Review: Charlie St. Cloud

Title: The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud

Author: Ben Sherwood

Date Released: May 20, 2005

Pages: 269 (my version was the movie edition)

Rating: 5 out of 5

Description:

The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud tells the haunting story of a young man who narrowly survives a terrible car wreck that kills his little brother. Years later, the brothers’ bond remains so strong that it transcends the normal boundaries separating life and death. Charlie St. Cloud lives in a snug New England fishing village. By day he tends the lawns and monuments of the ancient cemetery where his younger brother, Sam, is buried. Graced with an extraordinary gift after surviving the accident, he can still see, talk, and even play catch with Sam’s spirit. But townsfolk whisper that Charlie has never recovered from his loss.

Into his carefully ordered life comes Tess Carroll, a captivating, adventuresome woman training for a solo sailing trip around the globe. Fate steers her boat into a treacherous storm that blows her back to harbor, to a charged encounter with Charlie, and to a surprise more overwhelming than the violent sea itself. Charlie and Tess discover a beautiful and uncommon connection that leads to a race against time and a desperate choice between death and life, between the past and the future, between holding on and letting go.

Luminous, soulful, and filled with unforgettable characters, The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud is one of those rare, wise books that reveal the mysteries of the unseen world around us, gently transforming the worst pain of loss into hope, healing, and even laughter. Suspenseful and deeply moving, its startling climax reminds us that sometimes tragedies can bring about miracles if we simply open our hearts.

Review (*SOME SPOILERS*):
I think that Charlie St. Cloud was just plain awesome :)  I loved how it was so magical and had a very cute, happy ending.  This book taught me to live life and if something terrible happens, don't let go of your life... treasure it. 

I also really liked the plot and how it wasn't that confusing.  At the beginning, I wasn't as attached to the book but when I got about half way through (when Tess turned out to be a spirit), it really kept me reading and I ended up finishing that half when I was volunteering at a local library (because my job mainly consists of helping the children's summer reading program... and no one really comes in from 4 - closing time...).  This book is pretty intense in some ways because it addresses life and how precious it is and how you shouldn't just throw it away like it's a piece of trash, but you do need to let go of things that are holding you back in life, even if it's a loved one.  I loved the relationship between Sam and Charlie too.  How they loved each other sooooooooo much that they couldn't let the other one go.  Everything also connects in the book because when I realized that Tess was somewhat dead, I also realized that the book never said anything about her pulling into the harbor or how she got to the cemetary.  I just figured that she got there safely somehow since her boat was able to turn itself upright.

Oh! And you'll love how I came across this book... It's because the movie came out :) I seriously thought that the movie would rock (I haven't seen it yet), so I decided to by the book, which is totally different since Charlie is supposed to have caramel colored eyes (not green).  But I still hope that the movie is good, in it's own way.

Cover Review:
Hahahaha I never knew that I'd end up with Zac Efron on the cover of my book... but he does look rather cute ^^  Anyways...  I think that the cover is okay, to make it better it should've probably depicted Tess in it because she's one of the main characters in the book. 

P.s.  I'm REALLY sorry that this contains spoilers!!  I try not to add spoilers to reviews...  but then this would be missing a chunk of how I felt about it...  Hope you liked it :)

*Description from Goodreads.com

Ben Sherwood's website
Charlie St. Cloud movie website