Hello to everyone who has been following this blog for many years - I'm still blogging, I'm just moving over to https://www.claireheffer.com/blog - please continue to follow and let me take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been kind enough to visit over the years. May the lists continue...

Friday 27 March 2015



BOOK 129: MORE THAN THIS: PATRICK NESS

More Than This is a young adult novel by Patrick Ness, published by Candlewick Press in 2013. It follows a teenage boy named Seth who, after drowning in the ocean, wakes up alone on a desolate suburban English street in what he believes to be hell.

More Than This was reviewed favorably by critics and readers. Martin Chilton of The Telegraph describes the novel as "an impressively challenging and philosophical book for young adults," capturing "ambiguity and bewilderment of being young and the uncertainty of what will happen to any of us next in life." Tony Bradman of The Guardian concurred, writing: "Seth is a terrific exemplar of the eternal teenage desire for there to be, in the words of the novel's title, "more than this” “As of early March 2015 the book scores 4.04 out of 5 stars on the social reading site Goodreads John Green's review of More Than This is printed on the front cover of the book. John comments, "Just read it."


MY VERDICT: I started this book full of hope, I do not usually read books as new as this, or aimed at young adults, but I had seen so many great reviews that I felt compelled to read it. I hated it… at first.  It started so badly that I was not looking forward to the rest. I can understand why it is clunky at the start but it really could have been written better.  And it does get better, it had me hooked after the third or forth chapter and I was glad I persevered because it was thoroughly entertaining.  Admittedly a little juvenile for me but like watching a good children’s TV program it had me empathizing with the characters and dying to know how it would end.

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