Mockingjay
discussion
is there actuallya nyone out there who actually liked this book?
message 1:
by
claire
(new)
-
rated it 5 stars
Jul 21, 2014 02:25AM

reply
|
flag








No it's because I found Katniss too stubborn and I was disappointed that her main roll in this war was being a movie star. :P But that's my opinion.


Molly wrote: "I Love Mockingjay!!! I might be a bit bias but... I dont know... I am a MASSIVE Hunger games Fan!!!"
Same with me!!!!!






Looooooollll, the deaths were not "useless". That's war for you.

At this point I honestly don't remember much about the entire series (it just wasn't memorable for me) but I do remember hating the writing, finding the plot hard to follow, and thinking the ending was stupid.
I guess it works for some people and not others. If you guys liked it, good for you. :)


Honestly, I didn't really like Catching Fire either. I kind of wish the first one had been a standalone.

Some claim that Collins rushed to get the book finished, but I don't know. I enjoyed it! :D


I can see why it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I find myself loving most what they hated.
A lot of people think Katniss is too removed, too much of a bystander. But the book is one that is critical of war in general - she couldn't be all gung-ho like Gale. The book walks this interesting line, where it concedes that revolt is necessary, but at the same time is critical of war itself.
I would have preferred a bit more info about the post-war world/how things changed and settled but that's all.



That said, there are other issues with Mockingjay (the ending was somewhat predictable, for example), but nothing that would make me so vehemently dislike the book as what I described above. I felt the same way about the Maze Runner series. I dislike the bent that current young adult fiction has regarding dystopian novels. It is not that I hate dystopian fiction. The Giver is one of my favorite books, and there are other dystopian or science fiction novels that I love a lot! But all of the dystopian novels that I enjoy have a redemptive ending. There is something in there to make the pain that is evident in the books worthwhile or there is some type of hope for the future. Even the Divergent series was that way even with Allegiant's ending (which I won't spoil here).
Anyway, this is a rather thoughtful analysis of why I didn't like Mockingjay. For those who enjoyed it, great. You continue to enjoy it. I will read other things. :) Peace!


I do get what you mean about that redemptive hopeful quality at the end, though. That's one of the reasons I like Dean Koontz work. There's horrors going on... but there's a poignant ray of hope. BTW, have you read Penryn & the End of Days series by Susan Ee? I think you might like it. Angelfall
And Cecelia... that's a pretty amazing thing to take away from a book or series of books. I think that sort of emotional epiphany is what every good writer strives for in their work.




TFIOS? Trying to figger that one out, and failing miserably. lol Yeah, being 'emotionally evocative' is the single biggest quality I look for in books, as well. Happy... sad... I'm thrilled either way... just want it to make me feel something. ;) aha! Got it! The Fault In Our Stars, right? Still haven't read that dang book... bumping it up to top of pile.

I liked all 3 books, including mocking-jay, even if it was (just a little) sad.
It wasn't that sad though.
It wasn't that sad though.

I totally agree with that. :) including the very last part.


I thoroughly enjoyed HUNGER GAMES and thought CATCHING FIRE was a good sequel, but I really didn't care for this one. Sure, there were some exciting scenes and clever twists, but I found much of the writing tedious and I was eager for the story to end. I thought it was over the top, reminding me of a Hollywood summer blockbuster. The ending was particularly disappointing. SC handled the love triangle so brilliantly throughout the series, and then--in my opinion--it just fizzles.
Given that so many kids are "reading up" these days, I am also concerned about the level of violence and cruelty in this last installment, and the nihilistic outlook. My son, who is 12, was introduced to the series last year when his school librarian read HUNGER GAMES to his fifth grade class. He went on to devour the second book on his own. He started this third one before I had a chance to read it, but now that I have, I've asked him to wait until he's older to read it. I thought he'd put up a fight, given how much he'd liked the first two volumes, but I think he was relieved. The unrelenting violence and dysphoric mood are too overwhelming for a child of his age.
I've always felt that it's vital that children's and YA literature explore dark themes, but whether this is helpful or potentially harmful to readers depends on how authors present their material. As Roald Dahl said: “Fairy tales have always got to have something a bit scary for children - as long as you make them laugh as well.”
The HG trilogy is a fairy tale for teens. In my opinion, the first two volumes worked well because Collins balanced the scary material with humor, romance, and a sense of hopefulness and triumph over dark forces. For me, she failed to achieve this balance in MOCKINGJAY, leaving the reader with only bleak despair.

I thoroughly enjoyed HUNGER GAMES and thought CATCHING FIRE was a good sequel, but I really didn't care for this one. Sure, there were some exciting scenes an..."
I fail to see how it only left us with bleak despair. She ends up happy with Peeta. With children and a life without the Capitol. Sure, she and Peeta both were never the same and suffered different sorts of PTSD but they were happy.
all discussions on this book
|
post a new topic
The Hunger Games (other topics)
Catching Fire (other topics)
Mockingjay (other topics)
Books mentioned in this topic
Angelfall (other topics)The Hunger Games (other topics)
Catching Fire (other topics)
Mockingjay (other topics)