Review by high school junior, Aaron Avers, son of Angie
I am at a loss for words to describe the brilliance of this book!
The plot was exciting, heart-warming, funny, and the book keeps you in constant suspense throughout.
Ed, the main character, is funny and easy to relate to. He's a nineteen year old no-life cab driver, who lives for the nights he plays cards with his friends, and is hopelessly in love with his closest friend, Audrey. He has done nothing for his life, and is content in leaving it that way, until one day, he stops a bank robbery.
Forthright and down-to-earth, Ed is a likable character although an unlikely hero. I really enjoyed Ed's friendly, easy-to-talk-to, self-aware voice as well as his detailed descriptions of the character strengths and flaws of his close friends.
The best things about the book were some of the touching scenes and encounters with the people who Ed delivers messages to, and that he forms special friendships with them.
There were also some pretty dark moments, particularly at the beginning of the book, which seemed designed to make the reader think about what they might do if they were in the same situation.
I thought it was a really enjoyable and original book!
Read my review here:
IAmTheMessenger by Marcus Zusak, review by Angie
Generally I find that I simply read much more quickly than everyone else.
If I try to keep apace with everyone else I tend to lose interest.
But, hey, even if I've been looking forward to reading a title I tend to lose interest once I "have" to read it.
That's a bit different this summer. Actually, it's really different and I'm happy for it.
I told my best friend about a book I knew would be perfect for her. She said "I'll read it if you read it again, with me." And so I am reading it a second time. I am really enjoy it. It's the right time for me to reread it.
I am rereading another title. This one is because my husband and I decided I would homeschool our 16 year old in literature and writing this summer. I gave him ten titles from which to chose two or three depnding on their length. We are in the midst of the first selection. We'd be finished but we postponed our reading while he took a summer Russian course at the local university; his first college course. We are both really enjoying the book; him for the first time and me for the second.
Our daughter has a summer reading assignment for her upcoming sophomore Honors Literature course. She's been assigned a book that I previously read and really appreciated. The book was on my list of books that I would suggest our kids read during high school. That would be a "must read" list if I were still homsechooling.
The results of all of my joint reading adventures will eventually be posted here!
Titles:
A Fraction of The Whole by Steve Toltz
I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
(It's just a coincidence that two of the titles are by Zusak! In fact, both titles were given to my son as part of his ten titles for choice. The two titles are so very different from each other in writing style. Both were really terrific books in their own, differing ways.)
