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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
It was a very very good book, I only gave it 4 stars because the ending definitely felt a bit abrupt. I wanted a lot more explanation, but it was fantastic!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
"In the city of Ark, speech is constrained to five hundred sanctioned words. Speak outside the approved lexicon and face banishment. The exceptions are the Wordsmith and his apprentice Letta, the keepers and archivists of all language in their post-apocalyptic, neo-medieval world.
On the death of her master, Letta is suddenly promoted to Wordsmith, charged with collecting and saving words. But when she uncovers a sinister plan to suppress language and rob Ark’s citizens of their power of speech, she realizes that it’s up to her to save not only words, but culture itself. "
While I did enjoy this book, I wasn't wowed by it. I wanted to side with the protagonist, get enveloped into the plot, or root for an ending and I did not get any of that out of this story. While the plot was very unique and such an interesting premise, it wasn't executed particularly well. It was too simple, I feel that this could have been amazing if it was just fleshed out a bit more.
In terms of the characters, I wish I had more feelings towards them. I felt ambivalent towards the main characters. I liked them, but not enough to care about what was going on in their lives.
I did enjoy the world building and the concept but would have liked that extra detail.
3.5/5*
"In the city of Ark, speech is constrained to five hundred sanctioned words. Speak outside the approved lexicon and face banishment. The exceptions are the Wordsmith and his apprentice Letta, the keepers and archivists of all language in their post-apocalyptic, neo-medieval world.
On the death of her master, Letta is suddenly promoted to Wordsmith, charged with collecting and saving words. But when she uncovers a sinister plan to suppress language and rob Ark’s citizens of their power of speech, she realizes that it’s up to her to save not only words, but culture itself. "
While I did enjoy this book, I wasn't wowed by it. I wanted to side with the protagonist, get enveloped into the plot, or root for an ending and I did not get any of that out of this story. While the plot was very unique and such an interesting premise, it wasn't executed particularly well. It was too simple, I feel that this could have been amazing if it was just fleshed out a bit more.
In terms of the characters, I wish I had more feelings towards them. I felt ambivalent towards the main characters. I liked them, but not enough to care about what was going on in their lives.
I did enjoy the world building and the concept but would have liked that extra detail.
3.5/5*
The List helps fill a gap in dystopian novels appropriate for the lower end of the middle grades grouping. The book is well written, the characters are interesting, and the plot will intrigue young readers who have never read The Giver, 1984, or other well established dystopian novels.
The setting is focused on Ark; a community established to make sure that mankind survives after The Melting. Global warming is the cause of planet Earth's population annihilation. Inside of Ark, every person has a job to perform and apprentices are taken on by those in charge to make sure there is always someone able to take over the task at hand.
The story revolves around Letta, the wordsmith’s apprentice. She must help her master, Benjamin, to write, record, keep, and deliver the words of List, the language of Ark. List is being limited to 500 words, but the wordsmith is also charged with recording and delivering job specific words for apprentices to learn. Benjamin is much more than just Letta’s master and teacher. He is the closest thing to a parent that she has and they have a unique bond.
The world of Ark is incredibly interesting but due to List it is very difficult to get to know people very well or have deep conversations, which is the sole purpose of List – to limit conversation and idle chatter. Very few people read and there are no books. The leader of Ark, Noa, uses List and the dreaded enforcers, gavvers, to control the citizens of Ark. As the story progresses, we find out that Noa has banned art and music in all forms and he controls the water supply. In essence, he controls humanity and life.
Letta’s life starts to break away from normal after Benjamin leaves for over a week to go word hunting outside of Ark and a strange boy, Marlo, shows up at her shop with a bullet wound. When the gavvers come looking for the boy, Letta decides to hide him feeling that it is the right thing to do. This is a humanitarian act and a treacherous act in Ark. She finds herself questioning why she would betray Ark and Noa for this strange boy. The plot quickly builds from there with Ark and the world around it becoming fuller, more intriguing, and more dangerous for Letta. This is her awakening.
I appreciate that the author kept the content at a level that allows for eight and nine year-olds to read it and engage in it. There is a wealth of topics and questions to explore from this story: everything from Global Warming, global drinking water supplies, saline water treatment for drinking water, the purpose of language and art, types of government, does the name Noa refer to Noah and/or NOAA, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, does the name Letta refer to letter or Lethe, etc. I was hoping the official List words would be at the end of the novel. A potential class or library project is to come up with a list of essential words you would personally need/want if you could only use 500 words ever again.
**I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
The setting is focused on Ark; a community established to make sure that mankind survives after The Melting. Global warming is the cause of planet Earth's population annihilation. Inside of Ark, every person has a job to perform and apprentices are taken on by those in charge to make sure there is always someone able to take over the task at hand.
The story revolves around Letta, the wordsmith’s apprentice. She must help her master, Benjamin, to write, record, keep, and deliver the words of List, the language of Ark. List is being limited to 500 words, but the wordsmith is also charged with recording and delivering job specific words for apprentices to learn. Benjamin is much more than just Letta’s master and teacher. He is the closest thing to a parent that she has and they have a unique bond.
The world of Ark is incredibly interesting but due to List it is very difficult to get to know people very well or have deep conversations, which is the sole purpose of List – to limit conversation and idle chatter. Very few people read and there are no books. The leader of Ark, Noa, uses List and the dreaded enforcers, gavvers, to control the citizens of Ark. As the story progresses, we find out that Noa has banned art and music in all forms and he controls the water supply. In essence, he controls humanity and life.
Letta’s life starts to break away from normal after Benjamin leaves for over a week to go word hunting outside of Ark and a strange boy, Marlo, shows up at her shop with a bullet wound. When the gavvers come looking for the boy, Letta decides to hide him feeling that it is the right thing to do. This is a humanitarian act and a treacherous act in Ark. She finds herself questioning why she would betray Ark and Noa for this strange boy. The plot quickly builds from there with Ark and the world around it becoming fuller, more intriguing, and more dangerous for Letta. This is her awakening.
I appreciate that the author kept the content at a level that allows for eight and nine year-olds to read it and engage in it. There is a wealth of topics and questions to explore from this story: everything from Global Warming, global drinking water supplies, saline water treatment for drinking water, the purpose of language and art, types of government, does the name Noa refer to Noah and/or NOAA, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, does the name Letta refer to letter or Lethe, etc. I was hoping the official List words would be at the end of the novel. A potential class or library project is to come up with a list of essential words you would personally need/want if you could only use 500 words ever again.
**I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Being a Language Arts teacher, I found the idea of a limited word list an original idea. The concept has provoked some discussion. The story itself builds through Benjamin and Letta. I like the idea of the Creators. I hope the story continues as I was intrigued by the events. 94
Meh, read it for a book club. The concept of a List of just 500 words to be used to communicate and anyone thinking that might actually solve problems is so unrealistic to me.
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Lovely YA dystopian future eco terrorism novel- very fun! There were bits that didn’t make a ton of sense but I did enjoy
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
I first wanted to read this novel because the concept really caught my attention, living on only five hundred sanctioned words is just mad, but it makes for an interesting read. There were many times I moved along chapters with such ease, others where I needed to pause and pick it up another day. Even so, I was very pleased with The List. Noa, who is the leader of Ark, has twisted things in such a way that has left almost everyone fearing anything and everything. Of course, the law don’t really apply to him.
“The key glided through the mechanism with a tiny metallic click. The heavy door fell open, and Letta caught her breath as she always did when confronted with the master’s library. Here were the words he in isolation, the words forever removed from everyday use. Shelf after shelf, from floor to ceiling, the boxes were packed with words that would survive, even if they could never be used in Letta’s lifetime.”
Then there is Letta, the newly titled Wordsmith, finding herself in the middle of an uprising when she gets involved with Marlo whom she believes might be a Desecrator, against everything that the Ark stands for, but there is so much more going on that will bring her world crashing down. There are feels that resemble The Giver in this novel, worlds that almost void of all free will, with nothing that makes a person unique like art or music. Everything is set in its ways and anyone wanting to change that gets banished with no hope (not even in writing) of making it past one day outside of the Ark.
“Stop!’ Noa said ‘Enough. I don’t want to hear about your barbarity. Where is he now?’ ‘In the holding cell. If he hasn’t died yet.’ Letta heard Noa sigh. ‘Take him to the forest then and dispose of him.’ ‘Maybe it would be safer to kill him, master?’ ‘No!’ Noa said. ‘We do not kill. Nature will take care of those we need to eliminate. How long can an injured old man survive in the forest? We need not interfere.”
At times, I found The List to be a little more than a middle grade book, at other times it fit right in with the genre. Even though there were many similarities with other dystopian novels, it had enough uniqueness to make it worth the read. I enjoyed very much how the list of words came to be, what caused all of it, and the final chapters kept me very much interested and wanting to find out the outcome of Ark and everyone residing within its walls.
***I received this copy from Sourcebooks Jabberwocky via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
“The key glided through the mechanism with a tiny metallic click. The heavy door fell open, and Letta caught her breath as she always did when confronted with the master’s library. Here were the words he in isolation, the words forever removed from everyday use. Shelf after shelf, from floor to ceiling, the boxes were packed with words that would survive, even if they could never be used in Letta’s lifetime.”
Then there is Letta, the newly titled Wordsmith, finding herself in the middle of an uprising when she gets involved with Marlo whom she believes might be a Desecrator, against everything that the Ark stands for, but there is so much more going on that will bring her world crashing down. There are feels that resemble The Giver in this novel, worlds that almost void of all free will, with nothing that makes a person unique like art or music. Everything is set in its ways and anyone wanting to change that gets banished with no hope (not even in writing) of making it past one day outside of the Ark.
“Stop!’ Noa said ‘Enough. I don’t want to hear about your barbarity. Where is he now?’ ‘In the holding cell. If he hasn’t died yet.’ Letta heard Noa sigh. ‘Take him to the forest then and dispose of him.’ ‘Maybe it would be safer to kill him, master?’ ‘No!’ Noa said. ‘We do not kill. Nature will take care of those we need to eliminate. How long can an injured old man survive in the forest? We need not interfere.”
At times, I found The List to be a little more than a middle grade book, at other times it fit right in with the genre. Even though there were many similarities with other dystopian novels, it had enough uniqueness to make it worth the read. I enjoyed very much how the list of words came to be, what caused all of it, and the final chapters kept me very much interested and wanting to find out the outcome of Ark and everyone residing within its walls.
***I received this copy from Sourcebooks Jabberwocky via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
*3.5 stars - Marlo and Letta's dynamic was interesting
I had just finished reading a couple of "those" facebook posts from climate change deniers. I'd also just been watching as the newly elected administration in the U.S. began to delete pages from the whitehouse.gov website on climate change. And then there comes this book into my life. A book that shows a major climate catastrophe and a now post-apocalyptic world. The blame for this catastrophe was placed on words and the way that economists and climate change deniers used those words to trick the world into believing that there really was no threat and the human race could continue on with business as usual. The only survivors in this land are a meager few who could identify where this ignorance would lead and set about building a new kind of ARK, one that would save humanity from the certain destruction to come. But they had to do something to ensure that this sort of coercion did not happen again, that the human race was protected from itself. Hence, THE LIST. The list is a list of acceptable words which make up the entirety of acceptable speech and written language in the ARK. Letta is the Wordsmith's apprentice. Together they manage the list words and ensure that they are transcribed and delivered to each class at the beginning of school each year. The list is there to protect them, but there are some that disagree that words are their enemy.
This book has a mood and cadence much like The Giver by Lois Lowry, which has always been a favourite of mine. Letta as a narrator has a fantastic voice and her bravery despite the possible dire consequences of some of her actions and decisions is easy to champion. The world built, the ARK, is well described and feels to be an organic part of the overall narrative. The characters are compelling and it is easy to get a sense of the community and how it runs day-to-day.
Overall, I feel like The List is one of those books that is both easy to enjoy as a good story and has a deeper meaning that can be pondered and explored.
https://thepickleparadox.wordpress.com/2017/02/07/the-list-by-patricia-forde-arc/
This book has a mood and cadence much like The Giver by Lois Lowry, which has always been a favourite of mine. Letta as a narrator has a fantastic voice and her bravery despite the possible dire consequences of some of her actions and decisions is easy to champion. The world built, the ARK, is well described and feels to be an organic part of the overall narrative. The characters are compelling and it is easy to get a sense of the community and how it runs day-to-day.
Overall, I feel like The List is one of those books that is both easy to enjoy as a good story and has a deeper meaning that can be pondered and explored.
https://thepickleparadox.wordpress.com/2017/02/07/the-list-by-patricia-forde-arc/