Nation by Terry Pratchet is... interesting, it just feels a bit too Marquez for my taste. Now, considering the overwhelming success of 100 Years of Solitude, most people would consider it a huge compliment, but in my opinion Pratchet, like Marquez, is stretching for something to be epic when really it would have been nice to just have a clean A to B.
The plot wasn't confusing or anything- I liked the set up {boy is only survivor on island after Tsunami; British girl shipwrecked becomes his only family}. It was all the take a look at your idea of God and religion hoopla that distracted me.
First let me qualify my aversion to religious trepidation as a theme in YA lit. I don't believe themes that question God belong in books targeting such an impressionable age group. That is not to say I don't like these themes, I just don't approve of them in a YA genre. I understand the placement of Mao's frustration with his Gods in Nation, but I wished we could skip these "author is trying to get us to think" moments and get onto the natural suspense of the story. This of course is a matter of personal taste purely. I felt Pratchet's religious elements were- how do I say it- trying too hard to make the novel something deeper than a terrific story. I mean really, any book that classifies itself under the genre of "Alternate-Reality Fantasy Teen Fiction" is pushing a little too hard, don't you think?
I give Nation 3 stars because its prose is well written and the plot is cute if a step shy of clever.
Would love to hear if you agree...
2 comments:
I love your new site. Thanks for sharing all this new book information, I can't wait to read some of them. I just finished reading, These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner and loved it- I totally recommend it if you haven't read it already.
I have to agree with you about Religious angst targeted to young adults. One of my favorite books (you'll notice I didn't say series) is the Golden Compass. It's a great read, full of interesting alternate universes, but I never recommend it to my youth because it's just a little mature. A little too much a-religiosity for those who might be struggling. Anyway: Thanks for your blog.
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