The Declaration: Declaration Series, Book 1
and over 900,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
'Poignant, thought-provoking ... Sharing the visionary quality of books such as 'The Handmaid's Tale' and 'How I Live Now', The Declaration is one of those rare books that changes the way you see the world.' Publishing News 'Stunning, thought-provoking and a book that genuinely stays with you' The Bookseller (Teenage Highlights)
Review
`Thought-provoking and an important one to read'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too,
By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)
This review is from: The Declaration (Hardcover)
C.S. Lewis, author of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, once wrote that there are three ways of writing for children. The first is to cater to what children want (but people seldom know what they want and this usually ends badly), the second develops from a story told to a specific child (Lewis Carrol's THE ADVENTURES OF ALICE IN WONDERLAND, for instance), and the third is that it is simply the best art form to convey the story.Gemma Malley's debut young adult novel, THE DECLARATION, is of the last category. I am making this point because while THE DECLARATION involves two teenagers, fourteen-year-old Anna and fifteen-year-old Peter, it never feels aimed towards the teen audience Therefore it is categorized as a young adult novel by the age of its narrators rather than its content and this, I believe, will give it an enduring quality. C. S. Lewis wrote, "Where the children's story is simply the right form for what the author has to say, then of course readers who want to hear that will read the story or reread it at any age." THE DECLARATION opens in the year 2140, and people have conquered death in the form of Longevity drugs. With limited food and fuel resources, waste has become a serious crime and the worst crime of all is having a child. Anna is one of these children. She is housed at Grange Hall where she and other Surpluses are taught that the most they can ever hope for is a harsh life of servitude to make amends for their existence. Anna is well on her way to becoming a Valuable Asset when Peter arrives at Grange Hall. He challenges everything she has learned by arguing that people who take Longevity are the real criminals and perversions of nature, not the young. He also claims that he knows her parents and that they want her back. Peter is strange and new, but is he enough to make her risk everything to escape with him? Unlike some novels that use characters, plot, and setting as a vehicle to drive home a message, Gemma Malley never lets the moral and ethical questions she raises detract from the actual story. The characters are well drawn and identifiable, and the language is simple and unpretentious. THE DECLARATION is not without flaws, especially the failure to explain or integrate Mrs. Pincent's involvement with the black market product Longevity+ into a major plotline, but this lends mystery and excitement for a sequel. Even though it contains a handful of science fiction and young adult hallmarks, such as a utopia/dystopia setting, wonder drugs, and finding and defining oneself, it cannot be dismissed as merely a youthful 1984 knockoff. It is mostly a book about people, fear, and loss. Themes that are, if not always, exquisitely accessible in this age. Five Stars and a Gold Award. Reviewed by: Natalie Tsang
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Who Wants to Live Forever?,
By
This review is from: The Declaration (Paperback)
The premise of this book is simple. In the near future scientists create a longevity drug.Nobody dies from natural causes, the population explodes and 'The Declaration' is created to control it - Every citizen who uses the longevity drugs must agree not to further propagate the species. Any new children born are considered 'Surplus'; the unwanted consequences of their parents' selfishness, and wasters of the Earth's valuable resources. Anna is a model Surplus, subservient and brutally trained for a life of obedience and servitude. In this novel, Dickens meets Orwell; Anna lives at Grange Hall, an orphanage run by a totalitarian state. After she meets Peter, a recently captured 'illegal', Anna discovers that life in the outside world is not quite what she has been told. The near-future drawn by the author is scarily plausible, and the sections that deal with the drugs, government and manipulation of the population are fascinating. It's a shame there weren't more of them. Most of 'The Declaration' deals with Anna's life at Grange Hill, and is a little run-of-the-mill, dwelling on terrible food, nasty teachers and petty squabbles between the children. This though, is only a small gripe. Malley's novel remains readable throughout and the ending will knock your socks off. One of the best realised dystopian visions I have read in a long time, 'The Declaration' is well worth a look.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting concept,
By
This review is from: The Declaration: The Declaration Series, Book 1 (Kindle Edition)
This is a book that is aimed at a young adult readership, but it's one of those gems that can be picked up by an older reader and, because of the interesting concept and style of writing, can be enjoyed by them as well.I found the central theme really refreshing - there are no vampires or supernatural creatures here, just humans living in a future society where immortality is valued above all, and having children a punishable offence. Anna is a Surplus - as in surplus to requirements - who was discovered by the authorities as a toddler and taken away from her parents. She believes that she isn't worthy of hopes or dreams, or a life of her own, and is instead content to lead a life of service without asking too many questions. Then Peter comes along and changes everything. Soon Anna is left questioning her every belief and her world is turned upside down. A tense adventure follows, with a very dramatic climax - and I'm sure a sequel is soon to follow. The plot is cleverly written, the characters believeable - especially Anna's - and, although I found the ending rather a little too neat and couldn't work out for the life of me how certain parts of it were planned in advance by certain characters, I enjoyed it. To anyone who's a fan of Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Hunger Games series or Richelle Meade's Vampire Academy series, this is a must read.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
