The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) The Hunger Games discussion


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What did you think of suzanne collins writing style???

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Lauren :) Just wondering what everyone thought of the way the books were written :)


Hope It was an unusual style, what with it speaking in present and not past tense. Most authors would write: "I ran up the hill as fast as I could."

Collins would write: "I run up the hill as fast as I can." See the difference?


percabeth yeah your right i nvr thought about it until now but overall the book was amazing.


Hope Yeah, the book was great.


message 5: by [deleted user] (new)

I noticed the present tense right away, but I think it really worked because the books moved so quickly and were full of action, which is best to read in the present tense. Somehow it makes me feel like I'm there, in the moment, more than past-tense written books. Basically I loved the Hunger Games. (-:


Shep I loved the Hunger Games too, the writing was addicting and the concept was so interesting.


Lauren Her writing style was the most gripping and addictive I've ever read.

Almost frustratingly so at points, if I had something to do and all I wanted to do was read!


Juliet suzanne collins is pretty awesome......... I LOVE Katniss


message 9: by Shep (last edited Jun 07, 2011 05:26PM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

Shep Katniss is my ideal tough, likeable heroine. A character like Rose from VA, who is also supossed to be tough, was way too mean and hardcore for my taste (not to mention slutty). But Katniss is perfect.


Juliet I agree


Ashley I didn't like at the beginning how she didn't give any background and started right into the story and then have to go backward to explain everything. But once I knew what was going on, it didn't bother me.


Tiffanny I really loved that about her writing style! I felt like I was being pulled into the book because I was right there, because it was happening in the present. It wasn't something that had already happened and I was hearing about it afterwards.


Hope wrote: "It was an unusual style, what with it speaking in present and not past tense. Most authors would write: "I ran up the hill as fast as I could."

Collins would write: "I run up the hill as fast a..."



Tiffanny Once I started Hunger Games I was completely finished the series in two days. It moved so smoothly! I absolutely love this book! I also really liked how she gave Katniss feelings and emotions that are real and understandable. She was too overdramatic about how Katniss should feel or what she should think. I felt like I could see myself relating to the characters =)

Elena wrote: "I noticed the present tense right away, but I think it really worked because the books moved so quickly and were full of action, which is best to read in the present tense. Somehow it makes me feel..."


message 14: by Nz (new) - rated it 4 stars

Nz I like the present tense writing, it gives you a feeling of experiencing the situation as it as happens to the character i.e the narrator.


Florencia I liked how every chapter ended, like with something you wouldn't expect and makes you to start with the next one.


message 16: by [deleted user] (new)

I heard somebody say once that the writing in The Hunger Games is very frontloaded & active. Like, the present tense verb would be right at the beginning of the sentence, and there weren't any long modifying clauses to set the sentence up. So it really pulls you in and it's very exciting!


Rhiannon It was OK, but I had to stop in the middle of the 3rd one, becuz' it was getting pretty old. I like the Games and stuff in the 2nd one better than, "blahblahblahdittyblah"

No offense to Suzzanne Collins and people who like the 3rd one. It just got old for me.




Steve Chaput It was fine and certainly good enough to keep me interested. Collins created a large cast of three-dimensional characters, developed a complex story, but not so much that it confused me. Enjoyed the trilogy enough that I'd look for other books she has written or will publish in the future. Don't know what more I can ask for in a writer.


Natalie I love her style. I, myself, write in the present progressive tense for the most part and it's good to see that choice represented. Readers also saw a lot of active verbs, rather than passive ones, like "is" and "do." This makes the writing more intense and engaging. This is a technique many teachers will introduce to their students to make their writing stronger.
Her characters were amazing. Each one had their own story, their own strengths and weaknesses, they were so real, and that's what made them relatable and interesting.
Take Peeta for example, many strengths, like his strong penchant for public speaking, his purity of self (the way he was most worried about staying himself in the arena, not letting the Games change him into a monster), many weaknesses, he had no survival skills, no ambition to win. He had interest in painting, but worked as a baker, though that may not have been his true calling. We all know what it's like to have a skill that may not be marketable, but it truly makes us happy. I could see myself being friends with Peeta, felt like he really could exist. That right there is good writing.


message 20: by [deleted user] (new)

She writes in present tense. It's actually becomming more and more popular nowadays in modern literature. Jodi Picoult is known for writing that way, in fact.


Becca Ritchie Rhiannon (Icetalon of Riverclan/Book Addict) wrote: "It was OK, but I had to stop in the middle of the 3rd one, becuz' it was getting pretty old. I like the Games and stuff in the 2nd one better than, "blahblahblahdittyblah" No offense to Suzzanne C..."

I wasn't a fan of the third one either. I kind of felt like she may have had to write it rather quickly. It was a lot different than the other two, and when I start wanting to skip parts in a book, I know that I don't like it 100%. But the first two are insanely addictive.


Sadie i loved it! it made me feel like i was actually in the book.


Juliet Sadie wrote: "i loved it! it made me feel like i was actually in the book."

agreed


MizziQ uhuh!


maddie i love it!! everytime i see it, it makes my stomch warm...idk why. i just am addicted to the romantic moments...i wish love would actually happen like that. no the whole hunger games thing. butthe adventure still, the ups and downs


message 26: by [deleted user] (new)

It's really good. I don't know if this is her writing style or just the content adn topic of the book, but was I the only one who noticed a LOT of scenes describing pain? Like, a whole lot. I remember PAGES full of just decriptions of how muhc pain Katniss was in. I really did like it though, it gave a really gritty edge to her style.


maddie it was all the plot of the book and edgy is just really katnisses ...personality.


Maddie When I first read them, I really enjoyed them, but Ive since gone off 1st person. However, I think the book suits the style and if she had tried 3rd person, it wouldnt have been as successful. Anyone like 2nd person?


message 29: by Faye (new) - rated it 5 stars

Faye Meredith The style was perfect for the subject of the book. I felt like I was 'sitting in the front seat' if you know what I mean. 1st two books are unbelievably addictive. The third is good but seems like it is tying up loose ends. Collins got Katniss spot on.


Lauren :) Faye wrote: "The style was perfect for the subject of the book. I felt like I was 'sitting in the front seat' if you know what I mean. 1st two books are unbelievably addictive. The third is good but seems like ..."

Totally agree!!


message 31: by Kati (new) - rated it 5 stars

Kati Ferry The way the author wrote was the first thing that popped into my mind when I started reading. I got used to it pretty quickly although it throws me sometimes. I think I like past tense more just because I live in a box where I don't like change! haha LOL

But all in all, I really like this series. Very well written and a great story. I cannot wait for the movie to come out next year! I think its in March?


Ariel I think I quite enjoyed the style. Past tense and present tense...I don't really mind either, although I guess that, when I write stories and such, I use present tense.


Stephanie I personally have only read The Hunger Games. I have the others but have not read them yet. I agree with Hope....the way she writes the books in present tense made it so easy to imagine myself in the main role. She is very descriptive and because of her wonderful writing, I can not wait to see the movie. I just hope they do the book justice!


Trinidad Goldcrest Her writing was quite annoying - too much like Stephanie Meyer's to be good.


message 35: by Mardy (new)

Mardy Honestly I didn't like her simplistic writing style. It made me not even want to read the book. I know that it is a YA novel but come on...


MizziQ It was simple reading but I still liked it. It was VERY easy to read. Even though it had a good amount of pages I breezed through it.


Olivia I thought she had a boring writing style. It made me not want to read the book.


Konstantinos I loved her reading style, it's the best i have ever seen.It is too easy to read,i never got bored.That's why i read the 3 books in 1 day.


Kirby I normally hate present tense, so it took a little getting used to here- but once I did, I loved it. I agree w/ you guys who said it helped to make it such a gripping, fast read.


message 40: by Dhfan4life (new) - added it

Dhfan4life To me she conveyed what she needed to convey. It didn't hinder my understanding of the story. And kept me very much aware and in the moment.


message 41: by El (new) - rated it 5 stars

El Her writing style really intrigued me. I don't honestly think this book would have been better in past tense or third person. In fact I think it might be worse. It's an amazing book and I like how she wrote it. I literally couldn't put it down.


message 42: by Brett (last edited Feb 18, 2012 08:20AM) (new) - rated it 3 stars

Brett Valkenburg I liked the characters, the plot, and the idea of the story itself, and I was fine with the first person, present-tense narrative point of view. However what I didn't like was her actual writing style. It was often very obvious and redundant, i.e. she repeats a lot of the action via narration, as if the reader has no ability to infer anything on their own, and I don't like feeling like I'm being spoon-fed a story. The redundancy also made it feel clumsy on occasion. Maybe that was intentional though. I mean after all it was written for young adults.... In conclusion, I liked the story, but my frustration with Collin's style might dissuade me from completing the trilogy. Hopefully the movies will remedy my complaints.


message 43: by [deleted user] (new)

I liked the way that she wrote--very detailed and visual. I really liked the way the story was in present-tense, and from Katniss's view. It was an interesting way to go about writing that kind of book. One thing, though--I'm curious to see how the movie will turn out, as the whole series was narrated by Katniss, and you can't exactly NARRATE an movie by one person.


message 44: by Hayjude99 (new)

Hayjude99 I loved the story, but I could not stand her writing style. I wanted to throw the book across the room every time she used the present tense in something obviously suited for the past tense.
There were several points where the sentence was missing a vital comma or contained typos.
I really wish Collins wrote this better, but the story is definitely captivating.


message 45: by Bill (new) - rated it 4 stars

Bill Blume I typically do not like first person present tense, and while it it did feel jarring to me at first, I believe it worked for the first book. I do think this choice of writing style hurts the later books, though. On the one hand, it would have felt weird to change the writing style for the next two books, but there was almost too much going on that the main character doesn't know about. Book three definitely suffered at times because of this. I think Collins compensated for this as best she could.


message 46: by Jared (new)

Jared the books were amazing. i agree with most of the people above about her writing style. i hated the first movie though. the producers did not do justice to the book. they butchered it.


message 47: by Liz (new) - rated it 5 stars

Liz I think Suzanne Collins is the best writer EVER!!!!


Kirby Bill wrote: "I typically do not like first person present tense, and while it it did feel jarring to me at first, I believe it worked for the first book. I do think this choice of writing style hurts the later ..."

that is a good point- the style didn't work as well for the other two books.


Elizabeth Day Suzanne Collins is great! The only problem was at the end of Mockingjay it was pretty rushed.


message 50: by Kev (new) - rated it 5 stars

Kev Green What page is this change of tense?


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