The Hunger Games trilogy is set in the future in a place called Panem, which was once North America. The Capitol is surrounded by 12 districts, each which serves the needs of the Capitol. The districts are forced to compete in the annual Hunger Games as a punishment for past rebellion. Every child between the ages 12 and 18 is required to enter their names into the drawing, and those who are chosen fight in a televised battle to the death with only one winner. The story follows Katniss as she becomes part of the games. To say anything more would be giving away plot that I think could spoil the trilogy. Be careful about reading long reviews because I think that this story is better experienced if you don't know too many of the twists ahead of time.
I enjoyed the first book the most, however, the trilogy as a whole is excellent. The violence in the last book is the most intense, and I'm still not sure what I think of some parts of the ending. However, I think the author brings it all together in a way that makes sense for the story. If you are a big chicken (like me), these books will probably push your comfort zone, but are well worth it.
This review may seem a little backwards because I believe that there is so much more to this story than what is on the surface. I just finished this one, and I’ve been thinking about what it is that made me love it so much. I believe that one message in this book is not to take people at face value, but more so, that we should not judge people’s reactions to situations as weaknesses in their character. One character in this novel especially showed that being devoted to someone means not reacting to a situation in the way that people expect you to. Loyalty to someone that you love may indeed mean not doing what is the best thing for you as an individual at that time. To love someone more than yourself may not be something that others understand, but it was something shown beautifully through these characters. They really touched my emotions.
There is a lot packed into this short novel. Stephen is a young Chinese man who is sent to his family’s summer home in Japan to recover from illness. World War II is beginning, and Stephen experiences this as he lives in the land of the enemy. However, he meets several amazing Japanese people who he becomes connected to in ways that he never expected.
I have read several stories that show how people with leprosy were treated by their societies and their families. This gives another perspective on this experience. People who enjoyed reading Moloka'i by Alan Brennert would also like this book in my opinion. I loved it, 5/5.
When Lavinia was seven she was orphaned while traveling to the U.S. from Ireland. She was taken in as a servant to work in the kitchen house with the slaves on a large plantation. Belle, the illegitimate daughter of the plantation owner, takes on the role of Lavinia's caregiver. What follows is a story about family, slavery, and the long term consequences of the choices people make.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this book at first because it sounded like it may be another version of a story that I've read many times before. However, Lavinia's storyline as an Irish indentured servant gave it a unique feel right away. The other characters, both the good and the evil, were richly developed. As much as I hated Marshall, the plantation owner's son, I was also rooting for the good in him to come out. You will see how he became what he was, and that he wasn't just a one-dimensional bad guy. The author's note in the back provides an interesting addition to the story as well. I really think this is an outstanding book, and I would rate it a 5/5.
Fragile by Lisa Unger is about Charlene, a missing and troubled teenager from a small town. It's also about Sarah, another girl who went missing years before in the same town. The story is told in the past when Sarah was a teenager and attended school with many of the main characters, and also in the present as these same characters are the parents of Charlene's classmates. Maggie, a local psychologist, is married to the town's lead detective. They both went to school with Sarah, and now their son is dating Charlene.
Lisa Unger writes great suspense novels that I always enjoy, and this one did not disappoint me. Each layer of this story kept me reading. It was impossible to find a good stopping point. It did seem like the book jacket gave too much plot. Skip over the jacket description if you can deal with that temptation. Some parts of this novel were pretty predictable, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment. One thing that I really like about this author is that she doesn't do the quickie conclusion and wrap everything up in 4 pages as some authors seem to always do. She takes time to connect the dots with all of her storylines, and I find myself much more satisfied with her endings. I would rate this as very good, 4/5.
This post should be called The Particular Sadness of Christine's Book Choices. I enjoyed the beginning of this book so much, but then it became so weird that it lost me. The story is about Rose, a girl who discovers that she can feel the emotions of others through food that they prepare. The beginning grabbed me right away and several things were brought into the story that were really intriguing. The problem is that some things were just dropped. I kept waiting for more, but it wasn't there. Then there was Joseph, Rose's brother. I can't explain my problems with his storyline without big spoilers, so I won't be specific. I assume that the author wanted the readers to take his story metaphorically, but it definitely seemed like she wanted us to take it literally, which would be too weird.
I also have to mention the lack of quotation marks. The book was mainly dialogue, but there were no quotation marks. Since it was written in first person, this was beyond confusing. I had to keep stopping to figure out if Rose said something or simply though it to herself. Overall I found this to be a very disappointing book. Again, there are plently of glowing reviews out there so this is just my take on it. I think I found another 2/5.
The Summer We Fell Apart is the story of a seriously dysfunctional family, told from the perspective of four siblings and their mother, Marilyn, a cult movie actress. The father is an absent and selfish playwright. Each sibling has their own personal set of flaws, anxieties and painful memories. I found most of the characters completely unlikable, which made it difficult for me to care about their dysfunctional lives. George was the one character that I was rooting for from the beginning, but then his own section fell somewhat flat. Reading this reminded me of the way I felt when I read The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen...I just didn't care what happened to any of these people. This just wasn't the book for me, although I know there are many good reviews. I gave it a 2/5.
