Hunger Games

I bought the Trilogy for my daughter to read during recovery from her surgery.

I gave them a quick read. They are what I call a "beach read", you can read them in a day or two at the beach.

I never saw the movie and never will.

The theme of book one is familiar with a few twists that make the story unique. It's worth reading but it's not a great book. It reminded me a bit of Ray Bradbury's short stories---same theme but different characters.

Book two continues the story but the theme is already getting tired.

Book three was tough to read; I skimmed the first few chapters, skipped the middle and jumped to the end. Good guys win.

I'd happen to guess that if a second 'Hunger Games' movie is made it will lose money.

Rob

 

SPOILER ALERT BELOW:

I have read all 3 books, as a previous poster said, the first is by far the best one. Though it is obviously full of situatonal ethics in which its ok to kill another teenager to protect yourself. You have hope that this distopian world is headed for some real reform or a happy ending.

The second kind of drags, but leaves you with the hope that the third book will bring satisfactory conclusion.

book 3 does not bring it, instead, it is very depressing and nehilistic, even when the good girl stays alive and the "good guys" win, you find out they weren't really that good, and the girl loses nearly everyone she cared about and was fighting for, so it is just very depressing and a big let-down.

That's my 2 cents... They aren't that great.

 

Haven't read it, though I know at least one of my daughters went and saw it with friends at the cinema.

From what she told me, the ethics in it are pretty much the same as "The Lottery."

I just don't find the concept that interesting. If I read for entertainment (or watch something) I tend to go for comedic stuff instead. That's just my personal preference...the news has more than enough real stuff, so most of the time if I want fantasy, I go for...fantasy rather than stuff that will make me sad to think about.

 

Mine definitely was disturbed (enough to cry) but did seem glad she saw. We talked about it to a degree. I don't think she's ever read a book that has that concept to it, so the format of the ethics presented were new to her.

I've got one more who wants to go see it, then we can discuss it freely together. Both of them have different ways of thinking and different personalities, so I look forward to hearing both of them go through it.

 

That's not surprising to me. The books (& I imagine the movie, from the previews I've seen) are clearly targeted toward middle-schoolers. There isn't really an extra layer of depth there that an older person would pick up on that a middle-schooler wouldn't.

 

That's just it out here...I think almost every single middle school girl just HAD to go see it.

And of course the adults who don't rave about it "just don't understand." LOL Because we're all old and stuff and don't get get depth. It's beyond our shriveled old brains.

I did notice the high school students weren't quite as impressed, but part of that was because of the popularity of the movie with middle school students. Nobody in high school wants to admit they had the same emotions as those little kids who are a year or two younger than them. It's like counting dog years, but for humans, and they don't even up until they're all graduated, even if the middle schooler is 14 and in 8th grade and the high school student is 15 and in 9th. It may as well be a lifetime and don't you DARE say otherwise to the 9th grader! You're too old to get understand the truth behind that mature thinking. :laugh: