Author: Patrick Ness
Classification: YA Fiction, Sci-Fi, Dystopian
Source: Bought
Source: Bought
Overall Grade:
A+
Would I recommend it?
Wow. A powerful, powerful book!
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Summary (from Goodreads):
Prentisstown isn't like
other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an
overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the
birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee -- whose
thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not -- stumble upon
an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is
impossible, something terrible has been hidden -- a secret so awful that
Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.
But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?
But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?
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My Thoughts:
The summary for this book really does not do it justice.
The Knife of Never Letting Go is a book that grabs you and refuses to let go... whether you like it or not. Following the story of Todd Hewitt, his dog Manchee, and a mysterious girl he finds on his way, Ness tackles themes of war, bigotry, survival, and the definition of growing up.
The plot of this book is very fast paced, leaving you wanting more with each page. However, don't expect Todd to be delivered from every situation like most young adult novelists allow! In fact, you should probably expect to be frustrated, heart-broken, amused, happy, then frustrated all over again.
Written in Todd's dialect, which gives a similar experience to reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, (which I adore), this book has a stream-of-consciousness flow that makes every pain and joy resonate with the reader. The story itself forces the reader to cling obsessively to the main characters, but especially Todd, as one watches this young boy struggle in a land that has no place for weakness, kindness, or childhood.
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Overall Grade:
A+
Would I recommend it?
Wow. A powerful, powerful book!
I've often wondered what it would be like to hear other people's thoughts, but I never get very far in that daydream because the thought of someone being able to hear my thoughts sends me head spinning into a whirlwind of anger, fear, embarrassment, etc.
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued by this book for the very reason that it dares to go where I can't bring myself to go. Your glowing recommendation sent me to my library's website to request the book. I'll stop back after I read it.
Grace at Feeding My Book Addiction
Thanks for stopping by! I definitely want to hear what you think of the book once you've finished! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Alyssa! Hopped here from your comment in my blog. Glad to see you loved The Knife too. I suggest you read A New World. It's a prequel to The Knife and tells more of Viola's story before she went to Prentisstown. It is just a novella and I think you might also like it. Just give me a holler if you want an ebook copy of New World. I"ll send you a copy right away! ;)
ReplyDeleteLynai
My review of The New World: http://lynaireads.luigiandlynai.net/2011/05/the-new-worldpatrick-ness/
This seriously sounds so good--great review! I recently bought A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, and I've been hearing from so many people that I need to go read this series. I'm gonna have to go check it out on my next trip to the library!
ReplyDelete