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There are currently 23 member reviews
for Losing Clementine
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Priscilla M. (Houston, TX)
Slow Starter
I confess that I tend to be character driven in my choice of books, and it took me some time before I could relate to Clementine or allow myself to get caught up in her story. Maybe I wasn't given enough about her background early on, or maybe I don't have enough experience with depression. At the beginning of the story, all the reader knows about Clementine is that she is an artist, suffers from depression, and is carrying out a methodical plan to commit suicide. As the story progresses, you learn that she is actually very talented and has a thoroughly messed up history when it comes to keeping love and loved ones in her life. At this point I began to care about her and her plans for suicide.
Clementine as a person is complicated, conflicted, and at times hilariously funny. Her neat and tidy plan to end her life turns out to have unexpected twists and turns. It is in dealing with these events that she discovers that she really isn't ready to walk away from life, as messy and unresolved as it is. If the reader can stay with her through a somewhat confusing beginning, it is worth the trip to join her on her road to self-discovery by way of suicide.
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Karen L. (Chicago, IL)
Addictive story
Clementine Prichard, renowned artist, just wants to put herself out of her misery. Giving herself a month to get her affairs in order, she counts down the days, chapter by chapter to her impending suicide. With a plot line of this nature you would expect a heavy, depressing story. What you will find instead is an interesting, realistic depiction of mental illness handled with humor and heart. Clementine is irresistible as the main character. She is wildly funny in a deeply flawed way. You know you shouldn’t be rooting for her, but you just can’t help yourself. The rest of the cast is equally well developed, including her miserable cat. While the majority of the book is entertaining, there are a few deeply moving, intensely sad scenes that are unavoidable when dealing with the reality of bi-polar disorder. Emotionally draining, these scenes lend an air of authenticity to the subject. Losing Clementine surprises in the end, circumventing the predictability you might expect in a lesser novel. I am very happy I found Clementine. Highly recommended.
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Bea C. (Liberty Lake, WA)
A humorous look at preparing for suicide.
At the beginning of the book I didn't care for Clementine, an artist who has a mental condition and decides to end it all rather than spend the rest of her life on drugs. As the story carries on, she seems more likable and I was interested to see if she ever finds her father. Lots of humor, even in the fairly graphic sex scenes.
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Michele W. (Kiawah Island, SC)
Losing Clementine
Clementine Pritchard is a financially successful artist who has made a life decision. Her mental illness is unendurable, with her prescribed medications or without them. She decides she has no choice but to commit suicide, and gives herself thirty days to get everything ready so that those left behind will not be forced to clean up a big mess --literally and figuratively. In her disorderly way, she begins to set her affairs in order, one day at a time, revealing along the way what has brought her to this desperate decision. The book is funny and ultimately touching. I was enjoying it moderately until the middle, when it suddenly became a book I couldn't put down. Clementine, as the narrator, tells a story as mixed up as she is, but have patience. All will be revealed, and it's worth the effort.
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Mary Ann B. (Louisville, KY)
Losing Clementine
When you first start reading Losing Clementine, you don't know what to think. Is this story going to be sad, uncomfortable, or satisfying. It's a little bit of all three. Clementine is a very honest character who isn't afraid of expressing herself. I liked that, but I don't think she will linger in mind long after reading her story.
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Sarah H. (Arvada, CO)
Self discovery or self absorption?
This book lacked the humanity that would have anchored such an uncomfortable topic in something less self obsessed. While other books like Veronica Decides to Die or A Long Way Down make suicide secondary to the vibrancy and or humor of their character, if was as if Clementine was overshadowed by the topic. It lacked the sardonic satire that makes it utterly comical and human at the same time, and lacked the connection and vulnerability necessary to really care about the main character.
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Deborah D. (Old Forge, NY)
Definitely lost Clementine
Did not care for this book. I was not entertained or amused, I just wanted it to end. The ending held what little hope if found.
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