So I read Mockingjay
Aug. 31st, 2010 09:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shah_of_blahAnd I'm not really sure if I liked it. I got kind of very frustrated about 2/3 of the way through. I'm having trouble working out just what was upsetting me, and I'm writing this without having read a single word of anyone else's reaction posts in the hopes that talking through my own reaction will somehow...help me figure it out.
I kind of feel like there was no payoff. Or the payoff was insufficient. No real catharsis. So many deaths or disappearances were just in the background. And so much happened while Katniss was wandering around in a daze or whatever. I kind of feel like this book wasn't really the story of the revolution, so much as...I don't know. The story of Katniss being frakked up. Or something. Which I knew she was, but...I think I almost wanted her to be the leader. Or a leader. I don't know. (I keep saying that!) I think I wanted her to be more active.
My favorite characters from the first two books were Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch (I had this revelation while re-reading Catching Fire that I LOVE Haymitch to a ridiculous degree). And then Peeta was virtually absent for the majority of the book. And Haymitch was pretty distant. He was sort of sporadically in and out, but not quite in the role he'd been in before. And I missed that. Missed him. I don't know.
I think I was also disappointed that Gale wasn't the character I'd thought he was/wanted him to be. And it wasn't exactly out of the blue either. But he went off and vanished too. And that was...so unsatisfying. God, couldn't they have at least had a fight? Any sort of resolution?
And Peeta--you know, he's a great character and I love the guy, I do, but with him being so absent in the whole third book, their ending didn't feel right either. And you know, I think epilogues of that nature might just be a bad idea in general. That whole 'twenty years later' thing just doesn't sit right with me. Too often, it feels like it's wrapping the book up in a ribbon, although kudos to Collins for maintaining the spirit of the book and not being all "and Katniss never had bad dreams again and everyone lived happily ever after."
But I don't want this to sound like my dissatisfaction with the book is because Katniss didn't end up with the guy I wanted her to end up with. I actually didn't want her to be with either of them at the end. Which is weird, because I didn't want her to be alone either, I just didn't want the ending to be defined by those fricking teams. I liked both of them, but I didn't want the book/series to be about her love life. Not that it shouldn't be a part of the story, just...I think that's something that bothered me about this book. The trajectory/action seemed more about her relationships with Gale and Peeta than about overthrowing the corrupt regime.
So I don't know. I don't know how I felt about it. I'm kind of really hoping that I'll re-read the book at some point and realize that I love it. I'd like to love it rather than just...sort of like it, but mostly feel like it wasn't anywhere near as good as the first two books. Which is generally what I'm feeling now. I objectively appreciate it, but I'm just not really feeling it. More than anything, it made me feel tired.
Gosh, what am I going to read now? I was reading The Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England before, but was not totally digging it. It was interesting, and entertaining, but the main character was a total ass. I really only read one or two chapters though, so perhaps I should give him a second chance. Of course, I could always read any of the dozen books I'm supposed to be reading for my classes. Or I could work on the story draft that I'm supposed to have by Friday (oh deadlines--how I love and loathe thee).
I'm in kind of a weird mood. Hmmm. I think I'll watch some 3rd Rock From the Sun. And then maybe read some HG fic. Or maybe not. I might need some space. Not sure yet.
I kind of feel like there was no payoff. Or the payoff was insufficient. No real catharsis. So many deaths or disappearances were just in the background. And so much happened while Katniss was wandering around in a daze or whatever. I kind of feel like this book wasn't really the story of the revolution, so much as...I don't know. The story of Katniss being frakked up. Or something. Which I knew she was, but...I think I almost wanted her to be the leader. Or a leader. I don't know. (I keep saying that!) I think I wanted her to be more active.
My favorite characters from the first two books were Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch (I had this revelation while re-reading Catching Fire that I LOVE Haymitch to a ridiculous degree). And then Peeta was virtually absent for the majority of the book. And Haymitch was pretty distant. He was sort of sporadically in and out, but not quite in the role he'd been in before. And I missed that. Missed him. I don't know.
I think I was also disappointed that Gale wasn't the character I'd thought he was/wanted him to be. And it wasn't exactly out of the blue either. But he went off and vanished too. And that was...so unsatisfying. God, couldn't they have at least had a fight? Any sort of resolution?
And Peeta--you know, he's a great character and I love the guy, I do, but with him being so absent in the whole third book, their ending didn't feel right either. And you know, I think epilogues of that nature might just be a bad idea in general. That whole 'twenty years later' thing just doesn't sit right with me. Too often, it feels like it's wrapping the book up in a ribbon, although kudos to Collins for maintaining the spirit of the book and not being all "and Katniss never had bad dreams again and everyone lived happily ever after."
But I don't want this to sound like my dissatisfaction with the book is because Katniss didn't end up with the guy I wanted her to end up with. I actually didn't want her to be with either of them at the end. Which is weird, because I didn't want her to be alone either, I just didn't want the ending to be defined by those fricking teams. I liked both of them, but I didn't want the book/series to be about her love life. Not that it shouldn't be a part of the story, just...I think that's something that bothered me about this book. The trajectory/action seemed more about her relationships with Gale and Peeta than about overthrowing the corrupt regime.
So I don't know. I don't know how I felt about it. I'm kind of really hoping that I'll re-read the book at some point and realize that I love it. I'd like to love it rather than just...sort of like it, but mostly feel like it wasn't anywhere near as good as the first two books. Which is generally what I'm feeling now. I objectively appreciate it, but I'm just not really feeling it. More than anything, it made me feel tired.
Gosh, what am I going to read now? I was reading The Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England before, but was not totally digging it. It was interesting, and entertaining, but the main character was a total ass. I really only read one or two chapters though, so perhaps I should give him a second chance. Of course, I could always read any of the dozen books I'm supposed to be reading for my classes. Or I could work on the story draft that I'm supposed to have by Friday (oh deadlines--how I love and loathe thee).
I'm in kind of a weird mood. Hmmm. I think I'll watch some 3rd Rock From the Sun. And then maybe read some HG fic. Or maybe not. I might need some space. Not sure yet.
