What do readers think of Losing Clementine by Ashley Ream? Write your own review.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The characters in this book were nearly all seriously dysfunctional and in need of far more than a drug, as is true for her, to function. Very black, not a flicker of light in the story. Irresponsible, self centered, and such words come to mind. I have had hard times myself as a child and on and have never acted or thought as these characters do. Takes more than relating such to end up with a good book. However, the act of writing it might have been cathartic for the author, assuming it did relate to her.

I really did not like this book. It was depressing and the main character was unlikable. I kept reading because I thought at some point Clementine would do something to help me understand or like her. Even after learning her history I could not understand why she behaved so badly to her family and friends. She was an unsympathetic character from beginning to end. I would not recommend this book to anyone. It was just to dreary.