I Am the Messenger
Ratings148
Average rating4
Jaw-dropping. So beautifully written, funny, and interesting. Riveting without relying on grief or romance to make it so. The first few chapters were a little slow, so I'd encourage you to make it to 5 diamonds before DNFing - it will be worth it!
Sein Schreibstil ist sehr schön und ich hab schon lang nichts mehr gelesen mit so beeindruckenen Metaphern. Das Buch hat sich nicht angefühlt wie ein YA Buch, außer dass es junge Hauptcharaktere hat. Es erinnert mich von der Art her ziemlich an Gun Love.
I actually really struggled with how to rate this book. I liked it and also really disliked it at the same time. I ended up giving it 4 stars just because it wasn't so clear cut and really made me think. At times it felt like the author was trying too hard but other moments were perfect. This one will stick with me a little longer than normal.
Er. Um.
I read another review that said the first chapter of this was awesome, but that the story kind of goes downhill from there. I ... didn't like the first chapter. I didn't like these characters, and then the main character gave me a list of all the things one should know about him, and that did not endear me to him at all, even though he actually kind of improved throughout the book (as did the other main characters introduced in the first chapter). But then it ended, and I was left staring at the book for several minutes with this WTF face, to the point where Matt noticed and started laughing at me. There is no ending! I think Zusak thought he was writing an ending, but it made no sense and gave no actual answers to what I've been asking myself this whole time, and then it's just Oh, I am an Important Man and That's Why Everything! BLEH.
Although vastly different from Markus Zusak's other book The Book Thief (which I LOVED!!), I am the Messenger was still a wonderful and inspiring read. Maybe my own life experience had a hand in this being such a personal read, but I loved that it gave lots of food for thought in such a unique way about life and our participation in it. About the people around us and how opening our eyes to the possibilities of what we can achieve, even in the here and now, right where you are in your life, changing for the better in small ways that make such a huge impact on your own life, and that of others. I loved the overall message, once again Zusak has hit a chord in his writing that I will not soon forget. This story will stick with me for a long time to come!
I liked all but the ending, which was a bit contrived. I'd like to give it 3 1/2 stars...4 for the majority...2 for the ending. Enjoyed the characters...and was even fine with the stand alone sentences. It was a quick read.
No Spoiler Review:
This was my first foray into Markus Zusak's writing and I was not disappointed. The story was fascinating, well paced, and poetic. It chooses not to take the easy way out of emotionally charged situations. In that way the novel is quite daring. This is a rougher read for that reason also, so don't come looking for a by the pool book here. The characters are compelling. They feel like real people, full of flaws and emotions.
Sometimes the scenes weren't as emotionally impacting as I think they should have been, and I have mixed feelings about the ending (more on this below the spoil line), but ultimately it was a wonderful book with a great message. Definitely worth the read.
**Spoiler Review!*****
There are so many wonderful scenes in the book. I love the messages and the characters he meets because of them. My favorites were the priest and the Christmas light family.
That being said, I did see his friend's being the last messages coming, but despite that it was still the perfect way for the story to go.
My other thing was, sometimes I couldn't understand how he figured out what to do for people. It often made sense, yes, but sometimes he seemed supernaturally gifted in figuring these things out.
Now the twist end. Huh. I spent the whole ending going “What...?” which can be good. I do understand what ultimately happened, but I think it deflated the story a bit. It was a stranger. There were no clues to figure out who it was, because it wasn't anyone he could have known. It was a strange choice to make. I did wonder if that stranger was supposed to be Markus Zusak in a sort of Lemony Snicket twist, but even still. And the whole “am I real?” thing. How did someone manipulating Ed convince him that he wasn't real? That end twist did not work for me.
I am the Messenger is the epitome of metafiction – a story that recognizes itself as a story – and yet it fails spectacularly to make the kind of impact that good metafiction is apt to make. Zusak takes the premise of metafiction to a literal level. Instead of striving to immerse his readers in the world he has created, his big reveal is Spoilerto tell his audience in no uncertain terms that they are reading a book he has written – one that has been premeditated, planned, plotted, and carried out as he (the author) deemed fit.
Everything that occurs happens because Zusak wants or needs it to happen for the story to unfold in a particular way. For example, Marv's behaviour in the bank at the beginning of the novel makes little sense once we know Marv's secret: Spoilerwould he really risk his life by irritating a robber (albeit, a hapless one), when his son or daughter is the whole reason for his existence? I realize that the car becomes a major plot point for Marv, but it is irksome that Zusak uses the bank robbery as a means to introduce the vehicle and then uses the vehicle as a plot device.
In all fairness, it's Zusak's prerogative to make the characters and the plot do as he wishes – it just bothers me to see events unfold that don't necessarily make sense to the overall arc of the story, and then have Zusak give himself an “out” because he is the author, as he so kindly reminds us. I actually did like some of the messages and some of the secondary characters; but the implied inevitability of each of the events that took place made the meanings of these messages less significant. The entire book seems contrived, which may or may not be the point, but it also just makes this reader wonder what the purpose of reading the book is. If Zusak means to inspire his readers by reminding them that they are not characters, but real live people with free will, he only makes them regret their reading choices.
Points to Zusak for his creativity; demerits for falling short. Go read The Book Thief instead; there, Zusak's narrative and creative risks pay off in a big way.
Read my review on my blog here: https://theconsultingbookworm.wordpress.com/2015/01/11/i-am-the-messenger-markus-zusak/
Huh. I guess I'm not sure what to say about this. It was engaging and funny. The audiobook is read by an Australian (which makes sense obviously), which was fun. I generally have a soft spot for books that are kind of about everyday heroes or the power of small deeds or whatever, so I was into it. It might have more of an impact on teens who maybe haven't already been exposed to a ton of media on that theme? But like I said, I still dug it.
Most reviews seem to focus on the ending, which I... liked.
I can totally understand it feeling kind of gimmicky or whatever, but still: I liked it. It reminded me of [b:Sophie's World|10959|Sophie's World|Jostein Gaarder|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343459906s/10959.jpg|4432325], which I also liked.I don't have anything profound to say. I just liked it.
This was my second book by Zusak. Although not as powerful as The Book Thief, I still really enjoyed it. Zusak does some things with words that really touches me. Even the shortest sentences are beautiful.
The Story was fresh and entertaining. I loved the mass of different characters with different lives. It all felt real.
This book knocked my socks off and then put them back on again. Seriously. I laughed, squirmed, and almost cried. It reads like an independent film produced by Guy Ritchie. I read it over two nights and couldn't wait to get back to it. Some parts are stronger emotionally than others. Thank goodness. Otherwise I would have been a wreck when it was over. Great read. I already grabbed The Book Thief and hope most of my summer reads can reach the level of this book.
Ed Kennedy is a lost soul. His mother speaks cruelly to him. The girl he wishes would be his girlfriend refuses him and instead spends her days and nights in a succession of meaningless encounters. His job is pointless. Ed is lost.
One day, he finds himself in a bank as it is being robbed and Ed becomes a hero.
And then a card arrives in the mail.
Ed is sent off on missions to change lives. And off he goes.
Sometimes the missions are disturbing and difficult and Ed is never sure what is going on or why he is being sent to do these tasks or who is sending him or if what he is doing is making things better. But somehow he is making things better and, in the process, he becomes a better person himself.
I delighted in this book, with the tiny miracles that Ed brings about in the world, in Ed's role as an unlikely savior, in the little ways that relationships can mend the world.