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madelaide's review against another edition
1.0
I was really looking forward to reading this book. It looked interesting, and relatable, which are definitely two qualities I look for in books that I read. As I began to read, I realized it was nothing like I expected. I found it hard to consider it a story. Some of the text was bigger than all the rest, and overall it was very confusing. I couldn't even bring myself to finish the book. Definitely disappointing.
e_lemon55's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I first read this book when I was nine and it changed my life. I recently discovered it as an audio book after years of searching in book shops and it was just as brilliant as the first time nearly 10 years ago
chemwitch's review against another edition
3.0
This book was... eh. Bordering on ugh. 2.5 stars.
Full disclosure: I read this before reading Skellig. I read the followup (released 12 years prior to this) just after, and felt it was a much better read.
What was good?
Mina's mom. I felt she was a good character. We see her only from Mina's POV,
obviously, but she's warm and encouraging and always seems to be trying her best. She
was a ray of light in an otherwise kind of annoying narrative.
Alternative school. I liked the presentation of the alternative school. It didn't seem
to demonize alternative schooling and actually painted a pretty nice picture. I was
expecting something totally different going in and I was pleasantly surprised.
What wasn't?
Mina. I DID NOT LIKE MINA. And she writes the entire book, so that was a
problem. It wasn't that I didn't like her as a person. It was that she felt extremely unreal.
Like the author was trying so hard to write someone "different" and "quirky" but took it
just a little too far. It wasn't in every scene or every line, but occasionally I would just have
to roll my eyes because she is NINE YEARS OLD. My sister is almost nine, smart as a whip,
and would not be trusted to take a knife outside of our house. Next point.
The narration. The diary format didn't work for me. It was twisting, confusing,
and extremely annoying. There were constant changes of tense. I get he was going for
something to showcase Mina's being "different" and "quirky" but I hated it.
The plot. Or lack thereof. There wasn't one. Nothing happened. There were no
stakes. Would Mina have to go back to school? I didn't care. I didn't care about Mina, and
nothing happened to her that was worth caring about? Ugh. At one point, they ask if it's
possible to write a story about nothing. It is. It's this book. /eyeroll/
All those negatives being said, I didn't hate it. It wasn't the worst. At times I smiled, like the scene where they eat Italian. The scene where she goes to the alternative school. And it was a quick read, which is probably why it gets above 2 stars from me, honestly.
Full disclosure: I read this before reading Skellig. I read the followup (released 12 years prior to this) just after, and felt it was a much better read.
What was good?
Mina's mom. I felt she was a good character. We see her only from Mina's POV,
obviously, but she's warm and encouraging and always seems to be trying her best. She
was a ray of light in an otherwise kind of annoying narrative.
Alternative school. I liked the presentation of the alternative school. It didn't seem
to demonize alternative schooling and actually painted a pretty nice picture. I was
expecting something totally different going in and I was pleasantly surprised.
What wasn't?
Mina. I DID NOT LIKE MINA. And she writes the entire book, so that was a
problem. It wasn't that I didn't like her as a person. It was that she felt extremely unreal.
Like the author was trying so hard to write someone "different" and "quirky" but took it
just a little too far. It wasn't in every scene or every line, but occasionally I would just have
to roll my eyes because she is NINE YEARS OLD. My sister is almost nine, smart as a whip,
and would not be trusted to take a knife outside of our house. Next point.
The narration. The diary format didn't work for me. It was twisting, confusing,
and extremely annoying. There were constant changes of tense. I get he was going for
something to showcase Mina's being "different" and "quirky" but I hated it.
The plot. Or lack thereof. There wasn't one. Nothing happened. There were no
stakes. Would Mina have to go back to school? I didn't care. I didn't care about Mina, and
nothing happened to her that was worth caring about? Ugh. At one point, they ask if it's
possible to write a story about nothing. It is. It's this book. /eyeroll/
All those negatives being said, I didn't hate it. It wasn't the worst. At times I smiled, like the scene where they eat Italian. The scene where she goes to the alternative school. And it was a quick read, which is probably why it gets above 2 stars from me, honestly.
missbookiverse's review against another edition
3.0
Mina könnte gut und gerne Luna Lovegoods kleine Schwester sein. Sie ist ein Sonderling und Außenseiter. Für den Leser machen sie natürlich diese seltsamen Eigenschaften besonders liebenswert. Dabei ist Mina eigentlich gar nicht so verquer, sie ist einfach kreativer und offener als andere Menschen. Schön ist, dass der Autor Minas Verrücktheit nicht komplett glorifiziert, das kleine Mädchen hat durchaus Momente, in denen es sich einfach nur einsam und traurig fühlt, in denen es dazugehören möchte.
Mina macht sich viele philosophische Gedanken über sich und die Welt, die einen dazu animieren, den Roman in Häppchen zu lesen, ihn zu genießen und über ihn nachzudenken.
Als Vorgeschichte von [b:Skellig|24271|Skellig|David Almond|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320460285s/24271.jpg|960] kann man "My Name Is Mina" auch ohne Kenntnis des zuerst erschienen Buches lesen. Wenn man "Skellig" schon gelesen hat, bietet sich aber das Vergnügen kleine Details wiederzuerkennen und die Verflechtung der beiden Geschichten mitzuerleben.
Optisch ist das Buch ein Augenschmaus. Passend zum Tagebuchformat ist der Text in Minas Handschrift gesetzt und es gibt zahlreiche Seiten und Passagen, die durch Variation von Schriftarten und -größen aus dem Standardschema ausbrechen.
Ingesamt [3,5 STERNE] für ein schnelles, toll gestaltetes Lesevergnügen, das die Verrücktheit und das Anderssein feiert, mich aber auch nicht übermäßig beeindruckt hat.
Mina macht sich viele philosophische Gedanken über sich und die Welt, die einen dazu animieren, den Roman in Häppchen zu lesen, ihn zu genießen und über ihn nachzudenken.
Als Vorgeschichte von [b:Skellig|24271|Skellig|David Almond|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320460285s/24271.jpg|960] kann man "My Name Is Mina" auch ohne Kenntnis des zuerst erschienen Buches lesen. Wenn man "Skellig" schon gelesen hat, bietet sich aber das Vergnügen kleine Details wiederzuerkennen und die Verflechtung der beiden Geschichten mitzuerleben.
Optisch ist das Buch ein Augenschmaus. Passend zum Tagebuchformat ist der Text in Minas Handschrift gesetzt und es gibt zahlreiche Seiten und Passagen, die durch Variation von Schriftarten und -größen aus dem Standardschema ausbrechen.
Ingesamt [3,5 STERNE] für ein schnelles, toll gestaltetes Lesevergnügen, das die Verrücktheit und das Anderssein feiert, mich aber auch nicht übermäßig beeindruckt hat.
francescazksxmc's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mikimeiko's review against another edition
5.0
A very good book, with a very good main character. I love that Almond chose to let Mina tell her story, and I love how different her voice was from Michael's in Skellig. I love most things about Mina, even if sometimes she feels a little too much as your sterotypical scholastic outcast... but then I remember she is a child, and children are often a little too much of what they are.
michaelcattigan's review against another edition
4.0
Just finished My Name Is Mina. Good book, interesting but I don't think it's a winner. It tells the story of Mina from Skellig, essentially recording her thoughts in a journal over the winter / spring before she met Michael. I have a memory of her being quite mysterious and enigmatically in Skellig and was looking forward to hearing her voice.
I have mixed feelings about it: it doesn't feel to me like it is a prequel, more of an extended prologue to Skellig. There was something powerful in her dogged desire to be true to herself and not straitjacketed into a niche in society. There are also moments of genuine pathos... But I didn't find her voice as compelling as I'd hoped. I also felt I'd have liked to see more of her mum: having lost her father and husband, fiercely protected her daughter, taken on her home schooling and nurtured Mina, I felt HER story would have been interesting. The moment when she is called into THE HEAD TEACHER's office after the triumphantly disastrous SATs could have been brilliant but seemed anti climactic to me!
There are some interesting things here about education and children and creativity, all of which I personally support. I'm also glad that the anti-education system philosophy was tempered by an understanding that the teachers weren't all bad too! The Blake references were all there as would be expected; interesting ideas about the power and playfulness of words. But for a book that purports to champion the 'weird', I felt it wasn't quite weird enough...
Anyway, my next book is due and I will probably retread Skellig whilst waiting.
I have mixed feelings about it: it doesn't feel to me like it is a prequel, more of an extended prologue to Skellig. There was something powerful in her dogged desire to be true to herself and not straitjacketed into a niche in society. There are also moments of genuine pathos... But I didn't find her voice as compelling as I'd hoped. I also felt I'd have liked to see more of her mum: having lost her father and husband, fiercely protected her daughter, taken on her home schooling and nurtured Mina, I felt HER story would have been interesting. The moment when she is called into THE HEAD TEACHER's office after the triumphantly disastrous SATs could have been brilliant but seemed anti climactic to me!
There are some interesting things here about education and children and creativity, all of which I personally support. I'm also glad that the anti-education system philosophy was tempered by an understanding that the teachers weren't all bad too! The Blake references were all there as would be expected; interesting ideas about the power and playfulness of words. But for a book that purports to champion the 'weird', I felt it wasn't quite weird enough...
Anyway, my next book is due and I will probably retread Skellig whilst waiting.
bengriffin's review against another edition
5.0
It was two years ago when I read Skellig and whilst I remember enjoying it, most of the details are fuzzy, including that Mina even existed. I won't be having that problem again because I loved this book. Mina and her mother are incredibly endearing characters and their enthusiasm for life is infectious without ever shying away from the darker aspects. The themes and values within the story, particularly the strengths and weaknesses of the education system, were really well handled and the Blake quotes were appreciated rather than over-used this time. Any book which makes me love the world again in a cold, wet January is definitely worth a read.