to use Grandpa G's influence to GET VALJEAN A PARDON. That almost redeemed him! But Valjean turned it down, thinking it was better if society thought he was dead, etc. and once an ember of suspicion (on Marius' part) went out of control, Valjean was ghosted and more miserable than ever. SHOULD HAVE ACCEPTED THE OFFER OF A PARDON! Can you imagine how happy all their lives could have been in Valjean's final months?

edit: clarified son-in-law and not son.

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