| | by SwimmerBoy, June 20, 2005 |
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"OK," said Jonathan. "The choice is this. You either have to shag Jenny Gibson-or else that homeless woman who begs spare change outside Cramner's bakers."
A book that starts out like this has to be interesting right? Well, you'd be correct. Melvin Burgess' "Doing It" is an addictive, charming book that is about exactly what the title suggests: having sex. The book focuses on three high school boys, and slowly introduces more characters as these boys interact with them. The main characters are Jonathan, Ben, and my personal favorite Dino.
As I was reading this book, it really opened up a part of me that, for the longest time, I ever allowed myself to explore. I'll admit it, I'm an 18 year-old virgin. But this book still related to me in so many ways, and I don't think its just because I'm male either. Any young adult would be completely interested in this book, because it shows us that we aren't the onle ones who worry about sex.
The story is told from multiple view points, which I really enjoy. Some of which are controversial, and others which are funny, but oh so honest. The book itself focuses on the perspectives of 17 year old boys and their relationships with girls. The book really goes in depth into the experiences they have. This is probably the origin of the book's controversy. My reaction to this is to look beyond the sex, because as much of it that goes on in the book, there is a far greater message that is here.
Ben likes a girl, the only girl that has ever kissed him - but she is overweight. While his friends make fun of him, he tries to hide their newfound relationship.
Jonathan is having an affair with one of his teachers, and while he may make fun of Ben about his overweight girlfriend, he feels jealousy because he can't kiss or do anything with his teacher in public... everything happens behind closed doors.
My favorite storyline is Dino's, the all-around good looking, popular guy with a sense of humor that cracks me up. His story is about many things, but primarily about trying to lose his virginity to the most popular girl in school... but little does he know he would end up having feelings for her.
This is only the surface of what "Doing It" has to offer. Many things were brought to my attention. Seeing how Ben and Jonathan looked at Dino, and being jealous of his confidence in life, they were blinded by how confused he really was... he was just an ordinary guy. This made me realize that everyone is unsure of themeselves sometimes... no matter what stardom or popularity they may have. It was great to know how human DIno ended up being, which is probably why he's my favorite character.
The way the book itself is split into many different storylines, and told from different viewpoints at seemingly random times of the book, is brilliant. It was just like watching a TV show, and waiting for your favorite character to start progressing the story. What I liked most about the book was that it was honest. No one is perfect in the book, everyone makes mistakes, and they learn from them. There weren't any outstanding cliches that detracted from the book. It was real life, set in words. I liked how human the characters were. They never acted predictably, and at certain points of the books, I really was unsure of how things would end.
The only thing you must be aware about when reading this book is the British dialogue. Some of the terminology was hard to get used to, but after immersing myself in it, I was used to the terms half-way through the book.
By the end of "Doing It," I had felt that Ben, Jonathan, and Dino had all been my friends for the longest time. When I had shut the book, after reading the 336 pages in just one week, I was sad that it was over. My only regret was finishing the book too quickly. I almost wish it never ended. |
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| | | by The_Life, May 12, 2007 |
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| Haha... this book was so pointlessly great. I mean, the only subject of the entire book was sex. Personally I thought the book wasn't written that good, and it wasn't really intelligent, BUT it was fun. I book was so much fun; I never wanted to put it down. It had a great plot and a great set of characters! The only thing I didn't like was that the author wrote like a horny 16 year old... so we digress. I was so sad when it ended, its one of those books that you just wanna follow the characters through their whole life, every single moment of it. |
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