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    Why We Broke Up
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    Why We Broke Up
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    Why We Broke Up
    Audiobook6 hours

    Why We Broke Up

    Written by Daniel Handler

    Narrated by Khristine Hvam

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    I'm telling you why we broke up, Ed. I'm writing it in this letter, the whole truth of why it happened.

    Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up. Two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a folded note, a box of matches, a protractor, books, a toy truck, a pair of ugly earrings, a comb from a motel room, and every other item collected over the course of a giddy, intimate, heartbreaking relationship. Item after item is illustrated and accounted for, and then the box, like a girlfriend, will be dumped.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateDec 27, 2011
    ISBN9781611135404
    Unavailable
    Why We Broke Up
    Author

    Daniel Handler

    Daniel Handler has written three novels under his own name, including The Basic Eight, Watch Your Mouth, and Adverbs, and many books under the name Lemony Snicket, including All the Wrong Questions, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and the picture book 13 Words.

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    Reviews for Why We Broke Up

    3.5/5

    481 ratings73 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This book held me softly, shattered my heart, then helped me process the grief and pain. Go read it. You'll either love it or hate it - for those of you who hate it, your distaste is totally worth it so that those of us who love it can have this experience.
    • 4/5
      My opinion on the rarity of actually finding good guys became even worse after I read this book.

      But still. I LIKED IT.
      The illustrations were beautiful (thank you, Miss Maria!). And I can relate to Min Green's obsession in keeping memorabilia of events she felt special (well, at least at that particular moment only). I wish I knew the movies she talked about, maybe I would have loved the book even more if I did. But I've never seen any of the movies she mentioned. Too bad.

      I can still see Lemony Snicket's style of writing in this book. I've always been fascinated with his random ideas and blabbering, and honestly I think I adopted a little of it in my manner of speaking. It's his signature style, and that's not lost here.

      It's really good. I hope Ed Slaterton suffers and marries at the age of forty-five.
    • 3/5
      While I enjoyed this book, the plot was very predictable and the characters were stereotypical hipster/jock teens. Handler has a clever writing style, so this book is enjoyable for that aspect.
    • 3/5
      Why We Broke Up is a poignant book about first love and first heartbreak. Told in letter format, Min recounts her relationship to Ed, and why they broke up. Each significant moment has a keepsake attached to it, which she kept in a box that she is now returning to him. She tells of the firsts- dates, kisses, fights, but also all of the reasons (or signs that foreshadowed) why they broke up. The writing reminded me of a musical crescendo and mirrored the relationship. It starts off slow, then increases in speed either as big events come to pass or her emotions boil over onto the page. When you reach the apex, the main real reason why, it all comes gushing out; quickly.

      The final scene of Ed and Min together, when they break up, at the tail end of it, is my favorite. Min's thoughts come pouring out. One sentences streaming after the other; all the things she is, all the things she's not. How one crushing blow can alter the way you feel about and see yourself. But there is also hope, as Min sees, in the form of her friends who are there for her, and I love how she ends the letter discussing plans with friend and, letting Ed know, that though they broke up, she is not broken.


    • 4/5
      5Q, 4P A work of literary fiction with quirky characters, embarrassing moments, and whimsical pictures, this novel would be appealing to teen readers who really want to examine the emotional guts of a difficult breakup. Written as a letter to Ed, this novel has very long and flowy language that can be off-putting and confusing to less sophisticated readers. I liked the story and felt that it resonates with an aspect of being an adolescent--dating and heartbreak. Min's reflections as she wrestles with her anger and love for Ed are especially endearing and well written. The color illustrations serve to tie the story together and provide an artistic, bohemian atmosphere to the novel. Wonderfully written, but it may be a little hard to follow for readers used to more action-packed novels.
    • 3/5
      This was not what I expected from the author of the Series of Unfortunate Events, but I thought it was pretty good. The whole book is one long letter to Ed, Min's ex, as she rides to his house to deliver a box of all the things she collected during their relationship. Instead of chapters, each section begins with a piece from the box and the story behind it. Some parts were really predictable, but I liked the layout of the book. There's a lot of teenage drama. Artsy girl dates popular jock. That whole thing. But I've never read anything exactly like it, which made it better. If anything, read it for the illustrations. The layout was my favorite part.
    • 5/5
      great read!
    • 4/5
      You know this story. You've seen it a thousand times. Slightly awkward girl catches the eye of handsome, popular boy and they fall in love, while her loyal best friend waits in the corner with his unrequited love. You know how it will end, because the title tells you so. The boy and girl will break up. You know this story. You know how it will end.But the devil is in the details, or in this case the delight is in the details. Daniel Handler is a master storyteller. His characters have charm and wit and depth, and you care about them. The world he builds--Min with her classic movies, Ed with his basketball and loving sister, Al with his Bitter Sixteen Party and lack of opinions, the bonfires and parks and theaters of middle America--feels authentic, and this coming of age story that could have been trope becomes a good story. The framing of the story, with Min sharing memories as she packs up each memento of the relationship to return to Ed, slows the pace and adds a bit of mystery. Why did they break up? Min shares many reasons, small and ultimately huge, for their parting, but the reader wisely sees from the beginning that these two are incompatible. They are both too young and too self-centered to launch into a lasting relationship; Min has no clue about Al's feelings, Ed is seemingly indifferent to his mother's illness. They will not be able to resist temptation or commit to the long haul. Watching Min reflect on her experience and learn this difficult lesson is an exercise in empathy and takes us back to a time when we were starry-eyed too.I read this book mainly to see what Handler had to offer besides his Lemony Snicket persona, which has thoroughly entertained me, and he did not disappoint. His talent is far broader than the story of the Baudelaires, and I look forward to reading more from him!
    • 1/5
      I can't even begin to explain how much I disliked this book. Seriously. Can't. Even. Begin. This book was like reading my diaries from middle school. Juvenile. Pathetic. Delusional. I like the basic idea, but I hated all of the characters so none of it really mattered to me. Just pretend this was never published.
    • 5/5
      How does Daniel Handler know so well what it's like to be a heartbroken, "arty" high school girl? Fantastically written. Wrenching. Love the Maira Kalman illustrations. She is brilliant as usual.
    • 4/5
      I liked the physical book maybe a bit more than the story. The heavy, high quality paper and beautiful art. I also appreciated the structure of the narrative, a long break-up letter that tells the story of a short relationship through the objects Min has collected and are now giving back to Ed. I found the story honest and moving, if a bit too literary at times. The long rambling lists had a great rhythm but disrupted the story at times. I also found myself wanting to check on the movies and other references. I figured they were invented but I also thought, well maybe I've just never heard of them. It got distracting but I think it also served the story that we are all new to these references, like Ed. Fully deserving of the Printz Honor.
    • 4/5
      A story that will ring true for everyone who has fallen in love and suffered heartbreak.
    • 1/5
      Interesting concept, awesome illustrations, awful writing.
    • 4/5
      He got me. The title of the book says it, and I was still surprised. Another surprise was how well Handler writes from a teenaged, female perspective. Good stuff, and fabulous on audio.
    • 3/5
      I expected more out of this one. The illustrations were a nice touch, and added a lot to the book. I like that Handler has branched out, but I'm not sure this was a huge success. I found the characters a bit predictable. But, I think teens will eat this book up. They just have to find it.
    • 2/5
      I wanted to love this because I adored Handler's Basic Eight, and because I love the point that high school love is usually not OMG perfect soulmates 4-eva, but I never cared about the characters. I ended up skipping ahead to the last third, just to find out what happens. (Spoiler: they break up.)
    • 3/5
      I liked this well enough, but wanted more from it. The drawings of all the stuff Min was returning to Ed were a little distracting--if it was meant to be the actual stuff, I think photos would have worked better. And I'm disappointed in the ultimate reason Min and Ed break up. Min gives so many small-but-valid reasons all throughout, but it's not any of those, exactly, or even a combination of any of them, but rather a whole different thing.

      I do vaguely worry that it sets the stage for "he doesn't beat me/cheat on me/scream at me, so therefore there's no reason to break up" even when the relationship doesn't work for many other reasons. "He meets the basic requirement of human beings" isn't a compelling reason to date someone, and I worry that's the take-away message teen girls may get from this book.

      (Blah blah works of fiction not morality tales blah blah fishcakes but it's hard to deny that teens DO take messages away from what they read)

      **For a similar idea--a relationship and its demise told through STUFF--see Important Artifacts & Personal Property From the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry, by Leanne Shapton. Aimed at adults and experimental but a similar premise.
    • 5/5
      It's been two weeks since I finished this book and I cannot get it out of my head. Not like when one feels the barbs of love sticking in them and releasing an intoxicating poison (that is probably life-threatening) but like the sad and angry pangs of regret, the frustration and remorse at the end of a relationship that REALLY should never have happened. Indeed, more than once I thought the words "What the hell was I thinking?"This is not strictly because of the book, it is because five days after I finished it was the first anniversary of my own horrible, horrible heartbreak. That was a relationship no one around me understood, a relationship that felt like the entire world to me, and one that ended in betrayal so great that I nearly destroyed my own life in the process. So yes, I can relate all too well to this book, even though I have never dated a popular sports star and I never will (they are really not my type, but trust me, "smart" guys can break a girl's heart just the same).A lot of books about romance end when the relationship does, but usually there's a bit of gladness. Better to have loved and lost, the cliche goes. That is the case sometimes. Sometimes. But this is the story of a relationship that really was best left to the imagination, the what-ifs, because its reality was too painful. Maybe Ed didn't feel that way. Maybe he did actually love Min; in fact, I really don't doubt that he did at all. (He was not a bad person despite doing many, many bad things.) But Min could've done so, so much better than him and she will in the future, so seeing her fall for a guy who was not right for her at all is plain tragic, especially when the reader knows exactly what that's like.In particular, Min's breakdown and rambling list of all her flaws at the end is extremely true to life. When the heart is broken, everything else breaks with it, first of all the person's own belief in their own ability. Min is clearly an intelligent girl who could probably devote herself to the world of film (indeed, as I wish to do the same I could relate to that passionate love as well); she did not in any way deserve to be broken like that.What keeps the book from being depressing, aside from its great sense of humor, is the knowledge that Min will recover from what has happened and find happiness in the future. She's way too smart not to. Indeed, any heartbroken individual will take solace in the book's underlying message that what becomes of the brokenhearted is so much better than they may be able to realize at the time. Even if their Ed, like my Jacob, never realizes the magnitude of how badly they hurt them.I believe my relationship with this book was definitely one that was meant to happen. It irritated me at times, made me happy at times, left me sad and frustrated when it ended, but in the end taught me more about myself and my heart than I ever expected. We should expect the same from our lovers as we do from our books.
    • 1/5
      Soooo hard for me to get into the voice of our main character. While the story is your typical teen coming of age and realizing what it is that really matters story, I was so put off by the voice (and the fact that they made up a whole slew of musicians and supposedly classic movies) that I had a hard time with it.
    • 3/5
      High school students Min and Ed have broken up, and Min is dealing with the breakup by sending Ed a long, long letter and a box full of all the trinkets she saved from their relationship. She explains each item in the box to him, along the way detailing their whole relationship and why it fell apart.I like the style this book is written in -- the extended letter is tough, but Handler makes it work for the most part. The prose is well written while also managing to maintain a quality of believable teenaged expression; in fact, I'm quite impressed by Handler's ability to convincingly write as a teenaged girl. In addition, there's an almost cinematic feel to the writing style at times, which is appropriate considering Min's obsession with old-time movies and film in general. The pictures are an interesting inclusion although not necessary to make the plot understandable. All that being said, however, this is a book that really feels like a book for teens. I've read quite a few YA books (and children's books) as an adult and enjoyed them, usually because I felt there was a bigger story being told beyond the basic plot. This book though is a very high school relationship centric book with no bigger picture beyond that high school relationships don't last forever. I'm sure teens will love reading something that resonates with them but I'm a couple of decades too old for this particular title.
    • 3/5
      Handler does an excellent job of developing Min as a character, revealing her emotions and psyche. And I think this rings true--the situation, how a relationship like this happens and feels in high school, the sacrifices you make, warning signs, etc. Some may find Min's narration annoying. I got tired of hearing movie plots, and you can get lost in her run-on/stream-of-consiousness narration. It was a little hard to believe min and ed getting together at all they're so different.
    • 4/5
      Before reading this novel, I read a couple of other reviews that thought the book was too melodramatic or angsty. Now that I've read Why We Broke Up, I can see their points, but I have to say that the melodrama was intentionally and well done to create the world inside Min's sixteen-year-old mind. And Handler's writing was so skillful that none of it seemed over the top until I finished the book and thought back to everything that happened. While reading, I was in Min's head, and because she didn't find any of it histrionic, neither did I.The story line itself is quite cliche. Two teenagers from different social spheres meet by chance and take a liking to each other. They start dating, to the disapproval of their friends and parental units. Ed is the co-captain of the basketball team who enjoys weekly Bacchanalian bonfires with his friends, and Min is... different (not "arty") in that she and her friends love to plan unique parties like a "Bitter Sixteen" party with a "huge 89 percent cacao dark chocolate cake in the shape of a big black heart so bitter we couldn't really eat it" (pg. 9). The book itself is a long-winded note that Min writes to Ed recounting their relationship after they eventually break up.The way Handler tells the story is bold and experimental. Min's the narrator, and her stream of consciousness draws the reader not only into the story, but also into the mind of a sixteen-year-old girl who "falls in love" with a cute boy who she sees as the person she wants him to be rather than the person he actually is. Bad judgement, of course, ensues. To some extent, Handler drew me into the teenage mode of thinking once again through Min. Only when I finished the book did the fog clear and I realized - Min and Ed only dated for a month and a half. Six weeks. And the book only describes a few dates, broken up into sections so it seems like more. And then it takes Min another month to be "ready" to forget about Ed, though to do that she writes this book-length letter detailing the significance of each item in a box that represents their relationship. How do you even accumulate a whole box-worth of stuff from a six-week long romance?But that brings me to the second unique and interesting aspect of Why We Broke Up - the writing is interspersed with fantastic illustrations of each item in Min's (soon to be Ed's) box. My ARC edition didn't have all the illustrations yet, and none in color, but I still enjoyed the imaginative scrapbook style.Most impressive was how well Handler captured the inner workings of the mind of a teenage girl. How did he do that? The following passage, for example, looks eerily similar to something I might have written in my journals as a teen, not the details, but the self-loathing tone: "I like movies, everyone knows I do - I love them - but I will never be in charge of one because my ideas are stupid and wrong in my head. There's nothing different about that, nothing fascinating, interesting, worth looking at. I have bad hair and stupid eyes. I have a body that's nothing. I'm too fat and my mouth is idiotic ugly. My clothes are a joke, my jokes are desperate and complicated and nobody else laughs. I talk like a moron, I can't say one thing to talk to people that makes them like me, I just babble and sputter like a drinking fountain broken. My mother hates me, I can't please her. My dad never calls and then calls at the wrong time and sends big gifts or nothing, and all of it makes me scowl at him, and he named me Minerva. I talk sh-t about everybody and then sulk when they don't call me, my friends fall away like I've dropped them out of an airplane, my ex-boyfriend think I'm Hitler when he sees me. I scratch at places on my body, I sweat everywhere, my arms, the way I clumsy around dropping things, my average grades and stupid interests, bad breath, pants tight in back, my neck too long or something. I'm sneaky and get caught, I'm snobby and faking it, I agree with liars, I say whatnot and think that's some clever thing" (pg. 337).And she goes on for another half a page. That's what it feels like to be a teenage girl. Not all the time - that would be ridiculously tiring - but in certain unguarded, insecure moments where nothing is right.Why We Broke Up is a quick, yet powerful read. Min is melodramatic, yes, but she is a sixteen-year-old girl swept up in emotion, so a little angst comes with the territory. If you can overlook the teenage drama and the cliche plot line, you'll appreciate the fresh voice Handler brings to the page, and the unique structure of the text paired with Maira Kalman's illustrations. Overall, I recommend Why We Broke Up as piece of mixed-media artwork - text that paints a picture and illustrations that tell a story.
    • 3/5
      Min is a film buff. Her new boyfriend is a jock. But everything seems ok, until she discovers that it actually isn't. Her breakup letter takes the reader through the entire relationship, from happy beginning to messy end.
    • 4/5
      I picked this book up because I wanted to see what "Lemony Snicket" writes when he's not writing for young children. It was an interesting idea, but due to the profanity and the references to sexual activity, I'll be passing it on to our high school instead of finding a place for it on our library shelves.Imagine you kept a box of memorabilia from a non-platonic relationship...from the start to the finish. This is what Min has done, and now that she has broken up with her boyfriend Ed Slaterton, she decides to return every item in the box, and she provides an explanation of the significance of those items, which makes up most of the text of the book, why we broke up. I found it entertaining to look at the picture of the item, and then read how that item factored into the story.Unfortunately, I think most students will be bogged down by Min's references to films and will find this detracts from their enjoyment of the story.
    • 2/5
      I thought the concept of this book was really interesting - I enjoyed the way the illustrations were the driving force behind each chapter. But the stream of consciousness narrative caused me to constantly go back and re-read, causing me to lose steam and desire to finish this one. Abandoned it about 1/3 of the way.
    • 4/5
      I have to begin of with saying that the book was different and that's what caught my attention in the first place. It was interesting, it kept me reading. Each souvenir, I guess I could say that Min collected each time she spent with Ed or spent doing something for Ed has a story behind it, and that is this story. After they broke up Min sends back each of them back to him along with a letter and so the story unspools to the reader. It speaks about how fragile a lust-driven teenage can be. The story is told through a letter written by our protagonist, Min. I liked the idea how the story was delivered; packed in a box of memories. Though the way it was narrated had scope for improvement. And yes, some parts seemed awkward and just plain irritating. And in response to many of the reviews I have to say, it does not remind me of my break up story, for the simple fact that I have never been in love. One thing I'll point out though, if it's the last thing I do: This book is NOT worth what they are charging for it!
    • 3/5
      Although I am an adult, I quite enjoyed the Lemony Snicket books and I was expecting big things from this book. I found myself disappointed. I do not feel as though Min's character thoroughly described how each item from the box contributed to the break up. Yes, it is made very clear at the end why the break up occurred but I felt myself feeling that the rest of the novel and a great concept was wasted. Also, I know this was a book for young adults but I think that the author did not give credit to young adults by thinking that it is ok to have the ending be so apparent from the start. Al's role in the break up was never even a question. One plus that I can say about this book is the use of stream of consciousness...my particular favorite being pages 216-218.
    • 5/5
      You may or may not know that Daniel Handler is the real-life name of Lemony Snicket, who wrote the Series of Unfortunate Events books some time ago. If you're at all familiar with this, do not read this book expecting another quirky children's tale. I've seen a review or two that complains about this very thing, which leads me to believe that some readers don't understand that using a pseudonym for the silly books was the whole point. His other work isn't silly, isn't bizarre, and isn't anything like the SoUE books. But that doesn't make it any less wonderful.This is probably a "love it or hate it" kind of book. The story itself is written in the form of a "Dear John" letter (that's a breakup letter, for you young'uns) by the protagonist, and the writing style shifts between journal/letter/stream-of-consciousness depending on just how angry Min (the main character) is about whatever she's writing about. Her letter to Ed lists all the reasons why they broke up, recounting events and conversations and snippets of memory that led to this moment in time where her pen hits the paper to tell him they're done.The writing is vivid, rough, and raw at times. There's nothing overly sweet or sentimental here, and the dialogue is stilted but not faked, awkward but not forced, and true to life. This is how teenagers talk: Full of uncertainties, playing to the moment, and highly reactionary.Min's own insecurities come through very clearly in her letter. Throughout the story, she recounts how Ed and others always call her "different" and "strange" (but in a good way), but she doesn't see it that way, and fights against this label because she believes herself to be truly average if not a little bit worse. It's heartbreaking at times, but also more telling than some of us might like to admit -- I think most of us struggled with teenage insecurities, and Min's anger and frustration (and moments of joy, memories now tainted with the heartache of knowing what was to come) will, undoubtedly, strike a chord with many readers, even those who are long past their teenage years.
    • 4/5
      It ended just the way I expected it to, but I still felt myself hoping for the best all throughout the novel. Great voice for the narrator - interesting, natural, not static at all. The kind of books that leaves room for reflection on your own past, which is something I dig.
    • 5/5
      Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) is the story of Min and Ed. It's the story of a box full of random, worthless stuff. It's the story of a relationship that was, let's face it, doomed from the start.The book is written from Min's point of view -- a letter written as she sits in a cafe, just before she takes the box of stuff and dumps it on Ed's porch. It's almost stream-of-consciousness in places, as Min explores the reasons why she loved Ed, and why (as per the title) they broke up. Min's not always likeable, but she's always real. Secondary characters are likewise well-rendered. Though it's realistic fiction, Handler has created a world of minutiae specific to the book, such as the names of old movies and movie stars that Min is always referencing, as well as brand names, restaurants, and other minor details. It's almost like visiting a foreign country, or perhaps just another region, where the big things are the same, but all of the little ones have that jarring note of other-ness. Min and Ed's story is similar: though the small details are specific to them, the big things will resonate with anyone who ever had their heart broken as a teenager.