Tuesday, September 7, 2010

"Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins


Words escape me when it comes to describing how much I loved this book. Now, I know that many people found it unsatisfying, but in my humble opinion, this was the ending that worked for these characters.

I am really glad that Katniss did not jump up and grab the revolution flag and become a super supporter of the revolution, like Gale. Why, you ask? Because that would have gone completely against her character. For Katniss, what is and what always has been important is her family and those she loves. She went to the Hunger Games to save her sister. She defied the capital to save Peeta. She joins the revolution, not out of some sense of a higher cause, but because it will save the people she cares for the most.

In fact, Suzanne Collins stayed so true to the characters in this book that I really couldn’t see any other choices that she could make. The ending is superb and, given the circumstances and what the characters have survived, is surprisingly happy. At least for these books. If she had written a book in which everyone got everything ::clears throatBreakingDawnclears throat:: it would have felt unrealistic. This is not a rainbows and unicorns sort of book.

It is, however, a gritty and sometimes gruesome tale of survival and love under the most horrible conditions. It celebrates humanity’s ability to keep going against all odds and make the best of the worst situations. The scary part? I could see all of this happening in real life. And THAT is what a writer is supposed to do—make the story feel real.

So, how do I rate what might possibly be the best book I’ve ever read?

Grade: A+ 4.0 GPA summa cum laude valedictorian! : )

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