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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
Aaaahhhh, this book, aaaahhhh!! (Side note: 600 page books ought to count double toward the reading goal.)
Are you the kind of person who liked reading Chaucer in school to get to figure out the Middle English? And/or puns in Shakespeare plays? Or James Joyce? Then this may be the dystopian future for you!
The linguistic world-building here is incredible. I ended up switching back and forth between the audio book and the written version, which helped a ton. But it's also not that difficult and it's a fun challenge, and the way the author plays with language leads to some truly gorgeous writing. And then, oh, the story...! SO MANY FEELINGS. 4.5 stars, for sure.
Are you the kind of person who liked reading Chaucer in school to get to figure out the Middle English? And/or puns in Shakespeare plays? Or James Joyce? Then this may be the dystopian future for you!
The linguistic world-building here is incredible. I ended up switching back and forth between the audio book and the written version, which helped a ton. But it's also not that difficult and it's a fun challenge, and the way the author plays with language leads to some truly gorgeous writing. And then, oh, the story...! SO MANY FEELINGS. 4.5 stars, for sure.
I can't remember a less enjoyable, more frustrating, less rewarding read. Based on reviews from people and publications I trust: I kept wanting to like it, wanting to give it a chance, and it kept letting me down until the very last moment.
The Country of Ice Cream Star takes place in a dystopian Massachusetts, after a plague that only affects adults has devastated the United States. All that remains are children who are not even old enough to drink. There’s Game of Thrones-level violence and politics, as well as well as a similarly epic reach, but here it’s all contained in one volume. Is this future realistic? Would children really behave the way they do in this novel? Probably not, but the storytelling is so good, I don’t really care. Same for the language. The children speak a pidgin Frenglish that at times caused me to roll my eyes, but other times it was moving poetry that couldn’t exist without the same eccentric vocabulary and rhythms. This book is beautiful and brutal and surprising and funny. Highly, highly recommended.
Damn, this book is bleak. Constant tension, rape, murder, beatings, killings, other dangers. War. Hopelessness. This was not a fun book to read, but I kept going because it was well written and I wanted to know how it ended. (Not an end, is how it ended) I feel like there's a sequel here, but I'm not sure I can read it.
If you enjoy really grim post-apocalyptic stories, you might love this!
If you enjoy really grim post-apocalyptic stories, you might love this!