Thursday, June 2, 2011

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins


Spoiler Alert: My book club just finished the first book of this trilogy and most of us really enjoyed it. The time in the arena dragged in a few places for me, and although I saw the set up with Rue coming, it still worked! I cried my eyes out, but I do that easily, as the others in my club will tell you. I liked how a new tension is introduced once the games are over, and then again at the very end.

My favorite parts involve the creativity the author puts into the staging and the stylists and the interviews. I liked the costumes. I also liked the irony in the fact that Katniss is forced to please the very people she despises.

Did Anyone else think of PETA as you read Peeta?

Although I didn't like the wolf muttants at all (I kept seeing the werewolves in Twilight), I did enjoy the mockingjays and their songs and the mutant bees.

I do think so much more could have been done with the Peeta relationship, but maybe the author wanted to keep it tame for a PG audience. The violence though makes it PG13, I would think (though I was surprised that one of my friends found the violence too tame). Racier feelings could have gone along with that level of violence. I just didn't feel enough sexual tension in that relationship, but not everyone in my club agreed.

Although I like the new tension at the end of the novel, I would have liked to see Prim and Gale again at the end, Gale's expression especially. Some of the ladies in my club thought the ending was too abrupt.

Overall, I recommend this book.

What did you think? I hear the movie has been cast. Anyone know who's playing whom? I heard rumor that Donald Sutherland might be up for Haymitch.