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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I have heard nothing but good things about this book, besides one student in the current class. I am basing this choice off of friends recommendations. This also fulfills the prize requirement for one of the books.
This book was very dark, and I really liked it. It follows Ed, a taxi cab driver who lives with his dog... Doorman. He works as a Taxi driver, and hangs out frequently and play cards with his three best friends - Audrey, Ritchie, and Marv. One day, Ed receives an Ace from a deck of cards with a message. This is the first of four. Ed must follow these instructions on the cards because he does not know what will happen if he doesn't.
I enjoyed the characters in this book. Each one had a personality that was fun to read about, even Doorman the dog (a dog that drinks coffee!). Ed gets through to us the struggles he has with his mother, Audrey, and these mystery cards that keep coming in and influencing his daily routine. I felt for him, and it kept me reading.
It has an interesting effect on our emotions. It's dark, sad, lonely, and joyous at the same time. Plus, it gives us raw scenes to look at back at his mother's home that make us cringe. And this is what makes the book so good in my opinion. It makes us cringe but keeps us reading; it shows us a torture a person can go through, but hits home also.
I think that I would recommend this to a student, but there is plenty of adult themes within it. Sexual content (even mentions of rape) is the content I would worry about for some students. I think it is valuable nonetheless, so I would either warn the student first or recommend it with knowledge of the student's maturity level.
This book was very dark, and I really liked it. It follows Ed, a taxi cab driver who lives with his dog... Doorman. He works as a Taxi driver, and hangs out frequently and play cards with his three best friends - Audrey, Ritchie, and Marv. One day, Ed receives an Ace from a deck of cards with a message. This is the first of four. Ed must follow these instructions on the cards because he does not know what will happen if he doesn't.
I enjoyed the characters in this book. Each one had a personality that was fun to read about, even Doorman the dog (a dog that drinks coffee!). Ed gets through to us the struggles he has with his mother, Audrey, and these mystery cards that keep coming in and influencing his daily routine. I felt for him, and it kept me reading.
It has an interesting effect on our emotions. It's dark, sad, lonely, and joyous at the same time. Plus, it gives us raw scenes to look at back at his mother's home that make us cringe. And this is what makes the book so good in my opinion. It makes us cringe but keeps us reading; it shows us a torture a person can go through, but hits home also.
I think that I would recommend this to a student, but there is plenty of adult themes within it. Sexual content (even mentions of rape) is the content I would worry about for some students. I think it is valuable nonetheless, so I would either warn the student first or recommend it with knowledge of the student's maturity level.
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence
Minor: Death
I gave "I Am The Messenger" three stars, simply because it was nothing out of the ordinary, just sort of an average suspenseful book. Ed's character just didn't work for me... I hated how he just pathetically drooled over Audrey for most of the book while she was clearly wanting to give him the friend zone. If someone treated me like Audrey treats Ed, our friendship would not have lasted long. The ending also confused me extremely. I loved Zusak's "The Book Thief", but this one was just okay
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reading this book, I expected to give it four stars, my rating for books I really enjoyed and would recommend to other people. However, throughout it, Zusak's treatment of one of the main female characters- the only one of Ed's close friends to be a woman- put me on edge. There is a part in the book where Ed, thinking about all that he's going through, thinks, and this is slightly paraphrased at most, "I've been working so hard. Don't I deserve her?" No, Ed, you don't. You don't deserve to be in a relationship with another person regardless of what they want just because you're having a hard time.
Except for that, Ed was a likable narrator, and I enjoyed the events of the novel. I also loved his dog, the Doorman. However, what really shot it down was the ending, not as much because of the reasons other people hated it (although I'm not very fond of it), but because of reasons mentioned above. It just gave me a bad taste in my mouth.
One last thing: Zusak's writing itself is, as always, a delight to read.
Except for that, Ed was a likable narrator, and I enjoyed the events of the novel. I also loved his dog, the Doorman. However, what really shot it down was the ending, not as much because of the reasons other people hated it (although I'm not very fond of it), but because of reasons mentioned above. It just gave me a bad taste in my mouth.
One last thing: Zusak's writing itself is, as always, a delight to read.
I chose this because ‘The Book Thief’ one of my absolute favourites. Zusak’s use of metaphors and similes in his writing is beautiful and his character development pulled me further into the story. Ed’s turmoil and confusion is palpable and the message is clear. “Maybe everyone can live beyond what they’re capable of”.
And the Doorman made me smile.
And the Doorman made me smile.
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
LOVED the writing style. the characters felt SO real to me. i loved how tongue-in-cheek the dialogue was throughout the book, too. the ways that ed navigates these relationships were so unorthodox but hilarious. the fight scene with the two brothers, jesus christ lol. the author seriously knows how to write about dark topics in a light-hearted way. im so glad i read this one and the book thief. i really liked how unique this story was. the most random book ive read in a long time.
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nonsensical plot, amateur dialogue….very average compared to his earlier work
