Issues I've found with The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
(for those of you that enjoyed this book, please keep in mind this is a personal point of view that stems from my years of study in the literary field, not meant to be just a harsh criticism agains the author's work)I usually don't post many book reviews (after you read this, you'll realize why ;)), primarily because I feel it's not my place to stifle an artist when it comes to their chosen form of self-expression, but I think the book The Hunger Games has infuriated me a bit. First of all, don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed most of the book. For that I am thankful...however
...if this book had some with the entirety of Part I written in the form of a bare outline...I would see that as an improvement. I think every book I've ever read, (and yes, books intended for young adults and even those written with children in mind) should always have a solid beginning. With this book I found the beginning definitely lacking in solidity and definition and completely overrun with cliche instances that were completely predictable. Many of these instances were gone over again and again, until I felt ready to scream at characters that they should give up since they just don't 'get' it. I'm sure I may be speaking over a few of you, but those of you that read books on a regular basis and enjoy literature as a recreational outlet, read (or re-read if that be the case) this book and see if you can grasp what I'm getting at here.
Ok, so first point...the beginning was lacking in arrangement. The other thing about this book was NOT the actual 'games' themselves (Part II), or even the final section of this book. I enjoyed both of them as I found them taking me away to another place and time and I experienced lots of treachery and loss along with all the other characters named here, as well as the return of the winning party to their home. The part of this that probably irritated me the most was the very end, probably the last two small paragraphs. WHAT kind of an ending is that? None at all, that's what. There is no 'end' to this novel..it just continues on. While I can accept that (though it's still hard to swallow) with television series like The Sopranos, I am still completely conflicted with the complete LACK of an ending with this novel. Authors out there, please...even if your book is part of a series and you know the voyage is not yet over for the characters, PLEASE give your novel and ending. A lack of an ending in any book or story is just poor craftsmanship. I've been reading series almost nonstop (with a few exceptions when I've stopped in betwen series to read a single book here and there) for the past year or more, and ALL of them have endings...even those that sometimes seem to never end (ie. The Dark Tower series by Stephen King). Even the preteen/young adult novels I've read steadily as a child always had endings. I just can't get over how infuriated I am that this book seems to lack an ending.
That being said, I plan to read the next book in the series soon...not because I'm dying to read it, but because I want to find out what happens to the protagonists in this story and I'd like to read into the next book before watching the movie in case that part is included in the movie as well. (I haven't watched it yet, I read the book first because I hoped it would help me understand the storyline a bit better since I've heard many bad reviews about it, but maybe they can hide the fact that this story lacks a solid beginning and end by transferring the story to film) - Just keep in mind it really isn't that much like me to get so worked up over an artist's work, but even after sleeping on it (I finished the book before midnight last night), I still find it repulsive that someone decided to break the tradition of the novel format and just start pulling crap out of the air. What can I say? I've been studying literature too many years now...if that hasn't already become apparent to you. :)
(note: this was supposed to a be a short one paragraph rant...see how distraught I am over this? Geez...)
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