La Cité des Dieux sauvages
by Isabel Allende
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Read in January, 2006
Isabel Allende is a good writer. While the teen fantasy genre is saturated, she makes a good entry with this hidden jungle civilization. Booktalk below.
The City of the Beasts, by Isabel Allende.
Alex’s life is out of control. He’s just a normal 15 year-old worrying about how to get a girl to notice him. But when his mother gets cancer and needs to go to a treatment center, everything changes for Alex. He’s angry, frustrated… a...more
The City of the Beasts, by Isabel Allende.
Alex’s life is out of control. He’s just a normal 15 year-old worrying about how to get a girl to notice him. But when his mother gets cancer and needs to go to a treatment center, everything changes for Alex. He’s angry, frustrated… a...more
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Read in April, 2008
This was a good book that had unexpected twists. The story starts out with a boy called Alexander Cold. He seems spoiled but is deeply affected by his mother’s cancer. He is sent to live with his grandmother who plans to take him on a trip to the Amazon because she needs to write an article on a creature that is supposedly dangerous. The story is about the adventure he goes on and how he is changed from a spoiled boy to a brave and confident man. One of the points that I found interesting is t...more
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Read in May, 2008
I wanted to try some of Allende's work, and being lazy I picked one of her kids' books. However, I'm not sure that was the best choice after all. 'City of the Beasts' was not quite my cup of tea, even though I generally enjoy YA-books. However, I tend to enjoy them because they are lighthearted and easy to read, or because they present difficult problems in a slightly less depressing light. City on the Beasts did not have that lightness. It wanted to incorporate some issues (genocide, exploitati...more
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Read in October, 2007
I wrote the below review while reading City of the Beasts; however, I later discovered that the book is actually the first of a trilogy written by Isabelle Allende for teenage readers! Oops! Although I wouldn't recommend the book to an adult, I imagine a teenager might enjoy it.
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I had some exposure to Isabelle Allende in high school Spanish class and had relatively high expectations for her writing ability considering that she is a well-renowned, best selling author. I was thoroughly...more
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I had some exposure to Isabelle Allende in high school Spanish class and had relatively high expectations for her writing ability considering that she is a well-renowned, best selling author. I was thoroughly...more
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Read in July, 2008
Alexander didn't know what to expect when he accompanied his grandmother on an expedition to the Amazon. What lay in store was nothing anyone could have imagined.
Any book about that mysterious and sometimes mythical land known as the Amazon is almost sure to be interesting, and City of the Beasts is no exception. The reader is instantly immersed in a land where just about anything can happen - even corresponding with the gods. There are beautiful spiritual elements written into thi...more
Any book about that mysterious and sometimes mythical land known as the Amazon is almost sure to be interesting, and City of the Beasts is no exception. The reader is instantly immersed in a land where just about anything can happen - even corresponding with the gods. There are beautiful spiritual elements written into thi...more
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This book was, I think, pretty good. I liked it because it does not take place in the United States. It takes place in the Amazon Jungle. It took place in a place where there are not many distractions, yet thier is distractions there. It was an adventure to read this.
The book is about a boy named Alexander Cold. He is 15 years old. In the beginning, his mother is diagnosed with cancer and has to be brought to a hospital. He is then starting to do bad in school. So, his father sends him to his...more
The book is about a boy named Alexander Cold. He is 15 years old. In the beginning, his mother is diagnosed with cancer and has to be brought to a hospital. He is then starting to do bad in school. So, his father sends him to his...more
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This book was, I think, pretty good. I liked it because it does not take place in the United States. It takes place in the Amazon Jungle. It took place in a place where there are not many distractions, yet thier is distractions there. It was an adventure to read this.
The book is about a boy named Alexander Cold. He is 15 years old. In the beginning, his mother is diagnosed with cancer and has to be brought to a hospital. He is then starting to do bad in school. So, his father sends him to his...more
The book is about a boy named Alexander Cold. He is 15 years old. In the beginning, his mother is diagnosed with cancer and has to be brought to a hospital. He is then starting to do bad in school. So, his father sends him to his...more
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recommends it for:
10 to 14 year olds
This was a decent story with a really great plot idea, but I feel that something was lost in translation. Normally I would have been excited to read this story, considering it is mostly about cryptozoology AND the amazon, but I found myself bored with the awkward language and simplified emotions of the characters. Having read many Allende books before, I know she has a talent for very descriptive and truly mystical story telling. I didn't sense that in this book, not in the way it's present in H...more
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
everyone who loves Isabel Allende
Didn't realize this was a kids' book at first and wondered why i felt that Allende was talking down to the reader. Still, full of her characteristic writing...charming, beautiful...i couldn't put it down especially towards the end. Not a surprise as all her books even her non-fiction seem to have the same magical effect on me.
Part of a trilogy; will look for the other two, but will read them in Spanish instead of English. I think translations of her books are excellent! They do capture ...more
Part of a trilogy; will look for the other two, but will read them in Spanish instead of English. I think translations of her books are excellent! They do capture ...more
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Read in March, 2008
this book was awesome because when alexander was about to go to his grandmother house, he met this girl that have stolen his money when he was in the men's bathroom at the restaurent.Fifteen-year-old Alexander Cold is about to join his fearless grandmother on the trip of a lifetime. An International Geographic expedition is headed to the dangerous, remote wilds of South America, on a mission to document the legendary Yeti of the Amazon known as the Beast.
But there are many secrets hidden in...more
But there are many secrets hidden in...more
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone who enjoys gentle fantasy with a social message
Wow. I read this book in one evening. I haven't done that in quite some time. I really, really enjoyed it. The first chapter was a bit of a drag, but after that I was hooked. It's about this boy, Alex, whose mother is dying of cancer, so he gets sent to live with his reporter/adventurer grandmother. She takes him along on a trip to the Amazon in search of a mythical Beast. Alex discovers that, far from just tagging along, he has a definite part to play in saving the People of the Mist, the last ...more
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Read in July, 2008
Gah! I was really disappointed with this little series from Allende. I love her books so much, but she did NOT successfully make the transition to writing for younger readers. The plots of all three in the series were very interesting and could have been a lot of fun, but the writing was often awkward and forced, especially the magical bits. The characters were a little two-dimensional, and even the dialogue was strained. She had some nifty ideas, but it seemed like she was trying to dumb them d...more
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Read in July, 2008
This was a good book but sometimes I could feel the translation a little too strongly. I saw a lot of the Spanish structure in some of the sentences and I'm not sure if that would make the book confusing for a younger reader. I liked the stories and the two young characters were strong and wise and learned a lot throughout the story. The grandmother was a bit too harsh to be real at times and the anthropologist was a strong caricature. The book provides exposure to other cultures but is adventur...more
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recommends it for:
Everyone
I started this book when i didnt have another one to read. I was at my friends house, and instantly became hooked! I went home and bought it for myself, and finished it very quickly!
The plot is very original, so it keeps you interested until the very end. The plot itself comprises of gigantic gorillas, jungle tribes, and a flute player. All of these things come together much better then i cam explaning them. so give the book a try!
The plot is very original, so it keeps you interested until the very end. The plot itself comprises of gigantic gorillas, jungle tribes, and a flute player. All of these things come together much better then i cam explaning them. so give the book a try!
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Read in July, 2008
I read this for my reading group, after we made the mistake of asking for "anything by Isabel Allende". This was dire. The beasts make no sense at all, and it's as though Allende imagines that teenagers are just as amused by giant poo heaps and knockout smells as 7-year-olds. The characters are two-dimensional stereotypes. Boring and a waste of time.
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A well told story about an undiscovered tribe in the Amazon. The main character travels there with his grandmother who is a famous writer for International Geographic. They are searching for the Yeti. There is an element of supernatural as the main character is befriended by a shaman. I had trouble putting this one down!
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The author tells you a story a of a crew of people taking a exploration though the the Amazon rain forest. You learn what it must be like there- WILD - while keeping you interested in the characters. There is also a hint of spirits. It's a good read out loud book -that's why I'm reading it to my husband.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in December, 2007
It has so much promise, this book. But the magic isn't very magical and the characters aren't quite compelling enough. And the things that are supposed to be shocking surprises just aren't at all. Maybe it was the translation? But I don't know - my mom read it in Spanish and she was pretty lukewarm about it, too.
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Read in December, 2007
One the whole the book was OK, but I was a bit unnerved by the way the book slowly moved into the magical realism that is Allende's trademark. The in-between stages, where a lot of fairly realistic supernatural elements are mixed into the plot made me a bit uncomfortable.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
ages 12-15
This book started out strong with a good character, story line and adventure. However, I am now bored bored bored and I am not sure if I can finish this book. It dissolved into long descriptions and lack of movement about half way through. Too bad.
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