Scan barcode
hannahemparman's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
moonmama's review against another edition
5.0
I could not say enough how much I love this book. It is epic. I did not want it to end. I literally prayed when it ended that the sequel would come out soon. I've found myself speaking Massa patois in my head. This book be bone, and made my vally heart swell.
catz853's review against another edition
1.0
Couldn’t finish it. It wasn’t the language - I actually found that interesting. What I couldn’t stomach was the bizarre and illogically embedded racism post apocalypse. As if the only disenfranchised people who were left behind in the evacuations were non-white, which makes no sense. And how would they retain the ability to read? And how would spoken language deviate that much from the written in a reading society? So many inexplicable things... If you are going to create a complex society, you have to make sure the structures have some kind of internal coherence, and that is definitely missing here. Not to mention the mc’s apparent desire to be abused and subjugated… I tried to stick with it, thinking that things would start to come together, but it just became so annoying and unpleasant that I gave up.
kleonard's review against another edition
5.0
This is a brilliant book, the lovechild of Station Eleven, Oryx and Crake, and Riddley Walker.
barefootmegz's review
5.0
I have been trying to review this book and I am struggling. So I’m going to say first-off: I LOVED IT. Maybe I need to find a better word than “love”. Because it’s not pretty. There’s very little “pretty” here.
The Country of Ice Cream Star by Sandra Newman is one of those books that dumps you in a world completely foreign to your own, and leaves you to figure it out as the story progresses. That is not to say there isn’t world-building (there is!), it just doesn’t make anything obvious.
I have never made quite so many annotations on my e-reader.
I don’t want to give anything away – even some smaller details take some reading to figure out, and I think that’s awesome.
One thing that takes a while to get used to is the language. Newman has essentially created a new dialect for her characters – I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a new language, but it is kind of a Pidgin English, although that’s not all too fair because it is not at all simplified. It reminds me a little of Valleysmen in Cloud Atlas. Eventually I really started enjoying this dialect, because it’s kind of similar to the way that I think, sometimes. Newman also REALLY displays her prowess when she brings other dialects into her story with other communities.
This book is LONG… I mean, not 1Q84 long, but 640 pages long. And it’s an epic, of war and disease and kinship. It took me a long time to finish it: it’s not the kind of book that should be rushed. It is also not at all predictable (at least, it wasn’t to me), which makes it an even wilder ride.
I would have love to read this in a class because there are a few parallels to modern world that could be discussed, especially in terms of religion, politics and war (although you could argue they are all the same). In many ways I was reminded of Lord of the Flies and The Handmaid’s Tale. Many parts of the story were gut-churning and decidedly not-pretty. Sometimes I wondered about the lack of moral fibre in these kids, and other times I marvelled at the structures they managed to build into their societies.
“You have to understand, it’s how we are here. It’s like we’re all asleep. We grow up, we fall asleep, and then the horrors that scared us before – we’re doing them. We’re the monsters in the nightmare.”
As for the main character, Ice Cream Star: I really enjoyed reading her – which is not to say I always liked her. Sometimes she annoyed the crap out of me. Sometimes I just wanted to hug her. Sometimes I felt like she didn’t really have full agency. But as a character she was wonderful. Her self-awareness and maturity change noticeably. It’s like you could see her prefrontal cortex developing.
"Then I remember ice cream been a food I never taste. I wonder what my mama dream to name me for this food, as if she name me Something Lost."
In terms of story-development, this is probably one of the most unique books I’ve read. The idea of a plague killing everyone at a certain age is not new, but the way in which Newman further develops that idea certainly is. What happens when a cure is not found? What happens when the plague becomes the norm? What happens when children become responsible for humanity’s continued existence?
The Country of Ice Cream Star happens. I couldn’t recommend this book more avidly. (Somebody please read it soon so that I can have long discussions about it without spoiling the story!)
I received an eARC of this book via the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Country of Ice Cream Star by Sandra Newman is one of those books that dumps you in a world completely foreign to your own, and leaves you to figure it out as the story progresses. That is not to say there isn’t world-building (there is!), it just doesn’t make anything obvious.
I have never made quite so many annotations on my e-reader.
I don’t want to give anything away – even some smaller details take some reading to figure out, and I think that’s awesome.
One thing that takes a while to get used to is the language. Newman has essentially created a new dialect for her characters – I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a new language, but it is kind of a Pidgin English, although that’s not all too fair because it is not at all simplified. It reminds me a little of Valleysmen in Cloud Atlas. Eventually I really started enjoying this dialect, because it’s kind of similar to the way that I think, sometimes. Newman also REALLY displays her prowess when she brings other dialects into her story with other communities.
This book is LONG… I mean, not 1Q84 long, but 640 pages long. And it’s an epic, of war and disease and kinship. It took me a long time to finish it: it’s not the kind of book that should be rushed. It is also not at all predictable (at least, it wasn’t to me), which makes it an even wilder ride.
I would have love to read this in a class because there are a few parallels to modern world that could be discussed, especially in terms of religion, politics and war (although you could argue they are all the same). In many ways I was reminded of Lord of the Flies and The Handmaid’s Tale. Many parts of the story were gut-churning and decidedly not-pretty. Sometimes I wondered about the lack of moral fibre in these kids, and other times I marvelled at the structures they managed to build into their societies.
“You have to understand, it’s how we are here. It’s like we’re all asleep. We grow up, we fall asleep, and then the horrors that scared us before – we’re doing them. We’re the monsters in the nightmare.”
As for the main character, Ice Cream Star: I really enjoyed reading her – which is not to say I always liked her. Sometimes she annoyed the crap out of me. Sometimes I just wanted to hug her. Sometimes I felt like she didn’t really have full agency. But as a character she was wonderful. Her self-awareness and maturity change noticeably. It’s like you could see her prefrontal cortex developing.
"Then I remember ice cream been a food I never taste. I wonder what my mama dream to name me for this food, as if she name me Something Lost."
In terms of story-development, this is probably one of the most unique books I’ve read. The idea of a plague killing everyone at a certain age is not new, but the way in which Newman further develops that idea certainly is. What happens when a cure is not found? What happens when the plague becomes the norm? What happens when children become responsible for humanity’s continued existence?
The Country of Ice Cream Star happens. I couldn’t recommend this book more avidly. (Somebody please read it soon so that I can have long discussions about it without spoiling the story!)
I received an eARC of this book via the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
gabrielleint's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
Literally an intolerable read and I found the dialect of the Sengles to be racist.
migimon2002's review
2.0
I received an early copy of this book from Random House Canada, through the Goodreads contest. I was so excited to have this opportunity.
Currently I am about half way through the novel, and will admit I have found myself taking breaks from it. There is not much I do not like to read, and I generally love the dystopian genre. I am, however, finding the original dialect of the narrative a bit cumbersome. As I read, more of the story is taking shape. But there are still a number words I just cannot discern a meaning for. I do appreciate the author's ability to maintain this unique voice. I'm just not sure it's my 'cup of tea.' I also find it difficult - as a teacher - that this could be considered a YA novel because I think many high school students would find the dialect too much of a distraction. But that is just my opinion.
I will update my review upon finishing as I am intrigued to find out where Ice Cream's journey will inevitably lead her.
Updated: ultimately, this book just wasn't for me. It had the right premise and overall story appeal, but I just had a hard time getting past the diction (which is strange because usually I enjoy different, authentic stylized-voice).
Currently I am about half way through the novel, and will admit I have found myself taking breaks from it. There is not much I do not like to read, and I generally love the dystopian genre. I am, however, finding the original dialect of the narrative a bit cumbersome. As I read, more of the story is taking shape. But there are still a number words I just cannot discern a meaning for. I do appreciate the author's ability to maintain this unique voice. I'm just not sure it's my 'cup of tea.' I also find it difficult - as a teacher - that this could be considered a YA novel because I think many high school students would find the dialect too much of a distraction. But that is just my opinion.
I will update my review upon finishing as I am intrigued to find out where Ice Cream's journey will inevitably lead her.
Updated: ultimately, this book just wasn't for me. It had the right premise and overall story appeal, but I just had a hard time getting past the diction (which is strange because usually I enjoy different, authentic stylized-voice).
shannon_reidwheat's review against another edition
3.0
I knew I could not get past reading the language in this book, so I opted to listen to it on audio instead. Made it much easier, and honestly got the hang of the "speak".
Good story, but I think it was too long, and left many questions unanswered. I would of liked to have some background on how the U.S. got to this point and more about the "posies". Not sure if I would read a follow-up or not. Read this one, as it was on a book challenge I am doing, and so far, no one has been able to finish it.
Good story, but I think it was too long, and left many questions unanswered. I would of liked to have some background on how the U.S. got to this point and more about the "posies". Not sure if I would read a follow-up or not. Read this one, as it was on a book challenge I am doing, and so far, no one has been able to finish it.
fiestada's review against another edition
Quit on page 9. "Linguistically ambitious" indeed.