The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party @ richardeward.com

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party
by M.T. Anderson
from Candlewick

Features:

• Bargain Price

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

• Accolade for Good Omens
  Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman is a fictional story about the end of the world which, according to one Agnes Nutter, Witch, is next Saturday, but the Antichrist has been misplaced. In order to stop the end of the world from happening, an unlikely team comprised of an angel, a demon, a witch, a witch finder, and four kids must try to find the misplaced Antichrist and put a stop to the Apocalypse. What might otherwise be a pretty dark story is made light by the humor that can be found... more info

• Shine a light on the darkness
  I read Octavian Nothing this weekend. In a night, actually, in one enormous fascinated appalled gulp. Now I understand why everyone was talking about it. Slave narratives have alway been political, so using a fictional one (be it never so fantastical and gothick) to illumine the history we don't see as much is lovely. This is not a book for hagiography, not of people or nations. It is about Jefferson, although it never says so. It is like a darker, older version of Johnny Tremaine. People die, and are sold... more info

• Tedious and pretentious
  The premise of this book (a child raised by 19th century natural scientists as an "experiment") is so provocative that I grabbed it off the bookstore shelf and couldn't wait to read it. The description of Octavian's early life, and the unraveling of who the people are and why they are doing it, is fascinating. After the initial shock and curiosity, however, the plot plods along tediously. The writing is meant to evoke 19th century prose style, but it comes off as pretentious and I found it difficult to... more info

• "F" ed up.
  I knew some of the historical references when I read this but not all. This book goes to a dark dark place. I love the argument at the end. This book is a powerhouse.

Similar Products: