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A review by cnoelle
Matched by Ally Condie
4.0
I'm shocked at how many absolutely terrible and down-right angry reviews I saw for this book. Granted, I haven't actually read The Giver yet, so I can't say anything about the too-close similarities that others are so up in arms about. But I can say that I think many people unfairly abused the book in general. Perhaps many people expected too much and the let-down made them angry?
This book is a modern YA dystopian novel. I approach YA novels much differently than regular fantasy/sci-fi novels, knowing that they are TARGETED to the young adult, which generally means anywhere from 12-22. Ish. This means that the writing style and topics are devoted to things within that age range's experience, interests, development level, etc. So I didn't come into this book expecting the most original story, extraordinary character development, in-depth world-building, compelling dialogue, etc. Admittedly, the book is fairly stereotypical in all of these elements. But I still found myself pleasantly compelled by this book and I think the biggest reason was the poetry of it.
Now, many Dystopian books go into the lost elements of society and culture as a way to frame their futuristic world. But Condie takes it a step further and selects real famous poems to include in her story. (Minor SPOILER Alert) Condie selects poems from Dylan Thomas and Alfred Lord Tennyson to use as an expression of everything that was given up to form their futuristic Utopia after the mistakes of our society that led to our downfall. In particular, her use of Thomas's "Do not go gentle into that good night." is a poignant refrain throughout the book. And the way that Cassia, the main character, responds to the poetry is moving. I recognized all along that the conclusion of the book was obvious. The love triangle was cliché. The romantic relationship being built was pretty shallow, too quick to form, and lacked substance. That the world being built was the same old line from every other popular Dystopian world on the shelves now. But the poetry! It was beautiful and lent something deeper to the story than I ever would have dreamed of seeing from a YA fic.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy fiction and young adult novels. With the caveat that you must remember that this IS a YA fantasy fiction and romance novel! You don't come here looking for life-altering reads or an astoundingly well-crafted work of literature. You came here to be entertained and be honest, you came here to satisfy your need for an emotional experience of firsts: first love, first time finding yourself, first job, first friendships, first fights, first Big Dream for your life. All of these things happened to you are a Young Adult yourself and need to be addressed from that perspective, which is the whole point of the YA Fiction genre!
There. That was my probably very confusing review. I loved the book. I thought that it was your average YA Dystopian Romance novel but that the poetry used added a deeper, more adult layer to it that I found moving.
This book is a modern YA dystopian novel. I approach YA novels much differently than regular fantasy/sci-fi novels, knowing that they are TARGETED to the young adult, which generally means anywhere from 12-22. Ish. This means that the writing style and topics are devoted to things within that age range's experience, interests, development level, etc. So I didn't come into this book expecting the most original story, extraordinary character development, in-depth world-building, compelling dialogue, etc. Admittedly, the book is fairly stereotypical in all of these elements. But I still found myself pleasantly compelled by this book and I think the biggest reason was the poetry of it.
Now, many Dystopian books go into the lost elements of society and culture as a way to frame their futuristic world. But Condie takes it a step further and selects real famous poems to include in her story. (Minor SPOILER Alert) Condie selects poems from Dylan Thomas and Alfred Lord Tennyson to use as an expression of everything that was given up to form their futuristic Utopia after the mistakes of our society that led to our downfall. In particular, her use of Thomas's "Do not go gentle into that good night." is a poignant refrain throughout the book. And the way that Cassia, the main character, responds to the poetry is moving. I recognized all along that the conclusion of the book was obvious. The love triangle was cliché. The romantic relationship being built was pretty shallow, too quick to form, and lacked substance. That the world being built was the same old line from every other popular Dystopian world on the shelves now. But the poetry! It was beautiful and lent something deeper to the story than I ever would have dreamed of seeing from a YA fic.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy fiction and young adult novels. With the caveat that you must remember that this IS a YA fantasy fiction and romance novel! You don't come here looking for life-altering reads or an astoundingly well-crafted work of literature. You came here to be entertained and be honest, you came here to satisfy your need for an emotional experience of firsts: first love, first time finding yourself, first job, first friendships, first fights, first Big Dream for your life. All of these things happened to you are a Young Adult yourself and need to be addressed from that perspective, which is the whole point of the YA Fiction genre!
There. That was my probably very confusing review. I loved the book. I thought that it was your average YA Dystopian Romance novel but that the poetry used added a deeper, more adult layer to it that I found moving.