The Hunger Games Trilogy

After completing this reading of the trilogy, all together, I'd like to pull up something profound. They are, of course, thrilling stories, full of clever traps and slick evasions. They are also deeply moving stories, about the desperate people on the outside of rich society. As well, it is the story of one girl, deeply wrapped up in her own small community, who is forced to taken a broader view of her society and what it means. It's a story about how to stage a rebellion. Even more, it's a story about the high cost of war, and how none of the survivors ever stop paying. It's a reminder to not just question authority, but to question everything.

Reading it has left me sad, in a good way.

30 March 2012

After completing this re-reading of the trilogy, all together, I'd like to pull up something profound. They are, of course, thrilling stories, full of clever traps and slick evasions. They are also deeply moving stories, about the desperate people on the outside of rich society. As well, it is the story of one girl, deeply wrapped up in her own small community, who is forced to taken a broader view of her society and what it means. It's a story about how to stage a rebellion. Even more, it's a story about the high cost of war, and how none of the survivors ever stop paying. It's a reminder to not just question authority, but to question everything.Reading it has left me sad, in a good way.

***

1 March, 2020

Yesterday I found show more out a prequel was coming. Today the (old enough to vote Tuesday!) kid had a lot to say about how amazing Catching Fire was. He never read Mockingjay: he got the impression his sister and I didn't like it.

Anyhow, another reread is clearly in order.

Personal copy show less

via my blog (http://pancakesandpoodles.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/book-review-the-hunger-games/)

It took me maybe six hours to finish the first Hunger Games book by Suzanne Collins. That assessment also might be generous. I know, I’m about the LAST person on the planet to read them, but I was kinda busy reading Anna Karenina and stuff, so cut me some slack okay? Anywho, everyone I talked to had pretty much the same story as mine: they have inhaled those books, gobbled them up, annihilated them, whatever metaphor you want to use they read them really really fast.

And, I understand now. I totally understand.

The Hunger Games is infectious. That’s not to say that it’s a perfect book, the conflation of first and third person narration is show more kinda annoying (no one would ever describe themselves as “pulling their long dark braid into my hat” during internal narration) and the language was simple, but the story was downright infectious.

First, lets just throw out a nice big “FINALLY” for Katniss Everdeen. Its about time someone wrote a fabulous, totally lovable and strong lead female character who has a heart and kicks TOTAL butt. I love Tamora Pierce’s Alanna of Trebold, but those books didn’t really capture the imagination of the nation the way The Hunger Games has, and as admirable as Hermoine is, Harry Potter is still about the boy who lived. Katniss really is in a league of her own. I could go on and on about how utterly AWESOME Katniss is and how I will lovingly force these books down the throats of my children (be they daughters or sons) as required reading, but instead, here is lovely video link (that contains spoilers) to a fantastic review of feminist issues in The Hunger Games.

If you, like me, haven’t read The Hunger Games yet, do. Really. Add it to your list. I think that not only is it important, in a way, to understand what all the fuss is about (since I expect/hope that this book will ultimately define a generation of young women), but also just because it is just so much fun. In private, I will describe this series with a whole bunch of inappropriate expletives, because I don’t feel there is another way to fully convey my excitement and joy over this texts. SERIOUSLY. I get it now. show less

Impressive. Well-written, well-handled and ultimately both bleaker and more cynical than expected. I'm not convinced it works in all the detail, but I'm willing to overlook a lot for the strong central character in spite of grating levels of romantic angst (esp in Catching Fire).

I have an extremely difficult time picking a number of stars for this series. One one hand, I want to give it five stars for it's unbelievably creative and intriguing story. On the other hand, I want to give it one or two stars largely based on the fact that I do not believe this is a young adult book. Although written in a fairly simply manner, this is an extremely dark and twisted story. Back to the first opinion, it teaches strength, tenacity, and standing up for what is right no matter what the cost. However, it also blurs the line between cruelty and strength. It does it in a masterful way and portrays the true human experience and our own battles of good versus evil, however, it is not exactly a "young adult" theme.

There are show more political threads that are wonderfully woven throughout the series that become even stronger in the final book. This series draws you in and keeps your attention, and for that, I adored it. However, I also felt there were extremely unnecessary aspects of vivid violence that added nothing to the plot or conceptual development.

My final suggestion? A hands down, definite must read. However, if your own "young adult" is reading this series, I suggest reading the books yourself as well and opening up a few discussions with them. The book left me a bit disturbed at times as a grown woman. show less

In the Hunger Games trilogy, the reader watches as innocence is lived, lost, and attempted to be regained in a cloud of coming to age and challenging relationship developments and losses, covered in a totalitarian regime.

The most frequent question the reader will ask is "Why?", and when paralleled with the world's history and present, one can only hope an answer is reached before the future. Maybe that's deeper than Collins had intended to be read.

An enthralling, dangerous trilogy that may not meant for all, but should be read by all.

THE HUNGER GAMES

After a month long reading slump I needed something quick and engrossing, and decided that a zillion readers hopefully weren’t wrong. Having managed to avoid the film and most of the talk of this series, I was able to go into this more or less spoiler free.

I can totally see the appeal. There is something a little rudimentary about the post-apocalyptic dystopia Collins creates, but she is smart keeping the story at ground level. Katniss is a great heroine, tough, flawed and believable, and the dilemmas she face are acute and believable.

Most of this book reads like a thriller, with Katniss trying to survive the games. Collins does a great job of crating tension and ambience, where the whole thing could easily have been show more strained and over-inflated. This, and the effective (if perhaps not unexpected) twists make me more than willing to overlook logical gaps such a camera presence, pinpointed parachutes and a dozen other little things.

I’m eager to see where this is going, and have a hunch I’ll like the series even more post game.

CATCHING FIRE

The first book more or less dealt with repression, examplified by the games themselves. This, the second part of the trilogy, looks instead at the mechanics of rebellion. Starting off right after the first book, Katniss is faced with the consequences of the choices she made in the hunger games – and forced to realise just how little a spark can be and stlll be dangerous. Collins places her heroine in a complex dilemma where all choices seem bad, and broadens the perspective, letting us know more about this post-apocalyptic world. It’s all good.

The weakest part of the book for me is paradoxally the one that made the first book. Katniss’ return to the arena is where the book loses a little bit of momentum for me. Despite Collins attempts at creating a fresh setting with tons of nasty traps, it feels like a bit of a re-hash.

Even so, this is a series with both brains and a heart, and I look forward to seeing what happens after the rather abrupt ending of this part.

MOCKINGJAY

The uprising is turning into a war and Katniss is it’s involontary symbol. Despite reeling under her losses and trauma she is again put in front of cameras to push people in a direction – only this time by what is supposed to be the good guys. Gale in his new role as a tactician is growing more and more ruthless in his ideas on how to defeat the regime. Peeta is a trapped puppet for president Snow, and Katniss slips further and further into a thirst for blind revenge.

Even despite the first parts’ violence I was surprised by the brutality of this concluding part. It deals with propaganda and the de-humanisation of war, where ideals are whittled down and the difference between good and evil is becoming more and more hard to distinguish. Collins makes brave and uncompromising choices, and I’m impressed by her willingness to explore her themes to the end. There are no false happy chords here, the price paid for freedom is harsh and very real. And her description of media’s role in deciding what side of the story will be ”the truth” is well captured in it’s absurdity. The revolution WILL be televised – and the edit will make all the difference. As will make-up.

Many seem to think this book is the weakest of the three and I guess I can see why. It’s more broken and disjointed, the polt less tight. For me though, the way it carries themes further and broadens the perspective, and the way it often hits me in the guts, makes it my favorite part of a series which deserves it’s praise. show less