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The Girl with All the Gifts (The Girl With All the Gifts, #1)

M.R. Carey

Start date: December 1, 2021

Finish date: December 30, 2021

Discussion: The Girl With All the Gifts

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The Girl With All the Gifts

TGWATG Update
By ImScared3222 · 1 post · 2 views

last updated Dec 25, 2021 04:19PM

What Members Thought

Jul 19, 2020 Cynthia rated it really liked it

4.5 stars

What makes someone human? What makes them a monster?

Those questions continuously went through my head as I read this amazing book. I love stories that manage to blur the lines between good and evil in thought-provoking ways.

I adored Melanie, especially because of the way the author shaped her character in the beginning of the book, making the reader really feel for her before thoroughly presenting the truth about what she was. I think this aspect was incredibly well-done and it was an 4.5 stars

What makes someone human? What makes them a monster?

Those questions continuously went through my head as I read this amazing book. I love stories that manage to blur the lines between good and evil in thought-provoking ways.

I adored Melanie, especially because of the way the author shaped her character in the beginning of the book, making the reader really feel for her before thoroughly presenting the truth about what she was. I think this aspect was incredibly well-done and it was an exceptional introduction to what was to come.

The book remained meaningful throughout, even as the action began. There was, actually, less action than I’d anticipated. I think the author created a fantastic, nuanced cast of characters. No one seemed wholly good or bad, just flawed, like the rest of us.

I’ve seen some people comment that the movie isn’t worth watching. I suppose I’m going to be a rebel and watch it anyway, as I’d like to see some of this play out on screen, and hopefully I won’t be terribly dismayed with the results!

I really loved how much depth this story possessed and how unique it was, despite embracing certain tropes we’ve all seen many times before. It was an unexpectedly touching tale with some hard-hitting, frightening ideas at play. The Girl With All the Gifts will stick with me for a long time.

UPDATE WITH POSSIBLE SPOILERS: I have now watched the movie. It wasn’t a bad movie but having read the book first, I was disappointed in so many things. I know you can only pack so much into a film but the relationship building and emotional components that were so essential to the story weren’t there. And Melanie’s love for Miss Justineau didn’t shine through at all. Plus, she was much too accepting of her hunger, which was something she seemed to wrestle with in the book, making her seem so human, despite the virus’s effect. And I was especially unhappy with the last scene with Dr. Caldwell in the movie. The way things played out in the book was ironic and chilling. I think it made Melanie’s choice at the end make a lot more sense. The book really allows you to get into everyone’s head and you understand the why behind all of their choices, no matter how cruel those choices might seem. I was surprised to see the author wrote the screenplay because so many impactful parts were omitted or altered into less meaningful scenes. I realize he may have been told to make these changes. I’m just saddened by it all because the book was so powerful and thought-provoking and I didn’t get the same vibe from the film. ...more

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Dec 26, 2021 ImScared3222 rated it it was ok · review of another edition

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