In a world where everyone's thoughts are audible, Todd, the last boy in Prentisstown, is on the cusp of manhood when he discovers a patch of silence, leading him to flee his town. Along with a girl named Viola, Todd embarks on a journey to find Haven, a settlement rumored to have no Noise, all while being pursued by the men from Prentisstown. The book explores themes of identity, friendship, and survival in a post-apocalyptic setting, with a unique writing style that immerses readers in the protagonist's thoughts and emotions.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include high violence, animal death, and themes of oppression and trauma.
From The Publisher:
Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. In the midst of the cacophony, Todd knows that the town is hiding something from him: something so awful he is forced to flee. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, Todd stumbles upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.
Ratings (63)
Incredible (9) | |
Loved It (31) | |
Liked It (6) | |
It Was OK (10) | |
Did Not Like (6) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (154):
Read It (63) | |
Currently Reading (1) | |
Want To Read (66) | |
Did Not Finish (7) | |
Not Interested (17) |
4 comment(s)
Doesn't feel like quite a 4 stars but a 3 stars is to little. Bumped up from a 3.5 stars. I thought the "noise" and different kind of Dialect would be more tricky to read but it was relatively easy to read. The story was intriguing although no character quite stood out. Curious to see what the next book is going to be like
I found this series at my local goodwill and the covers caught my eye. I noticed it said children's fiction prize winner at the top, but spoiler alert: this is not for children. I suppose it may be appropriate for kids 15+ due to the violence. That being said, I really enjoyed the concept of this story. It wasnt hard for me to get past Todd's incorrect spelling of many words. It was slightly harder to get past the whining, but then I had to remember this book is being narrated by a 13 year old boy. I hope that the next two books can keep my interest!
Usually, I hate books written in dialects. And Todd's country voice is one that I find particularly grating, so I normally would throw this book across the room while running away in the opposite direction as quickly as possible. However, I purchased this on my Kindle without reading a sample first, so I decided to power through it. I'm glad I did.
The dialect grew on me and it was fitting for the character. I can't imagine living in a world where you could hear the thoughts of every person/animal at all times. And let me tell you - Patrick Ness does not pull any punches. Some messed up stuff happens to this kid - it's a violent, bloody world that I would never want to live in.
The absolute best part of this book is the dog Manchee. Who needs human romance when you've got dog love?
When I first started this book, I had difficulty getting past the 'pidgin' English. However, I decided because the plot sounded awesome (and because I had already purchased the sequels on Amazon since they were a Kindle Daily Deal) that I should give it another try.
And I'm really glad I did.
What can you read after
The Knife of Never Letting Go?
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