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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
Hunger is a very unique debut for the YA market. Jackie Morse Kessler tackles the subject of anorexia head on and her approach was one unlike anything I have ever read. This series has some serious potential and I am excited to see where she takes it with the next book.
Lisabeth Lewis is anorexic. She won't admit it but she is. Food has become the defining factor in her life and it's becoming too much. When she attempts suicide Death comes to her but it's not quite what she expected. Instead of bringing her eternal slumber he brings her a set of scales and announces that she is Famine. Lisa thinks its a dream until the scales appear to her the next day and a black steed eats all her mothers flowers. Now Lisa's job is to bring hunger and destruction to all but she can't even handle her own hunger. Will she tackle her challenge or will life end up being too much for her?
I'm going to be frank. I didn't like Lisa until the very end of the book. She was weak and she couldn't see how much her family and friends cared for her. And she couldn't see how bad an influence Tammy was on her. It was hard to read everything she thought because she is not a character that you can agree with. The feeling that I had for her for most of the book was pity. I just felt sorry for her and I couldn't really get past that. I also couldn't really get into the other characters either. I wanted more of them. I felt that I didn't know them at all and so it was hard to decide whether I liked them or hated them. I did like James though. He truly cared for Lisa and he was so sweet.
The subject of anorexia was addressed very well in Hunger. I was surprised at how brutally honest Jackie Morse Kessler was in tackling this subject but I am so glad that she hit it head on. Everything about Lisa's anorexia was real. It didn't have to be forced and Jackie Morse Kessler showed her knowledge about the problem through that. At times I honestly wanted to cry for Lisa. Her story was so heartbreaking and it's terrible to know that there are so many people out there dealing with the same struggle every day of their lives. I feel more informed about the problem after reading Hunger.
Overall, Hunger is a great YA debut from Jackie Morse Kessler and I am excited to read the next book in the series. I know it's going to be hard to get into another book after this one.
Lisabeth Lewis is anorexic. She won't admit it but she is. Food has become the defining factor in her life and it's becoming too much. When she attempts suicide Death comes to her but it's not quite what she expected. Instead of bringing her eternal slumber he brings her a set of scales and announces that she is Famine. Lisa thinks its a dream until the scales appear to her the next day and a black steed eats all her mothers flowers. Now Lisa's job is to bring hunger and destruction to all but she can't even handle her own hunger. Will she tackle her challenge or will life end up being too much for her?
I'm going to be frank. I didn't like Lisa until the very end of the book. She was weak and she couldn't see how much her family and friends cared for her. And she couldn't see how bad an influence Tammy was on her. It was hard to read everything she thought because she is not a character that you can agree with. The feeling that I had for her for most of the book was pity. I just felt sorry for her and I couldn't really get past that. I also couldn't really get into the other characters either. I wanted more of them. I felt that I didn't know them at all and so it was hard to decide whether I liked them or hated them. I did like James though. He truly cared for Lisa and he was so sweet.
The subject of anorexia was addressed very well in Hunger. I was surprised at how brutally honest Jackie Morse Kessler was in tackling this subject but I am so glad that she hit it head on. Everything about Lisa's anorexia was real. It didn't have to be forced and Jackie Morse Kessler showed her knowledge about the problem through that. At times I honestly wanted to cry for Lisa. Her story was so heartbreaking and it's terrible to know that there are so many people out there dealing with the same struggle every day of their lives. I feel more informed about the problem after reading Hunger.
Overall, Hunger is a great YA debut from Jackie Morse Kessler and I am excited to read the next book in the series. I know it's going to be hard to get into another book after this one.
Two stars, by definition at goodreads, means "it was okay." I'm not convinced it was okay. It didn't quite deserve a single star. (Wish the goodreads rating system was 10 stars or allowed half stars.)
Another teen angst book with a great cover. And add to that a great premise. We've got an anorexic girl who becomes one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Famine, of course. Love it.
But, I didn't like it. There was a real disconnect because the author tried to make our heroine good and make her want to be good. But famine isn't good. So the author needed to come up with a way to make famine good. Not an easy task. And it all just kind of fell apart. It might have worked to have Famine embrace that she was a necessary evil. A part of what has to happen to order to lead us to something better. Still, quite a stretch. I would have preferred someone willing to wallow in the delicious, unapologetic, darkness of it. Come on, horrify me instead. Don't sell me pink (but starving) butterflies.
I gave it two stars, however, because I think a lot of the anorexia and body image content was not bad.
I mostly want to say, give this one a pass. That said, I like the premise enough that I might try #2. It was short and there are only four books coming. I keep hoping to be surprised and delighted. Feel free to mock me about my trash reading.
Another teen angst book with a great cover. And add to that a great premise. We've got an anorexic girl who becomes one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Famine, of course. Love it.
But, I didn't like it. There was a real disconnect because the author tried to make our heroine good and make her want to be good. But famine isn't good. So the author needed to come up with a way to make famine good. Not an easy task. And it all just kind of fell apart. It might have worked to have Famine embrace that she was a necessary evil. A part of what has to happen to order to lead us to something better. Still, quite a stretch. I would have preferred someone willing to wallow in the delicious, unapologetic, darkness of it. Come on, horrify me instead. Don't sell me pink (but starving) butterflies.
I gave it two stars, however, because I think a lot of the anorexia and body image content was not bad.
I mostly want to say, give this one a pass. That said, I like the premise enough that I might try #2. It was short and there are only four books coming. I keep hoping to be surprised and delighted. Feel free to mock me about my trash reading.
This book was basically Wintergirls with a fantasy twist. The author definitely does not shirk on the gruesome details of what it's like to live with an eating disorder, and the fable-like feeling of the book serves to highlight a real life issue, rather than mask it. A well-written, interesting approach to tackling a tough issue (sprinkled witha good amount of humor and fondness for horses) -- though at times it felt a bit gimmicky. Especially knowing that the sequel, Rage, is going to be about a girl who cuts becoming War, I feel like there could have been some more depth to the character's grappling with the value of food. Not an amazing book, but one I'd recommend to teens who enjoy dark-ish fantasy or who loved Wintergirls.
I didn't not like the book, it just wasn't a story I could relate to and it didn't really hold my interest. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting. It was well written and a quick read but not a book I would recommend unless you are out of reading material and need something to pass the time. Still not sure if I am going to continue the series.
Quick and fun read, even funny at times -- within the constraints that reading a novel about an anorexic teen becoming one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse is fun. I do appreciate that it didn't feel like this story was preachy, and that the author herself acknowledged that this wasn't the first instance in published media that an anorexic character took on the role of Famine.
I really like the author's style in presenting all of the characters as flawed and complex. Lisabeth, her boyfriend, her girl friends, and her parents all have their issues, but I didn't get the sense that they were one-dimensional and really all bad/good. Even Lisabeth's mom -- sure, she was away from home a lot, but it seemed like she did genuinely care about her daughter and just had an odd way of expressing it, or did it in the way her teenage daughter didn't appreciate/understand.
Tammy's scene in the bathroom was a true eye-opener though. My heart aches for girls who suffer with these conditions.
I really like the author's style in presenting all of the characters as flawed and complex. Lisabeth, her boyfriend, her girl friends, and her parents all have their issues, but I didn't get the sense that they were one-dimensional and really all bad/good. Even Lisabeth's mom -- sure, she was away from home a lot, but it seemed like she did genuinely care about her daughter and just had an odd way of expressing it, or did it in the way her teenage daughter didn't appreciate/understand.
Tammy's scene in the bathroom was a true eye-opener though. My heart aches for girls who suffer with these conditions.
3.5
Hunger is a way of life for Lisabeth Lewis. She meticulously counts calories, eating only tiny servings of celery, plain lettuce, and rice cakes, and exercises for hours each day to burn the food off, all because she's trying to quiet the voice inside her that is constantly calling her fat. After Lisa's best friend confronts her about her anorexia and she has a fight with her boyfriend, she decides to overdose on pills because her life is no longer worth living.
Luckily, her suicide attempt is interrupted by Death (in the form of Kurt Cobain) who gives her a choice: continue taking the pills and die, or become Famine - one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Lisa chooses to become Famine.
The next morning she thinks it was all a drug-induced dream, but when she sees the horse patiently waiting in her backyard, the truth hits home. She is now a mythical being with serious power. As Lisa learns about her new job and tries to deal with her issues with food, friends and family, she has to decide who she truly is and what kind of life is actually worth living.
Hunger is a darkly humorous, quick read that should appeal to those who want an eating disorder problem novel with a supernatural twist. I think this slim volume could have used a little more fleshing out - there was too much dwelling on the eating disorder & not enough plot for my taste (pardon the triple pun), but I liked the premise of the story.
Hunger is a way of life for Lisabeth Lewis. She meticulously counts calories, eating only tiny servings of celery, plain lettuce, and rice cakes, and exercises for hours each day to burn the food off, all because she's trying to quiet the voice inside her that is constantly calling her fat. After Lisa's best friend confronts her about her anorexia and she has a fight with her boyfriend, she decides to overdose on pills because her life is no longer worth living.
Luckily, her suicide attempt is interrupted by Death (in the form of Kurt Cobain) who gives her a choice: continue taking the pills and die, or become Famine - one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Lisa chooses to become Famine.
The next morning she thinks it was all a drug-induced dream, but when she sees the horse patiently waiting in her backyard, the truth hits home. She is now a mythical being with serious power. As Lisa learns about her new job and tries to deal with her issues with food, friends and family, she has to decide who she truly is and what kind of life is actually worth living.
Hunger is a darkly humorous, quick read that should appeal to those who want an eating disorder problem novel with a supernatural twist. I think this slim volume could have used a little more fleshing out - there was too much dwelling on the eating disorder & not enough plot for my taste (pardon the triple pun), but I liked the premise of the story.
Very powerful and extremely well executed. Video review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC4MM9IQ5ZE
Check for a full written review at undeadunicron.wordpress.com
Check for a full written review at undeadunicron.wordpress.com
I wanted to give this a 3.5 but I rounded up to a 4 because of the originality of the idea. The writing was very good, and the read was quick. I'd really like to read the rest of the series to see where it ends up.
I identified with the main character because I'm a bit of an anorexic myself. However,I absolutely hated that her denial was so deep. She has a Thin Voice for god's sake, and she counts calories as if it's a math test she can't escape. Isn't she aware of that? Jesus Christ, that frustrated me. But I'll cut her some slack because anorexia is a disease, and no one wants to suffer it. Especially with Pestilence around. *shiver*
But eventually she realizes her problems - and even manages to overcome it for at least a while to save the world - and gets help. You go, girl! :] If only she agreed to be Famine. She would've been great. But I guess you need to fix yourself before you can fix the world.
"If you have ever looked in the mirror and hated what you saw, this book is for you." -- first page of the book.
But eventually she realizes her problems - and even manages to overcome it for at least a while to save the world - and gets help. You go, girl! :] If only she agreed to be Famine. She would've been great. But I guess you need to fix yourself before you can fix the world.
"If you have ever looked in the mirror and hated what you saw, this book is for you." -- first page of the book.