I've just buzzed back from Paris and Rome. Say hi to my ciao aunt -- millieroy. Hello Millie! W000! ...
I've just buzzed back from Paris and Rome. Say hi to my ciao aunt -- millieroy. Hello Millie! W000! Lol, back to homeworko then. Au revoir!
Member since:05.08.2005
Reviews:3
My friend kept nagging me to read this. She said it was one of her favourite books. So when summer came along I had no excuse. She handed me this book and I gave in and read it. I'm so glad that I did because its like nothing I've ever read before.
Noughts and Crosses is the first in a trilogy followed by Knife Edge and finally Checkmate. Malorie Blackman has had an unaccountable amount of acclaim for this book and its the winner of the Children's Book Award.
Noughts and Crosses is a book set in a world where you are either a Nought or a Cross. And although this concept is mostly interpreted as the different races, and in the book a Nought is white and a Cross is black, I also found myself interpreting Noughts and Crosses to be any two concepts. I reckon it could be interpreted as male and female, young and old, or any two concepts that cause prejudice and that separate people in society in our world today.
However, in this book it focuses on the races - a Nought boy called Callum and a Cross girl called Sephy. In their world the Nought's are discriminated and are of a lower class than the Crosses, who rule and have power.
Sephy and Callum are two best friends in a world that doesn't even understand how a Nought and a Cross can sit together and this book is about the struggle between their friendships, their families, their statuses and their lives. It follows them from their middle teens and then later jumps to their late teens.
A chunky 442 pages is very satisfactory and even if you don't read the sequels, this just stands up on its own two feet.
It starts with a prologue of what happened between Sephy and Callum's family members a long time ago and then moves onto now when Callum is due to be one of the first Noughts to attend one of the best schools that Sephy goes to too. But this is nothing compared to what else happens in this book. Sooo much happens, I don't want to spoil any of it, but it just gets better and better, if you can call what happens 'better'...
When I started reading it I liked it, but I wasn't too sucked into it. Yet. I went along with the story and I really liked how the writing changes from Sehpy's perspective to Callum's; that way you get a full overview of what each character is thinking. For me, I thought the style of writing was very simple however, it had a lovely tone, and then again, it was meant to be simple because it was written through the view of young people for young people so it suited its purpose. The aimed audience is Young Adult although I reckon adults would appreciate this book just as much.
But soon enough, this book gets you entangled in its spindled web and is completely enthralling. I almost cried at the end, in fact, there are so many sad tragic moments in this book that are so realistic and you really start to associate with these characters that I must warn you - its not for the faint hearted... It does contain minimal violence, sex but mostly it deals with moral and society issues.
Usually I'm into magical books (I'm Harry Potter crazy, don't get me started) and crimes but this was a wonderful refreshing change that was mind-opening and has the painful truths of real life etched all over it. Whatever you're into, read this. Its just simply brilliant.
So what are you waiting for? Go and read it :-)
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Malorie Blackman is a fine, award-winning author whose work is always inclined to provoke ... more
debate amongst her readers, and indeed her peers. WithNoughts and Crossesshe surpasses expectation not only with her subject matter, but with the execution of a s...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Malorie Blackman is a fine, award-winning author whose work is always inclined to provoke ... more
debate amongst her readers, and indeed her peers. With Noughts and Crosses she surpasses expectation not only with her subject matter, but with the execution of a...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Malorie Blackman is a fine, award-winning author whose work is always inclined to provoke ... more
debate amongst her readers, and indeed her peers. With Noughts and Crosses she surpasses expectation not only with her subject matter, but with the execution of a...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Passionate writing, deep themes, excellent writing and there are sequels. Disadvantages: Too mature themes for very young readers and gets a little long-winded in the middle
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