lissajean7's review against another edition
4.0
This was a hard book for me to read. Not because it was bad, but because it was hard. Jeff Hirsch wrote a dystopian post-apocalyptic story and followed the story of one survivor struggling for life in the after-effects of the plague that decimated everything. It is a very personal story of hardship. You feel the desolation. You sympathize with his skepticism and practicality. Yet, you see glimpses of hope...moments of possibility. My heart hurt for those people. I suppose that means I liked it. That I think it worth reading. Do I ever want to read it again...no, probably not, but I'm glad I did. Reality is haunting, but the human spirit is indomitable. We can always choose to do things differently, better. No matter how trapped we feel, we are one choice away from something new and different. This book shows how difficult it is to make that choice, and the consequences. It weighs the options of staying safe verses taking risks. I recommend it.
lorathelibrarian's review against another edition
2.0
Very typical and a bit cliched. It felt thin a lot of the time with nothing really happening or keeping the reader's attention. And when things did happen it was about time, and moved so quickly without purpose.
Pass on this one.
Pass on this one.
jenmat1197's review against another edition
2.0
In the aftermath of a war, Stephen and his family are amount 1/3 of the populartion survived a flu epidemic. He, his dad, and his grandpa roam the country salvaging what they can find. When an accident happens, Stephen is forced to seek help. He finds a community that seems too good to be true. He puts his trust in the town doctor to save his dad, and Stephen tries to find some normalcy in a world that is anything but. Stephen's appearance in the town is not welcome by everyone that lives there, and it sets the community on a course that could destroy what they have built.
This book wasn't great. I do love dystopian novels, and I was drawn to this book for that reason. It started off okay, but then went downhill. For a kid who was born after the collapse, nothing seemed to surprise him. (his knowledge about McDonalds or a rollercoaster, or an arcade seemed unlikely) It didn't make any sense. The story also went from this being about a group of people working together to get through a society rebuild to a 15 year old kid and a girl in town who were suddenly in love and becoming reckless. The story went in circles and was weak. None of the characters are well developed. I found myself wanting to skim over about 1/3 of the book.
Don't recommend this one.
This book wasn't great. I do love dystopian novels, and I was drawn to this book for that reason. It started off okay, but then went downhill. For a kid who was born after the collapse, nothing seemed to surprise him. (his knowledge about McDonalds or a rollercoaster, or an arcade seemed unlikely) It didn't make any sense. The story also went from this being about a group of people working together to get through a society rebuild to a 15 year old kid and a girl in town who were suddenly in love and becoming reckless. The story went in circles and was weak. None of the characters are well developed. I found myself wanting to skim over about 1/3 of the book.
Don't recommend this one.
dlsmall's review against another edition
2.0
Kinda bleh. Decent premise, kind of "The Road" for young adults with less nuclear winter and more Chinese bioweapons. But, a series of annoying/implausible decisions made by the teen protagonists and the fairly stock characters made this book a tough sell for me. Too bad the eleventh plague didn't turn its victims to zombies, then maybe we'd be talking...kidding!
oobluroo's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
rach_wings's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
onceuponasarah's review against another edition
3.0
It was a bit too fast paced with not much background given - and what is given is kind of awkward. It just like, this happens, and then this, and then this. Sort of like a TV show. But the idea was really great, and the writing- although the style was abrupt- was pretty good. I want a sequel, so I guess the writer did a pretty good job.