Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - The Death of Grass

I genuinely think this has to be one of my favourite books that I have ever read. It does, however, fall a bit short from a 5 star read for a few reasons.

I thought the plot was very entertaining, and not quite what I expected it to be, especially in terms of the vast amount of violence and death that is involved in it. The main reasons I had it lose .25 were, firstly, it was quite misogynistic- which is quite characteristic of the time, I know, and that isn't the entire problem.... there was a LOT of dialogue from the women in the book; especially Olivia and Ann, however frequently they were ignored. Nothing would occur unless the men agreed amongst themselves, even if the women persisted... not until the men wanted it. Furthermore, I think the final chapter did fall a bit short, and was a little bit... predictable, I feel.

I had literally said to my partner that I expected David would die before the end of the book, although I expected him to die prior to their arrival, as opposed to because of their arrival. I also anticipated there would be some upheaval at David's due to the amount of people that were en route... and that was back when there were only the 10 (John, Ann, Mary, Davey, Millicent, Pirrie, Roger, Olivia, Spooks and Steven), not the eventual 30+!!! I just thought it was awful expectant that David would have enough supplies, first of all, for this many people, and second of all... that he would be willing to welcome in people he didn't know!!

Nevertheless, I did enjoy it majorly. I think the length is perfect for what the book is, really, although I would have liked if we knew more about the atom/hydrogen bombs, although I suppose maybe that was implied. Anyway, it did at times feel more like a war novel than a post-pandemic novel, but I was on the edge of my seat either way!!!

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megyeager's review

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adventurous challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This book was definitely a product of it's time concerning the treatment of women but was also prescient when considering the focus on a crop virus. I am not generally a fan of darker books, I prefer hopeful endings and this ending left me feeling a bit sad about the turns that humanity might take in the future. That being said, the author did a great job with the character development of John as he took on a leadership position in his group. Overall, I give this book 3.5/5 stars.

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mskipsey's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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thebankofbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I kind of hated the abruptness of the ending but the rest of the book was a surprisingly enjoyable read. It was incredibly dark and not for the faint hearted, but it was a good eco-catastrophic / apocalyptic novel.

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kingabista's review against another edition

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tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

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skittledog's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

A similar apocalyptic vibe to other 1950s UK books I've read (e.g. John Wyndham), but with a more realistic/hard-science apocalypse that is due to a grass plague emerging in, er, China. Plays with similar themes of personal responsibility vs global morality, and the loss of humanity which may or may not be acceptable for survival. Some of the underpinning themes are a bit less well thought through, though - the author wants to make points about xenophobia and sexism, I feel, but didn't quite actually get round to making them because his own viewpoint was clearly still a little mired in them itself. But an interesting read, and a very small personal version of what surviving the first few days/weeks of societal collapse might actually look like.

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