Mockingjay
Moderator: Marduk
Re: Mockingjay
While I understand that it is currently quite the popular thing, I'm not too sure how I feel about it. Is it worth all the attention it has been getting? Some times it can be quite witty, but others often seem to miss the mark. I'm all for humor and drama, but must say some types really don't appeal. If you really think about it, you have to admit it is rather cruel. I mean; do we ever get to hear Jay's side of the story? Is all the mocking really deserved?
-Tao (not quite to this guy's level yet)
-Tao (not quite to this guy's level yet)
He who knows others is clever;
He who knows himself has discernment.
He who overcomes others has force;
He who overcomes himself is strong. 33:1-4
He who knows himself has discernment.
He who overcomes others has force;
He who overcomes himself is strong. 33:1-4
Re: Mockingjay
Um, spoilers for the ending follow.
I kind of didn't like it. The first book was a good read. The second one fell off a bit, and I think we were all hoping the third one would come back and finish the series with a bang. But it disappointed.
The nature of the books make us attached to characters that we know are going to die off. We keep hoping we're wrong, but we aren't. And then the next book just introduces a new set of characters we are supposed to grow attached to... and then watch die. This sucks and it desensitizes us to the deaths of your characters, which we don't particularly like.
Katniss bugs me with her wishy-washy-ness. She wanders around for most of the book not getting involved in things or having goals. Just wrapped up in her own little trivial world. And then when she finally sets a goal (based solely on the need for revenge against Snow), everybody dies to help her fight her way through the city to get to him. Only to have her pass out almost immediately when she gets there. And then she wakes up and everything has been neatly taken care of for her. She never had to make any hard choices-- they're basically made for her. She doesn't even make a final choice in the Gale vs Peeta debate. Gale just wanders off and she stays with Peeta. And then there is the obligatory epilogue where they have kids and there's hope for the future. Blech.
Anyway, the premise is engaging, and I enjoyed reading them. I just feel like the second two books could have been combined into one. That would have been better.
I kind of didn't like it. The first book was a good read. The second one fell off a bit, and I think we were all hoping the third one would come back and finish the series with a bang. But it disappointed.
The nature of the books make us attached to characters that we know are going to die off. We keep hoping we're wrong, but we aren't. And then the next book just introduces a new set of characters we are supposed to grow attached to... and then watch die. This sucks and it desensitizes us to the deaths of your characters, which we don't particularly like.
Katniss bugs me with her wishy-washy-ness. She wanders around for most of the book not getting involved in things or having goals. Just wrapped up in her own little trivial world. And then when she finally sets a goal (based solely on the need for revenge against Snow), everybody dies to help her fight her way through the city to get to him. Only to have her pass out almost immediately when she gets there. And then she wakes up and everything has been neatly taken care of for her. She never had to make any hard choices-- they're basically made for her. She doesn't even make a final choice in the Gale vs Peeta debate. Gale just wanders off and she stays with Peeta. And then there is the obligatory epilogue where they have kids and there's hope for the future. Blech.
Anyway, the premise is engaging, and I enjoyed reading them. I just feel like the second two books could have been combined into one. That would have been better.
Re: Mockingjay
Almost all of the reasons you hate the books are why I absolutely love them. The author has said she wrote the books as a commentary on the effects of war on children and I think the books do an AMAZING job of that. The point we are particularly divided on is the death of the characters. I think the death of the characters was BRILLIANT in this book.
After the first two books, I expected Book 3 to end like Harry Potter - everything wraps together nicely in the end and we survive with minimal causalities. But, war isn't like Harry Potter. It's something that takes away people without regard to how likable they are or how much we want them to succeed. When Finnick died, I was devastated! When I read about Annie (is that her name? I can't remember....) giving birth to their baby, it stung even harder. But I realized that if I was that upset about a fictional character dying, how would I feel about a real war.
The wishy-washyness of Katniss is very aggravating. But then again, that's what I like. She's just a kid, one who doesn't really decide whether or not the war goes forward, but instead a tool to be used to accomplish it.
I definitely agree about the two books being combined into one. The first 80 pages of each book dragged on a bit more than they should have. I think she also could have fleshed out the revolt a little better. I felt like it was a three book series that covered the wrong material for parts. Does that make sense?
Symbolism I love: look at how Katniss is described each time her prep team gets her ready for something. Great symbolism for the effect of war on children.
Also, I love the last line of the book because it does a great job of showing that while war is horrible and has no "right" side, there are certain time when war is preferable.
After the first two books, I expected Book 3 to end like Harry Potter - everything wraps together nicely in the end and we survive with minimal causalities. But, war isn't like Harry Potter. It's something that takes away people without regard to how likable they are or how much we want them to succeed. When Finnick died, I was devastated! When I read about Annie (is that her name? I can't remember....) giving birth to their baby, it stung even harder. But I realized that if I was that upset about a fictional character dying, how would I feel about a real war.
The wishy-washyness of Katniss is very aggravating. But then again, that's what I like. She's just a kid, one who doesn't really decide whether or not the war goes forward, but instead a tool to be used to accomplish it.
I definitely agree about the two books being combined into one. The first 80 pages of each book dragged on a bit more than they should have. I think she also could have fleshed out the revolt a little better. I felt like it was a three book series that covered the wrong material for parts. Does that make sense?
Symbolism I love: look at how Katniss is described each time her prep team gets her ready for something. Great symbolism for the effect of war on children.
Also, I love the last line of the book because it does a great job of showing that while war is horrible and has no "right" side, there are certain time when war is preferable.