How I Live Now - by Meg Rosoff (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published in hardcover in the United States: Wendy Lamb Books, 2004.

Book Synopsis

This award winning novel will soon be released as a movie starring Saoirse Ronan as Daisy.

Fifteen-year-old New Yorker Daisy is sent to live in the English countryside with cousins she's never even met. When England is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy, the cousins find themselves on their own. Power fails, system fail. As they grow more isolated, the farm becomes a kind of Eden, with no rules. Until the war arrives in their midst.
Daisy's is a war story, a survival story, a love story--all told in the voice of a subversive and witty teenager. This book crackles with anxiety and with lust. It's a stunning and unforgettable first novel that captures the essence of the age of terrorism: how we live now.

Review Quotes

"A daring, wise, and sensitive look at the complexities of being young in a world teetering on chaos, Rosoff's poignant exploration of perseverance in the face of the unknown is a timely lesson for us all." - People Magazine

"This riveting first novel paints a frighteningly realistic picture of a world war breaking out in the 21st century . . . Readers will emerge from the rubble much shaken, a little wiser, and with perhaps a greater sense of humanity." - Publishers Weekly, Starred

"That rare, rare thing, a first novel with a sustained, magical and utterly faultless voice. After five pages, I knew she could persuade me to believe anything." --Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

"Readers will remain absorbed to the very end by this unforgettable and original story."--The Bulletin, Starred

"A winning combination of acerbic commentary, innocence, and sober vision. . . . Hilarious, lyrical, and compassionate."--The Horn Book, Starred

"A fantastic treat . . . Daisy is an unforgettable heroine."--Kliatt, Starred

"Powerful and engaging . . . a likely future classic."--The Observer (U.K.)

"A crunchily perfect knock-out of a debut novel."--The Guardian (U.K.)

About the Author

MEG ROSOFF was born in Boston and worked in publishing and advertising before writing How I Live Now. She moved in 1989 from New York City to London, where she currently lives with her husband and daughter.