Review: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (Author) & Siobhan Dowd (Conception)

Friday, January 5, 2018


Title: A Monster Calls

Series: Stand-Alone

Author: Patrick Ness (Author) & Siobhan Dowd (Conception)

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fiction

Publication Date: September 27th 2011 by Walker Books (first published May 5th 2011)

Format: Paperback

Source: Library


Rating:






An unflinching, darkly funny, and deeply moving story of a boy, his seriously ill mother, and an unexpected monstrous visitor.

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. 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 monster in his backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd - whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself - Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.






Yes I finally read a Patrick Ness book, which I wanted to read one of his books for a very long time know. I especially wanted to read A Monster Calls for a long time as well, because I heard nothing but amazing raving reviews about it. But when I check it out from the library I wanted the book with the graphic art in it, but the library gave me the movie-tie in edition. Which it was a huge bummer because I really wanted too see the artwork in that edition, but I had to read it in the movie-tie in edition instead without seeing the beautiful artwork in the book. Ugh none the less there was nothing I could do about it, but I really did love and enjoy this fantastic book it was both heartbreaking and bittersweet while I read the whole book. Which I actually read this book in two setting it is real quick book to read! Now I don't want to go into any details about A Monster Calls because I think you should most definitely experience reading this amazing and very emotional book yourself, and you should judge how you feel about it yourself when you get the chance too read it. But be prepare to have a lot a tissues with you while you are reading this book. But all I can say this book is really an emotional roller coaster of a book that will have you hit all the feelings within you, trust me you will feel every emotion every character goes through in this book especially the main character Conor was going there. I actually had tears in my eyes reading everything that Conor was going through in life especially at the end of A Monster Calls I just could feel every emotion Conor was going through at the very end. All in all I totally and thoroughly love and enjoy everything in A Monster Call that it most definitely won't be my last book that I will read by Patrick Ness. I most certainly will continue on reading more books by Patrick Ness in the near future!













 Patrick Ness (Author)

Patrick Ness, an award-winning novelist, has written for England’s Radio 4 and Sunday Telegraph and is a literary critic for The Guardian. He has written many books, including the Chaos Walking Trilogy, The Crash of Hennington, Topics About Which I Know Nothing, and A Monster Calls.

He has won numerous awards, including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Booktrust Teenage Prize, and the Costa Children’s Book Award. Born in Virginia, he currently lives in London.



 Siobhan Dowd (Conception)

Siobhan Dowd was born to Irish parents and brought up in London. She spent much of her youth visiting the family cottage in Aglish, County Waterford and later the family home in Wicklow Town.
She attended a Catholic grammar school in south London and then gained a degree in Classics at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University. After a short stint in publishing, she joined the writer's organization PEN, initially as a researcher for its Writers in Prison Committee.

She went on to be Program Director of PEN American Center's Freedom-to-Write Committee in New York City. Her work here included founding and leading the Rushdie Defense Committee USA and traveling to Indonesia and Guatemala to investigate local human rights conditions for writers. During her seven-year spell in New York, Siobhan was named one of the "top 100 Irish-Americans" by Irish-America Magazine and AerLingus, for her global anti-censorship work.

On her return to the UK, Siobhan co-founded English PEN's readers and writers programme, which takes authors into schools in socially deprived areas, as well as prisons, young offender's institutions and community projects.

During 2004, Siobhan served as Deputy Commissioner for Children's Rights in Oxfordshire, working with local government to ensure that statutory services affecting children's lives conform with UN protocols.
Siobhan has an MA with Distinction in Gender and Ethnic Studies at Greenwich University, has authored short stories, columns and articles, and edited two anthologies.

In May 2007, Siobhan was named one of "25 authors of the future" by Waterstones Books as part of the latter's 25th anniversary celebrations.

Siobhan died on 21st August 2007 aged 47. She had been receiving treatment for advanced breast cancer for 3 years, and did not go gentle into that good night.



 




            





4 comments:

  1. I totally loved this book. I'm actually very curious about the movie as well...

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    1. I know right, I'm just waiting too see if I can get the dvd of the movie soon! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog.

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  2. Lovely review! I adore this book. On my blog I actually did a post reviewing the book and then the movie soon after. I highly recommend the movie as well! It's by far one of the best adaptations I have ever seen!

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    1. Now I really want to watch the movie soon. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog Erica.

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