Climbing Stories

2.75 stars

My review comes w/ a recommendation to read the other reviews listed for this book, esp. that of Sophia (which comes up as the first review of the book and it is rated one star, AND is also labeled "recommend to no f**king one"!).
Reading that particular review (OR NOT reading it if you seriously dislike topics of discussion being beat like a dead horse, or you hate bashing) and all the commentary will give any newbies a raw look @ "Should I give this book the time of day?"
I say,... DO.
Read it, esp if you would like to "get" what all the rage is about! LOL

I do think that a book like Beautiful Disaster, to have evoked such responses that run the spectrum (hitting strong opposite reactions), does hit the mark at least being noteworthy because that's what characterization, plot and conflict does! IT'S technique, and though this book is not written so grandly as Anna Karenina or a Bronte book, I'll say it at least held elements that left their mark.

I only gave it a little over 2 stars because I would have liked (heroine)Abby's past to be developed more to emphasize how she likened Travis's personality to her dad's or to the world of her dad which very much impacts Abby's future decisions (flashbacks would have been great)...it wasn't fully developed.
But, (anti(?)-hero)Travis himself wasn't as bad a character as some of the stronger reviews had me speculate. Travis was possessive and went ape shit over the thought of losing Abby, but at no time did I feel he was as dangerous for her as she was dangerous for him! She led him on and teetered too much bwtn loving him and pitting him against the next guy. Both characters had lots of faults.
Yet, IMO I don't see how this fictional relationship in anyway encourages boyfriend violence or a young girls' tendency to be with an abuser, LIKE some other reviews may suggest.
Travis was a fighter, yes and that lent to his aggressiveness, restlessness and his knowledge of seedier environments....but he was not essentially brutal. Though I understand some points to this, I just don't get the excessively negative responses to this book. Travis's background was more developed and bent toward explaining his "harshness" whereas Abby's was not.
So...this particular "killing/destruction" wrought in Sophie's review of this book is actually a good thing. I'd read the review before even knowing what the hell this book was and it MADE me curious, so I read the book!:) I also, afterwards, found I didn't strongly like it or hate it. I am in the middle, probably as neutral as ever, because I not only see the merits of Sophia's review, but also the tragic and messy beauty of A Beautiful Disaster.