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Nation
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It's witty and wise, but it leaves its young readers enough room for a newly formed opinion or two as they think about its themes of love, loss, loyalty, courage, religion and nationhood. www.thebookbag.co.uk 20080815 An enchanting novel... Terry Pratchett is one of the most interesting and critically under-rated novelists we have. The Times 20080906 In this first novel for young people set outside of Discworld, Pratchett again shows his humor and humanity... The main characters are engaging and interesting, and are the perfect medium for the author's sly humor. Daphne is a close literary cousin of Tiffany Aching in her common sense and keen intelligence wedded to courage. A rich and thought-provoking read. School Library Journal, USA 20081001 Thought-provoking as well as fun, this is Pratchett at his most philosophical, with characters and situations sprung from ideas and games with language. And it celebrates the joy of the moment. The Times 20080921 The unique pleasure of this story is that all the serious subjects and juicy ethical questions, such as the dilemma of the compassionate lie, are fully woven into action and character. Satirical portraits of upper-class twits, slapstick buffoonery, bad puns, and that particular brand of English wit buoy this story at every turn. Add a romance of gentle sweetness, encounters with ghosts, and lots of gunfire, and it is hard to imagine a reader who won't feel welcomed into this nation The Horn Book, USA 20080901 This is no heavy-toned tale: Tears and rage there may be in plenty, but also a cast of marvelously wrought characters, humor that flies from mild to screamingly funny to out-and-out gross, incredible discoveries, profound insights into human nature and several subplots. A searching exploration of good and evil, fate and free will, both as broad and as deep as anything this brilliant and, happily, prolific author has produced so far. Kirkus Reviews, USA 20080901 Terry Pratchett is an indisputable one-off...Nothing he writes is ever predictable - except that it will always be gloriously readable. The Independent 20080926 Pratchett's immensely entertaining new young adult novel, manages to be both thought-provoking and sweet...At times Nation reads like Philip Pullman but with less anger and more jokes, and a bit more ambiguity... It's a wonderful story, by turns harrowing and triumphant. New York Times 20081205 Nation has profound, subtle and original things to say about the interplay between tradition and knowledge, faith and questioning...It's funny, exciting, lighthearted and, like all the best comedy, very serious. The Guardian 20080913 An ebullient and entertaining novel of ideas. The Guardian 20090523
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The end of the world is just the beginning...
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
124 of 132 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I've had this book on order for months - and I rushed home to rip open the package and get reading when it arrived from Amazon.
And there was no Discworld.. No turtle, no elephants, no witches, no dwarves - nothing - nothing but Terry and his beautiful, perceptive way of understanding and writing about human nature, life, the universe and everything..
I get the feeling that what he has gifted us with, this time, was too important to be hidden cunningly among the wonderful characters and humour of the discworld series. Although the Tiffany Aching books are pretty special, and give my favourite (Small Gods) a run for its money..
What Terry Pratchett doesn't know about people, quantum physics and spiritual philosophy isn't worth knowing.. And the way he engages us, and leads us through both his stories, and the breadth and depth of life and being human, in this place - and at this time - speaks of both love and poetry. This is a beautiful book - and it was worth going in to work half asleep - because I couldn't put it down and get myself off to bed until I'd finished it. Highly recommended.
And there was no Discworld.. No turtle, no elephants, no witches, no dwarves - nothing - nothing but Terry and his beautiful, perceptive way of understanding and writing about human nature, life, the universe and everything..
I get the feeling that what he has gifted us with, this time, was too important to be hidden cunningly among the wonderful characters and humour of the discworld series. Although the Tiffany Aching books are pretty special, and give my favourite (Small Gods) a run for its money..
What Terry Pratchett doesn't know about people, quantum physics and spiritual philosophy isn't worth knowing.. And the way he engages us, and leads us through both his stories, and the breadth and depth of life and being human, in this place - and at this time - speaks of both love and poetry. This is a beautiful book - and it was worth going in to work half asleep - because I couldn't put it down and get myself off to bed until I'd finished it. Highly recommended.
76 of 81 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I want to add my review here of Nation but it's actually an extraordinarily difficult thing to do. The reason is that I don't want to appear to be `gushing' with praise for it. If ever I read such a review, it normally has the effect of turning me off the book completely, as it's obviously written by a fan who hasn't read a different author or genre since they left primary school. In view of this, here's what I genuinely thought of it:
I finished the book last night and my immediate thought was `Oh my gosh, this is a classic'. This is a book that will be discussed, debated and written about for years to come. It's a bit like being around when a new Dickens or Jane Austin novel came out.
The plot has been mentioned here already, so I won't repeat it again. I see that some reviewers have said that Nation is pitched at older children in their teens, but don't be fooled. This book has so much depth and can be read at so many levels, there's enough here to keep 10 year old Harry Potter fans to Academic Philosophers happy. The writing style is as clear and sparkling as cut crystal and while reading it, Pratchett takes your conscious mind out of this world and into his. You become each character, looking through their eyes, thinking their thoughts and feeling their every emotion. It is a fully immersive experience. The book also engages the brain by making you think about how societies and belief systems are created and our place in them. It is also a book to make you think about what makes you, you. If ever there was a book that could provide software upgrade for your brain, this is it.
Terry, I'll probably never meet you in person, but thank you for such a special gift.
I finished the book last night and my immediate thought was `Oh my gosh, this is a classic'. This is a book that will be discussed, debated and written about for years to come. It's a bit like being around when a new Dickens or Jane Austin novel came out.
The plot has been mentioned here already, so I won't repeat it again. I see that some reviewers have said that Nation is pitched at older children in their teens, but don't be fooled. This book has so much depth and can be read at so many levels, there's enough here to keep 10 year old Harry Potter fans to Academic Philosophers happy. The writing style is as clear and sparkling as cut crystal and while reading it, Pratchett takes your conscious mind out of this world and into his. You become each character, looking through their eyes, thinking their thoughts and feeling their every emotion. It is a fully immersive experience. The book also engages the brain by making you think about how societies and belief systems are created and our place in them. It is also a book to make you think about what makes you, you. If ever there was a book that could provide software upgrade for your brain, this is it.
Terry, I'll probably never meet you in person, but thank you for such a special gift.
129 of 139 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
So, first things first - this is not a Discworld book, which marks it as somewhat of a departure from the norm. Secondly, it's wonderful, made all the more wonderful by its separation from the usual Narrative Elements of a Terry Pratchett novel.
I received the book today and read it in a single sitting - bits of the book are tremendously sad, other bits are tremendously bitter - I do wonder how much of the book is a metaphor for TP's own deeply sad condition. There aren't many laughs in the book, but there is a very touching, emotionally resonant story that at its core is greatly optimistic.
I do hope that this isn't the last book we'll see from Terry Pratchett, who as an author has given me a greater Enjoyment to Hour ratio than any other writer. If this is to be his swan song though, he's carried it off marvellously.
I received the book today and read it in a single sitting - bits of the book are tremendously sad, other bits are tremendously bitter - I do wonder how much of the book is a metaphor for TP's own deeply sad condition. There aren't many laughs in the book, but there is a very touching, emotionally resonant story that at its core is greatly optimistic.
I do hope that this isn't the last book we'll see from Terry Pratchett, who as an author has given me a greater Enjoyment to Hour ratio than any other writer. If this is to be his swan song though, he's carried it off marvellously.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Exhilarating break from Discworld
The best thing about Terry Pratchett's books is the wealth of ideas and observations about human nature which he puts into the narrative, and there's plenty of that here, and of... Read more
Published 15 days ago by njd
The Best he's Written
Adding to above - I love the satire of the the Discworld novels and I adore his female characters and can laugh out loud even on 3rd and 4th readings but none of them made me cry -... Read more
Published 3 months ago by ImaginaryZoo
Essential Reading
Terry Pratchett writes, as anybody who has bothered to read his work knows, entertainingly and very well. However, there is always more to it than that ... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Grable
excellent
Its interesting that many people who have given this book bad reviews are big discworld fans. I am a huge discworld fan, but this book is still excellent. Read more
Published 7 months ago by ndt
deeply moving
If you liked "Night watch", "going postal" etc for the enlightened undercurrent that carries those stories, then you are going to love "Nation". Read more
Published 11 months ago by JeSuisse
A book for all sseasons
Nation is a book that most people should read, and that all who read it will enjoy.
A very good lesson in humanity, from which all can learn.....
A very good lesson in humanity, from which all can learn.....
Published 14 months ago by sven
Moving and thoughtful
In my eyes, Terry Pratchett can do no wrong, and this book does nothing to persuade me otherwise. I have been reading him since the very beginning and his books have always been... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mrs. K. A. Wheatley
Very good, FOR A CHILDREN'S BOOK!
Sorry about the CAPS LOCK in the title, but some people (the one star brigade) seem to have failed to notice (amid their claims that the book lacks depth, is non-three dimensional... Read more
Published 15 months ago by B. Nash
wonderful
Pratchett has always been at his best not while writing about wizards and magic,which for me often got in the way and resulted in contrived Deus Ex Machina endings to his books,... Read more
Published 15 months ago
Yes! No Discworld!
I am not a Terry Pratchett fan, let me get that out of the way first! But this book was recommended by several teenagers who urged me to give it a go; I was not disappointed. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Bea Turvey
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