“First love, I think it’s like a song, a stupid pop song that you hear and you think, well that is all I will ever want to listen to, it’s got everything, it’s clearly the greatest piece of music ever written, I need nothing else.”
Sweet Sorrows is a nostalgically heartwarming story about first love that brought me back twenty years to my own experience with young love. This novel was a true walk down memory lane and my nostalgic past. I was the same age as the main character around the same time that this story took place, so reading this brought me back to days of high school dances, running around with friends, without a care in the world.
What it’s about— Charlie’s life is pretty far from perfect. While most of his friends are making plans for their academic future, Charlie is already certain he failed his exams. His mom just left his dad for another man, taking his younger sister with her, while leaving Charlie at home to pick up the pieces of his dad’s shattered life. His future is looking considerably bleak, but all of that changes while Charlie is out one day trying to pass the time of lazy summer days and he stumbles upon a girl named Fran who changes the entire course of his summer.
David Nicholls’ masterful writing drew me into this novel from the first page, eliciting sympathy and compassion for Charlie’s story. As the novel continued, I found myself desperately wanting for Charlie and Fran’s relationship to last, although it’s made clear early on that it will not (not a spoiler! It’s revealed almost immediately that Charlie actually marries a woman by the name of Niamh). Sweet Sorrows is relatable, beautiful, and genuine, and the type of book that most readers will connect with.
Sweet Sorrows is a nostalgically heartwarming story about first love that brought me back twenty years to my own experience with young love. This novel was a true walk down memory lane and my nostalgic past. I was the same age as the main character around the same time that this story took place, so reading this brought me back to days of high school dances, running around with friends, without a care in the world.
What it’s about— Charlie’s life is pretty far from perfect. While most of his friends are making plans for their academic future, Charlie is already certain he failed his exams. His mom just left his dad for another man, taking his younger sister with her, while leaving Charlie at home to pick up the pieces of his dad’s shattered life. His future is looking considerably bleak, but all of that changes while Charlie is out one day trying to pass the time of lazy summer days and he stumbles upon a girl named Fran who changes the entire course of his summer.
David Nicholls’ masterful writing drew me into this novel from the first page, eliciting sympathy and compassion for Charlie’s story. As the novel continued, I found myself desperately wanting for Charlie and Fran’s relationship to last, although it’s made clear early on that it will not (not a spoiler! It’s revealed almost immediately that Charlie actually marries a woman by the name of Niamh). Sweet Sorrows is relatable, beautiful, and genuine, and the type of book that most readers will connect with.