Winger

If you haven't read this book yet, here's a friendly warning: read the blurbs on the back (or wherever they are in the edition you have) and take note of the word "heart-wrenching". I noticed this when I had about 50 pages or so left in the book, so I had a little time to brace myself for Joey's horrible end (although I didn't know what exactly I was bracing myself for). Up to that point, there had been nothing more heart-wrenching than normal teenage angst, and I would never have been ready for the blow to come if I hadn't decided to glance at those blurbs. I still wasn't ready, but it helped to have a vague sense of impending doom.
Most of the way through, the book is lighthearted and hilarious. Ryan Dean is kind of a mess, and he show more makes one stupid decision after another. But he's a very funny bad-decision-making mess, and I couldn't help but root for him, even when I wanted to reach in the book and strangle him.
Smith's writing style reminds me of Jacqueline Moriarty's. Her Ashbury High books are some of the funniest I've read, and I think Andrew Smith might just be her soul mate. I hope that's true. I'll have to read more of his books to test that theory.
But back to the heart-wrenching. Believe it. Prepare for it. It was an abrupt change of direction that packed a powerful punch. It pretty much killed me. I had to sit and think for a bit about whether I thought it was cheap of the author not to prepare me better with more foreshadowing or ominous music or something. But it wasn't cheap. It was valid, and it worked, despite the fact that it didn't fit the tone of the rest of the book.
I hear there's a sequel coming out, and I will be salivating for it. And hoping that he doesn't kill me too hard the next time. But still liking him if he does. show less

Smith's prose is original, tough and always surprising, even as his characters have very believable, interesting lives. He's also funny, sometimes in a laugh-out-loud way and often in a cringe, I-don't-believe-someone-is writing-about-something-so-embarassing way. I'm sure this appeals to teens and adults alike. He writes about shame and first love and bullying and pain in a fresh, gripping way -- one of the best writers out there.

Andrew Smith's Winger flattened me. I was breezing along, laughing and cringing at the shenanigans Ryan Dean West gets into, and then the ending cold cocked me in the feels. Yes, I saw some kind of tragedy on the horizon, but I expected something different than what I received. I was a blubbering mess by the final page. Such a mess that my lovely wife said, "Dude, it's just a book."

Yet there are some books that rise above simple ink and paper, or collected kilobytes. There are some books that breathe. Some novels that are so well written they defy fiction and become real. That's Winger.

The cast of characters all have unique personalities, but my standout favorites were Joey, Chas, and Seanie. Ryan Dean was adequate as our narrator, show more but those three aforementioned teenagers truly stole the show. In my opinion, Chas, as our prerequisite soft-hearted bully, was probably the strongest and deepest character. We hear very little from him other than his constant berating of the rest of the cast, but when things go wrong for Chas it's heartbreaking. I must say, Smith pulled a fast one on me, because I didn't expect to care about Chas. Very nicely done. Joey was my second favorite, and Seanie exists on this list because I've never read about a character like him. Period. He was quirky and hilarious. MySites for EVERYONE!

In summation: I'm sorry this review is so short, but I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this book. If you only read one Young Adult novel in your life, make it this one. Funny, endearing, and shockingly tragic, Winger sets the bar for me as far as YA is concerned.

show less

Ryan Dean West just wants to play rugby and make out with girls, but he constantly feels young and wimpy. He talks about this in excruciating, frankly completely boring detail. I didn't find the jokes funny or the dialog realistic or interesting. The characters are thinly characterized; four hundred plus pages and I still couldn't tell one from another. I didn't like it, but I stuck with it because other reviews had convinced me that this was a worthwhile book. Then on page 427 his friend Joey is found stripped naked, tied to a tree, and beaten to death. Ryan Dean spends less than ten pages dealing with this, and then the book ends.

Maudlin, sensationalist bullshit. Either deal with grief and gay bashing or don't, but this is just using show more a tragic event as a climax because otherwise nothing else would have happened over the course of the entire novel. One could argue that this is a book about masculinity and coming of age, but one could argue with equal sincerity that this is a book about nothing much at all, with one shocking horrible moment at the end to maintain the illusion that this book has heft to it. I am frankly angry and disappointed that this book was nominated for the American Library Association Rainbow List, which is supposed to be for "quality books with significant and authentic GLBTQ content." There's no goddamn GLBTQ content in here--the main character is 100% straight, he has a friendship with a gay dude, and then the gay dude is killed and Ryan Dean feels sad and doesn't really process it at all. If the book had been about Joey, or about his family and friends coming to terms with his death, that would be one thing. But this is about a gay man only as much as a book that mentions the Civil Rights struggle in passing is about race relations. show less

Things just expand and contract. Like the universe, like breathing. But you’ll never fill your lungs up with the same air twice.

Si Looking For Alaska, Paper Towns y una película de John Hughes tuvieran un hijo, sería Winger.

Winger es la historia de Ryan Dean,un junior de 14 años -dos años menor que el resto de los juniors- en el internado Pine Mountain Academy. La historia comienza cuando Ryan (a quien le dicen Winger) acaba de ser trasladado a Opportunity Hall, el ala para chicos problemáticos, por haber hackeado el celular de un profesor. Allí, Winger tendrá que aprender a sobrevivir entre los chicos más rudos del colegio.

Mucha de la narración en lo relativo a la vida en el internado me recordó a Looking for Alaska. Con show more la diferencia de que Looking for Alaska es aburridisimo, y Winger no :)

Los personajes, todos, absolutamente todos, son inolvidables. Divertidos, únicos y profundos -a su manera-. En esto radica su "similitud" con Paper Towns, donde cada uno de los personajes, incluso los secundarios, eran un mundo por descubrir.

La trama es, en general, divertida y ligera, y se encuentra salpicada con ilustraciones -realizadas por el mismo Winger- que le dan un toque mas de magia. Sin embargo, eso no significa que carezca de profundidad.

No puedo hablar mucho del final porque arruinaría la historia pero realmente me dejo sin palabras, y con un corazón muy roto. Es de esos finales donde sabes que algo va a pasar pero no sabes que, hasta que el hecho te golpea en la cara.

Mi único problema con el libro es la cantidad exorbitante de veces que se repiten las palabras "loser" y "pervert". Creo que repiten esas palabras al menos dos veces por capítulo y ¡el libro tiene 106 capítulos! Así que sí, es mucha repetición.

A pesar de eso, en general me gustó MUCHO. Y creó que Andrew Smith podría ser una fuerte competencia para John Green, si sigue así. Espero leer otro de sus libros, pronto.

¿Por qué no hay más gente leyendo este libro? Realmente no lo entiendo.

The same words that make the horrible things come also tell the quieter things about love.

show less

Winger is the nickname of Ryan Dean West (Ryan Dean is his first name; don't ask about his middle name), and he is the odd man out. He's two years younger than his peers, in love with his best friend Annie, and is beginning his junior year of high school in Opportunity Hall (O Hall for short), the dormitory for the troublemakers at Pine Mountain Academy.

This story went much deeper than I anticipated. It feels very similar to John Green's style, but, as another reviewer pointed out, has one key difference: John Green's characters are written how we all wish we sounded as teenagers; Smith's characters are written how teenagers actually sound. This is not a negative observation for either author; I enjoy and applaud the work of both.

Smith show more presents a very believable account of a 14-year-old rugby player who is struggling with friends, love, and 24/7 sex brain. And it works. I really liked the writing and the story of Winger, punctuated with witty cartoons presented as Winger's own. There were times when I disagreed with things Ryan Dean would say or do, but it made the book all the better. I like disagreeing with a character. I like a character that is flawed and human, that is 100% himself and doesn't mind stepping on some toes.

The end of the novel really threw me for a loop. It was unexpected. The story was witty, heartfelt, sad, and... sexual. Well, as sexual as a 14-year-old virgin genius can get.

I am excited to read more of Andrew Smith's work. However, I really feel like this story held its own, so I'm wary about the impending sequel. Here's to hoping Smith can rid me of my doubts and deliver another strong Winger novel. show less

ok. ok oh my god. so i'm cruising along this book and it's fucking hilarious see, i usually don't really laugh out loud but i definitely did. and i was like wow! this is a really good book about a boarding school!

i mean, god, the characters were so full of life. ryan dean was hilarious. totally 14-year-old boy, but hilarious all the same. it was annoying how he treated the girls and kinda gross but it was also pretty in character and hilarious, and it was kinda weird how so many sixteen year olds liked ryan dean and the characters were great and hilarious without being caricatures. one thing i found really irritating is how ryan dean mentioned joey was gay in literally every scene.

but. oh my god. THE ENDING. i started having a feeling show more something bad was going to happen which is weird because it was a comedy you know and then the ending happened and i fucking bawled. jesus. okay so this was a really good book. wow. wow. show less