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booksnorkel's review against another edition
This book was fast and sweet. But I felt rather sad the whole time I was reading it. This book is about a girl who dies. She has to help an old man fullfill his bucket list and is chased by a half boy half dog from hell. I liked this book a lot but just something about it made me a little sad throughout.
casey_zi's review against another edition
3.0
Eoin Colfer's style can be detected from a mile away.
Whatever it is that he writes, Colfer's work will always have the markings of someone who writes bluntly humorous, technological, and sarcastic sci-fi fantasies - in other words, Artemis Fowl. He can't seem to adapt to different genres or story types.
The problem is, his style only seems to be effective when he's writing Artemis. In a book that is supposed to examine morality, and life and death, it just feels ridiculous at times. The gateway to heaven has been monitored by a computer ever since an computer engineer made it up there. Really? Where exactly did Colfer get his mythology about heaven from?
Second point of doubt: entry to heaven or hell depends on the colour of your ghost after death. Red means you're completely evil, so you go to hell. Blue means heaven. Purple is in between, but if the purple becomes 1% more red than blue, than off to hell you go. Since when do heaven and hell have such carefully laid out, logical rules concerning everything? This is not a scientific documentary, and it is not a math problem. And this type of novel won't work if you view it that way.
When anyone in the cast, any character at all, says something, what comes out is always snarky and sarcastic. Everyone speaks in the same way. Everyone. There are two possible reasons for this: One, the author has been watching/living in bad sitcom(s) his whole life, and doesn't know real people speak; or he needs to brush up on his dialogue writing skills.
This book has an interesting premise, with a lot of creativity, but it would have worked better with a different author. I'm not sure if I would recommend it - I'm a bit split in the middle, like Meg; I enjoyed it, but only when I wasn't cringing.
Whatever it is that he writes, Colfer's work will always have the markings of someone who writes bluntly humorous, technological, and sarcastic sci-fi fantasies - in other words, Artemis Fowl. He can't seem to adapt to different genres or story types.
The problem is, his style only seems to be effective when he's writing Artemis. In a book that is supposed to examine morality, and life and death, it just feels ridiculous at times. The gateway to heaven has been monitored by a computer ever since an computer engineer made it up there. Really? Where exactly did Colfer get his mythology about heaven from?
Second point of doubt: entry to heaven or hell depends on the colour of your ghost after death. Red means you're completely evil, so you go to hell. Blue means heaven. Purple is in between, but if the purple becomes 1% more red than blue, than off to hell you go. Since when do heaven and hell have such carefully laid out, logical rules concerning everything? This is not a scientific documentary, and it is not a math problem. And this type of novel won't work if you view it that way.
When anyone in the cast, any character at all, says something, what comes out is always snarky and sarcastic. Everyone speaks in the same way. Everyone. There are two possible reasons for this: One, the author has been watching/living in bad sitcom(s) his whole life, and doesn't know real people speak; or he needs to brush up on his dialogue writing skills.
This book has an interesting premise, with a lot of creativity, but it would have worked better with a different author. I'm not sure if I would recommend it - I'm a bit split in the middle, like Meg; I enjoyed it, but only when I wasn't cringing.
hoosgracie's review against another edition
4.0
It took me awhile to warm up to this story, but ultimately I enjoyed the play of good and evil and the journey to come to terms with death.
bopip's review against another edition
3.0
This was a nice short book!
I didn't know what was about, but I enjoyed the ghosts, the saints and the demons and, of course, the old people :)
Those little stories were amazing, and I laughed out loud in sme parts!
I didn't know what was about, but I enjoyed the ghosts, the saints and the demons and, of course, the old people :)
Those little stories were amazing, and I laughed out loud in sme parts!
sglance9's review against another edition
Just wasn't interested in picking back up. I would have loved this book when I was younger (which is when I originally bought it) but it felt too predictable now
traeumelienchen's review against another edition
5.0
Als Teenie und Erwachsene lese ich dieses Buch immer wieder und immer wieder gern.
Der Schreibstil ist angenehm anspruchsvoll und die Geschichte beschreibt mit trockenem, leicht makabren Humor das Leben, wie es nach dem Tod für einige weitergehen könnte...
Der Schreibstil ist angenehm anspruchsvoll und die Geschichte beschreibt mit trockenem, leicht makabren Humor das Leben, wie es nach dem Tod für einige weitergehen könnte...
sandraagee's review against another edition
4.0
Very intriguing. I very much enjoyed this lighthearted exploration of what might happen to our souls after death - and who exactly is calling these shots. The ideas of a computer programmer in Hell helping Beelzebub and that Saint Peter might hate his job were both quite funny. The battle between good and evil was really good, and I appreciated how despite the fact that Beelzebub pulled all the stops to try to get Meg for Hell, the Heaven troup lead by Saint Peter did almost nothing but is still victorious. How's that for allegory?
I listened to this as an audiobook, and the narration was lovely and soothing.
I listened to this as an audiobook, and the narration was lovely and soothing.
redmare's review against another edition
4.0
Я читала цю книгу вперше у свої 10-12 років. Зараз я вдвічі старша. Не знаю чому, та одного дня мені маніакально запала в голову ідея повернутися до неї, хоча я пам'ятала тільки самий початок та ім'я головної героїні. Прийшлось перевернути Інтернет догори дригом, аби віднайти її.
Перечитала буквально за 2 коротенькі присісти. Ще так спустошено себе давно не почувала, проте.. немов всередині щось замкнулося. Наче якісь старі двері болючих спогадів нарешті зачинилися.
Не знаю, чи порадила б комусь цю книгу. Вона доволі (закреслено:невимовно) сумна, з простим і передбачуваним сюжетом, але змістовним підґрунтям, що бентежить людство ледь не увесь час свого існування.
Перечитала буквально за 2 коротенькі присісти. Ще так спустошено себе давно не почувала, проте.. немов всередині щось замкнулося. Наче якісь старі двері болючих спогадів нарешті зачинилися.
Не знаю, чи порадила б комусь цю книгу. Вона доволі (закреслено:невимовно) сумна, з простим і передбачуваним сюжетом, але змістовним підґрунтям, що бентежить людство ледь не увесь час свого існування.