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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I’ve read many of the reviews here and I have to agree with one thing, it seems like you either love or hate this book. I loved this book, as I do other works of Zusak. His prose is filled with a plethora of metaphors that may not always make sense, but is a style I’ve come to appreciate.
I personally love slow burners, and an ending that ties up loose strings that are scattered throughout the novel. The first few chapters were a little hard to follow, but once I got into the flow of the book I was able to catch on to the timeline relatively well.
While the plot itself isn’t a big heroic journey, nor does it make a large societal impact, I think it’s very real. I think many agree that the most interesting character was Penny, and I was also intrigued by Michael’s background and how the two fall in love. I also loved the connections between Clay and Carey with Michael and Penny, and it makes their own love story that much harder to witness.
The Dunbar boys are rambunctious and aggressive. The amount of fist fights in the book prove this. But there’s something heartwarming in the utter love and soft spot each boy has for their mother. Penny is the foundation of the family and losing her hit them hard like it does for any family. The moments we see of the family together pre-sickness, during, after, and even years later tells a story of love and loss and how it changes people.
Overall, I loved Michael and Penny’s story. I loved the Dunbar’s and their chaotic dynamic. And I loved the family bond that had everyone holding on even when all was lost. It was a story that constantly had me feeling so many emotions, good and bad, and I think that’s what a good story should do.
I personally love slow burners, and an ending that ties up loose strings that are scattered throughout the novel. The first few chapters were a little hard to follow, but once I got into the flow of the book I was able to catch on to the timeline relatively well.
While the plot itself isn’t a big heroic journey, nor does it make a large societal impact, I think it’s very real. I think many agree that the most interesting character was Penny, and I was also intrigued by Michael’s background and how the two fall in love. I also loved the connections between Clay and Carey with Michael and Penny, and it makes their own love story that much harder to witness.
The Dunbar boys are rambunctious and aggressive. The amount of fist fights in the book prove this. But there’s something heartwarming in the utter love and soft spot each boy has for their mother. Penny is the foundation of the family and losing her hit them hard like it does for any family. The moments we see of the family together pre-sickness, during, after, and even years later tells a story of love and loss and how it changes people.
Overall, I loved Michael and Penny’s story. I loved the Dunbar’s and their chaotic dynamic. And I loved the family bond that had everyone holding on even when all was lost. It was a story that constantly had me feeling so many emotions, good and bad, and I think that’s what a good story should do.
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I feel bad only giving this two stars. If we could give half stars I’d bump it up to two and a half. I also am unsure why this is considered young adult fiction. I can see young adults reading it but it is a bit heavy and at times confusing, and wouldn’t be something I’d necessarily suggest to someone in that age group.
The story is all about the Dunbar family, a family of Penny and Michael and their five boys, Matthew (the narrator), Rory, Henry, Clay (whose live the book mainly roams around), and Tommy. It goes back and forth in time. In fact it kind of starts at the end and ends in the beginning but nothing in it is chronological or linear. Chapters jump around, sections jump around. Like I said, it could be confusing at times.
The boys mostly grow up on their own, many deaths occur. These deaths are what both draw the boys together and tear them apart. It’s emotional.
This story is about Clay. Clay is a lover of stories. He’s always asking to hear more, whether it’s his parents reading to them The Iliad and The Odyssey (which is where the names for all their pets come from) to just hearing stories about Michael or Penny’s childhood. He also loves Carey Novac. She moved in across the street one day when he was sitting up on his roof and they’ve kind of been connected since then. He also loves Michaelangelo. His dad had a book, The Quarryman, Clay and Carey now pass it back and forth reading it, it gives him inspiration to help his dad build the bridge. There is also running and training which Clay is very good at. This too leads to him building that bridge. We can’t forget horse racing. The Dunbars house backs up to a racetrack. Carey and her father are/were jockeys. It’s all entwined.
Family, love, death, emotions, boys.
The story is all about the Dunbar family, a family of Penny and Michael and their five boys, Matthew (the narrator), Rory, Henry, Clay (whose live the book mainly roams around), and Tommy. It goes back and forth in time. In fact it kind of starts at the end and ends in the beginning but nothing in it is chronological or linear. Chapters jump around, sections jump around. Like I said, it could be confusing at times.
The boys mostly grow up on their own, many deaths occur. These deaths are what both draw the boys together and tear them apart. It’s emotional.
This story is about Clay. Clay is a lover of stories. He’s always asking to hear more, whether it’s his parents reading to them The Iliad and The Odyssey (which is where the names for all their pets come from) to just hearing stories about Michael or Penny’s childhood. He also loves Carey Novac. She moved in across the street one day when he was sitting up on his roof and they’ve kind of been connected since then. He also loves Michaelangelo. His dad had a book, The Quarryman, Clay and Carey now pass it back and forth reading it, it gives him inspiration to help his dad build the bridge. There is also running and training which Clay is very good at. This too leads to him building that bridge. We can’t forget horse racing. The Dunbars house backs up to a racetrack. Carey and her father are/were jockeys. It’s all entwined.
Family, love, death, emotions, boys.
DNF at 10%
I spontaneously bought this kindle book because it was 2.99 and it was The Book Thief author... I should have at least read the sample first. I have no urge to read any further. There's too many weird unnecessary metaphors, too many characters, and I get that the author is trying to be "unique" in the way he is writing/structuring the plot with the "Murderer" being some suspicious dude that seems to sneak into the boys' house several times, but I just was confused and didn't have the motivation to try and figure it out. I'm a fan of simple writing that still has an interesting story. The writing here felt like someone new and young to writing who is trying to sound "smart" and "poetic" more than they are trying to deliver a story that we the readers should care about. I didn't find myself caring about any of the characters. Maybe I will try reading this book again later (but I highly doubt it) but for now I'm going to find something better of my time to read. I just couldn't get a good sense of the story, what direction it was going into, who I should care about.
Just going to drop down some weird sentences I found in this book that maybe will make you decide whether you'd like to give this book a shot.
"The animal in question was named Achielles, and there was a backstory longer than a country mile as to how he ended up in our suburban backyard" (pg 15)
"This kitchen was a geography and climate all of its own: overcast walls. Parched floor. A coastline of dirty dishes stretching toward the sink. And then the heat, the heat." (17)
"The Murderer backed slowly away, into the rest of the house. Its silence was something awesome--an enormous playground for the guilt to wreak havoc, to work him over--but it was also a deception." (25) PLEASE WHAT THE HECK DOES THAT MEAN?
I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong about this book. I did read this 10% over the course of 5 days, so maybe I would understand the story better if I read all the 10% in a sitting. But if I can't even read more than 10 pages in a sitting of this book without wanting to go do something else maybe that says something.
I spontaneously bought this kindle book because it was 2.99 and it was The Book Thief author... I should have at least read the sample first. I have no urge to read any further. There's too many weird unnecessary metaphors, too many characters, and I get that the author is trying to be "unique" in the way he is writing/structuring the plot with the "Murderer" being some suspicious dude that seems to sneak into the boys' house several times, but I just was confused and didn't have the motivation to try and figure it out. I'm a fan of simple writing that still has an interesting story. The writing here felt like someone new and young to writing who is trying to sound "smart" and "poetic" more than they are trying to deliver a story that we the readers should care about. I didn't find myself caring about any of the characters. Maybe I will try reading this book again later (but I highly doubt it) but for now I'm going to find something better of my time to read. I just couldn't get a good sense of the story, what direction it was going into, who I should care about.
Just going to drop down some weird sentences I found in this book that maybe will make you decide whether you'd like to give this book a shot.
"The animal in question was named Achielles, and there was a backstory longer than a country mile as to how he ended up in our suburban backyard" (pg 15)
"This kitchen was a geography and climate all of its own: overcast walls. Parched floor. A coastline of dirty dishes stretching toward the sink. And then the heat, the heat." (17)
"The Murderer backed slowly away, into the rest of the house. Its silence was something awesome--an enormous playground for the guilt to wreak havoc, to work him over--but it was also a deception." (25) PLEASE WHAT THE HECK DOES THAT MEAN?
I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong about this book. I did read this 10% over the course of 5 days, so maybe I would understand the story better if I read all the 10% in a sitting. But if I can't even read more than 10 pages in a sitting of this book without wanting to go do something else maybe that says something.
This was one of the last books I bought before my son was born, and my five-year-long reading hiatus started. I was hoping that it would engross me in the same way The Book Thief did. Unfortunately, it did not. Too much chopping and changing, and what I felt, redundant storylines.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Tough to read but once you have you’re glad you’ve done it. Fantastic story even if sometimes I wish it had been less like deciphering a code to read but that’s- but that’s Markus Zusak for you
This was a slow burn. It took a while to start off but it was a great story showing the unconventional dynamic between the brothers and the history of their parents. I appreciated the relationships and the characters, and the narratives. While it wasn't linear, it did tell the story in a meaningful way that left a genuine impact once the story was over.
Jesus christ. What a slog. Not because it was a difficult read, but because it was so god damn pretentious. I think what Zusak has done here is try to write a grounded story in the style of The Book Thief which is a book narrated by Death. DEATH. You can get away with this shit when it's Death saying it, but not when it's just a regular guy. And why is it so long? Get over yourself, Zusak.
This isn't an easy book to read. It takes a while to get used to the writing style and time shifting, but without realising, I was captivated. The Dunbar boys are truly horrible at times but they work their way into your soul.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Good, but not truly great like the book thief. I want to read again because I feel it needs another read through the really get the full scope of the story.