tombomp's review against another edition
4.0
Harrowing novel about the aftermath of a nuclear war. Like Threads in book form.
HOWEVER, I know there are at least 2 editions of this, with different endings. One is the original, which is realistic and depressing. There's another one which makes no sense but gives a reasonably happy ending. I prefer the first. Funny story: we read this book in school and half were the first and half the second but the teacher hadn't realised they had different endings. When we got to the end there was a lot of confusion and the teacher expressed her disappointment with the depressing ending. WHATEVER TEACH YOU WERE DUMB AS HECK DEPRESSING ENDINGS FOR LIFE
HOWEVER, I know there are at least 2 editions of this, with different endings. One is the original, which is realistic and depressing. There's another one which makes no sense but gives a reasonably happy ending. I prefer the first. Funny story: we read this book in school and half were the first and half the second but the teacher hadn't realised they had different endings. When we got to the end there was a lot of confusion and the teacher expressed her disappointment with the depressing ending. WHATEVER TEACH YOU WERE DUMB AS HECK DEPRESSING ENDINGS FOR LIFE
deathcabforkatey's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I picked this up with no idea it’s a children’s/YA book. I lean more toward YA just because of the romance part but I guess it may be more middle-reader.
I really enjoy dystopian books, because of the themes they explore. Surprisingly, this was the first book I read that explicitly had a nuclear apocalypse. Following the characters in the immediate fallout is interesting. However, the author doesn’t do a lot to flesh out the characters and give them more depth, so I end up very ambivalent about them.
The world is very walking dead-esque, and centers upon the question of what would remain of humanity in an apocalypse situation. What does it mean to be human sans-society? How do we survive while keeping our humanity? All questions I enjoy.
I definitely recommend this book to a younger audience. Adding it to my “for my kids” shelf.
Read if you like: dystopia, nuclear apocalypse, YA/middle readers.
I really enjoy dystopian books, because of the themes they explore. Surprisingly, this was the first book I read that explicitly had a nuclear apocalypse. Following the characters in the immediate fallout is interesting. However, the author doesn’t do a lot to flesh out the characters and give them more depth, so I end up very ambivalent about them.
The world is very walking dead-esque, and centers upon the question of what would remain of humanity in an apocalypse situation. What does it mean to be human sans-society? How do we survive while keeping our humanity? All questions I enjoy.
I definitely recommend this book to a younger audience. Adding it to my “for my kids” shelf.
Read if you like: dystopia, nuclear apocalypse, YA/middle readers.
ljp223's review against another edition
2.0
Fairly well written, found it a bit too traumatic to be enjoyable
thestarman's review against another edition
3.0
ADULT VERDICT: 2.75 stars, rounded to 3.
YA VERDICT: ~3.75 stars.
YA VERDICT: ~3.75 stars.
ifthebook's review against another edition
4.0
This was...a lot darker than I expected it to be, especially at the end. I was expecting a book about the horrors of nuclear war, yes, but I also expected a much more uplifting ending, something about how there is good in mankind, and that we survive and are better for it. Well, what I got was that we survive, but are probably not better for it, and that are attempts to survive and maintain high standards eventually all come to an end. Like I said, very dark, especially for the age group that this seems to be aimed at. (Not that I'm saying that's a bad thing.)
marysanderson's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
jasminegannaway's review against another edition
4.0
It's been 12 years since I last read this book. I'd forgotten how harrowing it could be. I think I appreciated it even more this time than I did then.
heather34's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75