Ways to Live Forever Paperback – 2 April 2015

I first heard this an audiobook as a kid. Me and my family listened to it in the car, and while I didn't remember most of it, the ending really stuck with me. About a year later, I was diagnosed with cancer. I went through chemo, and unlike Sam, I came out the other side. I sought the book out again as an adult. This book is so unbelievably heartbreaking, but most of all, it's real. This is exactly what it's like. For the parents, for the kid, for the siblings - so much so that I was expecting to discover that the author has been through it all herself. It will haunt you for a long time after you finish it.

This is a book, that depending on what age you are when you first read it, will have a different effect on you.Being a child, they will enjoy this. More than likely, they won't understand the true meaning and complexity of the story. The themes that are dealt with. Of course they'll find parts sad and then happy, a roller coaster, but once they've finished this book it will escape their mind.Being an adult this book will haunt you, long after you've finished reading it. You'll find this moving, honest, heart warming and in all honesty, eye opening. A parent's worse nightmare is to loose a child, especially a young child, all the emotion and feelings that you have to deal with. However, what about the child's feelings? What do they understand?In this book we see his braveness, his understanding, his acknowledgement of what is happening and the acceptance of it.All of which, will make you upset. More than the child next to you who is also sitting and reading along with you.

This book is wonderfully written with the right balance of humour and seriousness. It follows the lives of two friends both with cancer and tells of their battles and loving friendship. As a teacher I think you could read this with Years 5 and 6. Having read The Fault in our Stars, also about childhood cancer, I believe Ways to Live Forever would be much more suited to make into a film, the emotions left in me were far stronger than The Fault in our Stars. I'll now be looking into the other books from Sally Nicholls in the hope they are as good as this one.

I was lucky to have read a proof copy of this which was wonderful and very moving in it's own right. Now the book is actually published with the illustrations it all makes more sense. A must read for all ages. A lighthearted and uplifting look into coping with a childs illness from the childs point of view. All emotions covered in one book.* A word of warning have a tissue or two to hand.

It’s hard anyone being sick but dealing with the injustice as a child , make it a great well read read. This boy is so brave and helped me see it from his side

This book won the overall Dimplex 2008 prize for best new novel. Another short book on thick paper. First person, post-modernist account of an eleven year old boy dying of leukemia. Unlike the Curious Incident or Vernon God Little, the narrator has no extreme personality quirks. It's a real heartbreaker, Sam leading us through his wish list of things to do before he dies and achieving most of them. The observations from Sam's viewpoint are clear and often amusing. The father's denial and eventual acceptance of Sam's impending death is particularly touching. The ending is bitter sweet but first interpretation poses a continuity error as Sam could not have written the last chapter if he had died that very night. As the subject matter is so moving it would be useful to leave the book aside and re-read later to know to what extent it's the author's talent that leaves the impact.

This book is simply beautiful. Written in a way that is simple enough for children to enjoy, but equally enjoyable for parents. Heartbreaking and heart warming at the same time - sensitively written!

The book was in perfect condition and arrived quickly. Great service.Warning: the story might get you a little choked up. Well-written, poignant and a clever premise; I bought it because it was a recommended book for the Writing for Children and Young Adults module on my Master's degree.

A pesar de ser un libro enfocado a audiencia infantil, tiene buenos aspectos que te hacen disfrutarlo y empatizar con los personajes.

Gerade eben habe ich dieses traurige, fröhliche, kindliche, erwachsene, philosophische, liebevolle, schmerzende Buch zu Ende gelesen und muss, entgegen meiner Gewohnheit, sofort versuchen, eine Rezension zu schreiben. Dies tue ich, während mir noch die Tränen in den Augen stehen und ich einen gewaltigen Kloß im Hals habe. Das Ende des Buches tut dem Leser weh, obwohl es von der ersten Seite an abzusehen ist, dass Sam, der elfjährige Protagonist, an seiner Leukämie sterben wird. Was ihm und seiner Familie bleibt, ist, aus der noch übrigen Zeit (bis zu einem Jahr, sagen die Ärzte mit vorsichtigem Optmimismus) das Beste zu machen. Tatsächlich sind es dann nur drei Monate. Klingt unerträglich, und ist es auch, aber trotzdem ist es ein Buch, das bis zum Ende vor allem auch vom Leben erzählt, von Wünschen, und wie sie in Erfüllung gehen können, auch wenn die äußeren Umstände so unfair sind, wie sie sind. Es ist sogar oft ein heiteres Buch.Erzählt wird aus Sams Perspektive, es ist sein Buch. Und das seines Freundes Felix, der selbst todkrank ist und dieses Schicksal mit einer Mischung aus Lebensfreude und tiefschwarzem Humor bewältigt.Manches ist schon ziemlich heftig zu lesen., Etwa, wenn Sam und Felix sich darüber unterhalten, dass Sam sein Buch natürlich nicht GANZ bis zum Ende selbst wird schreiben können, und Felix seinem Feund vorschlägt, eine Liste zum Ankreuzen zu machen, die dann seine Eltern ausfüllen sollen:"Sam's death was:a. Peacefulb. Horrible and agonizingly painful.c. Kind of in the middle.d. We don't know - we were at the chip shop.e. Other, please specify." (63)Sally Nicholls versetzt sich sehr glaubwürdig - auch sprachlich - in die Gefühlswelt ihres Protagonisten. Auf den knappen 200 Seiten werden dabei ganz elementare Fragen gestellt und in Sam's und Felix' eigener Art beantwortet: Wie weiß man eigentlich, dass man gestorben ist? Warum müssen Menschen sterben? Wohin kommt man, nachdem man gestorben ist? Erwachsene Leser sollten sich nicht davon abschrecken lassen, dass der Protagonist erst elf Jahre alt und seine Ansichten und Einsichten eben zum Teil auch kindlich sind - auf diese großen nicht zu beantwortenden Fragen gibt es wohl nicht wirklich "erwachsene" und "kindliche" Antworten."Ways to Live Forever" steht für mich gleichberechtigt neben dem anderen großen Buch der letzten Jahre, das das Thema Krebs und Tod bei jungen Menschen behandelt. Die Rede ist natürlich von John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars". Es ist auch, und vielleicht gerade, für erwachsene Leser eine echte Empfehlung.

Una historia como esta se lee pocas veces y por su precio vale mucho la pena comprar este artículo. ale.

There are some books which can change your life and I really think that Ways To Live Forever is one of them. In fact, I'm surprised it's not done more in the US market than it already has.It tells the hauntingly believable tale of Sam, a young boy on the cusp of adolescence who has leukaemia. His whole world revolves around this fact - he's home-schooled, his best friend is also sick, and his entire family tiptoes around him. And yet, as life so often proves, it's not full of doom and gloom or death and sickness. In fact, Nicholls' book is genuinely laugh-out-loud funny. The different styles of text are witty and Sam is the kind of boy you'll wish was your best friend too. The actual lists for ways to live forever had me grinning at their brilliance. I will admit, however, that I also cried noisily at several parts.Ways to Live Forever is neither mawkish nor sentimental, but it is achingly beautiful, like Fault In Our Stars but for a younger audience. it'll rip your heart out one minute and have you screeching in laughter the next. Bravo, Ms. Nicholls!

This is a very emotional book and very sad at the end. But I like the realism and this is the kind of book that reaches your heart. I personally have a condition that kill me and certain times so I now now it feels to be a dead man walking. Sam is a good brave kid. I suggest this book highly to those who care, love to read emotional books, or are just looking for a good book that can touch your heart.