REVIEW SUMMARY: A thought-provoking book about cloning.
MY RATING: 4.5/5 Stars
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: In a future where humans despise clones, Matt enjoys special status as the young clone of El Patrón, the 140-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire nestled between Mexico and the United States.
MY REVIEW:
PROS: Interesting setting; thought-provoking issues; claustrophobic feel.
CONS: The story was longer than it needed to be.
BOTTOM LINE: An entertaining read.
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer came to my attention because it’s a Newberry Award finalist. I wasn't sure what to expect but, in the end, found that this is a good book.
I agree with all of the comments this review about the House of the Scorpion says, except for a few. First of all, this reviewer stated that the novel was longer than it should/needed to be. I, however, disagree. As I was reading it, I felt as though the novel was going by too quickly and when I finished it, I felt dissatisfied. When I finished the novel, I thought that it should have been longer, explaining what happened after Matt went back to the farm, but it didn't. The second point that I disagree with is that, at the end, the reviewer said the novel was good. I think that it was excellent. I found that I was never bored throughout the entire novel! The way that the author described the situation that Matt was in and the adventures and hardships that he went through was amazing! I felt as though I was there, with Matt all the way through the book, rooting for him and hoping that he would win and come out on top. All in all, the House of the Scorpion was a great book and a fantastic read. I would recommend this book to almost anyone who likes a fast-pace and adventurous novel. Throughout the novel, the author continually toed the line between innocence and maliciousness, making this book an entertaining read to say the least, and one that anyone would love to read.
ReplyDeleteI agree with some of the comments and points this particular reviewer wrote about the House of the Scorpion. I think the brief synopsis and the review summary the reviewer gave was excellent. It was short, but just enough to get people interested in reading the book. I also think the reviewer was correct in giving this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars. The book did a fantastic job in getting the readers wondering about their ideology in a possible future situation our society can face, which is the cloning of living organisms. However, there are some things about this review i did not agree with. When the reviewer was pointing out the cons, he/she states that "the story was longer than it needed to be." In fact, I believe that the ending of the book was a bit rushed and there were little details that weren't uncovered or polished up. For example, The death of all the guests at El Patron's funeral could' have been written better. Instead of just a simple story that one of the bodyguards told, I think it would have been better if the author dedicated a chapter to maybe better explain that scene and the intentions of Tam Lin. In conclusion, I found the novel the House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer a well wriitten, thought provoking book that gets readers thinking about what it means to be human and the ethics behind it. I recommend this to any adolescent or adult that enjoys a mystery and suspenseful book
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of the comments this review said about the House of the Scorpion. I personally found the book to be generally well written. Nancy Farmer, the author of the book, knew what she was doing and had a specific idea on what she thought the readers should get from reading her book. The characters in the book were easy to relate to and the way the story ended makes sense to me.The brief synopsis the reviewer wrote was well done. I also agree with the rating. 4.5 stars out of 5 is fair. However, I don't agree with the cons the reviewer stated. The book was definitely not longer than it needed to be and I thought the author got the lengthening of the book perfectly. Bottom line, it was a fun book to read and I recommend this book to anyone looking for a book that makes you think about the future.
ReplyDeleteI mostly agree with what the critic said in her review. I did find the novel to be a bit slow in parts, in particular the beginning. What happened over the course of fifty pages could have easily been written in fifteen, and I do not know why the author would make certain sections so unreasonably lengthy. I also found it to be an incredibly thought provoking novel which explored a variety of social, political, and philosophical standpoints. Obviously, one of the largest of these standpoints is prejudice, with Matt being looked upon as less than an animal by many people, all because he is simply a clone of someone. Like the critic, I also found the book to be quite interesting and entertaining. There were times when I hated certain people, liked them, or felt somewhere in between. At times, the story had me hanging by the edge of my seat, not being able to wait to see what was going to happen next. I also agree with the critics rating of four and a half out of five stars, as it was very well written and entertaining, but did have some minor faults. I do not agree with the critics statement of the book having a claustrophobic environment. It was only during a select few times that the story felt truly claustrophobic, with most of it taking place in a gigantic mansion with lots of open spaces. Unlike the critic, I basically knew exactly what to expect from the moment I picked out this book. An intense, suspensful, and at times heartwarming story about the struggle to adapt to a world which does not accept you. I assumed the story would be well written and interesting with some minor flaws in the plot, and I was correct.
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