A Monster Calls: A Novel (Movie Tie-in): Inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd
Patrick Ness's Carnegie Medal-winning masterwork is poised to attract a discerning crossover audience. The monster in Conor's backyard is not the one he's been expecting -- the one from the nightmare he's had every night since his mother started her treatments. This monster is ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd -- whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself -- Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.
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Community Reviews
***UPDATE***
Ok the new trailer looks AMAZING. If you didn't already know, this book is becoming a movie.... With Liam neeson. I'm dying, I cannot wait.
I have decided I will be writing reviews for all the books I read this year, starting with this one because it was easily my favorite of the year so far.
Why did I like this book so much you may ask?
1. The illustrations. I know, that is a very superficial thing to say, but it's the truth. The artwork added so much to the story. All the pictures were very dark, which was accurate to the story, because it is a dark book. Pretty much every page had some type of illustration on it which was just something I REALLY appreciated.
2. The characters. Now, there are not that many characters in this book overall, so it was very easy to keep track of all of them and their progress through the story. Conor, the main character. I found him to be very relatable, in my opinion (even though i am in fact, a girl). He seriously faced real life struggles and the way he handled it was very real. I think the author seriously portrayed his feelings very realistically, especially when it came to the bullies, and that girl who spread around his "secret". Now, i said this book seemed very real and realistic, but it is false to a point. The monster. Now, we never really know if this monster is real or if the monster is the figment of his imagination to help him through this struggle. That said, i LOVED the monster. I seriously looked forward to the stories he had told and loved trying to figure out what they meant in regards to Conor. What was most interesting about the Monster though, was that he wasn't really a monster at all, in my opinion. Yes he was scary looking, but i seriously think this character was put into the story purely to portray "the truth", and that the monster in life is the truth and the Monster was put in the story to show Conor the truth and that was the scariest part of them all. His dad and Grandma, to me, were the most ANNOYING characters i've read about in a while. Typical story, the dad leaves for a younger woman, and son hates him for it (don't blame him), but to me that seemed very typical and overused. AND TO THOSE THAT HAVE READ IT WHEN HIS DAD DOES THE THING I JUST WANT TO SCREAM. SELFISH. And the Grandma, overall just seems very insensitive towards Conor and what he is going through (even though she's going though it too), Conor is young and needs support, and he wasn't getting it.
Overall LOVED the characters and the development :)
3. The Plot. Now, i don't want to go into the plot too much, because i went into this book completely blind and i want other people to do the same. That said, i LOVED the plot, and it's something that isn't taken in this sort of way. I JUST LOVE IT, GO READ IT.
4. The Ending. OBVIOUSLY i'm not going to spoil anyone, but i seriously think this ended on a note it needed to end on. There was this thing the Monster kept referencing, and i NEEDED to know what he meant. And we found out, and it was so powerful and moving and i loved it.
Guys, i love this book so much, it's beautiful in every way. It's a short book, it won't take you very long to read at all. I suggest everyone read this, because it is a very real book.
Ok the new trailer looks AMAZING. If you didn't already know, this book is becoming a movie.... With Liam neeson. I'm dying, I cannot wait.
I have decided I will be writing reviews for all the books I read this year, starting with this one because it was easily my favorite of the year so far.
Why did I like this book so much you may ask?
1. The illustrations. I know, that is a very superficial thing to say, but it's the truth. The artwork added so much to the story. All the pictures were very dark, which was accurate to the story, because it is a dark book. Pretty much every page had some type of illustration on it which was just something I REALLY appreciated.
2. The characters. Now, there are not that many characters in this book overall, so it was very easy to keep track of all of them and their progress through the story. Conor, the main character. I found him to be very relatable, in my opinion (even though i am in fact, a girl). He seriously faced real life struggles and the way he handled it was very real. I think the author seriously portrayed his feelings very realistically, especially when it came to the bullies, and that girl who spread around his "secret". Now, i said this book seemed very real and realistic, but it is false to a point. The monster. Now, we never really know if this monster is real or if the monster is the figment of his imagination to help him through this struggle. That said, i LOVED the monster. I seriously looked forward to the stories he had told and loved trying to figure out what they meant in regards to Conor. What was most interesting about the Monster though, was that he wasn't really a monster at all, in my opinion. Yes he was scary looking, but i seriously think this character was put into the story purely to portray "the truth", and that the monster in life is the truth and the Monster was put in the story to show Conor the truth and that was the scariest part of them all. His dad and Grandma, to me, were the most ANNOYING characters i've read about in a while. Typical story, the dad leaves for a younger woman, and son hates him for it (don't blame him), but to me that seemed very typical and overused. AND TO THOSE THAT HAVE READ IT WHEN HIS DAD DOES THE THING I JUST WANT TO SCREAM. SELFISH. And the Grandma, overall just seems very insensitive towards Conor and what he is going through (even though she's going though it too), Conor is young and needs support, and he wasn't getting it.
Overall LOVED the characters and the development :)
3. The Plot. Now, i don't want to go into the plot too much, because i went into this book completely blind and i want other people to do the same. That said, i LOVED the plot, and it's something that isn't taken in this sort of way. I JUST LOVE IT, GO READ IT.
4. The Ending. OBVIOUSLY i'm not going to spoil anyone, but i seriously think this ended on a note it needed to end on. There was this thing the Monster kept referencing, and i NEEDED to know what he meant. And we found out, and it was so powerful and moving and i loved it.
Guys, i love this book so much, it's beautiful in every way. It's a short book, it won't take you very long to read at all. I suggest everyone read this, because it is a very real book.
I’m amazed at how beautifully written this book was. I felt so connected to Conor as he was experiencing such intense emotions. I felt like he was very brave and insightful & was doing what he could to express how he was feeling throughout the book. The monster was definitely my favorite character just because of the wisdom and authenticity he possessed. My favorite thing about this book overall was the symbolism and how the themes carried out all the way until the end. I’m SO glad I picked this up because now I want to recommend it to everybody I meet.
EDIT TO ADD: I just picked this book up from the bookstore because I have decided that I must own every book Patrick Ness wrote. For anyone who knows me, this is a big deal because I am stingy with my money and love the library and Kindle deals. HOWEVER, no one told me how necessary it was to read the actual book of this and not the Kindle version. OH MY GOD. The illustrations!! BUY THIS BOOK. BUY IT NOW! It is completely worth spending the nine bucks to flip those actual pages and display it front and center on your book shelf.
Is there anything that Patrick Ness writes that ISN'T beautiful?
This was a short read (or maybe just felt like it because I couldn't put it down and finished it in one night) but a very powerful one. It is not suspenseful or frightening in a horror genre sort of way, but I was still turning the pages frantically to find out what the "secret" was. The description of the book is a little misleading, but if you have read other books by the author, you will recognize the comfort and lull of the words that create this magical tale, which walks a fine line of what is real versus what is not real and how the real and unreal frequently intertwine. What I love about Patrick Ness is that he isn't afraid to let you down. Sure, there is kinda-sorta-maybe a silver lining, but he is going to take your heart in his bare hands and twist it until you don't think you can take it anymore. And then he will hand you a single tissue - "Here you go, suck it up...such is life." I couldn't sleep after reading this even though it was well past my bedtime. I couldn't stop getting up and kissing my daughter in her crib and crying. This is what his books do to me, and I love it because they are making me FEEL. It's a powerful control for an author to have.
Is there anything that Patrick Ness writes that ISN'T beautiful?
This was a short read (or maybe just felt like it because I couldn't put it down and finished it in one night) but a very powerful one. It is not suspenseful or frightening in a horror genre sort of way, but I was still turning the pages frantically to find out what the "secret" was. The description of the book is a little misleading, but if you have read other books by the author, you will recognize the comfort and lull of the words that create this magical tale, which walks a fine line of what is real versus what is not real and how the real and unreal frequently intertwine. What I love about Patrick Ness is that he isn't afraid to let you down. Sure, there is kinda-sorta-maybe a silver lining, but he is going to take your heart in his bare hands and twist it until you don't think you can take it anymore. And then he will hand you a single tissue - "Here you go, suck it up...such is life." I couldn't sleep after reading this even though it was well past my bedtime. I couldn't stop getting up and kissing my daughter in her crib and crying. This is what his books do to me, and I love it because they are making me FEEL. It's a powerful control for an author to have.
This book is so beautiful. It's portrayal of grief and loss is beyond words. Now I need to get my hands on the movie.
Patrick Ness can do no wrong. This was utterly tragic and beautiful; heartwarming and heartbreaking in equal measure. I've not yet come across another writer that can convey emotion as simply and as deeply as Ness. This just solidified his position as my absolute favourite author. Read it read it read it read it read it.
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