Sunday, November 29, 2009

Nation (YA, Adult)


Pratchett, Terry. 2008. Nation. HarperCollins. 370 pages.

Imo set out one day to catch some fish, but there was no sea.

Because the prologue didn't hook me, I put off reading this one. Despite the fact that oh-so-many were blogging about it and singing its praises, I wasn't sure this would be my kind of book. I knew I wanted to read it one day, sometimes I felt even one day soon. But it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I made reading this one a top priority.

Mau is a young boy whose strength and courage is challenged above and beyond when tragedy strikes. A giant wave--a tsunami--has destroyed his island village. He is the only survivor. But not for long. Soon others begin to arrive. A young white girl renaming herself Daphne, the lone survivor of a shipwreck, is the first one he meets. A new mother and her starving babe, an old priest, arrive soon after. More and more come. Can a young boy restore a nation?

This one is not only beautifully and brilliantly written, it's also incredibly suspenseful and action-packed. I should also mention it's amazingly thought-provoking. It's hard to put this one down.
"I thought you saved her life."
"Yes, but the first time I saved her life, I saved mine, too. Do you understand? If she hadn't been here, I'd have held the biggest rock I could find and gone into the dark current. One person is nothing. Two people are a nation." (252)
I definitely recommend this one. There was just so much I loved about it. Great characters. Great storytelling. Great pace.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

7 comments:

Tina's Blog said...

I admit you have piqued my curiosity. I think I have just always discounted Terry Pratchett books based on the cover and the fact that they don't really seem like my kind of book. But this one sounds interesting. I may have to give it a try. Thanks for the review.

chrisa511 said...

Oh yay!!! I'm glad you went back to it Becky :D And of course that you loved it. I agree with you 100% It's everything! Just a perfect book I thought. I thought the biggest compliment was when Nymeth said it was her favorite Pratchett. For her to say that, you know it has to be good :p

She said...

The only Pratchett book I've read is Good Omens, but this sounds pretty fabulous.

Kailana said...

I had the same problem with this book, too, but I enjoyed it in the end. :)

KIKA said...

This one sounds oh so good! and that little excerpt there makes me want to read on :)

Unknown said...

So glad you enjoyed this one. For nearly all this year it's held the top-spot in my mental reads of the year league. It was only until I read The Ask and the Answer came along that it has been challenged! Even now, I'm not sure which one will win out...

Rebecca Reid said...

I've never read Terry Prachett, but I love the sound of this one! Maybe I need to give it a try.