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A Monster Calls: Inspired by an Idea from Siobhan Dowd
Escrito por Patrick Ness
Narrado por Jason Isaacs
Acciones del libro
Comenzar a escucharNota del editor
A monstrous friend…
The monster will successfully get you right at the end in a surprisingly comforting way, and you will cry. A beautiful book about grief and healing; a sympathetic look into the darkest recesses of the mind.
Descripción
The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.
But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming....
This monster, though, is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth.
Patrick Ness spins a tale from the final story idea of Siobhan Dowd, whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself. Darkly mischievous and painfully funny, A Monster Calls is an extraordinarily moving novel about coming to terms with loss from two of our finest writers for young adults.
"Compelling...powerful and impressive." -Philip Pullman, author of the award-winning His Dark Materials trilogy
"Exceptional...this is storytelling as it should be-harrowing, lyrical, and transcendent." -Meg Rosoff, author of the Printz Award-winning novel How I Live Now
"Brilliant and elegant, with all the thrills and ambition you would expect from the author of the Chaos Walking trilogy." -Frank Cottrell Boyce, award-winning author of Millions and Cosmic
"Haunting, lyrical, powerful, and true. Patrick Ness has crafted a masterful story about grief and loss, love and hope that lingers in the heart like a ghost." -Libba Bray, author of the Printz Award-winning novel Going Bovine
Acciones del libro
Comenzar a escucharInformación sobre el libro
A Monster Calls: Inspired by an Idea from Siobhan Dowd
Escrito por Patrick Ness
Narrado por Jason Isaacs
Nota del editor
A monstrous friend…
The monster will successfully get you right at the end in a surprisingly comforting way, and you will cry. A beautiful book about grief and healing; a sympathetic look into the darkest recesses of the mind.
Descripción
The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.
But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming....
This monster, though, is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth.
Patrick Ness spins a tale from the final story idea of Siobhan Dowd, whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself. Darkly mischievous and painfully funny, A Monster Calls is an extraordinarily moving novel about coming to terms with loss from two of our finest writers for young adults.
"Compelling...powerful and impressive." -Philip Pullman, author of the award-winning His Dark Materials trilogy
"Exceptional...this is storytelling as it should be-harrowing, lyrical, and transcendent." -Meg Rosoff, author of the Printz Award-winning novel How I Live Now
"Brilliant and elegant, with all the thrills and ambition you would expect from the author of the Chaos Walking trilogy." -Frank Cottrell Boyce, award-winning author of Millions and Cosmic
"Haunting, lyrical, powerful, and true. Patrick Ness has crafted a masterful story about grief and loss, love and hope that lingers in the heart like a ghost." -Libba Bray, author of the Printz Award-winning novel Going Bovine
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A monster calls is a magnificent combination of reality and fantasy. It's a book you want to read in one sitting and then sit and think about what happened. I felt empathy for Connor, his less likable grandmother and of course his mother. I wish for a sequel to this book as I want to know what happens "after." The art is spellbinding.
Rating: 4Very impressive. Deals with themes that you might not expect in a book aimed at younger readers, but does so in such a way that you wonder why you ever thought them off limits.Sensitive, honest and keenly observed. Takes familiar story shapes, but re-angles them to teach younger readers important but unfamiliar lessons: stories that help you understand and process reality, rather than lying to you and temporarily dulling the pain.A cathartic read.
Rating: 5I have a Patrick Ness book on my shelf that I haven’t read yet, but I definitely will after reading A Monster Calls. Conor’s mother is wasting away in the hospital, and he’s been having a recurring nightmare about it all. Yet, when a monster comes to his window in the middle of the night, it’s not the monster Conor has been dreaming about. The monster keeps visiting him, and Conor has to figure out what he wants and how the monster can help his mother. The story is lyrical and haunting, and the illustrations really make certain scenes stand out.
Rating: 3This book is definitely on my “one-timer” list. A “one-timer” is a good or great book that I will only read once because it is too emotionally draining or intense for me to handle. I admit I don’t usually read/listen to these types of stories because of the emotional drain they cause. I know some folks find them very therapeutic or cathartic but that is not me so I had force myself through this one.
That being stated it doesn’t mean this book isn’t good because it is actually a very well done story with a great buildup of tension and emotion. The relationship between Connor and the Monster didn’t seem forced or unrealistic and there was a natural flow to the story. Even though you know the ending is coming, the force of it isn’t lessened because of the good job the author did of building the emotional ties to the characters of Connor and his mom.
Jason Isaacs did an absolutely fabulous job with the narration in this book. Then again as far as I am concerned he could read the phone book and I would be happy. It was very interesting though as he voiced each of the characters I created a very vivid image in my head of how each character appeared and that was due to his great ability.
Rating: 4That being stated it doesn’t mean this book isn’t good because it is actually a very well done story with a great buildup of tension and emotion. The relationship between Connor and the Monster didn’t seem forced or unrealistic and there was a natural flow to the story. Even though you know the ending is coming, the force of it isn’t lessened because of the good job the author did of building the emotional ties to the characters of Connor and his mom.
Jason Isaacs did an absolutely fabulous job with the narration in this book. Then again as far as I am concerned he could read the phone book and I would be happy. It was very interesting though as he voiced each of the characters I created a very vivid image in my head of how each character appeared and that was due to his great ability.
What can I say about this book - except that it is brilliant and everybody should read it. I would say do read it in public, it made this miserable cynic want to cry.
Rating: 5"A Monster Calls" is the story of thirteen-year old Connor who is trying to deal with his mother's cancer. Struggling to accept the inevitable, Connor refuses to face the truth until the monster comes. However, this is not a monster from nightmares, instead it helps Connor to accept and gradually heal.Beautifully written, this book touches your heart as it deals with grief and loss. Although a children's book with a hopeful message, I think adults will appreciate it more. The last few pages had me in tears.
Rating: 4A deeply moving story about a 13-year-old boy who is visited one night by a monster. With a dry wit, the book has an understated brilliance to it that sets it apart from the schmaltzy YA novels one is used to dealing with an ill mother and being bullied at school.
The book follows Conor as he takes care of himself and his mother, is bullied at school, and every night has a horrific nightmare. One night, a monster comes to visit. The monster will tell Conor three stories, and in return, Conor must tell him one - the truth. The stories are fairy tale-style (with a twist), and the ending of the book is heartbreaking. I won't admit to brushing a few stray tears away, but don't be embarrassed if you have to have the Kleenex at the ready while reading it.
The illustrations are gorgeous - black and white and greys, with thin, spindly lines and splatters of paint that give you the silhouette of creatures and evil men and more. They're just beautiful, and it's easy to see why the book won the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration.
If you're tired of the children's books and YA novels that are dull and cliched and treat 13-year-olds as if they're five or fifty and nowhere in between, check this one out.
Popsugar 2016: A book checked out from the library
Rating: 4The book follows Conor as he takes care of himself and his mother, is bullied at school, and every night has a horrific nightmare. One night, a monster comes to visit. The monster will tell Conor three stories, and in return, Conor must tell him one - the truth. The stories are fairy tale-style (with a twist), and the ending of the book is heartbreaking. I won't admit to brushing a few stray tears away, but don't be embarrassed if you have to have the Kleenex at the ready while reading it.
The illustrations are gorgeous - black and white and greys, with thin, spindly lines and splatters of paint that give you the silhouette of creatures and evil men and more. They're just beautiful, and it's easy to see why the book won the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration.
If you're tired of the children's books and YA novels that are dull and cliched and treat 13-year-olds as if they're five or fifty and nowhere in between, check this one out.
Popsugar 2016: A book checked out from the library
I started this in October on my Kindle, and I only read a few chapters and I put it away. I ended up buying the illustrated copy and finished it today. I highly recommend reading the illustrated copy, as it just brings so much of the book to life. I really connected with this book, as I had a sick father growing up. I had to face some of the same demons in which I had to watch my father slowly dying in front of me. That is is the main reason I loved this book. It does a good job showing a son fighting the battle of emotions that comes along with losing a parent. Who would think one sentence could make you a crying fool, but it did. The words, "but I do not want you to go" did me in. I remember not wanting my father to go, but praying for his pain and my families pain to end. It is a very real moment when faced with these issues.Now, why only three stars then? I just felt most of the book lacked the emotions I was looking for. I think most of the school scenes could have went without. I also feel the stories were only ok, up until the 4th, of course. I again, felt like I was skipping through this to get to the moments with the actual characters. Overall, I am glad I read this, but I only loved certain parts (do not shoot me).
Rating: 3This was a quick read. Finished it in only a few hours. I really enjoyed it start to finish and I found myself stopping to really admire the artwork. Very well done.
This follows a boy and his sick mother as he struggles with coming to terms with her illness. One night he is visited by a monster that will tell him three stories on three nights. Then, he must tell his.
Not at all what i expected and that's just what you want when reading, isn't it?
Rating: 5This follows a boy and his sick mother as he struggles with coming to terms with her illness. One night he is visited by a monster that will tell him three stories on three nights. Then, he must tell his.
Not at all what i expected and that's just what you want when reading, isn't it?
This sounded like a scary Halloween read, but it is a monster of another kind. Cancer. A beautiful look at a young boy and how he deals with his mother's illness, the isolation, the denial and grief. Definitely a favorite book of the year. 5 stars.
Rating: 5A wonderful, splendidly written, very-touching book that deserves its rep and is undoubtedly on its way to new classic status. I went in knowing nothing except that it was highly regarded and the Mom was ill, and the book grabbed me right away. Unputdownable!
(Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = quite good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. There are a lot of 4s and 3s in the world!)
Rating: 5(Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = quite good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. There are a lot of 4s and 3s in the world!)
This is a book for teenagers. The main character is Conor who lives with his Mum she is dying of cancer.Every night at 12.07 a monster disguised as a tree pays him a visit and tells him stories.Conors Dad lives in America comes over to visit, Conor also doesn't get on with his Granny, he gets bullied at school but eventually stands up to the bullies. He wrecks his Grannys house, keeps speaking to the monster,Conor tells the monster he will start telling the truth, he agrees to let go then his Mum dies.
Rating: 3Such a heart wrenching story. Tough subject matter, but written so well. I can't wait to see the movie to see how they incorporate the monster. 4 big
Rating: 4What a powerful story about dealing with terminal illness. I thought the audiobook was brilliant. I am going to get the illustrated edition from the library though, just to see the pictures.
Rating: 5I must admit that I have been putting off reading this book for a while, as I felt I had to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy it. A Monster Calls is not an easy novel to read due to its subject matter, but it is a very important novel that carries a strong and clear message.The book focuses on a young teen who is forced to come to terms with the seriousness of his mother's illness, but more than anything it focuses on Connor's state of mind as he internalises this. It focuses on the power of belief and how this can affect us negatively, forcing us to lie to ourselves rather than accepting the truth. It focuses on the difficulty of accepting life when happy-endings are not guaranteed, but the importance in doing so in order to move on and live.At the same time, it focuses on how terminal illness affects an entire family. You really feel Connor's isolation on page, and how it makes him feel excluded from school. Children begin to ignore him and adults are reluctant to discipline him due to the fact that they sympathise with him. The effect on Connor's psyche is staggering, mixing his fear, guilt and depression into a complex mass. He feels bad, as well as feeling guilty for feeling bad when others tell him that he needs to be strong.The monster and the yew tree that forms it are a powerful metaphor, as are the stories that it tells. While Connor does not really understand the link between the tales at first, as it comes to the fourth tale the connection is made quite clear. In this way, I think that this novel is a useful book. Not only does it form healing for Connor within the tale, but it is the purest expression for anyone who has been in his position.Because of this, the story ends on a perfect and poignant note. Connor learns the importance of honesty - that it's hard to say how you feel in these situations but how important it is to be angry and sad and selfish, as well as to be able to voice these out-loud. Because of this, you truly feel for him as protagonist. The characterisation of both him and his close family members felt real, and was both affirming and heartbreaking in equal measure.So, in short, this novel is wonderful but you have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy it. It's terribly sad but also very moving, focusing on the complexity of a young teen who is forced to accept that his mother is dying. It is certainly a novel that I would recommend.
Rating: 5A beautiful and gut wrenching book. One of my favorites of the year.
Rating: 5Well this was probably the saddest story I've ever read. I knew I would probably cry, but I got through most of the novel okay and thought, oh no, I've got the coldest heart ever, this isn't going to make me cry... Well I did, within the last ten pages, the most heart-wrenching scene occurs. It was beautifully illustrated and was such a well thought out tale of suffering. How the sick suffer, and how the people around them do too, not wanting them to go, but knowing it will inevitably happen. Just, beautiful. Thank you Patrick Ness for writing this.
Rating: 5Thought this was a graphic novel when I picked it up and indeed the pictures make some of the early text redundant and are a vital component. Thank you Jim Kay for the pictures - I enjoyed the story but will keep the book for the illustrations. I also had no idea of the content as I didn't look at the back cover - if I had known, I would probably have left it in the shop. Glad I didn't.
Rating: 4Absolutely stunning work. There are many monsters in this book besides the main one. I think that this book grabbed my heart and wouldn't let go because I was going through the aftermath of cancer with my mother when I read this work. I inhaled this title in a single sitting, not an amazing feat because it is a slim volume and I am reading it again while I write this review. So many topics are covered in such a sensitive manner: divorce, remarriage, new families, death, relocation. I wish I could give more than five stars - incredible book.
Rating: 5I lost someone very important few months ago. Now when I read this - the way the author discribes Conor's feeling in the end - it is so familiar. The pain is so familiar. Truly a very great novel. Very sad and hard to read but great one.
Rating: 5So so good.
Rating: 5Let's just dial this one on up to 11, shall we? *sobs*
Rating: 5A beautifully written and heart wrenching story. By the end of this book I was a blubbering mess.
Rating: 5I loved this book as much as I loved the film which I saw first. Liam Neeson was perfect as the voice of the tree.
Very moving book of an adolescent who is bullied on the outside and tortured on the inside over serious life circumstances.
I highly recommend both ! A
Rating: 5Very moving book of an adolescent who is bullied on the outside and tortured on the inside over serious life circumstances.
I highly recommend both ! A
I received this as an ARC from the publisher in April. The first thing that got me was the artwork which is marvelous and then the story got me hooked! It is difficult to place this book in any one genre or age group because it speaks on many levels- one is a horror story complete with monsters, another is a touching story of a young boy dealing with his mother's tragic fight with cancer and then we have the third issue which is bullying. Reminiscent of Neil Gaiman,Conor's tale is both fanciful and gritty and it will have you wanting to finish the book in one sitting. Patrick Ness does a fantastic job of channeling the late Siobhan Dowd's ideas. Look for the book this September
Rating: 5Magnificent.
Rating: 5Read this book. And then I defy you to not think about it and not think about it and not think about it. Impossible. Read this book.
Rating: 4Gobbled that up in one sitting, like a hungry yew. Just don't read it on the train in front of, you know, people.
Rating: 54.5 Stars. My heart's a mess right now. At first this book reminded me of The Iron Giant and Coraline with echoes from the Deathly Hallows' "The Tale of the Three Brothers" but then it grows into something more, a book about healing, and by the end I just couldn't believe how well it was crafted. This book was so well written. The book is about a young boy named Conor whose mother is dying of cancer. He is visited by a monster who is also a giant Yew Tree at night (12:07 precisely) and tells him three fairytale-like stories with a highly atmospheric description and a twist. That's all I can say about the summary without being too spoiler-filled for those who have not read it yet. What is particularly magical about the way this really depressing story is told is the use of language and metaphor (and sometimes allegory). This is a book I would teach and discuss at length. It's highly memorable and I expect it to haunt me forever. Here are just some lines that stayed with me: "there is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between" (70). "And if no one sees you...are you really there at all?" (163). "But there are harder things than being invisible" (171). "You must tell the truth or you will never leave this nightmare...you will be trapped here alone for the rest of your life" (204).
Rating: 4Nothing short of brilliant from Patrick Ness.
A Monsters Calls was simple and yet complex. Beautiful and so very powerful. I am touched.
Rating: 5A Monsters Calls was simple and yet complex. Beautiful and so very powerful. I am touched.