Bruiser

By: Neal Shusterman

Narrated by: Nick Podehl, Kate Rudd, Luke Daniels, Laura Hamilton

Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

Tennyson: Don’t get me started on the Bruiser. He was voted “Most Likely to Get the Death Penalty” by the entire school. He’s the kid no one knows, no one talks to, and everyone hears disturbing rumors about. So why is my sister, Brontë, dating him? One of these days she’s going to take in the wrong stray dog, and it’s not going to end well.BronteMy brother has no right to talk about Brewster that way — no right to threaten him. There’s a reason why Brewster can’t have friends — why he can’t care about too many people. Because when he cares about you, things start to happen. Impossible things that can’t be explained. I know, because they’re happening to me.

Award-winning author Neal Shusterman has crafted a chilling and unforgettable novel about the power of unconditional friendship, the complex gear workings of a family, and the sacrifices we endure for the people we love.

©2010 Neil Shusterman (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic Reviews

“The English language needs another noun: ‘a shusterman.’ It means a book that is guaranteed to grip you from beginning to end and leave you thinking about the characters for years, just like bruiser will. Buckle up and prepare for a great ride!” (Laurie Halse Anderson, National Book Award Finalist for Speak and Chains)

"At once dark and darkly humorous, intense and intensely satisfying, bruiser may very well be Neal Shusterman’s best novel yet. Put this one at the top of your ‘must read’ list.” (Ellen Hopkins, New York Times best- selling author of Crank)

4.5 Stars! A deeply touching emotional story!

In a nutshell, this story centers around how much of yourself your willing to give to protect, shelter, and save those you love. Brewster "Bruiser", the main male protagonist, has a unique ability, or rather abilities, which I won't touch on so I don't ruin the story for potential readers. Keep in mind, nothing, nothing at all is at it seems. The paranormal element worked, it was different, a little strange at first, but once you understand what's happening, it all makes sense. At times it's painful to read about, and my heart hurt for Brewster...so, so much!

Brontë was lovely character, she was kind, compassionate and non-judgmental. She was also strong, determined and I adored her. She didn't let rumors and misconceptions sway her feelings, she saw past what everyone else thought they knew to be true, and was able to see the awesomeness that was a boy named Brewster! If there were only more people like her in this world.

Brontë and Brewster's siblings, Tennyson and Cody learn a valuable lesson, they were initially quite selfish, but both of them come around when they realize how much Brewster is giving of himself.

I had no idea how much this story would affect me, and I was praying for a good outcome...for everyone...well, almost everyone!

Sometimes when you give of yourself there are those willing to give back, even if it means they won't be the same, but it will make you whole again. A poignant message in this beautiful book, and I think about these characters and this story quite often. It definitely left its mark on me.

I was relieved and satisfied with the ending, but an epilogue would put my heart in a little better place. I'd love to get back into the lives of these characters someday.

About the audiobook...

Brilliantly narrated by a collective group of talented voices: Nick Podehl, Kate Rudd, Luke Daniels and Laura Hamilton! There is no doubt the author, Neal Shusterman, wrote a beautiful story, but the combined efforts of these individuals brought it to another level. I'm not always a fan of multiple narrators for one book, but this flowed incredibly well and each of them captured the essence of the characters they voiced!

31 people found this helpful

Very Intriguing

I have become quite a Neal Shusterman fan! This is the 5th book of his that I have read and although I am not the target young adult audience, I found it to be a thoughtful, thought provoking and very well written. The narrators all did great jobs bringing the story of 4 people together.

13 people found this helpful

A very pleasant surprise

What made the experience of listening to Bruiser the most enjoyable?

The readers were wonderful. I loved how they had different readers for different characters. The story was really very well written.... smart, emotional, uplifting. It was also a very intriguing commentary on how our experiences, even/especially the painful ones, are absolutely crucial to our growth as human beings. You start out feeling that Brewster's powers are fantastic but then quickly come to learn that all that glitters is definitely not gold. And the author did it in such a subtle, yet powerful, way.

What other book might you compare Bruiser to and why?

Powder. Basically about a young man who, through no fault of his own, was given these extraordinary powers and how the people around him learn to understand and cope with it.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Definitely Bruiser. You really felt for this kid. What a horrible, yet wonderful, burden to bear.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, not really, I had reactions but they weren't extreme. It made me laugh a little, I did not cry but really felt for the characters.

Any additional comments?

This was kind of a "tween" type story, but the writing was so smart that I didn't feel like I was in the world of the Dawson Creek kids or anything like that. I'd be interested to read more from this author.

14 people found this helpful

WOWZERS

I own hundreds of audible books. I live with chronic pain and it's how I get thru my days. I always fill in the stars but I think this is the first review I've actually written. (Except maybe for Jack Reacher)
I LOVED this book. I bawled like a baby. And it may be targeted for a YA audience. But some of my favorite books are YA novels. (Hunger Games, etc...)
I LOVED all the narrators. Usually switching around bugs me, but not in this book. It's worth a credit - if you find it on sale DON'T pass it up. SOOO good!

3 people found this helpful

Very interesting story!

Great story! I finished it in one sitting as I was so compelled and drawn in. Having multiple narrators was absolutely key in effectively relating this tale. I wasn't especially thrilled with the voice of the younger brother, Cody, but it wasn't distracting from the overall experience.

2 people found this helpful

Surprisingly a good story. Do not give up on it

Wow what a good story. I did not like it at first and was going to give up on it. I did not though and I am so glad. It is a good story.

2 people found this helpful

Wow

Finishing the most heartbreaking book- I hate things that make me cry, so this is obviously a surprise. Bruiser by Neal Shusterman. It is about an overly empathetic boy, and his empathy manifests physically. It is enlightening and beautiful and heart wrenching. Damnit. I need a serial killer novel asap.

14 people found this helpful

CURIOUSITY IS RARELY RATIONAL

I SWEAR PARENTS CAN BE SUCH CHILDREN
NS is a unique writer, with a writing style that keeps your attention and he dreams up some of the strangest situations. This is a young adult novel without doubt. I thought that was all it was until chapter 23. If you are listening and losing interest you might want to skip to 23. I would have liked the novel to have been more in the Fantasy realm, but is more about the children and life as a teen. I have not been a teen in a while, so I was a little bored with those parts, yet they were written very well.

I also had trouble with the premise that all parents have boyfriends and girlfriends on the side. This may happen, but I really don't think it is the norm, nor do I think that once a parent gets caught that the affair continues and the marriage continues at the same time. Without giving the plot away, I will mention that there is a part of the story that is similar to taking performance enhancing drugs. The emphasis is on the person taking the drugs, there is no talk about the harm done to the player who works hard, trains hard, does his best, but is cheated out of the prize by the cheater.

This is a four star story and a five star performance. The narrators improve the story.

HAPPILY EVERY AFTER IS ALWAYS A CURSE.

36 people found this helpful

This made up for every bad listen so far this year

What made the experience of listening to Bruiser the most enjoyable?

The fact four amazing narrators came together giving each charactersva unique voice in the characters different chapter made it fantastic. The Storyline Includes everything. This is "The help" in the horrible Columbine/9/11 era. Telling a story of angels and demons with in all of us. It is better than "The help" the narration is beyond almost any audiobook I have heard. It is next to Johnny Cash narration of The new testament..

What did you like best about this story?

The true images of good versus evil

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, Nick Podhel one of my favorites.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, but I am not going to spill my guts

Any additional comments?

You need this. This is art so hardcore your Audible life is about to change forever.

17 people found this helpful

Not my cup of tea

This was an okay story but very predictable, with more than its fair share of logical missteps and gaps in believability. In the end my low rating has more to do with an inability to find emotional resonance then the quality of writing or narrative performance.

3 people found this helpful

Good unpatronising YA reading

This was my second Shusterman having been completely bowled over by Challenger Deep. The writing is strong and the ideas interesting. I like the reading but didn't feel the narrators quite matched the characters, especially Brewster, but that's probably not going to be a problem for others.