The Hunger Games

[L.Jane]

Ok, so I just gobbled up the first two books in the series and the third does not come out until the end of August.. Who else has read these books and enjoyed them? For me, they were horrific and amazing at the same time. The world in which Collins paints is devastating. While I found Katniss to be likable and a strong heroine, sometimes she was rather daft. But then again, she is only 16, so I guess I maybe expect too much of her. I can not wait to find out what happens next.

I am also surprised they might be making this into a movie. Plus they are supposedly trying for a PG-13 rating. I do not know how they are going to do that when the base of the story is around the Hunger games in which children are brutally killed.

Thoughts?

[ladymoreta]

I just finished the series, and I liked them. I agree about how you sometimes wonder what the heck she's thinking, but she is pretty young.

Another similar book is Battle Royale. Has anyone read that? It's a little more gory, and all the kids are from the same class in school, so they know each other.

[houseelf]

Two big thumbs up here. I purchased these for DS (almost 11) and started casually reading them to him. I got sucked in real quick and finished the series on my own. Yes, there is gore, but there are so many important questions that Collins weaves into the text. The text offers an awesome springboard to talk about justice, obedience, selfishness versus selflessness, the rights of the individual versus the society, and what constitutes entertainment versus what is gore and sensationalism. I'm *trying* to point issues out to DS although admittedly, he loves, loves, loves the action and suspense. His reading preferences are very, very boyish so this is right up his alley. (In other words, hold the cute characters and sappy sentiments but bring out the action.) From the adult perspective, I could not put these books down. Admittedly, there were times when I wanted the story details to be more fleshed out but I had to keep reminding myself that this was teen fiction. For that purposes these are fabulous. I also think Katniss is a great heroine: layered, complex, unsure. (Also a first, I can't remember the last book that DS read where the main character was female).

I can't wait to see the films.

[Flynn]

LOVE LOVE LOVE these books. I had a hard time putting them down.

[Vanquisher]

I LOVED the first book. I thought it was absoultely brilliant. I thought the second book was okay to good, but not great. I HATED the last book. Hated it. It sucked. It pissed me off and totally ruined the whole series for me.

[L.Jane]

yeah I was pretty upset about the third book too. I kept waiting for it to get better and it never did. I did not like the direction she went with Katniss.

[houseelf]

I have to ask, why the hate for the third book? I didn't think that it was as good as 1 or 2, but I liked that Collins kept me guessing until the end. I enjoy characters with complexities. Katniss is not as naturally a good human being as Peeta, this was acurately reflected in 3. I do think that the third book felt a bit too sci fi to keep in theme with the rest of the series and read a bit more like a screen play than the first two, but I still enjoyed it. I also think the love triangle played out a bit too long. I did like her final choice however.

[L.Jane]

I felt that Katniss wouldn't have been that much of a mess. I felt that her character was stronger then that, and her complete falling apart did not seem in character to me. Sure she would have been messed up a bit, but I did not feel she would have been as helpless as she was. Her sister pointing out to her that she had some control, well I felt like Katniss would have figured that out for herself way before that.I also felt her final choice, wasnt a choice. Gail did things she couldnt accept and she was put back in district 9 with Peeta. I don't know that I believe she would have made a family with him after all that.

[houseelf]

Gah...just lost my post.

Why the dislike for the third book? I agree that the first two were better, but three was still very enjoyable and kept me hanging on until the end. I was surprised by the ending.

My critiques of three would be: 1) it felt a bit more sci fi than the first two which didn't seem to go with the rest of the series; 2) the love triangle was drawn out too long, although this is probably to appease the teenager's heightened sense of romance, drama, and unrequieted love (See also, Twilight); and 3) it read a bit like a screen play in parts (apparently Collins was already looking in this direction at this stage of the series).

On the plus, I did like that it kept me guessing until the end. I enjoyed the theme of those that fight evil must not become evil themselves. I also think she ended up with the right partner even though this was a weird journey to get her there. (Trying not to spoil it for future readers).

Anyway, let me know your thoughts on three...I'm geniunely curious.

[L.Jane]

Kelly, I think instead of losing your first post, you actually posted, I replied to that first one.

[houseelf]

I'm getting senile with my posting and reposting! I guess I do see where you could complain about her helplessness. I personally would have been broken by that point. I also felt that she was a tad impulsive for someone whose shoulders the entire revolution rested. Then again, she is sixteen. This is a phrase I had to keep reminding myself.

I loved Haymitch, he was the perfect antihero with all his alcholism, cynicism, and isolation. He had far more confidence in Katniss than I ever would have. Especially in one of the final scenes when the victors contemplate condemning the capital kids to a new set of "final" hunger games, he believes that Kat will do the right thing when he has so much previous evidence to the contrary. In light of his vices, I'm not sure his ability to pull off such staggering strategies to create a revolution is entirely plausible, but I liked the complexity of his nobility nonetheless. In fact, he created depth in parts of the story that desperately needed it.

Reading through the above, it sounds like I didn't love these books, which is absolutely false. I would recommend these to anyone. Perhaps I'm just whining that the target audience was teen instead of adult.

Obviously, I like my heroes complext, with the notable exception of Scarlet O'Hara. She struck me as just a high maintenance, manipulative, whiny beyatch. I like people who have to struggle against their own humanity to do the right thing. I find it VERY relatable and true to real life.

[Cumberland]

I loved these books, but yeah, the feeling was not so strong with the third book. I felt like Katniss's character just fell apart in the last book. She was so strong, and a role model and a leader, and in the end she wasnt the strong fearless woman she should have grown into. And the love story in the third book- well it wasnt a love story- it was settling. There was NO closure with the other love interest ( not naming names)- he felt so strongly about her, he never would have just left like he did. She describes her relationship as just sort of happening bc there was no one else around and he was- what the heck is that? We needed the same strength in their love ( or potential to love) like we saw in the first two books. I still recommend these books highly, but the third just wasn't what I was hoping for.

[ladymoreta]

SPOILER ALERT

I liked the third book. I think if it had ended much differently, I would have thought it was too fairy-tale, happily ever after. Katniss went through two Hunger Games. One would be enough to drive most of us off the brink, and she was just 16! She did it all to save Prim, and then Prim was still killed right before her eyes, by the rebels she had helped gain power. (And I don't think she ever really doubted the parachutes were from 13.)

[houseelf]

As far as the "settling" aspect, I do partially agree. I also didn't like that that individual and her never had the "We can't make this work and here is why" talk. This was very unsatisfying. I'm all about closure.

However, I have two counter points to Katniss ending up with the individual that she did. I felt that partner was indeed the better partner for her. Also in my very unromantic adult view of love, I don't believe in a single soulmate. I think that there are many people with whom you could carve out a satisfying life, and that individual was her only choice.

I also totally agree that the plausibility of an entire revolution resting on this impulsive, broken sixteen year old is a stretch in the third book. I was hooked at this point and willing to forgive.

Still, this is a very readable series. Don't let these criticisms drive you away!

[Flynn]

I thought because Katniss was 16 -- her being "broken" in the third book was something I could "forgive" as Kelly puts it. I wish she had been a bit stronger too.

I thought her childhood (boy) friend got caught up in the revolution while Katniss was already spent in that area due to her Hunger Games experiences. She was tired of being used in a potentially lost cause while he was ready to fight and hopefully make some changes either positive or negative. He was sick of hanging around hating what was happening to the districts.

I thought the ending was reasonable. I LOVE that they didn't put a fairytale spin on the ending! I found myself still hoping they would be okay and not feeling that it was a slam dunk. They were going to stay true to themselves and let the chips fall where they may. I could live with that.

I also liked Haymitch and found him to be one of the characters I felt I knew at the end.

If you like YA literature these are MUST reads.