Sixteen-year-old Jack gets drunk and is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is kidnapped. He escapes, narrowly. The only person he tells is hi...
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reviews
Oct 22, 2011
The Holy Terror
rated it: 
Meh. It wasn't that bad, it wasn't that good; it was barely middling. A unique and fascinating concept that got bogged down by constant repetition, an ending that sputtered, and completely unimaginative homophobia.
I was originally drawn to this title because of how disturbing I heard it was; inappropriate for young adults, gruesome and gory, disgusting. Unfortunately, it wasn't all that bad. True, there were some parts that were a bit gross, mostly all the puking the hero does, but re More...
I was originally drawn to this title because of how disturbing I heard it was; inappropriate for young adults, gruesome and gory, disgusting. Unfortunately, it wasn't all that bad. True, there were some parts that were a bit gross, mostly all the puking the hero does, but re More...
18 comments
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(18 people liked it)
Jun 05, 2011
Sarah
rated it: 
Excerpt:I don’t know if the things I see and what I do in Marbury are in the future or from the past. Maybe everything’s really happening at the same time. But I do know that once I started going to Marbury, I couldn’t stop myself. I know it sounds crazy, but Marbury began to feel safer, at least more predictable, than the here and now.
I believe I am traumatized.
SERIOUSLY, I read this book 3 months ago and up until now I was as confused and bewildered as I was when I firs More...
I believe I am traumatized.
SERIOUSLY, I read this book 3 months ago and up until now I was as confused and bewildered as I was when I firs More...
15 comments
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(10 people liked it)
Jan 05, 2012
Jen Bigheart
rated it: 
I don't think I've read another book similar to The Marbury Lens. It was truly disturbing - in a fantastic way! I wasn't able to predict a single moment. Awesome!
UPDATE: November 4th, 2010
This review will be a little unconventional. I went back and read my original review on Good Reads and thought, "What" That's it? Lame" So here I am trying to write a longer review. Problem? Words come to mind - easily come to mind, but they don't seem to want to form com More...
UPDATE: November 4th, 2010
This review will be a little unconventional. I went back and read my original review on Good Reads and thought, "What" That's it? Lame" So here I am trying to write a longer review. Problem? Words come to mind - easily come to mind, but they don't seem to want to form com More...
0 comments
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(6 people liked it)
Mar 10, 2011
Lea
rated it:
NOTE: I don't know how to hide "spoiler" reviews, & I'm not really sure this qualifies anyway, but be warned -- this MAY contain stuff you'd rather not know if you haven't read the book yet.
Okaaaaay... How to review "The Marbury Lens"...
I'm going to assume the plot points are covered (more than) adequately in other reviews, so I'm going to skip all that & focus on my thoughts on the book instead.
First of all, I find it extremely difficult to believe anyone older than 10 would find this book f More...
Okaaaaay... How to review "The Marbury Lens"...
I'm going to assume the plot points are covered (more than) adequately in other reviews, so I'm going to skip all that & focus on my thoughts on the book instead.
First of all, I find it extremely difficult to believe anyone older than 10 would find this book f More...
9 comments
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(15 people liked it)
Aug 03, 2011
Mello
rated it:
Short version: This, this, and also, this.
Long version:
Okay, contrary to popular belief, this book isn't very graphic. Personally, I've been scarred worse that time I accidentally came across some Richie Foley/Virgil Hawkins fanart. Or that time I decided I wanted to know what a manikini was...(FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T GOOGLE THAT!)
Moving on, yeah, I thought that it was going to be terrible and horrible. I expected to run screaming away in pure horror. In rea More...
Long version:
Okay, contrary to popular belief, this book isn't very graphic. Personally, I've been scarred worse that time I accidentally came across some Richie Foley/Virgil Hawkins fanart. Or that time I decided I wanted to know what a manikini was...(FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T GOOGLE THAT!)
Moving on, yeah, I thought that it was going to be terrible and horrible. I expected to run screaming away in pure horror. In rea More...
20 comments
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(8 people liked it)
Sep 29, 2011
Megan
rated it:
I finished The Marbury Lens so very long ago, and now I am afraid that a review written weeks after having initially read the book simply won't do it justice. Let's see...
Admittedly, I was turned off from The Marbury Lens simply because the premise sounds so implausible. Jack, a California teenager spends a few weeks of his summer vacation in London with his best friend. The first few days Jack is on his own and is pursued by a stranger who gives him a pair of magical purple glasses. More...
Admittedly, I was turned off from The Marbury Lens simply because the premise sounds so implausible. Jack, a California teenager spends a few weeks of his summer vacation in London with his best friend. The first few days Jack is on his own and is pursued by a stranger who gives him a pair of magical purple glasses. More...
2 comments
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(8 people liked it)
Jun 27, 2010
Brian
rated it:
As teen literature continues to be a huge and growing field of publishing, the more mainstream its novels become. When I published my first novel Pure Sunshine, the genre was basically a dead genre. The books that started the new boom were adventurous, daring, and edgy wasn't just a marketing term. There was a sense to push the boundaries of what was considered acceptable in YA fiction. However, once the genre became an established outlet for bestsellers, there was a reverse pull back to more tr
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0 comments
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(6 people liked it)
Aug 07, 2011
Seth
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
3 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Jul 05, 2011
Dana
rated it:
Wow. Two Stars? Five Stars? I don't know.
The Marbury Lens reminds me a lot of Stephen King's Dark Tower series.
The Gunslinger
Let me explain: I love Stephen King (The Shining, The Stand, Needful Things, It), yet I didn't really love the Dark Tower Series. The series was just a little too...dark? ...morally ambiguous? ...disturbing? ...meandering?
With that being said...I read all seven books in the series.
Yep. All 7. (Felt like 8.)
More...
The Marbury Lens reminds me a lot of Stephen King's Dark Tower series.
The Gunslinger
Let me explain: I love Stephen King (The Shining, The Stand, Needful Things, It), yet I didn't really love the Dark Tower Series. The series was just a little too...dark? ...morally ambiguous? ...disturbing? ...meandering?
With that being said...I read all seven books in the series.
Yep. All 7. (Felt like 8.)
More...
0 comments
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(1 person liked it)
May 02, 2011
Chris
rated it:
I felt so sick.
This is when it started falling apart.
I know that now.
Jack shares this on page 53, still quite early in his book, but well after he's been kidnapped, tortured, and nearly raped, has escaped and, with the help of his best friend, accidentally killed his attacker while trying to take revenge. Things start bad, but they get much, much worse. Because Jack can't escape the shame and trauma of his experience, even after flying all the way to England More...
This is when it started falling apart.
I know that now.
Jack shares this on page 53, still quite early in his book, but well after he's been kidnapped, tortured, and nearly raped, has escaped and, with the help of his best friend, accidentally killed his attacker while trying to take revenge. Things start bad, but they get much, much worse. Because Jack can't escape the shame and trauma of his experience, even after flying all the way to England More...
0 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Jul 28, 2011
Glaiza
rated it:
Amazing writing. A fast paced, compelling and disturbing read. The beginning really hooks the reader into Jack's place and doesn't let go. The characters and the alternate world (known as Marbury) felt so real through his eyes. Marbury is a post-apocalyptic-like state where people Jack knows take on different forms to survive. It's also the place where he escapes to deal with his traumatised outlook.
Critique-wise:
I thought Jack and Nicole got together too quickly - their supp More...
Critique-wise:
I thought Jack and Nicole got together too quickly - their supp More...
2 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Nov 12, 2011
Smash
rated it:
Smash Attack Reads: http://www.smashattackreads.com/2011/04/...
4.5 Hoots
4.5 Hoots
"I was thinking. What if the world was like one of those Russian nesting dolls? What if we only saw one surface of it, the outside, but there was all kinds of other stuff going on, too? All the time. Underneath. But we just don't see it, even if we're part of it? Even if we're in it? And what if you had a chance to see a different layer, like flipping a channel or something? Would you want to look? Even if whMore...
Feb 05, 2012
Jenya
rated it:
I just don't get why so many people think this book is all that.
It's about trauma--a kidnapping. No, wait, it's about addiction. No, wait, it's about an alternate dystopian reality. Or it's a bildungsroman about a boy and his best friend and his love interest. No, wait, it's a ghost story about family and war.
Well, whatever, dude.
Unlike some readers, I didn't love it until the end and then get angry that the ending was so ambiguous. No, I was bemused all the way through. Bu More...
It's about trauma--a kidnapping. No, wait, it's about addiction. No, wait, it's about an alternate dystopian reality. Or it's a bildungsroman about a boy and his best friend and his love interest. No, wait, it's a ghost story about family and war.
Well, whatever, dude.
Unlike some readers, I didn't love it until the end and then get angry that the ending was so ambiguous. No, I was bemused all the way through. Bu More...
Nov 04, 2011
Corbin
rated it: 
As one of my first Young Adult Novels I can say I wasn't too put off by this. Though the author relies heavily on sexual behavior, constant schizophrenic-esque babble and using the F word a bit too much to make me feel in any way connected to these characters. The 'grotesque' scenery was shocking at first but got mundane and over used. The whole time I was reading this I couldn't stop myself from saying "STOP MAKING SO MANY ALLEGORICAL REFERENCES TO DRUGS" the whole idea of the "M
More...
Jul 18, 2011
Barrie
rated it:
I really enjoyed this young adult novel. It's not the norm for an author to come up with a totally new landscape or metaphor to use as a lens with which to see a character.
I'd give the book five stars except the number of times Smith used the f-word made me uncomfortable. I know he was being realistic. I just think you can use anything too much.
The book caught my interest after Andrew Smith was interviewed by Kerri Miller on MPR's "Mid-Morning" show. He had been cr More...
I'd give the book five stars except the number of times Smith used the f-word made me uncomfortable. I know he was being realistic. I just think you can use anything too much.
The book caught my interest after Andrew Smith was interviewed by Kerri Miller on MPR's "Mid-Morning" show. He had been cr More...
Jun 20, 2011
Carolyn
rated it:
This was gripping and interesting. A bit more graphic and violent than I tend to like, but I was okay with that. My main issue is that I felt it left me with too many unanswered questions. But, to its credit, it didn't go in the predictable direction I was SURE it was going in, so that was a nice surprise.
(next day) After sleeping on it, I have more thoughts on this book. SPOILER ALERT.
This is really a book about trauma (sexual trauma specifically), and I think the di More...
(next day) After sleeping on it, I have more thoughts on this book. SPOILER ALERT.
This is really a book about trauma (sexual trauma specifically), and I think the di More...
May 29, 2011
Mrs.
rated it:
The Marbury Lens will keep you up all night. Each time your eyelids start to sink, you'll come across "roll....tap,tap,tap", and with a racing heart you'll drop into the world of Marbury. No matter how many times you return to the present, the need for that adrenaline surge will have you reading more and more. This incredibly tense and troublesome read starts with an very bad night of drunkenness for 16-year old Jack, and sends him on a journey of true insanity. This is the book you'll
More...
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(1 person liked it)
May 28, 2011
Rachael
rated it:
Jack’s life is screwed up. Maybe it’s because he got drunk, was kidnapped, and barely escaped with his life. Maybe it’s because the only person her could tell was his best friend Conner. Or maybe it’s because when he and Conner arrive in London for the summer, a stranger gives Jack a pair of purple-tinted glasses, through which Jack can see another world called Marbury. And it’s a terrifying place, since there’s a war going on between these savage, animalistic beings and Jack’s friends, who may
More...
Apr 06, 2011
Sab
rated it:
This isn't YA dystopia in the way, say, The Hunger Games is, but it fits in the category because, while present day London (where the book is set) isn't much different from today, the alternate world of Marbury is quite definitely experiencing its own apocalyptic horrors.
The Marbury Lens is a strange book that tries to do a lot of things and only gets a few of them right. The world of Marbury itself is fascinating, as is the fact that everyone there has a twin here, but if your Marbury More...
The Marbury Lens is a strange book that tries to do a lot of things and only gets a few of them right. The world of Marbury itself is fascinating, as is the fact that everyone there has a twin here, but if your Marbury More...
Feb 26, 2011
Eva
rated it:
This is one grim, gripping story. Jack is a normal teen, awkward, occasionally crude, but mostly a good person - and the stuff that happens to him is just way out of whack. The only thing that makes this book bearable to read (besides being well-written and addictively suspenseful, that is) is Jack's budding relationship with Nickie. She is too good to be true and never quite comes fully to life, but she provides some much needed relief to Jack and to the reader. And the relationship between Jac
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Nov 12, 2010
Jeannie
rated it:
3.5 star review.
Well, this was a whopper. Truly, and honestly, a doozy of a story. Frighteningly realistic, scary, chilling and very riveting. This is a page turner you can't put down until you've reached the end.
17 year old Jack Whitmore, born a bastard on his mother's kitchen floor, grows up with his grandparents since his parents chose to not participate in his rearing. Getting drunk one night at a party with his best friend Conn has Jack hitting the streets to walk off h More...
Well, this was a whopper. Truly, and honestly, a doozy of a story. Frighteningly realistic, scary, chilling and very riveting. This is a page turner you can't put down until you've reached the end.
17 year old Jack Whitmore, born a bastard on his mother's kitchen floor, grows up with his grandparents since his parents chose to not participate in his rearing. Getting drunk one night at a party with his best friend Conn has Jack hitting the streets to walk off h More...
Sep 02, 2010
Lydia
rated it:
Is this supposed to be a Young Adult title? Because I cannot imagine handing it to any teenager that I know.
Did you see the movie Avatar? Well.. that's a starting point for what this book is like. Add in massive amounts of profanity, an attempted rape, dismembered corpses and cannibalism and you'll start to get a bit more of the picture.
Jack lives in two worlds. He lives in ours and he lives in a place called Marbury. Marbury is... not pleasant.
I'll be ho More...
Did you see the movie Avatar? Well.. that's a starting point for what this book is like. Add in massive amounts of profanity, an attempted rape, dismembered corpses and cannibalism and you'll start to get a bit more of the picture.
Jack lives in two worlds. He lives in ours and he lives in a place called Marbury. Marbury is... not pleasant.
I'll be ho More...
Jul 02, 2010
your neighborhood librarian
rated it:
This book doesn't come out til November, so I am not going to post the review on Pink Me until September or October. But while it's fresh in my mind, here it is...
What is this?
I know about teen novels with alternate worlds. Usually those worlds are carefully mapped out, explained, lovingly explored by the author. And I know what is a book with a teenage protagonist who endures a terrible, traumatic experience. Although usually those are girls. It can be rough these days More...
What is this?
I know about teen novels with alternate worlds. Usually those worlds are carefully mapped out, explained, lovingly explored by the author. And I know what is a book with a teenage protagonist who endures a terrible, traumatic experience. Although usually those are girls. It can be rough these days More...
3 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Jan 20, 2011
Bondama
rated it:
This is one of the most unusual books I've ever encountered. It starts much as many YA books start, with a stranger giving the protagonist an unusual pair of glasses. In the protagonist's backstory, he turns out to have had a shattering experience, just before he and his best friend are taking a trip to England. Jack (protag.) is kidnapped, and very nearly raped. He escapes with the help of a ghost named Seth.
When Jack puts on the glasses, he is in another world. Not a good worl More...
When Jack puts on the glasses, he is in another world. Not a good worl More...
0 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Dec 16, 2010
This book was extremly awesome. The Marbury lens is a must read. I thought the book is literally one of the best books i have ever read!!! You had better start reading this book. Right Now! If you are not then you should jump off a cliff and shove your head in a bodily cavity that i cannot say on here.
The story is about jack whittman. A 16 year old boy in california. His father left and his mother doesn't care so he live with his grandparents. They are pretty wealthy and they want More...
The story is about jack whittman. A 16 year old boy in california. His father left and his mother doesn't care so he live with his grandparents. They are pretty wealthy and they want More...
Dec 25, 2011
Audrey
rated it:
Let's be real.
This book has many, many redeeming qualities, i.e. the basic concept, the diction and writing style, and most importantly, the unbelievably eerie tone Smith is able to create. He definitely wins points for creativity, a pair of glasses that allows a boy to see into another "realm" or "dimension"? What the fridge?
I know what you are thinking: "An angsty teenager stumbles into another realm where he is able to escape the reality of his l More...
This book has many, many redeeming qualities, i.e. the basic concept, the diction and writing style, and most importantly, the unbelievably eerie tone Smith is able to create. He definitely wins points for creativity, a pair of glasses that allows a boy to see into another "realm" or "dimension"? What the fridge?
I know what you are thinking: "An angsty teenager stumbles into another realm where he is able to escape the reality of his l More...
May 30, 2011
Inna
rated it:
Marbury Lens isn't a book I usually pick up and read. There was something so dark and eerie about it. And I was not mistake, even right from the beginning, you are given that feeling. With the way people treat Jack and when he was kidnapped, it frightened me. It was as if I was watching a sad and depressing movie. I always wished that right after the kidnap, he would find hope. Yes, he found it through Nickie and through the Marbury world.. But something about that world frightened me. It was a
More...
Jun 06, 2010
Paty
rated it:
I can't put it down. Violent, crazy, and disturbing. It's a creepy action/adventure story taking place in two worlds.
0 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Sep 27, 2011
Megatron
rated it:
Dude...just dude. Where to even begin? I literally JUST finished this book and I don't know if I can even think straight.
"The Marbury Lens crawls inside your head and won't leave. Scary, creepy, awful, and awesome." -Michael Grant (from front cover)
Why did I not listen to those words?? Oh wait, yeah I did, and I thought they were cool. Well, I still think they're cool, but also I know they're TOTALLY TRUE. oh gosh... I'm so not satisfied. The ending was killer, as More...
"The Marbury Lens crawls inside your head and won't leave. Scary, creepy, awful, and awesome." -Michael Grant (from front cover)
Why did I not listen to those words?? Oh wait, yeah I did, and I thought they were cool. Well, I still think they're cool, but also I know they're TOTALLY TRUE. oh gosh... I'm so not satisfied. The ending was killer, as More...
May 22, 2011
Mark
rated it:
"'I was thinking, What if the world was like that? What if we only saw one surface of it, the outside, but there was all kinds of other stuff going on, too? All the time. Underneath. But we just don't see it, even if we're part of it? Even if we're in it? And what if you had a chance to see a different layer, like flipping a channel or something? Would you want to look? Even if what you saw looked like hell? Or worse?'"
Jack Whitmore has never led a particularly charmed or ext More...
Jack Whitmore has never led a particularly charmed or ext More...
