Review: Now (Once #3), by Morris Gleitzman

Now (Once #3)
By Morris Gleitzman
Publication Date: May 3rd, 2010 (Henry Holt)
Hardcover, 184 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction; YA;
Source: Library

DESCRIPTION: 

Felix is a grandfather. He has accomplished much in his life and is widely admired in the community. He has mostly buried the painful memories of his childhood, but they resurface when his granddaughter, Zelda, comes to stay with him. Together, armed with only their gusto and love, they face a cataclysmic event, one that can help them achieve salvation from the past, but also bring the possibility of destruction.

Set in the present day, this is the final book in the series that began with Once and continued with Then. This is...Now.

—from the book's dust jacket

REVIEW:

Well, that book blurb succeed in making the book sound dramatic and exciting when it really wasn't. I was really disappointed with Now, by Morris Geitzman, especially after crying and laughing through both Once (Once #1) and Then (Once #2). But it was still a really good book.

Now is written from the view point of Felix's granddaughter, Zelda, and even though I wanted more Felix and Amon set during World War Two, I liked her voice, mostly because her voice was basically the same as Felix's in the beloved first two Once books. 

I loved and felt sympathetic towards Felix too of course. My heart broke all over again.

That "cataclysmic event" that the book description talks about—don't bet on it being anywhere near as calamitous as the other events in the first two Once books. That should be a relief (after so many tears and what not), except the Now tries to make the "cataclysmic event" more dramatic than it really was, not with the facts of the disaster, but with little scraps of little under-developed subplots and character personalities. 

I liked the bullying issue Morris Gleitzman added and the way he did it differently.

Also, at the end of the book in an author's note, Morris Gleitzman claims to have written this book so that they can be read out of order. I wouldn't recommend it because Now has plot spoilers especially to Then (Once #2), but also to Once (Once #1). But it is doable. Also, I wouldn't recommend the Once Series to anyone who doesn't know much about the Holocaust, because Once books can be confusing.

There's a fourth book for people who stuck all the way through Morris Gleitzman's series called After (Once #4), which does take place during World War Two and it's aftermath and is written from Felix's view point.

RATING: