Рецензия на книгу

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  Аноним4 декабря 2011 г.

  “One Day” was written by David Nichols and published in 2009. “One Day” is the story about two good friends who for almost all their life didn’t want to confess for themselves and tell each other that their feelings were much stronger and deeper than friendship. The book was screened in August, 2011.
  The title of the book is tangled somehow because initially you think that just one day of somebody’s life will be described. But, indeed, the book describes one day of two people but over the period of 19 years. It is the day of the 15th of July starting from 1988 up to 2007. May be exactly this fact attracted me when I was deciding what book to read.
  After the graduation from Edinburgh University in 1988 Dexter and Emma spent the night together. They talked about their future and how they would be once they are 40. That was the beginning of their friendship. They had different ways. Emma wanted to make the world better and started writing and performing plays, which remained unsuccessful, while Dexter traveled through the world, drinking and having short affairs. Eventually both moved to London where Emma became a waitress at a Tex-Mex restaurant, and Dexter became a successful television presenter. For several years they remained just friends and didn’t spend a lot of time together. They were drawn together closer through a holiday together and the death of Dexter's mother. Ian, Emma's boyfriend broke up with her after he realized that she was in love with Dexter and not with him but Emma was not upset, she understood they wouldn’t be able to spend all their life together. After the separation, Emma started to work as a teacher. Dexter meanwhile developed a drinking and drug problem and faced his career collapse. He changed a lot and Emma stopped their friendship. At the wedding of Emma's former roommate, Emma and Dexter met again and he said he was going to become a husband and a father. At that moment Emma realized it was the end of all her dreams about their close relationships. Several months later Dexter had a daughter but his wife was unfaithful to him with his friend, so his marriage was broken. At the same time, Emma became a quite successful writer, lived in France and had a boyfriend. When Dexter visited her in Paris, he learnt that she had met someone and he was jealous. After talking about their relationship, Emma chose Dexter. Emma and Dexter got married and were happy together, however Emma wanted a child but all their attempts failed. On the anniversary of the day they met after graduation and the day they got together Emma died in an accident. After her death, Dexter found himself in despair and started to drink again but he was comforted by his ex-wife Sylvie, his father and his daughter. The upcoming year he traveled together with his daughter to Edinburgh where he and Emma had met and they climbed the same mountain together that Emma and Dexter had climbed 19 years ago. The book ends with a memory of what happened after that first night together in 1988 and Emma's and Dexter's first kiss and promise to stay in touch and their goodbye.
  Now let me describe the main characters. They were absolutely different but there was the one thing that they had in common – their love. So, firstly I’d like to describe Emma Morley. Emma was a good looking girl though she wore glasses and didn’t use cosmetics. Really, initially she was an ugly duckling but when she became a famous writer she started to look after her appearance. Although she was not very attractive, I can’t say she was shy or hesitant. On the contrary, she was persistent enough and always knew what to say. I can even say she had a sharp tongue. She was not spoilt at all and had her own way. But Emma had one shortcoming - lack of self-confidence. She was very talented but her talent was revealed when she was about 30 years old. She loved a man but managed to confess only many years after their first meeting.
  Starting to focus your attention on Dexter Methew’s personality, I’d like to mention one more time that they were absolutely different. Dexter was a very handsome man, young, slim, dark-haired. But drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and constant night parties made him less pleasant. However, his character didn’t change. He always was self-confident, insolent and grasping. He wanted to be famous and he was but eventually his publicity brought nothing good and just vanished into thin air later. But we can’t say there was a strain of weakness in him because he managed to endure wife’s adultery, friend’s betrayal and the loss of the main woman in his life.
  This book is a kind of proof of impossibility of real friendship between sexes, of friendship where there is no any feeling except a friendly one. And it’s the main idea if the book, I suppose. Always if a man and a woman are best friends, both or just one of them has a greater feeling. But the question is would they be ready to step over the borders of their friendship for starting new relationship?
  The book is marvelous… It leaves really deep impression! The mix of feelings of sorrow, sympathy, happiness, surprise and constant expectation of what will be later make you reading the book excitedly. After watching the film my imagination was filled with new emotions. I imagined the characters, the settings in details and it made me think about the book again and again. After reading the book I advised to the majority my friends to read it or just to watch the film. None of those who followed my advice remained indifferent so did I.

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