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Life Is But a Dream Brian James Books

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Life Is But a Dream Brian James Books

First Impressions: I've always been into stories about mental illnesses, so for me Life is But a Dream was a natural selection that I knew I needed to read. I studied schizophrenia a bit in college while I was taking my required psychology courses and I found the subject fascinating. I know, I'm a dork! But it really is interesting stuff. Plus, I like some of Brian James' other books he had written, so I was hoping for a good read.

First 50 Pages: This wasn't a terribly long book, so I'll try to keep my review short and sweet so I don't reveal too many spoilers. It is also by no means, a light and fluffy read. This book deals with some pretty hefty topics that leave you thinking for a while after you have finished. I felt immediately pulled into the story, even though I felt that the pace was a little slow when it comes to action and the sequence of events. Brian James's writing style is great as usual though, which made me want to keep reading. The main character, Sabrina, kept me hooked and I finished this book in just a few hours.

Characters & Plot: The plot centers around Sabrina, who is checked into a mental wellness center because she is different from other people and she sees everything around her with very different eyes. She doesn't think that there is anything wrong with her and neither does Alec, another patient at the center. When she first meets Alec, they bond over their differences and Alec even convinces Sabrina that the world is messed up and everyone but themselves needs to change and adjust, not them. Alec goes even further, with convincing Sabrina that she doesn't need to take her medication, because it will stump her creativity and will make her more "normal." Then things go from bad to worse, as Sabrina's illness becomes life-threatening.

Seeing inside of the mind of a person with schizophrenia was absolutely fascinating and a little bit scary. Sabrina as a character was just amazing to read about. I could understand her fears about losing herself and her identity by getting better, and how hard it was for her that nobody could really understand what her life was like. Brian James also shows us how a mental illness like Sabrina's affects not only the person with the illness, but everyone around her too. Sabrina wasn't the only person dealing with the pain and confusion, her family was as well.

Sabrina doesn't make the best decisions for herself and the people that she loves when she meets Alec, and I'll admit that he downright ticked me off sometimes because he wasn't helping her at all, even though he thought he was. I loved Alec because he was sweet and his intentions were good, but everything he did backfired. I had to remind myself a few times that Alec was sick himself and that these were just two kids trying to fight for what they thought was best for themselves.

Final Thoughts: This was a great read and I found very little in it that I disliked, plus it took hardly any time at all to read which makes it a good book for on the go. If you enjoy books with tough and heavy themes that are thought provoking, or if you are a little weird like I am and enjoy stories about mental illnesses, I would definitely recommend checking out this book!


Tags : Amazon.com: Life Is But a Dream (9780312610043): Brian James: Books,Brian James,Life Is But a Dream,Feiwel & Friends,0312610041,Social Themes - Depression,Creative ability;Fiction.,Psychiatric hospitals;Fiction.,Schizophrenia;Fiction.,Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),Creative ability,Fiction,Juvenile Fiction Social Themes Depression & Mental Illness,Psychiatric hospitals,Schizophrenia,Social Issues - Depression & Mental Illness,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Social Themes Depression

Life Is But a Dream Brian James Books Reviews

The prosaic plot description currently hosted for this book doesn't even begin to do justice to it. There's nothing prosaic about it all. Told from the perspective of Sabrina, who is only just beginning to understand how she is different from others and why, it's a beautiful, deeply moving story. Well written, it flows effortlessly in spite of the complicated subject.

That doesn't mean it's an easy book. While it was an exciting and constantly engaging read, it isn't what I'd call a fun book. This is a pretty dark story, overall, and in many ways sadly realistic - we're not talking Benny & Joon (though that certainly had dark moments, too). There's not really laughter or many "warm cuddlies" here. There were parts where I was literally filled with dread for Sabrina, whose vulnerability is terrifying to observe. James deserves a lot of credit for making her fear and confusion come alive for readers, but organically, without slowing the story down.

This is a Young Adult novel, and while I am an adult (with an appreciation for the genre stretching back to before that was true), I think it will appeal to its audience. Emotionally, it speaks to the parts of readers that feel isolated and misunderstood, that are exploring the balance between conformity and individualism. It will also fire the imagination, as the world of schizophrenia is dramatically presented, and draw on the mind, with thought-provoking issues such as sexual exploitation of the mentally ill. It presents a nuanced world, in which it is not always our enemies but sometimes our best friends who hurt us, and where the institutions we rely on to protect us (parents, school, hospitals) need our assistance if they are to succeed.

For those parents who might be concerned, I do not think the book will be *too* dark for most readers. It is, ultimately, an empowering story, and the sexual elements are not lurid.

I recommend.
From the opening pages I was completely immersed in the story of Sabrina and I had no trouble loosing myself in this book. Told in alternating past and present, with flashbacks to Sabrina’s childhood, I initially found myself questioning whether Sabrina was really ill or just a daydreamer of a girl with an over-active imagination.

Life is But a Dream is beautifully, intensely written. As I read the book I was more and more enamoured with Sabrina and couldn’t help but want the best possible outcome for her. Alec was sweet but it took me until almost the end of the book to completely appreciate his feelings and intent towards Sabrina, but this is an integral part of the story. Sabrina’s parents play a smaller role in the book but I felt incredibly sad for them as they also struggled to come to terms with their daughter’s illness.

This book ends with a tense climax, but my only criticism is that I found the ending to be a little bit too short and neat and tidy. Aside from this small issue, the story itself is incredibly convincing and heartbreaking.

Mental illness, particularly young adult mental illness would be a daunting task for any writer. Convincing the reader, and drawing them completely into the world of the main character is on a whole other level, and Mr. James does it exceedingly well.
First Impressions I've always been into stories about mental illnesses, so for me Life is But a Dream was a natural selection that I knew I needed to read. I studied schizophrenia a bit in college while I was taking my required psychology courses and I found the subject fascinating. I know, I'm a dork! But it really is interesting stuff. Plus, I like some of Brian James' other books he had written, so I was hoping for a good read.

First 50 Pages This wasn't a terribly long book, so I'll try to keep my review short and sweet so I don't reveal too many spoilers. It is also by no means, a light and fluffy read. This book deals with some pretty hefty topics that leave you thinking for a while after you have finished. I felt immediately pulled into the story, even though I felt that the pace was a little slow when it comes to action and the sequence of events. Brian James's writing style is great as usual though, which made me want to keep reading. The main character, Sabrina, kept me hooked and I finished this book in just a few hours.

Characters & Plot The plot centers around Sabrina, who is checked into a mental wellness center because she is different from other people and she sees everything around her with very different eyes. She doesn't think that there is anything wrong with her and neither does Alec, another patient at the center. When she first meets Alec, they bond over their differences and Alec even convinces Sabrina that the world is messed up and everyone but themselves needs to change and adjust, not them. Alec goes even further, with convincing Sabrina that she doesn't need to take her medication, because it will stump her creativity and will make her more "normal." Then things go from bad to worse, as Sabrina's illness becomes life-threatening.

Seeing inside of the mind of a person with schizophrenia was absolutely fascinating and a little bit scary. Sabrina as a character was just amazing to read about. I could understand her fears about losing herself and her identity by getting better, and how hard it was for her that nobody could really understand what her life was like. Brian James also shows us how a mental illness like Sabrina's affects not only the person with the illness, but everyone around her too. Sabrina wasn't the only person dealing with the pain and confusion, her family was as well.

Sabrina doesn't make the best decisions for herself and the people that she loves when she meets Alec, and I'll admit that he downright ticked me off sometimes because he wasn't helping her at all, even though he thought he was. I loved Alec because he was sweet and his intentions were good, but everything he did backfired. I had to remind myself a few times that Alec was sick himself and that these were just two kids trying to fight for what they thought was best for themselves.

Final Thoughts This was a great read and I found very little in it that I disliked, plus it took hardly any time at all to read which makes it a good book for on the go. If you enjoy books with tough and heavy themes that are thought provoking, or if you are a little weird like I am and enjoy stories about mental illnesses, I would definitely recommend checking out this book!