Isobelle Carmody(Fantasy author)
Diana Wynne Jones (review)
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The GatheringThe Gathering by Isobelle Carmody(Fantasy author) is an Australian young adult's novel. The Book sold over 70 000 copies in Australia and New Zealand alone. This novel has received many awards for its major morals,some of these awards included: The book was a joint recipient of the 1993 Children's Peace Literature Award and was also named Book of the Year in 1994 by the Children's Book Council of Australia. Plot Summary The city of chestnut is a small city which is represented by conformity and control,which only a small band of young people-the chain as they come to call it-can overcome the struggle against society. Nathaniel Delaney the narrator of the novel,ever since his parents divorce he has been moving frequently but Nathaniel dislikes this aspect of his life due to the lack stable environment which then contributes too the hardship of making friends and relationships with society altogether. Nathaniel's first impression of chestnut shortly after arrival is immediate dislike. Although Nathaniel has recently heard that Cheshunt is a quiet and non-violent community which impresses his strict mother in all areas, this cause him and his mother to have tension between them which starts to break their mother and son relationship apart. He then in a twist of fate meets a group of kids who are rebelling against the principle and he joins the in an epic quest to find the hidden mysteries of Cheshunt. Theme The characters in the book help portray the message which is being presented by the author, which is "Good VS Evil". Nathaniel Delaney, who is the main character in the book, illustrates the image of the good character. He is known as the character that has found his place, and has managed to establish himself as a role in the development of his life, and of the people around him. In the fight against the current Kraken, Nathaniel has helped the reader understand who the people around him are even fighting for, whether it is good or evil. Belonging Quotes (The Gathering) These quotes relate to the concept of Identity Identity can lead a person to question their sense of belonging. Composers often utilize this idea to communicate to their audience strong thematic ideas. For example, Isabelle Carmody's novel, The Gathering explores the notion of identity through the character of Nathaniel, He sails to find a connection when he arrives in chestnut because, " Cheshunt is not the place for people who want to stand out" and " as long as this book lives with my name on it,dark will sleep". As the novel progresses we witness Nathaniel's search for identity and belonging go more deeper. A Professional Review The Gathering has provided for this reader at least, an enormously challenging and satisfying read; one frequently gets the feeling that the novel was also deeply challenging to write. Carmody has drawn together some quite disparate elements from fantasy and social realism to create something quite complex and stunning. It also happens to have one of the best covers of any novel of any year. The novel’s editor, Erica Irving, describes the book as Carmody’s breakthrough novel, and both the tale and its telling will confirm this book as a major achievement for Carmody, and create an important place for The Gathering in contemporary fiction for young adults. By Diana Wynne Jones Analytical Paragraph The concepts of belonging is represented in the text Extensively "sometimes you get a feeling about a thing that you can't explain;a premonition of wrongness. Mostly you ignore it the way you would a little kid tugging at your sleeve. You think: what do kid know anyhow?" (from the Prelude) This statement reflects Belonging using equality in the society. Simply the text gives us a feeling that Elders look down on the youth(young teens) as they think we are inexperienced and due to this would not know how to handle a specific situation. yt BLURB The Gathering is Isobelle Carmody's best-selling novel. Over 70,000 copies have been sold in Australia and New Zealand since first publication. Awards include joint winner of the 1993 peace award for best book, and joint winner of the 1994 Children's Book Council of Australia book of the year award for older readers. * * * * * * * * "it was easy to pick up but but hard to put down. . . it is one of the best books i have read in a long time." Hamish Ramsay, 14 years old "The Gathering is a great page-turner that is probably best read in daylight and in good company," Pam Macintyre, Magpies Isobelle Jane Carmody is an Australian writer of science fiction, fantasy, children's literature, and young adult literature. In my perspective she is a most highly acclaimed author of fantasy titles for older readers. |