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laurenlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
The voice of the narrator of the audiobook is insufferable.
achurchie81's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
jlrn06's review against another edition
5.0
Never watched the movie on Netflix so I can’t compare it, but loved this book. Suspenseful and a page-turner- similar to Stephen King’s “The Stand” for me.
katiepope86's review
4.0
***No real spoilers, but I think it's better to read Bird Box without knowing too much.***
I've struggled to rate Bird Box, and I think I've settled on a 4.5. I read Bird Box in about 24 hours, because, as many have reviewed, the plot pulls you in and takes hold. I really enjoyed this unique book.
Bird Box is a dystopian, fictional novel that follows main character Malorie in a post-apocalyptic world. Whew. So many labels. It reminded me somewhat of Blindness by Jose Saramago, but with a horror element.
In Bird Box, news reports surface that people are seeing something that makes them kill themselves, and sometimes others. The suicides and murders are often gruesome, and as the news begins to cover the deaths, people become fearful and close up their homes, stay inside, and wear blindfolds, afraid of something powerful and life-threatening we don't fully understand, even as the reader.
Then the mind begins. Is there a real threat? Monsters? Is this purely psychosomatic? Proof of the mysteries of the mind? What has happened to the people who have tried to find out? Is it worth the risk? People lose their family members; even children.
I cannot imagine living in this type of world and experiencing a terrifying sound, with no ability to open my eyes. The scene at the well, in particularly, really had my heart racing. I felt like I was reading faster and faster, in-tune with the energy of the plot, and feeling the intensity and doom behind the scene. My senses, especially my sense of sound, were acutely sharpened along with the character. I'm not sure I could have kept my eyes closed. It's the type of passage that makes you think, "Wow, this would make an amazing movie," but the book is already so good that it feels cinematic already.
At first, I worried that the short sentences found particularly in the beginning of the novel would be distracting and not allow the story to flow, but I found that it helped illustrate the mood of the world Malerman created. For some reason, it fit.
I really appreciate that things went unsaid and unexplained in Bird Box. I think it's just another way the story grasps at your mind and makes you wonder. I don't need a perfect ending.
I've struggled to rate Bird Box, and I think I've settled on a 4.5. I read Bird Box in about 24 hours, because, as many have reviewed, the plot pulls you in and takes hold. I really enjoyed this unique book.
Bird Box is a dystopian, fictional novel that follows main character Malorie in a post-apocalyptic world. Whew. So many labels. It reminded me somewhat of Blindness by Jose Saramago, but with a horror element.
In Bird Box, news reports surface that people are seeing something that makes them kill themselves, and sometimes others. The suicides and murders are often gruesome, and as the news begins to cover the deaths, people become fearful and close up their homes, stay inside, and wear blindfolds, afraid of something powerful and life-threatening we don't fully understand, even as the reader.
Then the mind begins. Is there a real threat? Monsters? Is this purely psychosomatic? Proof of the mysteries of the mind? What has happened to the people who have tried to find out? Is it worth the risk? People lose their family members; even children.
I cannot imagine living in this type of world and experiencing a terrifying sound, with no ability to open my eyes. The scene at the well, in particularly, really had my heart racing. I felt like I was reading faster and faster, in-tune with the energy of the plot, and feeling the intensity and doom behind the scene. My senses, especially my sense of sound, were acutely sharpened along with the character. I'm not sure I could have kept my eyes closed. It's the type of passage that makes you think, "Wow, this would make an amazing movie," but the book is already so good that it feels cinematic already.
At first, I worried that the short sentences found particularly in the beginning of the novel would be distracting and not allow the story to flow, but I found that it helped illustrate the mood of the world Malerman created. For some reason, it fit.
I really appreciate that things went unsaid and unexplained in Bird Box. I think it's just another way the story grasps at your mind and makes you wonder. I don't need a perfect ending.
mango32's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely captivating. I read it in one sitting and I've never done that before.
kllee727's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted this to be better. But dare I say it, the movie might actually have been... better? There were some elements of the book I liked but they were few and far between and they were mostly the kinds of things someone would leave out anyway if turning a book into a movie. And to be honest, if you're going to write a book where the climactic scene revolves around two women giving birth, maybe do just ANY research about that process...
readingitsnice's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I had to listen to this via audio book just to get through. It was just too boring for me.
overquake's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0