Reviews with content warning for Deportation - Ella Minnow Pea: A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable

Reviews tagging 'Deportation'

Ella Minnow Pea: A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable by Mark Dunn

18 reviews

moondragon8's review against another edition

funny tense fast-paced

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

3.75

i liked it! i will say you can kind of tell this is a novel written because someone thought "wow, wouldn't it be cool if..." and then just kind of went from there without giving too much thought to the meat of the story. (the thing that really kept nagging at me was that supposedly the island had declared itself an independent nation from the us, but like...come on. anyone can declare that, it doesn't mean the us will actually agree. and how much technology did they have, anyway? and how big was this island???)
the story was also darker than i expected, in a sort of weird way where you...didn't really feel the emotional resonance of those moments, but were just like "damn, that's fucked up. we're just moving on from that? okay". i guess some of this could be attributed to the epistolary format, but...i dunno.
still, a fun kind of experiment, and a truly unique form of the dystopian novel. i'm glad i picked it up!

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michaelion's review against another edition

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challenging funny informative inspiring tense medium-paced

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

5.0

What an amazing and PERFECT book!!! I was imagining the book being taught in English classes and how this would've made me so excited to read. I was so excited to read it at 24 years old, I read it without the audiobook! What a cool challenge to have kids try to write without certain letters! The history of the island is also interesting too, which meant for students learning bigger, more archaic words! I knew I was gonna give it 5 stars before I was 25 pages in.

It's also a good representation of so many things kids will encounter as they get older. Idol worship / fanaticism / religious cults, fascism and political activism against it. What a perfect book! What a perfect book!!!

Unrelated to the book, whenever I get a new pen I always tested it by writing "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog." I find out IMMEDIATELY I've been writing the sentence wrong FOR YEARS!!!!! I know there was a time when I wrote it right! What happened!!!

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katiecoconut21's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

Ella Minnow Pea is a delightful story told through letters exchanged by liberal arts enthusiasts on an island off the California coast, Nollop. Only these letters become harder to write when their government forcibly removes access to more and more alphabetical letters (I recommend reading out loud when you get to the end; you'll know when).

This story is a young adult, dystopian novel. Amidst the familial ties, striking dystopian characteristics sneak through, making the story all the more interesting in the midst of what may appear to be a simple story.

I truly loved Ella Minnow Pea, and I highly believe it will be considered one of the classics. Give it a read if you haven't; you won't regret it.

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laguerrelewis's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted reflective fast-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

4.5

I have heard nothing but praise for this book, and I’m happy to say it certainly met my expectations!! In equal measure heartwarming & funny as it is horrifyingly relevant, this is a quick read that paints an unfortunately believable picture of censorship and the slippery slope to totalitarianism. Reminds us of how important language, community, and our freedoms truly are.

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pastlifetragedy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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blipbloopsie's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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ninasloft's review against another edition

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challenging funny reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Definitely a must-read for logophiles & those with an unquenchable passion for words & the English language. I don't consider myself largely able to read or speak in complex terms, however I really enjoyed the word play & the enthusiacally eccentric way they speak in the book. If you've ever seen the episodes containing Paige Sinclair from Bojack Horseman, that is how I imagine the characters in this book to speak & I personally adore it. Definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but a wonderful book with a unique, interesting idea. My only wish is that it were a little longer so that we as the reader were able to connect more deeply to the characters. A strong recommendation nonetheless, especially for those who are fond of the writing style such as myself, I foun it to be a fun & quick read. Although it glosses over some intense subject matter, which might be off-putting to some.

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