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Post by loupy on Jan 18, 2012 16:52:40 GMT
Welcome to the discussion, Beth! Like Loupy, it's nice to have you join us because you do have a clearer memory about the smaller details... I agree with your assessment regarding the tension. That was one thing I meant to add and didn't--that each chapter (or many chapters) ended with the cliffhanger of sorts. And there was a distinct beginning, middle, and end, which I'm sure was done with the YA in mind. Thank you for the map. I haven't looked at it yet, but I will! And I also had trouble picturing the Capitol in Book 3. In fact (and I even hate to say this because it feels disloyal) but I felt Book 3 was rushed and Collins didn't attend to inner story/detail/motivation as closely as she did in the other books. Basically, Book 1 was my absolute favorite of the three. I agree with you about book 3. I thought it was good, but I really felt it was rushed. Especially at the end when the battle took off! Another friend finished it before I did and she told me not to get too excited about book 3's ending. I just wish maybe it was another 100 pages longer or so! They are splitting the last book into 2 movies, so maybe on screen we'll get what we didn't in the book.
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Post by 4amWriter on Jan 20, 2012 10:01:03 GMT
Welcome to the discussion, Beth! Like Loupy, it's nice to have you join us because you do have a clearer memory about the smaller details... I agree with your assessment regarding the tension. That was one thing I meant to add and didn't--that each chapter (or many chapters) ended with the cliffhanger of sorts. And there was a distinct beginning, middle, and end, which I'm sure was done with the YA in mind. Thank you for the map. I haven't looked at it yet, but I will! And I also had trouble picturing the Capitol in Book 3. In fact (and I even hate to say this because it feels disloyal) but I felt Book 3 was rushed and Collins didn't attend to inner story/detail/motivation as closely as she did in the other books. Basically, Book 1 was my absolute favorite of the three. I agree with you about book 3. I thought it was good, but I really felt it was rushed. Especially at the end when the battle took off! Another friend finished it before I did and she told me not to get too excited about book 3's ending. I just wish maybe it was another 100 pages longer or so! They are splitting the last book into 2 movies, so maybe on screen we'll get what we didn't in the book. Seriously? Splitting it into 2 movies? OMG, that's such a waste and it only makes me feel like they're copying what they did with Harry Potter. But maybe you're right. They probably will add a lot of extra violence and action to fill up the time.
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Post by Sally P (limebirdsally) on Jan 27, 2012 19:15:17 GMT
Okay, I read the first book today after finally being prompted by your recent post, Kate. I started reading through the comments, but I realised there were spoilers on the next two books so I'll have to come back once I've read all three!
I thought the book was amazing, so gripping. It was quite a traumatic read but Collins managed to stop us building up so much sympathy for the other tributes that we couldn't cope with their deaths. Although she did give us enough sympathy for Thresh for me to really need to know about what happened - she seemed to just forget him at the end but I thought the character deserved more.
I wasn't convinced by the suggestion that Peeta was bad at any stage because he had too much of a hero role. In the same way it seemed strongly set up that she would protect Rue (although of course the nature of the book meant she couldn't actually save her life). The change of rules for them both surviving the arena was surprising as I'd been picturing them both just refusing to kill each other at the end, but it's definitely set the scene for a grand toppling of the system - I'll have to read on...
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Post by loupy on Jan 28, 2012 3:18:52 GMT
Okay, I read the first book today after finally being prompted by your recent post, Kate. I started reading through the comments, but I realised there were spoilers on the next two books so I'll have to come back once I've read all three! I thought the book was amazing, so gripping. It was quite a traumatic read but Collins managed to stop us building up so much sympathy for the other tributes that we couldn't cope with their deaths. Although she did give us enough sympathy for Thresh for me to really need to know about what happened - she seemed to just forget him at the end but I thought the character deserved more. I wasn't convinced by the suggestion that Peeta was bad at any stage because he had too much of a hero role. In the same way it seemed strongly set up that she would protect Rue (although of course the nature of the book meant she couldn't actually save her life). The change of rules for them both surviving the arena was surprising as I'd been picturing them both just refusing to kill each other at the end, but it's definitely set the scene for a grand toppling of the system - I'll have to read on... I know I was so conflicted when I was reading it, knowing that Rue probably had to die, and honestly thought Peeta would have to die somehow (since they seemed to control the arena when they wanted someone dead that was taking too long to go) So when Katniss came up with her plan to keep them both alive I was so happy!
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Post by Sally P (limebirdsally) on Jan 28, 2012 22:15:23 GMT
Just finished the second book - wasn't expecting another arena plot, but she handles it so well. Trying to decide whether to just give up on doing anything productive tomorrow and read the third one, or attempt to ration myself...
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Post by loupy on Jan 28, 2012 23:04:11 GMT
Just finished the second book - wasn't expecting another arena plot, but she handles it so well. Trying to decide whether to just give up on doing anything productive tomorrow and read the third one, or attempt to ration myself... There's no point in trying to deny it - you have to just read it! lol It was hard for me to put those books down once I started. I was heartbroken in the beginning when they said they were going back to the arena. I don't know what I thought the other two books would be about, but I as just so sad for the characters when they had to go back in.
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Post by Sally P (limebirdsally) on Jan 29, 2012 11:51:21 GMT
I know loupy - part of me thought, ouch, prepare for another traumatic read; another part of me thought, yay this is going to be so exciting! I desperately wanted them all to club together at the beginning and refuse to kill each other so the first 'murder' so soon was a wrench, but that's what makes it so exciting. I think it would have been nicer for me as a reader if it had been the capitol's games that killed those that died rather than each other but of course the reason book one worked so well was she created the antagonists in the careers so you could root for some over others.
I know as soon as I start book 3 I'll be pretty much useless until it's finished, so trying to be super-productive first, but I suspect I'll tuck in later this afternoon!
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Post by 4amWriter on Jan 30, 2012 10:18:55 GMT
Hi Sally,
Glad to see you're reading the books. I agree with your take on Thresh--that he deserved more. I actually had forgotten about him from his first mention so when he was back in at the end, I was like "who's this again?"
I also feel the same way about Rue as far as believability that Katniss would team up with her. I guess in some ways Collins set it up well enough (likeability factor, similarity to little sister) but it seemed odd to me also.
Without going into it too much (because you haven't read book 3) the above reminds me of a niggling bothersome feeling I had throughout the series: how could all of this gone on for seventy-odd years without anyone ever doing anything to stop it?
It just seems too convenient that it be Katniss/Peeta for the sake of a story. I felt there needed to be more support in terms of history and background to believe that this society was so bloodthirsty and had such disregard for human life.
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Post by Sally P (limebirdsally) on Jan 30, 2012 17:15:09 GMT
Okay, so my baby hasn't been fed or changed since Friday (joke!!!!) but I'm through to the end. I'm an impatient reader but it's rare to find a series that holds me so intently there was no way I was going to be free of this world until I finished it!
Amazingly, the third book did make it feel as if the first one, and then to a lesser extent, second one had just been a game and I almost felt nostalgic for the lack of danger. Crazy, but brilliantly contrived. I actually didn't feel like it needed the nod to the arena in the Capitol boobie-traps because I already felt like this was serious now and they'd progressed from the game-play.
Like Thresh I think throughout there are characters where I felt a gruesome need to know their full story - for example Cecelia leaving her three children behind and then just going down with the body count on the first day of the Quel; or what happens to Annie, fragile as she is at the end when she finds out Finnick dies, but Collins actually does deal really well with the volume of characters that she creates sympathy for.
Yes, there are some things that don't fully work, like you say Kate, the fact that nobody has tried to topple this system before; the fact it all seems to sit on one man's shoulder's and if she can kill Snow then they win. I also agree with the comments above that she did seem a bit impatient to finish it and could have made a lot more of the final scenes but I don't want to detract from what this series has managed to do, which is completely grip me and cut me off from my own life with the most incredible story. Wow, so glad you encouraged me to give it a go.
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Post by loupy on Jan 30, 2012 21:14:09 GMT
Okay, so my baby hasn't been fed or changed since Friday (joke!!!!) but I'm through to the end. I'm an impatient reader but it's rare to find a series that holds me so intently there was no way I was going to be free of this world until I finished it! Amazingly, the third book did make it feel as if the first one, and then to a lesser extent, second one had just been a game and I almost felt nostalgic for the lack of danger. Crazy, but brilliantly contrived. I actually didn't feel like it needed the nod to the arena in the Capitol boobie-traps because I already felt like this was serious now and they'd progressed from the game-play. Like Thresh I think throughout there are characters where I felt a gruesome need to know their full story - for example Cecelia leaving her three children behind and then just going down with the body count on the first day of the Quel; or what happens to Annie, fragile as she is at the end when she finds out Finnick dies, but Collins actually does deal really well with the volume of characters that she creates sympathy for. Yes, there are some things that don't fully work, like you say Kate, the fact that nobody has tried to topple this system before; the fact it all seems to sit on one man's shoulder's and if she can kill Snow then they win. I also agree with the comments above that she did seem a bit impatient to finish it and could have made a lot more of the final scenes but I don't want to detract from what this series has managed to do, which is completely grip me and cut me off from my own life with the most incredible story. Wow, so glad you encouraged me to give it a go. You're right about that, it's so easy to say "but why didn't she do it this way" , "i don't get why she did that argghhh" But the truth is it is one of those VERY RARE series of books that so fully engrosses the readers to the point that they don't want to do anything else with their lives but keep reading. I think the only other time I've experienced that was with Harry Potter.
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Post by limebirdwriters on Feb 10, 2012 16:05:50 GMT
Yay Sally, I'm so glad that you're now on the Hunger Games wagon. They are just so amazing, I cannot wait for the films to come out, I'm so excited!
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Post by Sally P (limebirdsally) on Feb 10, 2012 19:47:08 GMT
Me too! I'm not much of a cinema-goer (I'm generally just there for the pick n mix), but this is definitely one I can't wait for.
I'm such a mug I even clicked on a few 'trailer' links on you-tube and saw some very amusing home-spun versions (I'm obviously not completely clued-up on the workings of you-tube yet), oh and a Rick Astley video posted by a bit of a meanie, although it did invoke a wry smile.
I did manage to find the 'proper' trailer though. Can't wait (even if it does make me feel a bit old that my focus is not on the Katniss-Gale-Peeta love triangle that seems to be engaging many of the younger fans!)
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Post by loupy on Feb 11, 2012 8:26:03 GMT
I can't wait for the movies either. Also, I think the movie studio is releasing some sort of interactive website of Panem or something, maybe we will finally get our answers on where everything is really located (if they consulted Collins that is)
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Post by limebirdwriters on Feb 13, 2012 10:25:27 GMT
Me too! I'm not much of a cinema-goer (I'm generally just there for the pick n mix), but this is definitely one I can't wait for. I'm such a mug I even clicked on a few 'trailer' links on you-tube and saw some very amusing home-spun versions (I'm obviously not completely clued-up on the workings of you-tube yet), oh and a Rick Astley video posted by a bit of a meanie, although it did invoke a wry smile. I did manage to find the 'proper' trailer though. Can't wait (even if it does make me feel a bit old that my focus is not on the Katniss-Gale-Peeta love triangle that seems to be engaging many of the younger fans!) Ohh, I'm definitely a big cinema goer, I love it! In my defense though, there's not much else to do around here. Oh noo, you got Rick Rolled! haha!! I know, I am so excited, but yes I think you're right. They're def going to focus on the love triangle.
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Post by loupy on Mar 23, 2012 23:15:52 GMT
Did anyone watch the movie? I got up bright and early to watch it today. It was really good! It was kinda slow at the beginning, but I was OK with that. To me at least, it seemed that way. And to me it seemed to follow the book really well! I officially can't wait until the next movies ahhhh why must they make us wait!!?!?
Anyway, my biggest beef with the movie was a lot of shaky camera. Like when they all ran after the cornucopia, it was hard to watch.
I'd totally watch it again! and again , and again......
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