You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
Interesting concepts are introduced by this book, but it didn't feel quite "complete" to me for some reason. I guess I would have liked to see more about Jenna's life before the quick epilogue -- a little bit more about how the relationships developed and such.
It's been awhile since I've read a YA book other than Twilight. It was fairly well done but just not my bag---too fast moving at the end, not well paced and lots of science-y stuff that seemed far-fetched, even for a novel set far in the future. Overall, just eh.
I picked up this book because the class I intern with is and knew nothing about it from the start. The writing seemed simplistic at first, but the more I learned, and the more Jenna learned, the more it evolved. Upon wrapping up the book, I was satisfied. My questions were resolved. Except one: What was even the point of Dane? An extreme counterpart to Ethan? Maybe I'll have to read the sequel.
This is one of those YA books that really reminded me it was written for a younger audience. I liked it, but found it quite predictable. On the other hand, I don't think my daughter would know where it was going. She's reading it now, and I'll be curious how it unfolds for her.
In many ways, I think of this book as an excellent example of "Science Fiction for beginners". There are some really interesting issues in this book, both science fictional and every day life. It's a look at identity, at what shapes a person, and how much "you" must remain to continue as yourself after a life changing event.
I don't want to talk too much about these aspects of the book, I think it's better to watch them unfold as the story progresses.
The absolute strength of the book is the character of Jenna herself. She is beautifully written, down to the snippets of poetry that start each chapter. I enjoyed seeing Janna's relationship with her family unfurl, and watching her make new friends. Best of all was watching Jenna discover exactly who Jenna Fox is-- complicated enough for any teen, but much more so for her.
In many ways, I think of this book as an excellent example of "Science Fiction for beginners". There are some really interesting issues in this book, both science fictional and every day life. It's a look at identity, at what shapes a person, and how much "you" must remain to continue as yourself after a life changing event.
I don't want to talk too much about these aspects of the book, I think it's better to watch them unfold as the story progresses.
The absolute strength of the book is the character of Jenna herself. She is beautifully written, down to the snippets of poetry that start each chapter. I enjoyed seeing Janna's relationship with her family unfurl, and watching her make new friends. Best of all was watching Jenna discover exactly who Jenna Fox is-- complicated enough for any teen, but much more so for her.
I know I'm too liberal with my five stars, but I'm seriously going to give this to the next person who says there aren't any good teen books being written lately. This one has excellent writing paired with a gripping futuristic plot that kept me turning pages in every small crack of time available!
Jenna Fox wakes up from a coma with no memory of who she is, or of the people who want her to call them Mother and Father. She seems to have no friends, yet she finds herself able to recite entire passages of Thoreau. And when she does begin to remember things, they are not things a normal person should remember -- such as her own baptism at two weeks old.
Another sci fi with a girl protagonist -- would be very interesting paired with Life As We Knew It. Begs to be discussed! Incredible suspense and succession of plot twists. It's hard to add favorite quotes without any spoilers, but here are a few:
"When you are perfect, is there anywhere else to go?"
"Maybe that is all any life is composed of, trivia that eventually adds up to a person, and maybe I just don't have enough of it yet to be a whole one."
"Do certain events in our life leave a permanent mark, freezing a piece of us in time, and that becomes a touchstone that we measure the rest of our lives against?"
Jenna Fox wakes up from a coma with no memory of who she is, or of the people who want her to call them Mother and Father. She seems to have no friends, yet she finds herself able to recite entire passages of Thoreau. And when she does begin to remember things, they are not things a normal person should remember -- such as her own baptism at two weeks old.
Another sci fi with a girl protagonist -- would be very interesting paired with Life As We Knew It. Begs to be discussed! Incredible suspense and succession of plot twists. It's hard to add favorite quotes without any spoilers, but here are a few:
"When you are perfect, is there anywhere else to go?"
"Maybe that is all any life is composed of, trivia that eventually adds up to a person, and maybe I just don't have enough of it yet to be a whole one."
"Do certain events in our life leave a permanent mark, freezing a piece of us in time, and that becomes a touchstone that we measure the rest of our lives against?"
A very interesting book with expected twists. I figured things out pretty quickly (not everything but the gist of the mystery behind Jenna's survival) but I wasn't sure if that was because I'd read a review a while ago before I got around to reading the book that gave that spoiler away or if I was just being exceptionally clever (probably the former). But I really liked Jenna's character and the evolution of the story, how it was sci-fi but not in an obtrusive, hard to understand way; it was sort of a sneaky sci-fi because everything seemed normal and current rather than several years in the future. I'm very much looking forward to Pearson's next book.
Listened to the audiobook. Interesting ethical and scientific questions brought up, which I didn't see coming. Perhaps would have liked it more reading it written - I have the feeling there were visual stylistic choices that didn't come through as a listener.
Jenna Fox knows that she was in a terrible accident, one that put her in a coma for weeks. When she awakens, she finds that her family has moved from Boston, to a remote area across the county in order to “facilitate her recovery.” Despite watching countless DVD recordings of her life, the people she calls mother and father feel like complete strangers.
However, while Jenna finds that she can’t remember anything about the accident, her childhood, even her family and friends; she is able to randomly quote pages of Walden by Henry David Theroux and recall minute details of historical events. As bits and flashes of images begin to appear in her mind, she starts to feel that those closest to her are hiding something…something big.
Mary Pearson’s book causes the reader to contemplate one of life’s great questions—“What makes us human?” Is it our body? Our memories? Our knowledge? Or it is something more? This is a chilling and thoughtful book, perfect for teens who think they don’t like science fiction.
However, while Jenna finds that she can’t remember anything about the accident, her childhood, even her family and friends; she is able to randomly quote pages of Walden by Henry David Theroux and recall minute details of historical events. As bits and flashes of images begin to appear in her mind, she starts to feel that those closest to her are hiding something…something big.
Mary Pearson’s book causes the reader to contemplate one of life’s great questions—“What makes us human?” Is it our body? Our memories? Our knowledge? Or it is something more? This is a chilling and thoughtful book, perfect for teens who think they don’t like science fiction.
This book was very eerie but I really liked it. The whole tone of the book is a bit dark, but given the subject matter that is understandable. Jenna wakes up from a coma realizing that she is not who she thinks she is. I won't say any more about the plot as not to give too much away.
This book did drag a tiny bit for me at time but I really liked the discussion possibilities that it poses. What makes us "human?" Is it our physical form or the experiences that we have and our mind that define our humanity? Jenna's struggle to understand who she is now is heartbreaking and the questions raised about the power of medicine and how much is too much are good food for thought.
As a parent reading this teen book, I found myself crying at the end and getting choked up a few times in both understanding Jenna's parents' determination to hold on to their child and in Jenna's own struggles of a similar kind at the end of the book.
I plan on using this book for a parent/teen book discussion. I think hearing teens' perspectives as they relate to Jenna and adults' perspectives as they relate to her parents will be interesting.
Good read!
This book did drag a tiny bit for me at time but I really liked the discussion possibilities that it poses. What makes us "human?" Is it our physical form or the experiences that we have and our mind that define our humanity? Jenna's struggle to understand who she is now is heartbreaking and the questions raised about the power of medicine and how much is too much are good food for thought.
As a parent reading this teen book, I found myself crying at the end and getting choked up a few times in both understanding Jenna's parents' determination to hold on to their child and in Jenna's own struggles of a similar kind at the end of the book.
I plan on using this book for a parent/teen book discussion. I think hearing teens' perspectives as they relate to Jenna and adults' perspectives as they relate to her parents will be interesting.
Good read!
This fell flat for me. There was suspense that went no where and no true relationship building with Jenna and Ethan.
I realized that there are books that come after this and I don’t even want to read them.
I realized that there are books that come after this and I don’t even want to read them.