I Am the Messenger
by Markus Zusak
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| God? *spoilers* | 1 | 02/22/2008 05:33PM |
| who did you think the messenger was? | 3 | 03/17/2008 11:59PM |
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1113)
Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
older teens
Okay. So I read quite a bit of young adult fiction. This author is from Australia. You get to read Australian slang. There is mild language in this book. I also do not know if I would want my daughter to read this until she is older- meaning out of high school. I must say that I am a bit of a prude and a censor. I don't like to imagine my daughter reading about the details of a boy's thoughts. He describes his desires for certain women. I know boys do this, but that is what imagination ...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
everyone!
READ THIS BOOK!!!!! This is the second book I read by this author. The first book (The Book Thief) was my second favorite book of 2007. I read this in print and loved it so much listened to it on audio. Both are wonderful. The narrator in the audio version is outstanding, so i would recommend audio.
Grade 9 Up - Nineteen-year-old cabbie Ed Kennedy has little in life to be proud of: his dad died of alcoholism, and he and his mom have few prospects for success. He has little to do except share a ...more
Grade 9 Up - Nineteen-year-old cabbie Ed Kennedy has little in life to be proud of: his dad died of alcoholism, and he and his mom have few prospects for success. He has little to do except share a ...more
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Read in March, 2008
This book is the story of Ed Kennedy, a twenty-year-old Australian going-nowhere cabdriver who has a few close friends (including a girl that he's hopelessly in love with), a smelly dog that he shares his coffee with (the Doorman), and a foul-mouthed mother whose main purpose in life seems to be telling him to "piss off!".
The story begins as he and his friends find themselves in the middle of a bank robbery. Ed ends up inadvertently apprehending the robber, and becomes somewhat of ...more
The story begins as he and his friends find themselves in the middle of a bank robbery. Ed ends up inadvertently apprehending the robber, and becomes somewhat of ...more
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Read in April, 2008
Stamp it on my forehead, folks. I'm here, I'm a blubbering fool, get used to it.
I didn't have high expectations going into this novel, I'd heard it wasn't as good as 'The Book Thief'(pfft...whole box of kleenix on that one). But, I finished it in 7 hours and what can I say?
Um... I.AM.A.SAP
Okay, I can see the flaws, I mean..I'm not a stupid sap. I could see the formula... I knew what was coming. But, the writing makes up for it.
Plus, a 19-year-old-suffering-fr...more
I didn't have high expectations going into this novel, I'd heard it wasn't as good as 'The Book Thief'(pfft...whole box of kleenix on that one). But, I finished it in 7 hours and what can I say?
Um... I.AM.A.SAP
Okay, I can see the flaws, I mean..I'm not a stupid sap. I could see the formula... I knew what was coming. But, the writing makes up for it.
Plus, a 19-year-old-suffering-fr...more
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Reviewed by Taylor Rector for TeensReadToo.com
Ed Kennedy is a nineteen-year-old cab driver who is kind of a nobody! He hasn't achieved anything great, isn't a genius, his mom despises him, and his dad died of alcoholism. The only real thing that he has is his dog, named the Doorman, who everyone says desperately needs a bath. And, he's in love with Audrey, a girl from a bad neighborhood, just like him, who also happens to be one of his best friends since forever. The thing is, Audrey doesn't...more
Ed Kennedy is a nineteen-year-old cab driver who is kind of a nobody! He hasn't achieved anything great, isn't a genius, his mom despises him, and his dad died of alcoholism. The only real thing that he has is his dog, named the Doorman, who everyone says desperately needs a bath. And, he's in love with Audrey, a girl from a bad neighborhood, just like him, who also happens to be one of his best friends since forever. The thing is, Audrey doesn't...more
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Read in July, 2006
recommends it for:
older teens
After reading The Book Thief, I went to great lengths to find another Markus Zusak book, and when I finally found this one, I couldn't have been happier. I think I read it in about two days. Markus Zusak's powerful prose is still at work, although Ed Kennedy is hardly an ideal subject for poetry. Zusak's protagonist is an underage cab driver with a coffee-addicted dog, a foul-mouthed mother, and an intense love for his best friend Audrey. E...more
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Read in March, 2008
Ed Kennedy foils a bank robbery and it changes his life. Soon after he receives a card in the mail, the Ace of Hearts, and a list of three addresses. At each address he must do something for the people there. He has become a messenger - delivering hope, comfort and occasionally justice or violence. Whatever the task requires and all with no idea who's pulling the strings and sending him the cards.
I picked up I Am The Messenger because I was so in love with Zusak's The Book Theif that I wante...more
I picked up I Am The Messenger because I was so in love with Zusak's The Book Theif that I wante...more
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Read in December, 2007
recommended to Margaret by:
Green Bean Book Clubrecommends it for: Generation Y, anybody
I had just finished "The Book Thief," just discovered Marcus Zusak when a friend gave me a library book of "I Am The Messenger." It took me a while to read it because I just KNEW I wouldn't like the book. It seemed so... inconsequential compared to the poetic bliss of "The Book Thief." It failed the flip test miserably... I couldn't see any great metaphors, the writing style seemed simple... and the first few pages dealt with a group of 19 year old losers and I f...more
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Read in April, 2008
Now that all my obligatory stuff is complete, I'm glad that I get to just read for fun again.
I really enjoyed this book. I especially enjoyed Zusak's writing style, though I think the language is atrocious for a young adult read.
Ed Kennedy is a run of the mill kind of kid who happens to be in the right place at the wrong time during a bank robbery. Hailed as a hero after foiling the burgulary, he's thrown into the midst of a gmae involving aces. An ace mysteriously shows up in his m...more
I really enjoyed this book. I especially enjoyed Zusak's writing style, though I think the language is atrocious for a young adult read.
Ed Kennedy is a run of the mill kind of kid who happens to be in the right place at the wrong time during a bank robbery. Hailed as a hero after foiling the burgulary, he's thrown into the midst of a gmae involving aces. An ace mysteriously shows up in his m...more
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Read in April, 2008
I can't say I knew what to expect from this book, and yet it exceeded all my expectations. What started out as a rough-around-the-edges Guy story (the literary equivalent of the "buddy movie" genre) quickly becomes something that could be sinister--the hapless hero receiving playing cards in the mail with addresses on them, no explanations, and he needs to figure out what to do at each place. But the addresses aren't about mob hits or shakedowns or anything--they're about performing ...more
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Read in August, 2007
After reading The Book Thief and loving it, I was curious about I Am the Messenger. It's not as brilliant as The Book Thief, but it's a good read nonetheless.
Ed Kennedy is 19 and basically isn't doing a whole lot with his life. He has an elderly, smelly dog named the Doorman, he drives a cab, and he gets together with his friends a few nights a week to play cards. He's in love with Audrey, his best friend, but can't tell her. This all begins to change when Ed foils a completely inept attempt...more
Ed Kennedy is 19 and basically isn't doing a whole lot with his life. He has an elderly, smelly dog named the Doorman, he drives a cab, and he gets together with his friends a few nights a week to play cards. He's in love with Audrey, his best friend, but can't tell her. This all begins to change when Ed foils a completely inept attempt...more
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Read in January, 2004
Like the late great Robert Cormier did in We All Fall Down, Zusak takes what sounds like a plot for a Stine/Pike style thriller and turns it into a brilliant coming-of-age tale riding on the back of a suspense story. Ed Kennedy is an Australian slacker: drifting through life, unable to make a commitment to much of anything, expect maybe his coffee-drinking dog and playing cards with his mates. That is, until he gets caught up in a bank robbery and becomes an object of attention for a mysterious ...more
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Read in November, 2006
Ed Kennedy, shortly after becoming the unlikely hero of a bank robbery, starts getting face cards in the mail with the names of people he needs to help in some way. The cards don't explain how he is supposed to help these people, and the even names of the people become increasingly difficult to figure out. Ed encounters both horrific and beautiful events along this mystery, but he has no idea who's sending the messages - what do they want with Ed Kennedy, and when will it end?
In listening...more
In listening...more
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Read in January, 2008
Ed is a lame 19 year old cabdriver who... oh lets see... does nothing. He lusts for his best friend Audrey who refuses to love anyone and is always with random guys. Their friend Marv has a car that has seen better days (to be nice) and Ritchie sits at home and listens to the radio. Oh and Ed has a lazy coffee drinking dog named The Doorman with a personality (at times) that is very humanlike (in Ed's mind).
It all starts when Ed accidentally stops a bank robbery where the gunman is a to...more
It all starts when Ed accidentally stops a bank robbery where the gunman is a to...more
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OK: one of the best first chapters of any book, ever. Like, SO good. Perfectly executed.
The rest of the book: I liked it. Interesting premise, moved along at a decent pace. The "twist" at the ending was good.
There are a few iffy spots, where he describes a scene and it's not at all clear what exactly just happened, or he over describes and reminds the reader that what's happening at the moment is related to something that happens previously, and you're like "OK yeah, I kn...more
The rest of the book: I liked it. Interesting premise, moved along at a decent pace. The "twist" at the ending was good.
There are a few iffy spots, where he describes a scene and it's not at all clear what exactly just happened, or he over describes and reminds the reader that what's happening at the moment is related to something that happens previously, and you're like "OK yeah, I kn...more
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At first I was super bummed that Pushing Daisies wasn't on tonight, but finishing this book was excellent consolation. it's a completely different sort of story than Zusak's The Book Thief, but I was still completely enthralled and moved by it. It's about a sort of young slacker guy who drives a cab and isn't really doing much with his life, when he suddenly receives a playing card in the mail with a mysterious message. As he begins to follow the card's instructions, he finds meaning in his life...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommended to (C) Archer by:
Jennifer MartinezI am the Messenger is such a great book. If you have ever felt that you don't have a purpose and you want to do something with your life but you don't know what well this book will be a very good match for you.
Ed's (main character) life is going nowhere until an incident at the bank that really turns his life around. After that fateful day, Ed starts receiving cards in the mail which have people’s addresses on the back. Ed then has to visit each one of these homes and discover w...more
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Read in November, 2007
I would've thought this book was amazing if I'd read it at 15. But I'm 25 now, so I thought it was good. Especially (obviously) good for teens. The book's about a message and it gets it across well and the narrator is a really relatable guy, so there's good reason to recommend it.
I didn't always love the style Zusak used, though. For one thing, the book's not tightly written. If I were editing it I'd hack out most of the passages where the narrator just goes on and on about his emotional sta...more
I didn't always love the style Zusak used, though. For one thing, the book's not tightly written. If I were editing it I'd hack out most of the passages where the narrator just goes on and on about his emotional sta...more
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone bored. Its exciting.
This book was really fun. It was all about these Australians who just got out of high school almost. They had their own houses and were just trying to get by. The main character has a dog that smells no matter how much he washes it and some really great friends [one in whom he is in love with]. Anyways he goes to a bank one day and there is a robbery. He sees the robber and testifies against him in court. After he gets out of court he gets these weird messages telling him to do weird...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommended to Karima by:
Reneérecommends it for: anyone needed inspiration to jump-start their lives into a new direction
Enjoyed listening to this on audio. Nice job by narrator Marc Gray. Book appeals on many levels and disappoints on others.
Appealing because it has a sense of humor and shows over and over again how small actions create powerful change.
(uh-oh.Do I sound like I'm campaigning for Obama? (we can do it!) or is it Hillary? ( we can make a DIFFERENCE)
Liked Ed Kennedy ALOT. Would love to join him and his cronies for a game of cards.
Disappointing because of frequent occasions of predict...more
Appealing because it has a sense of humor and shows over and over again how small actions create powerful change.
(uh-oh.Do I sound like I'm campaigning for Obama? (we can do it!) or is it Hillary? ( we can make a DIFFERENCE)
Liked Ed Kennedy ALOT. Would love to join him and his cronies for a game of cards.
Disappointing because of frequent occasions of predict...more
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 4.12 (773 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 4.12 (728 ratings) number of reviews: 210popular shelves
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quote
"I’m Angelina,” she says. “Are you here to save us?” I can see a tiny spark of hope awaken in her eyes.
“You’re right, Angelina - I’m here to save you.”
“Can you? Really?”
“I’ll try,” I say and the girl smiles."
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