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Before I Die

By Jenny Downham

(6)

| Hardcover | 9780385613460

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3 Reviews

Do artists never read the books they illustrate? The two versions of book covers I have seen show a beautiful girl with long blond hair instead of a sickly girl with her dark hair just starting to grow in again after the chemo.
Ah well. It is a beautiful book. Sixteen-year-old Tessa is, in tu ... (continue)

Do artists never read the books they illustrate? The two versions of book covers I have seen show a beautiful girl with long blond hair instead of a sickly girl with her dark hair just starting to grow in again after the chemo.
Ah well. It is a beautiful book. Sixteen-year-old Tessa is, in turns, disbelieving, angry, happy, irrational, hopeful, and very much in love with the life she is about to lose. She has made a list of ten things she wants to do before she dies. The list sometimes changes, and eventually it grows longer and longer.
It's not a depressing book -- sad, yes, but not depressing. This is a book meant for teens. It's a coming-of-age story for someone with little time left to grow up. There is quite a bit of sex in it (since that's first on the list). The book is actually very life-affirming and uplifting. Tessa lives what little life she has left to the fullest, and those around her facilitate her sometimes difficult requests.
As an added bonus (if you're listening to the book on CD as I did), the reader, Charlotte Parry, was good, with a delightful British accent.

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― Missmath144 said on Apr 16, 2009 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

Not the world's easiest read, but a great one. Tessa has a list of things she'd like to do before she dies, and she doesn't plan to let anyone/thing get in her way.

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― Jaemi K said on Jan 10, 2008 | Add your feedback

I really enjoyed this Y.A. novel because it made me cry like a baby. The plot wasn't particularly original but the writing was well done and moving and the character was believable.

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― Icedream said on Oct 25, 2007 | Add your feedback