Monday, September 6, 2010

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (spoiler free)

Food to eat while reading: District 12 Beef Brisket What a wild ride this series is. To be honest, I am actually relieved to be done with it. Now don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the ride. But the emotional rollercoaster was so swift and stomach-dropping that I am happy to be on solid ground again. What I liked: There were so many surprises and twists that I couldn't put the book down. Katniss is so unpredictable that I never know what is going to happen. Collins is a master at painting the silence behind the words. When she describes what Katniss is experiencing, I feel like my heart is going to explode. It is even more poetic than poetry. Here is an example from page 349: "Dead, but not allowed to die. Alive, but as good as dead. So alone that anyone, anything no matter how loathsome would be welcome. But when I finally have a visitor, it's sweet. Morphling. Coursing through my veins, easing the pain, lightening my body so that is rises back toward the air and rest again on the foam." The author knows when to show and when to tell. She leaves out or summarizes the unnecessary and I am relieved to read only what is important to Katniss. Katniss is given freedom by the author to do and say what she wants to. This makes for an interesting and impulsive story. more...