Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - One Day

One Day
One Day
Author: David Nicholls
It's 1988 and Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have only just met. They both know that the next day, after college graduation, they must go their separate ways. But after only one day together, they cannot stop thinking about one another. As the years go by, Dex and Em begin to lead separate lives lives very different from the people they once ...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780307474711
ISBN-10: 0307474712
Publication Date: 6/15/2010
Pages: 448
Rating:
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 244

3.6 stars, based on 244 ratings
Publisher: Vintage
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

paigu avatar reviewed One Day on + 120 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
Oh, this book made me smile so much. A bit predictable in parts, but written so well and so true-to-life that you will love every chapter. Emma and Dexter meet on the last day of university and there's undeniable connection between the two. And yet, they go on with their separate lives, keeping in touch sporadically. Each chapter advances the timeline forward one year, and always there is Emma and there is Dexter. Liberal arts-educated Emma struggles during her post-graduate years (fast food worker, acting troupe director's assistant) while Dexter uses his good looks and charm to become a huge TV star. Then years later, Emma becomes the rising star author while Dexter becomes the celebs you see on reality shows. And still they keep in touch.

This books was just a delight to read. The author catches the zingy British slang and clipped dialogue between close lovers/friends. My only hope is this does not get made into a movie as I don't want my wonderful mental images of Emma and Dex to become corrupted on screen (though Hugh Grant would probably fit Dexter's character to a T).
njmom3 avatar reviewed One Day on + 1378 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
One day tells the story of Emma and Dexter over a period of about 20 years. They meet as they are both graduating from college. Each subsequent chapter gives a snapshot of the same day in each subsequent year. It tells their "love" story. Unfortunately, neither Emma or Dexter are particularly likeable characters who elicit empathy. Each day described leaves an image of sadness and something missing. I kept reading hoping that happiness was around the corner - much as it seems the characters lived their lives. The lesson I walked away with was that life is what happens while you keep waiting for "the time when...".
chippygirl avatar reviewed One Day on + 31 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
One Day was an entertaining read. Some times I couldn't put it down because I was so interested in seeing what happened to the characters through the years.
I did not care for the ending.
omalleym avatar reviewed One Day on + 31 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
I was really excited to pick this book up as I had heard such great things about it (and several of my friends had recommended it) but I had such a hard time getting into it. As someone else mentioned I did not think the characters were particularly likable (especially Dexter). I skimmed through part just so I could get through the book faster and then the ending was terrible! I wonder how the movie will compare to the book.
thedesertcat avatar reviewed One Day on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I found my interest lagging after the third chapter or so and as so ended up not finishing the book a few chapters later.
Read All 27 Book Reviews of "One Day"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

reviewed One Day on + 1450 more book reviews
This is a love story and while I don't usually enjoy romance, some do seem to grab my attention. This one did because of the key players who were so well done that I felt as if they could have been at my own graduation. The characters, Dexter and Emma, met on the night of high school graduation after which they pursue their own dreams and move into new paths. But this novel isn't just about that meeting. It moves on to time afterward, their lives and their encounters.

The chemistry from that first meeting brings them together as we view them throughout twenty years of the book covers. During most of that period we view them separately getting brief snapshops of a certain day during which we see what is happening to each. It's such a creative approach yet the emotions are there compelling us to read along. Haven't many of us had similar experiences which extend throughout our lives in some way? While Dexter and Emma love each other, they create a friendship that keeps them in touch. What happens with the conclusion is for readers to discover and the author to wind up the story. You may very well find something that touches your life and your heart.
readingirl avatar reviewed One Day on + 7 more book reviews
Fantastic from beginning to end!
wantonvolunteer avatar reviewed One Day on + 84 more book reviews
Reading this was so like watching a movie, everything is so well described and the dialogue so complete and engaging. Sweet story about Dex and Em meeting at Uni, from different sides of the tracks (both British, both beautiful), parting ways and meeting up again and again throughout their 20s, 30s and 40s, being friends and supporting each other through triumphs and rock bottoms. I wish I'd read it before it was made into a movie, I hated picturing Anne Hathaway throughout the whole thing.


Genres: