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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
As a previous reviewer said, five stars for intent/idea, three stars for how it was deployed.
The twist on the Riders of the Apocalypse had me intrigued, so I picked up the sample.
The writing was simple, but honest, and had good pacing, a strong voice, so I purchased the full book on my Nook. The characters were well fleshed out, the lore and ideas behind the Riders, and the interactions between them were fresh and I enjoyed them immensely.
The story itself was mixed for me. I understood the intent of the book- to shed light on Eating Disorders and the problems it places on relationships, daily life, mental health, but the problem with it was, it wasn't raw enough.
As crude as it sounds, it sugar coated something like Anorexia Nervosa. To keep the public from being in an uproar? To be politically correct? To keep from triggering those with EDs? I don't know, but I honestly felt it should have been a bit more real, more raw.
I've known people with AN, and it wasn't as easy for them to move forward, to get help. A friend of mine suffered in silence for two years before admitted she needed help, and that was only when she collapsed during rehearsal. It seemed to me that the main character found it easy to move forward, get assistance, repair the broken bridges, accept that she needed help. It isn't always that easy for those who suffer from ED's.
That aside, I liked the book for its intent and overlying arc of the series.
The twist on the Riders of the Apocalypse had me intrigued, so I picked up the sample.
The writing was simple, but honest, and had good pacing, a strong voice, so I purchased the full book on my Nook. The characters were well fleshed out, the lore and ideas behind the Riders, and the interactions between them were fresh and I enjoyed them immensely.
The story itself was mixed for me. I understood the intent of the book- to shed light on Eating Disorders and the problems it places on relationships, daily life, mental health, but the problem with it was, it wasn't raw enough.
As crude as it sounds, it sugar coated something like Anorexia Nervosa. To keep the public from being in an uproar? To be politically correct? To keep from triggering those with EDs? I don't know, but I honestly felt it should have been a bit more real, more raw.
I've known people with AN, and it wasn't as easy for them to move forward, to get help. A friend of mine suffered in silence for two years before admitted she needed help, and that was only when she collapsed during rehearsal. It seemed to me that the main character found it easy to move forward, get assistance, repair the broken bridges, accept that she needed help. It isn't always that easy for those who suffer from ED's.
That aside, I liked the book for its intent and overlying arc of the series.
Jackie Morse Kessler weaves a dramatic YA read about a real subject that in today's world where appearances are everything is killing many people, coated with a bit of fantasy and just enough humour she writes about the 4 Horsemen of Apocalypse and what would happen if an anorexic girl was chosen as Famine, the Dark Rider.
Hunger is an enthralling read that talks about the struggle of a girl with her body, after been caught in a catch-22 situation by Death she finds herself engrossed by her job as Famine where she must look at hunger everyday.
Hunger shows the importance of friendship and how bad relations can trap you and that sometimes appearance are not everything.
Though a bit short in pages the book is large in history and everyone can relate to the character's pain to be thin and with her discomfort with her own body. Fast-passed and captivating Hunger is sure to make you spent a nice time and then ponder over the concept of beauty today.
Altogether, Hunger is definitely recommendable and can't wait to read more of her books.
www.international-reviewer.blogspot.com
Hunger is an enthralling read that talks about the struggle of a girl with her body, after been caught in a catch-22 situation by Death she finds herself engrossed by her job as Famine where she must look at hunger everyday.
Hunger shows the importance of friendship and how bad relations can trap you and that sometimes appearance are not everything.
Though a bit short in pages the book is large in history and everyone can relate to the character's pain to be thin and with her discomfort with her own body. Fast-passed and captivating Hunger is sure to make you spent a nice time and then ponder over the concept of beauty today.
Altogether, Hunger is definitely recommendable and can't wait to read more of her books.
www.international-reviewer.blogspot.com
This book was kind of weird, but I thought it did a good job of discussing important teen topics of anorexia and bulimia. It didn't make those diseases glamorous in any way or show them as an easy thing to conquer, which is important. So, weird way to showcase the material, but overall I liked it.
This book isn’t the most amazing thing I’ve ever read but it was an easy enough read. Sometimes the writing was good and other times I was annoyed by the amount of “Do you now?”’s being said. The concept is cool with Death looking like Kurt Cobain and all but it simply isn’t brilliant. Probably will not read again.
Great premise-- an anorexic high school girl is visited by Death and told she's one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse: Famine. The writing has an almost magical-realism feel to it. My only complaint is that the book could have been fleshed out further; Lisabeth's revelations about her powers and her own life came too quickly and it felt somewhat forced. Given how short this book is I felt like it could have been a little longer to fill out her "lightbulb moment" and it would have been more satisfying. Overall, though, it was worth my time.
As books on eating disorders go, full marks -- fully realized characters, no easy answers, and a cool twist on the horsemen of the apocalypse.
While I enjoyed this book, I didn't feel like there was any overarching conflict to keep me reading until the end. It felt like an adventure story without a final quest that kept the entire book moving. I did like the book overall, but I can't give it a higher rating because I was never sure where the action was going.
I’ve had this book on my TBR for a long time, but some part of my brain pigeon-holed it as “another anorexia book,” so it took me a while to get down to reading it. Fortunately, it was well-written, focused and interesting, with a mythological twist that kept me reading. It’s definitely worth the read!
I like that this book is so short. There are many, many 400-page YA books that I just want to slice down to half the page-count because the protagonists spend so much time wandering around, wondering what to do and wondering who they are. Hunger gets right down to the story, who the characters are, and what they want and need.
Lisa, an anorexic who is about to commit suicide, is chosen as the new Famine, who is one the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Death is the one who gives her the job, and he seems to be the leader of the four. War and Pestilence come into the story, too, in their own ways. I really enjoyed how the Four Horsemen were modernized, so to speak, and it was really interesting how Lisa’s struggle with anorexia feeds into her role as Famine, and how her role of Famine influences the rest of her life choices. Death, War, and Pestilence were all really interesting characters in their own right, although we don’t get to completely know any of them; this is one of the drawbacks of the shortness of the book. However, there are three sequels for the three Horsemen aside from Famine. Death was the most intriguing and fleshed out (so to speak).
Lisa’s adventures as Famine, both in faraway countries and close to home were very interesting, but every time she got on her horse (Midnight, who is much nicer than you might expect from a Horseman’s steed), the tone of the book became almost surreal and very dream-like. I liked that. It made you question a little just how much of it was really happening, but it doesn’t really matter because it all reflects what is happening in her real life so well.
There is also a small cast of human characters in Lisa’s “real” life. Her boyfriend James and her ex-BFF Suzanne have realized Lisa has a problem and are trying to help her. Her new best friend, Tammy, is bulimic, and Lisa looks up to her but comes to realize that Tammy isn’t as confident or self-controlled as Lisa had though. Lisa’s parents are polar opposites but were a really great part of the cast. Her mom and dad are both flawed, realistic characters but still her parents.
There are a lot of detailed descriptions of anorexic or bulimic habits, which were really unpleasant to read but really helped me to understand the lengths people with those illnesses will go to feel some sort of control over themselves. Obviously, it’s really sad, and Hunger, through Lisa and Tammy, helps you understand and sympathize with those characters.
(my review also posted on my blog, bahnree.wordpress.com)
I like that this book is so short. There are many, many 400-page YA books that I just want to slice down to half the page-count because the protagonists spend so much time wandering around, wondering what to do and wondering who they are. Hunger gets right down to the story, who the characters are, and what they want and need.
Lisa, an anorexic who is about to commit suicide, is chosen as the new Famine, who is one the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Death is the one who gives her the job, and he seems to be the leader of the four. War and Pestilence come into the story, too, in their own ways. I really enjoyed how the Four Horsemen were modernized, so to speak, and it was really interesting how Lisa’s struggle with anorexia feeds into her role as Famine, and how her role of Famine influences the rest of her life choices. Death, War, and Pestilence were all really interesting characters in their own right, although we don’t get to completely know any of them; this is one of the drawbacks of the shortness of the book. However, there are three sequels for the three Horsemen aside from Famine. Death was the most intriguing and fleshed out (so to speak).
Lisa’s adventures as Famine, both in faraway countries and close to home were very interesting, but every time she got on her horse (Midnight, who is much nicer than you might expect from a Horseman’s steed), the tone of the book became almost surreal and very dream-like. I liked that. It made you question a little just how much of it was really happening, but it doesn’t really matter because it all reflects what is happening in her real life so well.
There is also a small cast of human characters in Lisa’s “real” life. Her boyfriend James and her ex-BFF Suzanne have realized Lisa has a problem and are trying to help her. Her new best friend, Tammy, is bulimic, and Lisa looks up to her but comes to realize that Tammy isn’t as confident or self-controlled as Lisa had though. Lisa’s parents are polar opposites but were a really great part of the cast. Her mom and dad are both flawed, realistic characters but still her parents.
There are a lot of detailed descriptions of anorexic or bulimic habits, which were really unpleasant to read but really helped me to understand the lengths people with those illnesses will go to feel some sort of control over themselves. Obviously, it’s really sad, and Hunger, through Lisa and Tammy, helps you understand and sympathize with those characters.
(my review also posted on my blog, bahnree.wordpress.com)
The more I think about it, the more I like this book. At first, I was thinking "really? a book about an anorexic teen who becomes one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Is this just going to be some lame morality play? Or just not make any sense at all?" But the premise was far to intriguing to pass up and I flew through this book. Relief flowed through me as I found the book to be not only a gut-wrenching depiction of eating disorders, but a sophisticated juxtaposition of the symbolic and the ironic. Kessler even has a sense of humor (i.e. Death likes to appear as Kurt Cobain).
Lisa has been hiding her anorexia fairly well up until recently, but as her body and mental state decline, she takes a bunch of Lexapro and then finds herself accidentally accepting the mantle of Famine, as in THE Famine of the Apocalypse. She obviously has some issues with this assignation, as well as her family and friend's attempts at getting through to her. Turns out, being Famine might actually be good for her and others. But War's none too happy about this. This would make a great discussion book as it deals with both a very personal (and distinctly American) problem and with global issues of hunger and its fallout.
Lisa has been hiding her anorexia fairly well up until recently, but as her body and mental state decline, she takes a bunch of Lexapro and then finds herself accidentally accepting the mantle of Famine, as in THE Famine of the Apocalypse. She obviously has some issues with this assignation, as well as her family and friend's attempts at getting through to her. Turns out, being Famine might actually be good for her and others. But War's none too happy about this. This would make a great discussion book as it deals with both a very personal (and distinctly American) problem and with global issues of hunger and its fallout.