literarianlife's Reviews (485)

I was torn when rating this book and may have been to harsh with three stars. It's very well written; detailing the lives of a group of unmarried women in the town of Cranford. Gaskell depicts in a humorous and ironic way this group of women with their concerns about etiquette and their attempts at keeping up appearances of gentility despite their poverty. She had me laughing in the first few chapters but then I confess at times I lost interest. I suppose that's why I gave it only three stars. I also preferred Wives and Daughters, so for me it's wasn't my favourite of her work.

The Knife of Never Letting Go is set out in the new world in the strange town of Prentisstown where Todd is the only boy left in a town of men, where everyone is infected by Noise, an infection which allows men and boys to hear each other's thoughts and the thoughts of animals. This was an aspect I really enjoyed because it allows Todd to communicate with his dog Manchee. I wasn't really sure about this book when I started, the language in particular and whether I could relate to Todd the main character. I soon got into it and found so many interesting elements to the story. Todd isn't one of my favourite ever characters, but I did enjoy his development. This was my first Patrick Ness book, and I can't wait to read some more.