内容简介
A New York Times bestseller—with more than three million copies sold—by the author of One Plus One and The Girl You Left BehindThey had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .
Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.
Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.
A Love Story for this generation,
Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks,
What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart? 作者简介
Jojo Moyes is the
New York Times bestselling author of
One Plus One, The Girl You Left Behind,
Honeymoon in Paris,
Me Before You,
The Last Letter from Your Lover, The Ship of Brides, and
Silver Bay. Moyes writes for a variety of newspapers and magazines. She is married to Charles Arthur, technology editor of
The Guardian. They live with their three children on a farm in Essex, England.,,
精彩书评
Praise for ME BEFORE YOU:"A hilarious, heartbreaking, riveting novel . . . I will stake my reputation on this book."
—
Anne Lamott,
People Magazine“When I finished this novel, I didn’t want to review it: I wanted to reread it. . . . an affair to remember.”
—
New York Times Book Review, Liesl Schillinger
“An unlikely love story . . . To be devoured like candy, between tears.”
—O, The Oprah Magazine“Funny and moving but never predictable.”
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USA Today (****)
“Funny, surprising and heartbreaking, populated with characters who are affecting and amusing . . . This is a thought-provoking, thoroughly entertaining novel that captures the complexity of love”
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People Magazine“Masterful . . . a heartbreaker in the best sense . . .
Me Before You is achingly hard to read at moments, and yet such a joy.”
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New York Daily News“READ IT AND WEEP: Heartbreak collides with humor in Jojo Moyes’s
Me Before You.”
—
Good Housekeeping“There are books that you cannot put down. There are also books where you become so invested in the characters, you force yourself to stop reading to prolong the experience because you don't want the story to end, and that's what can happen when you read Jojo Moyes' latest book,
Me Before You. . . . You'll find yourself laughing, smiling, feeling angry and, yes, crying. My only suggestion:
Me Before You should be sold with a pack of tissues.”
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The Associated Press"Jojo Moyes has written the perfect modern love story. You will be astonished at what you feel, and what you hope for when you are forced to face the possibility of your own dreams. It's
that good. Read it now."
—
Adriana Trigiani,
New York Times bestselling author of
The Shoemaker's Wife“ME BEFORE YOU is a delicious surprise—funny and hopeful and heartbreaking, the kind of story that will keep you turning pages into the night. Lou Clark and Will Traynor will capture your heart and linger there long after their story has ended."
—
Eleanor Brown,
New York Times bestselling author of
The Weird Sisters“Some books make you stop and think, compel you to examine your own take on life or your position or stand on an issue. Jojo Moyes’s
Me Before You will surprise you—it is impossible not to put yourself in the characters’ shoes and you will find yourself thinking about the choices you might make if life changed in an instant. I loved it.”
—
Lee Woodruff,
New York Times bestselling author of
Those We Love Most"A lovely novel, both nontraditional and enthralling."
—
Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Moyes’ twisting, turning, heartbreaking novel raises provocative moral questions while developing a truly unique relationship between two people brought together by chance. With shades of David Nicholls’ beloved
One Day,
Me Before You is the kind of book you simply can’t put down—even when you realize you don’t want to see it end. . . . A big-hearted, beautifully written story that teaches us it is never too late to truly start living.”
—
BookPage"Moyes’ latest is made heartwarming, thanks to the vibrancy of its main characters, both of whom will keep readers on their toes with their chemistry and witty repartee. . . .humorous and romantic through and through."
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Romantic Times 前言/序言
《静水深流》 一部关于选择、牺牲与生命重量的深刻叙事 故事背景:迷雾笼罩的北方小镇 故事发生在英格兰北部一个常年笼罩在湿冷海雾中的小镇——黑水湾(Blackwater Bay)。这个地方以其古老的石制灯塔和世代捕鱼为生的人们而闻名。然而,近年来,随着过度捕捞和气候变化,渔业衰退,小镇弥漫着一种难以言喻的衰败感和对过去的执念。空气中总是弥漫着盐、海藻和柴火燃烧后留下的辛辣气味。 主要人物群像 伊芙琳·里德(Evelyn Reed): 三十岁出头的女性,镇上的历史教师,也是黑水湾灯塔看守人的孙女。她性格内敛,对知识和历史有着近乎偏执的热爱。伊芙琳的内心深处隐藏着一个家族秘密,关于她祖父那场未能解开的“意外”。她渴望理解小镇的过去,以便能真正面对自己的未来。她珍视稳定与秩序,但不安分的灵魂总在寻找逃离的出口。 亚历山大·卡尔顿(Alexander Carlton): 一位来自伦敦的年轻建筑师,被派往黑水湾监督一项旨在“现代化”小镇的争议性海堤修复工程。亚历山大年轻有为,自信而略显傲慢,他代表着外界的进步力量,与小镇的保守精神形成了尖锐的对立。他带着一个不为人知的个人目的来到这里,这个目的与他童年时在此地发生的一场悲剧有着千丝万缕的联系。 玛莎·格雷夫斯(Martha Graves): 小镇上最年长的居民之一,经营着一家名为“海螺壳”的古董店。她被视为小镇的“活历史”,掌握着许多不为人知的民间传说和家族恩怨。玛莎的态度暧昧,既是伊芙琳的导师,也是亚历山大的隐晦阻碍者。她相信有些秘密不应被揭开,否则会招致灾祸。 托马斯·麦克唐纳(Thomas McDonald): 伊芙琳的青梅竹马,一个沉静寡言的渔夫。他深爱着伊芙琳,代表着小镇的根基和不变的承诺。托马斯对亚历山大的到来感到警惕,他认为外来者只会带来破坏,并且对亚历山大隐藏的真实意图心存怀疑。 核心冲突与叙事线索 线索一:海堤下的秘密 亚历山大主导的海堤工程,表面上是为了抵御日益频繁的极端风暴,但伊芙琳和玛莎很快发现,工程的选址似乎有意避开或指向了某个特定的区域——她祖父当年失踪的礁石区。随着挖掘工作的深入,发现了不属于现代的建筑残骸,这些残骸似乎指向了中世纪时期小镇的建立者,以及一个与“献祭”传说相关的古老契约。 线索二:祖父的日记与时间的失真 伊芙琳在清理灯塔时,发现了一本用古老航海密码写成的祖父日记。日记内容晦涩难懂,但反复提及“潮汐的重量”和“不应被改变的时刻”。随着伊芙琳试图破译日记,她发现祖父的最后记录日期似乎存在时间上的跳跃,这让她开始质疑小镇历史记录的真实性,以及她所认知的“意外”是否真如家族所言。 线索三:爱与责任的拉扯 亚历山大和伊芙琳在共同调查工程障碍和历史遗迹的过程中,产生了复杂的情感纠葛。亚历山大被伊芙琳对小镇的深沉热爱和坚韧所吸引,他开始怀疑自己来此的目的是否真的如公司所言是为了“公共利益”。而伊芙琳则必须在对托马斯的忠诚承诺和对亚历山大所代表的、能揭开家族谜团的诱惑之间做出艰难抉择。 叙事主题的探讨 选择的不可逆性: 小镇的居民们,世代生活在海洋的恩赐与威胁之下,他们的生活是无数次艰难选择的累积。小说深入探讨了当一个人面临关乎自己所爱之人的福祉、或是揭示一个痛苦真相的选择时,哪一个“重量”更重。亚历山大必须面对自己童年的创伤记忆,是否值得为了复原真相而摧毁现在平静的生活。 历史的负担与救赎: 黑水湾的每一块石头似乎都承载着过去的重量。小说探讨了我们是否有权修改历史的叙事,特别是当这种修改涉及到牺牲某些人的记忆或福祉时。伊芙琳必须决定,是让家族的秘密永远沉入海底,保护现有的平静,还是勇敢地将真相公之于众,即使这意味着要与整个小镇的传统和托马斯对她的期望背道而驰。 “完美”的代价: 亚历山大的“现代化”计划代表着一种外部强加的“完美”愿景。小说批判了这种试图用现代技术和理性规划来抹除地方特色和历史肌理的做法。真正的“救赎”并非来自于冰冷的技术,而是来自于对人与土地之间独特连接的理解和尊重。 叙事风格与氛围 《静水深流》采用一种沉郁、富有诗意的叙事风格,大量运用天气和地理意象来烘托人物的内心世界。海雾、永不停歇的海浪声、以及灯塔微弱的光芒,共同营造出一种既美丽又令人窒息的氛围。对话多为内敛而富有张力,人物的情感表达往往通过细微的肢体语言和环境的描写来传达。情节推进缓慢而扎实,如同潮汐的往复,最终汇聚于一个高潮——一场突如其来的冬季风暴,迫使所有人物站在他们选择的十字路口,做出最终的裁决。 结语 当海堤工程即将竣工,风暴来临之际,伊芙琳必须决定:是坚守她所知的过去,与托马斯一同面对海洋的怒火;还是跟随亚历山大,潜入历史的深渊,揭开那段可能颠覆她整个世界的真相。这部小说不是关于简单的爱情故事,而是关于个体如何在历史的洪流中,为自己的生命定义意义和价值的严肃探索。它邀请读者一同感受北方海岸线上的凛冽空气,思考我们每个人心中那份深埋不露的、关于“我本应如何生活”的沉重疑问。