If you're looking for a great read, boy do I have one for you! This (completely unsolicited) review is coming to you because I picked this book up and could NOT put it down until I had finished it. Fortunately, I was on an airplane at the time. :-)
You can watch the promotional video here.
THE HUNGER GAMES is a young adult novel my agent mentioned to me, and since we have similar tastes, I ordered it (and its sequel) immediately. All I can say is that the book lives up to the hype in the video, and I can heartily recommend it.
THE HUNGER GAMES features a 16 year-old female protagonist in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic North America ruled by "the capitol." The former United States has been divided into districts, and each district has been given a specialty. Since our heroine lives in the former Appalachia, her district is responsible for coal mining. Life is rough, times are hard, and people almost have to be come outlaws to survive and feed themselves.
I got so immediately caught up in the characters that I was crying by page 24, and that almost never happens to me. But you root for Katniss, our heroine, and for the people she loves.
The "hunger games" are a sort of survival game played annually by representatives from the twelve districts. Only one person can survive the brutal games, and as I read I couldn't help but see shades of reality television, the current trend toward government power/centralization, political correctness, and even our growing penchant for plastic surgery. I believe this book could be the ANIMAL FARM of our generation.
According to the book flap, THE HUNGER GAMES and its sequel, CATCHING FIRE (also a great read) are part of a trilogy, and I can't wait for the conclusion. My agent tells me that the film rights sold for an unprecedented amount for a YA novel, and I can believe it. This would make a GREAT movie.
So . . . anyone of any age would love this book. If you have a reluctant reader--especially if it's a boy--I'd bet that he would also love this book, as there are lots of male characters as well. The writing is lean, the characters well-developed, and the truths presented are noble. Not much spirituality to speak of, but the story does celebrate love, sacrifice, and responsibility.
So . . . do yourself a favor and check out THE HUNGER GAMES. You're going to love it.
~~Angie
6 comments:
yes yes yes!! i discovered this series from other book bloggers on twitter and am totally hooked. I just finished catching fire two days ago and am in agony b/c i want the third book now!
I'm going to have to stick my fingers in my ears, close my eyes and sing la-la-la whenever anyone mentions another book to me. I think my family thinks our house is a library already!
Angie, I have a book recommendation for you, because you are such an animal lover. I'm currently reading Gwen Cooper's Homer's Odyssey. Cooper took in an eyeless kitten, and he completely changed her life. It's the kind of book I keep reading out loud to my husband, because it's so amazing.
Okay, you sold me. Even though I've got several books already in my to-be-read queue, I clicked on the book title, which took me to Amazon, where I ordered it for my Kindle immediately. (I love technology! No waiting!!).
Thanks for the recommendation, Angie. I can't wait to read it.
Thanks for the recommendation. I have two teenage daughters who are avid readers and this sounds like a book they would like.
I think I will wait until the 3rd one comes out because I don't like waiting for series. You've recommended other good ones in the past!
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