I read them very quickly, too - lost a lot of sleep to them - and found them disturbing. But I agreed with my sister that the books get better as they go on. Katniss's character development is - horrifying, at times. But it is clearly meant to be. Collins has said that the books are about the deforming effects of war on the young, and she gets that across very well. As I said above, I don't see rereading them any time soon. They are not beautiful and not especially comforting, except for the courage and lovingkindness of Peeta and poor little Prim.
I can see the point of the first-person narrative, because we are stuck in Katniss' POV, and of the present tense, because it keeps alive the question of whether she will live or die. It's a considered choice. From that pov, the books are quite well written. But Katniss is not especially reflective or well-educated,and that shows in the voice. In a way, Collins has pulled off quite a trick in telling a subtle and reflective story in the voice of a character who is neither of these things. That Katniss can reflect, and love, however imperfectly, is a triumph of sorts. I LOVED the epilogue, unlike the horrid epilogue of DH. But they are disturbing books. They aren't fun.
And there is one thing that bothered me particularly. I love roses. I really do. I thought, for awhile, that I'd never be able to appreciate a beautifully-scented white rose the same way again. Then I thought, well, The White Rose (Die Weisse Rose) came first, and the flower even before them. I am not going to let Collins destroy my pleasure in real, innocent beauty or in heroism!
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Date: 2010-09-28 03:14 pm (UTC)I can see the point of the first-person narrative, because we are stuck in Katniss' POV, and of the present tense, because it keeps alive the question of whether she will live or die. It's a considered choice. From that pov, the books are quite well written. But Katniss is not especially reflective or well-educated,and that shows in the voice. In a way, Collins has pulled off quite a trick in telling a subtle and reflective story in the voice of a character who is neither of these things. That Katniss can reflect, and love, however imperfectly, is a triumph of sorts. I LOVED the epilogue, unlike the horrid epilogue of DH. But they are disturbing books. They aren't fun.
And there is one thing that bothered me particularly. I love roses. I really do. I thought, for awhile, that I'd never be able to appreciate a beautifully-scented white rose the same way again. Then I thought, well, The White Rose (Die Weisse Rose) came first, and the flower even before them. I am not going to let Collins destroy my pleasure in real, innocent beauty or in heroism!
My two cents.