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The Hunger Games

By Suzanne Collins

(753)

| Others | 9780439023528

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Book Description

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participContinue

Critics

Book Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Share

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a dystopian novel written for young adults (YA). Even though the main audience targeted, the book has struck chords with parents as well and has been a best seller since it came out. I can certainly understand h ... (read full critics)

blogcritics published on Mon, 26 Mar 2012

The Hunger Games Trilogy (2008)

The Hunger Games Trilogy (2008) If you’ve entered a bookstore in the past three years, you’ll probably know about the Hunger Games; it is quite possibly the biggest young adult publishing phenom since Harry Potter. After finally reading the dystopian ... (read full critics)

likesbooks published on Sat, 7 Jan 2012

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51 Reviews

5 people find this helpful

Book 1 of Hunger Games leaves you hungry for more

I'm so full of praise for this book that I've to criticize it first, before I get lost in my adoration for it, as you'll see soon enough.
My criticism: The concept is not original. It's like a cross between 1984 and Battle Royale (大逃殺), especially of the latter. (But hey, whatever i ... (continue)

I'm so full of praise for this book that I've to criticize it first, before I get lost in my adoration for it, as you'll see soon enough.
My criticism: The concept is not original. It's like a cross between 1984 and Battle Royale (大逃殺), especially of the latter. (But hey, whatever is original? Especially if you like to read thrillers, you'll realize 90% of them are of the same mold)
With criticism out of the way, I'm going to pour forth all my insights after reading the book. Here we go!
The world in The Hunger Games is a dystopian world which is frighteningly similar to our world right now. The parallels are unmistakable: our preoccupation with entertainment, our lack of patience, our demand that something has to happen every minute or else we'll be bored to death. And for that to happen, things must remain controllable, rules must be flexible (to the authority) in order for contingencies to be applied. So the playing field is never even for the players. This is probably Suzanne Collins's satire on the popularity of reality TV.
With seventy-three Hunger Games already held, our heroine Katniss knows only too well that her victory not only depends on her survival skills but also on her understanding of the Gamemakers' mentality. This is what impacts me most: how children are forced to be manipulative and deceitful in order to outsmart the authority. In that scary world, technology has advanced to a new high while humanity has devolved to a new low. The ills of society have become even more intense and twisted, and we are frightened to realize that we're quite familiar with all these ills after all.
But humans are not just intelligent robots. No matter how tightly controlled they are, their rebellious souls are never entirely lost. This is what makes this book so readable: we are watching Katniss (and some others) quietly defying authority using whatever puny resources she has. Aren't we all doing the same thing in real life, one way or another?
The ending is very satisfying, not because it is complete, but because it so logically leads to Book 2, in which the games will be replaced by battles. I can't wait!

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Holmes said on Jun 18, 2011 | 3 feedbacks

2 people find this helpful

Fantastic Read

I picked this book up because, at the time, I was a bit (or alot) obsessed with Twilight and Stephanie Meyer. My version of HG had a recommendation from Stephanie Meyer on the front. I have to say WOW - this book is a great read. While it is teen/young adult fiction, I have lent it to a number of ad ... (continue)

I picked this book up because, at the time, I was a bit (or alot) obsessed with Twilight and Stephanie Meyer. My version of HG had a recommendation from Stephanie Meyer on the front. I have to say WOW - this book is a great read. While it is teen/young adult fiction, I have lent it to a number of adults who are now annoyed with me as they have to wait for the final instalment to come out!

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JB said on Apr 13, 2010 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

Scorrevole avvincente, manca un pò di spessore

Sicuramente una lettura facile, anzi facilissima. Manca un pò di spessore e di dettagli.

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Gabriele Gattari said on May 31, 2012 | Add your feedback

Di sicuro ti tiene incollato alle pagine...letto tutto d'un fiato!
Grazie mille al film, che oltretutto è uscito in un momento perfetto: per una volta ho potuto leggere una trilogia senza aspettare anni tra un libro e l'altro! :)

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etta said on May 31, 2012 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

Il primo avvolge come le fiamme attorno al tronco di un albero!

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SilSaraSun said on May 29, 2012 | Add your feedback

I have no words... Even if I saw the movie before... I loved it. I like Katniss and her bravery, I like Peeta and his sweetness, I like Cinna and his great advices...
The hunger games have started.. "may the odds be ever in your favor"

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*Honey* said on May 23, 2012 | Add your feedback