That Was Then, This Is Now

This is a great read for all ages and adults. My daughter is 13 and she loves this book. Great author also wrote the outsiders. I highly recommend.

You can never go wrong with S.E Hinton books.

I loved The Outsiders so I wanted to read every other book wiriten by this talented author. So sense this was the second one she published, I went for it. And wow, it was really good. The ending makes me want to jump out a window but I absolutely loved this book. If you liked The Outsiders, you will like this. Now I need to continue and order more of her books. (also the end of this one has the first chapter of the outsiders, I laughed sense I already own that book but now I have two of the first chapter XD)

"That was Then, This is Now" centers around the lives of four adolescents. There is the narrator, Byron Douglas, a handsome charming but ultimately selfish and self-absorbed teenager. There is Mark, whom Byron's mother adopted for her own and who is Byron's best friend. Mark's penchant for mischief is too often offset by his winning smile, and he maintains a fierce loyalty to his friends. The two minor but equally important characters are Cathy, a precocious young woman who falls in love with Byron, and her younger brother M&M, a sensitive and soulful hippie wannabe.The book moves in different actions so that it seems we're reading two novels about two brothers and best friends. In the first novel, Mark and Byron are always by each other's side, and together they witness the fearsome murder of their good friend Charlie, which scars both. In the second novel, there's a love triangle -- Byron has fallen deeply in love with Cathy, and Mark feels abandoned. The novel comes to a climax when Byron commits an act that will forever severe his relationship with both Mark and Cathy.Like in "The Outsiders", SE Hinton has a gift for understanding and speaking the language of troubled adolescent boys, making us think she is in fact one herself. And the writing is pristine and polished, as always. But the characters are far less compelling than the ones we were entranced by in "The Outsiders," and the plot far more fragile and broken.Still, many a teenager will find "That was Then, This is Now" speaks to them in the most haunting manner possible.

S.E Hinton's hidden master piece, made me cry+sob and got me hooked in no time. It's an easy read and perfect for teens. Very well written!

I teach 7th and 8th grade. My 7th graders read The Outsiders, so I have 8th grade read That was Then, This is Now. They like the connection with the Shepards and Ponyboy, but also that it is a whole different story with new main characters. Themes are deep and great for discussion; I feel like it is more intense (overall) than Outsiders. As a teacher, I look forward to reading this book each year!

Always loved this book, decided I wanted to own a physical copy.

Was enjoyed .

My daughters favorite books.

Economic language, moving, rides the huge emotional leaps of isolation, peer pressure, making the right choices and is as relevant today as when written. Suitable for 15 years up Id say.

I bought this book because I have always loved all S. E. Hinton books, since I read The Outsiders at school and I couldn't find it in Spain until now (just like Tex). This is a harsh book, and the first book in my life where I have hated the main character and narrator of the story. He loves Mark, but then suddenly he starts acting like a jerk, and end up betraying him, which will change Mark's life for ever. I like how the book explains (and, like S. E. Hinton always do, makes you feel with the characters) that to trust people never takes you to a good place. It says that at last once and it proves it with several stories that appears in the book.The end of this story, as I found out now, is in Tex, which I recommend too.

Das Buch erzählt die Geschichte von Mark und Bryon. Sie sind schon seit Kindheitstagen Freunde und lieben sich wie Brüder. Nachdem Mark's Eltern gestorben sind lebt er bei Bryon und seiner Mutter. Sie haben nicht viel Geld, aber als Bryon's Mutter ins Krankenhaus muss benötigen sie es mehr denn je. Jeder versucht auf seine Weise an Geld zu gelangen und die Freund driften langsam aber sicher auseinander. Bryon's neue Freundin verschlimmert die Situation. Können die Freunde es noch schaffen ihre Freundschaft zu retten?? Und wo liegt die Grenze zwischen gut und schlecht, richtig und falsch??Ich liebe dieses Buch. Ich hab auch schon das Buch "The Outsiders" von der Autorin gelesen und "That Was Then, This Is Now" steht es in nichts nach. Es liest sich schon flüssig und ist auch für Leser mit mittelmäßigem Englisch empfehlenswert, da es leicht verständlich ist. Es ist spannend, gefühlvoll und zeigt die brutale Realität der damaligen Zeit. "That Was Then, This Is Now" und "The Outsiders" muss man einfach gelesen haben, für mich sind sie zwei Klassiker der damaligen Zeit.Schön fand ich auch das man alte Bekannte wie Ponyboy Curtis und die Shepard Brüder wiedertrifft. Von beiden Hauptfiguren mag ich Mark am meisten und habe zum Ende des Buches leichte Antipathie für Bryon empfunden. Mark kann nichts dafür was das Leben aus ihm gemacht hat, niemand hat seinem tun jemals einen Riegel vorgeschoben und wie soll er dann lernen was Regeln und Konsequenzen sind? Ich fand das Ende traurig und auch nicht fair. Besonders Mark seinen letzten Satz kann ich nicht vergessen: "Like a friend once said to me, 'That was then and this is now`". Das sagt alles darüber aus wie ihre Freundschaft mal war und was davon jetzt noch übrig ist.

Great service came right on time