The Girl with All the Gifts came recommended to me on audiobook. I hate to say it, but it was a mild disappointment to me. When I get recommendations, I tend to expect great things depending on where the referral comes from. I had pretty high expectations when I started this story. There was a lot of hype about this book in the year of its release, so I suspect that I'm in the minority here when I say that it was okay. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't boring or noticeably slow, it was just average. Read on to find out why The Girl with All the Gifts earned a 3-bookmark rating.
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Publisher: Orbit | Hachette Audio
Release Date: January 14, 2014 | June 10, 2014 (audio)
Format: Audio MP3
Pages: Paperback: 460 pages | Audio Length: Approx 13.4 hours
Narrator: Finty Williams
Source: Audible
Genre: Horror
Review Date: December 28, 2016
Rating: 3 bookmarks
Synopsis: Melanie is a very special girl. Dr. Caldwell calls her "our little genius."
Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh.
Melanie loves school. She loves learning about spelling and sums and the world outside the classroom and the children's cells. She tells her favorite teacher all the things she'll do when she grows up. Melanie doesn't know why this makes Miss Justineau look sad.
This is a unique kind of zombie book. Melanie is on a military base where they have a school of sorts. The student children are transported from their rooms to the classroom by soldiers and they strapped into their chairs from the moment they are wheeled out of the room (aka cell). The children are hungriest (zombies). None of them seem to know what they are, especially Melanie. She's a special kind of zombie and doesn't want to eat her teacher Miss Justineau, of whom she views as almost a mother figure. As the story goes on it’s clear that Miss Justineau feels maternal towards Melanie as well.
I liked Melanie, I liked Miss Justineau, I even liked a few of the other characters on this ride with them. I know that in two months, I'll not mention a word about this title. While I didn't find this title gripping, it was interesting enough to keep my attention and I'm glad that I listened to it on audiobook format.
To be honest, I really like my genres to be clear. The main character is a child, but I noticed that this title wasn't classified as YA anywhere. It's told from Melanie's point of view, yet it's not considered a young adult or even middle grade...I'm a tad confused by that. While it is a book about zombies and it was a thriller in a way, I didn't find it scary or shocking at all. I feel this would be appropriate for many ages to read or listen to on audiobook.
I liked the audiobook narration a lot. I found Finty Williams's voice enjoyable and well matched to the characters. I believe that the audiobook added another level to the story. Williams could both make her voice sound like a scared, intelligent, yet mentally fragile child, and then later on as a fierce and loyal child with a old soul. It was a strong performance. I must point out that I did listen to this at the 1.5x speed, so it helped things along, as I like a somewhat faster tempo.
Did you read of listen to The Girl with All the Gifts on audiobook? If so, please share your thoughts on the title. Did you enjoy it much more than me? Or did you not like it at all? I'd love to hear your feedback on this title. Let's have a conversation about it.
Happy Reading,
~Tamara
To be honest, I really like my genres to be clear. The main character is a child, but I noticed that this title wasn't classified as YA anywhere. It's told from Melanie's point of view, yet it's not considered a young adult or even middle grade...I'm a tad confused by that. While it is a book about zombies and it was a thriller in a way, I didn't find it scary or shocking at all. I feel this would be appropriate for many ages to read or listen to on audiobook.
I liked the audiobook narration a lot. I found Finty Williams's voice enjoyable and well matched to the characters. I believe that the audiobook added another level to the story. Williams could both make her voice sound like a scared, intelligent, yet mentally fragile child, and then later on as a fierce and loyal child with a old soul. It was a strong performance. I must point out that I did listen to this at the 1.5x speed, so it helped things along, as I like a somewhat faster tempo.
Did you read of listen to The Girl with All the Gifts on audiobook? If so, please share your thoughts on the title. Did you enjoy it much more than me? Or did you not like it at all? I'd love to hear your feedback on this title. Let's have a conversation about it.
Happy Reading,
~Tamara
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