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kitty_kat21's review against another edition
2.0
Don't feel like reviewing this one. Left with a feeling of 'meh'.
ventenne's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Book of all time (or at least one of them). Plus it makes me cry, thus the five stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Child abuse, Murder, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual violence, and Vomit
cathiestrover's review against another edition
5.0
What a privilege to read the final work by Mal Peet, beautifully finished by his friend Meg Rosoff.
This isn't an easy story; there's hardship, abuse and violence, but ultimately also survival and potential peace in a rough and alien landscape.
I've no idea how much of this belongs to Mal or Meg, and it doesn't really matter. His was a unique voice of dark humour and beautiful prose and I'm happy that some more was shared with us.
This isn't an easy story; there's hardship, abuse and violence, but ultimately also survival and potential peace in a rough and alien landscape.
I've no idea how much of this belongs to Mal or Meg, and it doesn't really matter. His was a unique voice of dark humour and beautiful prose and I'm happy that some more was shared with us.
ohnoflora's review against another edition
2.0
As far as suitability goes, I would be happy giving this to S3 (14/15 years old) and up - with a content warning. We teach The Color Purple to that age group and while parts of Beck are distressing, I don't think it is unsuitable with appropriate guidance.
Whether or not that age group would be interested in reading Beck is another thing - frankly, I don't think they would. The style is sparse, we get very little characterisation and vast chunks of time (whole years) are elided. I found it very hard to empathise with Beck and I wasn't very interested in what happened to him.
I find myself baffled by this book. Who, exactly is it for? Younger readers will be bored by the style and alienated by Beck's sexual relationship with an older woman. Older readers will be frustrated by the lack of character development and unsatisfyingly neat ending.
Frustrating: I'm looking forward to tackling the other books on the Carnegie shortlist instead.
Whether or not that age group would be interested in reading Beck is another thing - frankly, I don't think they would. The style is sparse, we get very little characterisation and vast chunks of time (whole years) are elided. I found it very hard to empathise with Beck and I wasn't very interested in what happened to him.
I find myself baffled by this book. Who, exactly is it for? Younger readers will be bored by the style and alienated by Beck's sexual relationship with an older woman. Older readers will be frustrated by the lack of character development and unsatisfyingly neat ending.
Frustrating: I'm looking forward to tackling the other books on the Carnegie shortlist instead.
themaxdog's review against another edition
3.0
Full review now up on the blog: http://www.thewritinggreyhound.co.uk/2018/02/book-review-beck-mal-peet.html
Beck is a sweeping story of grand proportions, following the life of a young orphan boy (the eponymous Beck) as he journeys from England, over the sea, and across the length and breadth of North America. With a story such as this, Beck is nothing short of an epic - a modern-day version of the typical types of grandiose tales that become timeless, read again and again over the years.
As always, Mal Peet doesn't shy away from discussing such difficult, contentious and painful topics - history and real life are shown in all their glory, good and bad, and this is one of the reasons why I admire him so much as an author. With this tale of a lost orphan boy heading through life, discovering the world and eventually finding his place and becoming a man, it's clear that this is the perfect final tale for such a talented, renowned author.
Beck is a sweeping story of grand proportions, following the life of a young orphan boy (the eponymous Beck) as he journeys from England, over the sea, and across the length and breadth of North America. With a story such as this, Beck is nothing short of an epic - a modern-day version of the typical types of grandiose tales that become timeless, read again and again over the years.
As always, Mal Peet doesn't shy away from discussing such difficult, contentious and painful topics - history and real life are shown in all their glory, good and bad, and this is one of the reasons why I admire him so much as an author. With this tale of a lost orphan boy heading through life, discovering the world and eventually finding his place and becoming a man, it's clear that this is the perfect final tale for such a talented, renowned author.
kba76's review against another edition
5.0
Going into this I really wasn't sure what to expect. Early reviews on the Carnegie Shadowing site seem to be focusing on the inappropriateness of this novel for teen readers, and the concerns over the graphic nature of the abuse experienced by the main character. Looking beyond these comments I learned that Peet had been inspired to write this after reading something about the historical abuse of children sent to Canada and Australia. Of course it's not going to be all sweetness and light!
With something of a heavy heart I set myself to read this. Oh, how I was doing this book a disservice.
The opening part gives us, very tersely, the background to Beck and immediately makes it clear that this is a boy who was not going to get a good deal in life. I read with a sense of detachment of his early years in the orphanage in Liverpool. Beck gives little comment on this, and the decision to not write this in first-person means we don't have to go too deep into the emotions/thoughts of the character though it's all too clear how he's feeling. I was disgusted by the way in which these boys were packed off to Canada and the lack of care and compassion shown to them.
As part one focuses on the historical element of Beck's story we cannot shy away from the time he spends with the Brothers. From early on there are hints of bad things happening, and the little details suggesting the abuse experienced by many of the boys indicates the scale of this horror. A number of reviews express concern at the graphic nature of the bath scene where Brother Robert attempts to seduce Beck. I confess to reading this feeling very uncomfortable, and my relief when Beck fought back was chillingly quashed moments later when we were categorically told the results of him not complying with events. An event that will linger long in the memory but, however uncomfortable it made me, it is fact and a truth that deserves to be told.
Watching Beck as he journeys through life was bleak. He is not treated well, and on the rare occasions he is shown love and compassion events conspire to make him feel that he cannot trust anyone. It was a sobering thought that the criminals he encounters are actually the people who treat him most kindly.
When Beck is finally discovered by Grace they appear to have little in common. Over time, they establish a close bond and this attempt to provide Beck with some redemption was welcomed by me. I certainly didn't read this section feeling that their intimacy was unwelcome. If anything, the fact that someone who had experienced such pain and misery could still find it within themself to love was inspiring.
Peet - and Rosoff who completed the novel after his death - are favourites to win this year's award. By the comments on the Shadowing site there'll be lots of students denied the chance to read this and form their own opinion of it. That is a shame. It's a tough read, without a doubt, but there's a lot to admire in this.
With something of a heavy heart I set myself to read this. Oh, how I was doing this book a disservice.
The opening part gives us, very tersely, the background to Beck and immediately makes it clear that this is a boy who was not going to get a good deal in life. I read with a sense of detachment of his early years in the orphanage in Liverpool. Beck gives little comment on this, and the decision to not write this in first-person means we don't have to go too deep into the emotions/thoughts of the character though it's all too clear how he's feeling. I was disgusted by the way in which these boys were packed off to Canada and the lack of care and compassion shown to them.
As part one focuses on the historical element of Beck's story we cannot shy away from the time he spends with the Brothers. From early on there are hints of bad things happening, and the little details suggesting the abuse experienced by many of the boys indicates the scale of this horror. A number of reviews express concern at the graphic nature of the bath scene where Brother Robert attempts to seduce Beck. I confess to reading this feeling very uncomfortable, and my relief when Beck fought back was chillingly quashed moments later when we were categorically told the results of him not complying with events. An event that will linger long in the memory but, however uncomfortable it made me, it is fact and a truth that deserves to be told.
Watching Beck as he journeys through life was bleak. He is not treated well, and on the rare occasions he is shown love and compassion events conspire to make him feel that he cannot trust anyone. It was a sobering thought that the criminals he encounters are actually the people who treat him most kindly.
When Beck is finally discovered by Grace they appear to have little in common. Over time, they establish a close bond and this attempt to provide Beck with some redemption was welcomed by me. I certainly didn't read this section feeling that their intimacy was unwelcome. If anything, the fact that someone who had experienced such pain and misery could still find it within themself to love was inspiring.
Peet - and Rosoff who completed the novel after his death - are favourites to win this year's award. By the comments on the Shadowing site there'll be lots of students denied the chance to read this and form their own opinion of it. That is a shame. It's a tough read, without a doubt, but there's a lot to admire in this.
nobodyatall's review against another edition
4.0
I love books about overcoming the influence of Catholics. It's also a very enjoyable and heartwarming read.
egrime's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
gobbledybooks's review against another edition
5.0
The characters were so beautifully fleshed out that I felt their joy and pain throughout. Amazing.
catherine_yikes_'s review against another edition
2.0
This book was written beautifully with some pretty good characterisation (I personally don't mind a quite MC), but I think this sort of story would have benefited from stronger ongoing themes and an all round more satisfactory ending. Sure, Beck get's the girl, but this isn't a romance so that doesn't feel enough. It doesn't feel like all the little events of his life we get to see are building to something, making each life he leads feel disjointed.
It was, as others have mentioned, just not a children's book. It was unnecessarily graphic and would disturb and confuse most below 15, but was also just unrelatable for most young adults (the age gap romance).
I liked the beginning (it helped that I listened to this on audio and the actor had a brilliant scouse accent) but then things got...choppy?
It was, as others have mentioned, just not a children's book. It was unnecessarily graphic and would disturb and confuse most below 15, but was also just unrelatable for most young adults (the age gap romance).
I liked the beginning (it helped that I listened to this on audio and the actor had a brilliant scouse accent) but then things got...choppy?