First off, if you are thinking about doing the normal thing us book crazed people do and re-read Beautiful Disaster, my advise would be - don't. Walking Disaster is Beautiful Disaster, but from Travis's POV. So you are robbing yourself of reliving the story all over again by re-reading Beautiful Disaster. It will be too fresh in your mind, and all those frustrating parts that make you want to scream won't be nearly as scream-worthy if you're already primed and ready for them.
While I will say that I had hoped that Walking Disaster would differ from the original a bit more, and have more new scenes, I can't deny that I didn't absolutely LOVE reading an entire book from Travis's prospective. Hearing his inner thoughts, seeing his actions and learing the reason behind them made a lot of things click for me. By not re-reading Beautiful Disaster, I would hit certain parts and remember, "oh right, he does this now" and then get rewarded with the full Travis Maddox version of the event.
I had totally forgotten what a total douche he is in the beginning. We all fall in love with him at by the end of BD, and kind of forget the womanizing asshat he was. In Walking Disaster, you get a front row seat to that action. Part of my was disgusted, and wanting to move on to the non-douchy part of the book, but the other part of me was totally enjoy pre-Abby Travis - he was kind of yummy...in a different way. But I also think it helped me understand, as a reader, that part of him, and why he was the way he was at that part of his life.
As I've said before Beautiful Disaster is my favorite book. I've read it a hundred times. One would think reading the same book from the hero's perspective, rather than the heroine, would be boring, but it wasn't. Maybe that's partially because I'm a die-hard fan, but I think also it's because Jamie McGuire's a great writer and created such a strong character writers can identify with. I found myself getting mad and frustrated over scenes I had read and re-read in Beautiful Disaster a dozen times, but reading them again from Travis's POV put a totally different spin on them. I was angry all over again, even knowing everything would turn out alight in the end.
The journey Travis takes in this book is beautiful and painful. He constantly second guesses himself and will end up taking one step forward and two steps back. He plays the part of a untouchable harden man on the outside, but his thoughts are so much the opposite. One word from Abby can destroy him. It makes you wonder if you can love someone too much, or if there is no such thing as too much love.
Walking Disaster still had all of my favorite lines, and they are all delivered by Travis...so reading them as he says them and thinks them was thrilling. The toast at the Valentine's Party, I always knew how agonized he was when he said it, but to hear the thoughts that are running through his head and he delivers the speech, it just makes the words even more painful. And the most famous line in the entire book "Well I belong to You!" and the events that happen after. Breathtaking. It was like putting together the missing pieces of a puzzle. The entire book was...the missing pieces to a puzzle.
And the best part of the book? The ending. That's all I'm going to say. ;-)
Pre-Order Walking Disaster: A Novel - Kindle Edition
Pre-Order Walking Disaster: A Novel - Paperback
Pre-Order Walking Disaster: A Novel - Nook Edition
Pre-Order Walking Disaster: A Novel - Paperback
Pre-Order Walking Disaster: A Novel - Nook Edition
(Please Note - Because Walking Disaster has not released and I was provided an advnaced readers copy for this review, I have not included any quotes from the book. If you would like some teasers, please visit Jamie McGuire's Facebook page. She's got some good ones!)
No comments:
Post a Comment