Customer Reviews

City Of The Beasts (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Fifteen-year-old, Alexander Cold, is given the opportunity of a lifetime, when his fearless Grandmother, a magazine reporter for INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, invites him to tag along on her journey through the Amazon. Bidding his family and ill Mother goodbye, Alexander takes the chance, and ends up exploring, not only with his Grandmother, but with a Doctor, a celebrated anthropologist, a local guide, and his young daughter, Nadia. Their journey will take them where no man (or woman) has gone before, to document the legendary Yeti that just so happens to survive in the Amazon, and is better known as "the Beast." Under the canopy of the rain forest, and with his newly acquired friend, Alexander and Nadia are led on an adventure that will change their lives forever, by the invisible People of the Mist.

A woman I know at the local Barnes & Noble has been recommending this book to me since it was released. However, it seemed like something that I probably wouldn't be interested in. Boy was I wrong. Being very interested in the field of cryptozoology, I found all of the talk about "the Beast" absolutely fascinating, and was extremely mesmerized by the descriptions of the rain forest. Alexander is a likeable character that will appeal greatly to male readers, while Nadia is a brave character who will appeal greatly to female readers. A must have for all ages, especially teens interested in adventurous YA literature. Great job, Ms. Isabel Allende!

Erika Sorocco

I rented this book from the library on a whim, and much to my suprise, I really enjoyed it. I was very captivated by the book, and would reccomend it to anyone who loves fantasy and adventure books.

This book is a great addition to anyones bookshelf. Elegantly crafted, it has many twists and suprises and the plot is very fast paced. While providing an entertaining story, City of the Beasts also delivers lessons and morals to the reader.

City of the Beasts is also a story many Teens will be able to relate to. Not because of the exotic setting of the story itself, but through the charecters. This book shows how the 2 main charecters become friends, and is also a source of self-discovery for the main charecter.

Overall, this book is a worthwhile read for anyone. I only gave it 4 Stars because it does not stand out that vividly in my mind as one of the best books I have ever read, but it is still up there in my top 20!

Great adventures in the Amazon, to be precise: somewhere between Manaus in Brazil and Venezuela.

This first novel of the trilogy is actually written by Isabel Allende for young adults. Being uninformed of this purpose, I have picked up City of the Beasts because of the promising adventures content. Well, it turned out to be a well written book, for ALL ages.

Regardless of what other reviewers say about this novel, I found that Miss Allende have done an extremely wonderful job in describing natures beauties along with an exhaustive research on Amazon, anthropologies, environmental and related issues. It is a light novel with serious environmental issues.

Alex Cold is a fifteen year-old teenager from California. He was sent to stay with his grandmother, Kate, for a moment during her mother's extreme cancer therapy somewhere in Texas. Kate is working for International Geographic as a journalist curretnly assigned to study the Amazons. Alex was taken along for the exhilarating journey, meeting weird creatures. the plot generates ffrom this main storyline.

Lots of imagination and environmental issues. A well-written light novel for everybody enjoying adventure-genre fictions.

This is an unusual book- hence the divided opinions, I guess. I held off judgement and just kept reading, and when I finished, I was so glad I had done so. I really liked the mix of science and paranormal events, because I believe that we need both in order to make the most of our lives. The descriptions of the Amazon were amazing. I enjoyed the characters, and the story line kept me intrigued.

I would not call this book a classic, but I was enriched, and felt that I had a better outlook on the world for having read it. I ordered it immediately for my personal bookshelf.

This book is slow in the beginning, but when you get into it it's a really good book. I like how it's dangerous, magical, sweet, and sad. In the story Alexander's mom is very sick (about to die) and Alexander's dad is a doctor and he can't find a cure for his wife. Alexander's dad sends him away to his fearless aunt so that his dad can work on a cure without being bothered. When Alexander got to his aunt's house, she told him they were going to the Amazon for National Geographic because they saw an animal nobody had ever seen before called "The Beast." When they went to the Amazon he met a friend. Alexander, along with his friend and his aunt's crew, went on a boat for exploring and it crashed. (I read this a while ago so I'm not sure if they crashed but they did something like that.) They called for help and the people who were trying to save them said that they'd try to find them soon. Every night they took turns guarding the boat and when Alexander guarded the boat he saw a little of The B,east and told his friend. A few days later Alexander and his friend went out to look for the beast. They went in the Amazon forest and found a stone-age tribe (what I mean by that is they were naked, had no technology, etc. etc.). The tribe could make themselves invisible. I'm not allowed to tell you what happens next so I don't spoil the ending.

I recommend this book for people age 10 and older. If you're eight or nine, I suggest your parents read it to you. I would give the book four and a half stars. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's a little slow in the beginning. Mostly, it's really exciting, fun and interesting.

By Tim

Isabel Allende's book speaks to the hearts of those who are ready to change their emotional attitudes.
This novel describes attitude change in a teenager, a change from being self-centered, sour, rigid, and emotionally blind (with
respect to the needs of others) to a sharing, helpful, more altruistic, and more positive outlook. This is a change that some
readers are not interested in contemplating, at this time in their life, for various reasons, and so we may hear their complaints that this book is not "entertaining" or that this story does not make a practical sense.
Allende has extended the realm of so called magical realism to her allegorical stories of the wounded and partly frozen heart in
which most characters on their life journey may slowly learn to move away from impulsive hatred, or from their lonely struggle
for finding their private comfortable role in life, further on to a more spiritual unity with others.
Allende's book is prone to confuse numerous readers. Some may object that the imaginary world of her novel no longer
matches the standard materialistic outlook on life, or that there are too many unexpected changes in her narrative style, in the
depth and scope of the vocabulary, or that her story is not a light entertainment.
For example, some persons (both in her novel and in the real life) indeed may understand each other, at times, without knowing
each other's language. The fact that not everyone can replicate this (or at least views himself unable of replicating this at least once in his life) does not annihilate the existence of this uncommon phenomenon.
Allende's story has several symbolic levels and latent meanings or aspects, similarly to abstract paintings. Some of the frequent
criticisms of this particular novel may be compared to those faced by Van Gogh for his paintings of sunflowers, or of wooden
chairs, or of the trees moving in the wind.
The paintings by Henri Rousseau were often misunderstood by some as paintings "for children" and this particular book by
Isabel Allende is, in fact, mistakenly classified in many Canadian libraries as the one for the children's section. However, if we view this classification positively, it has the advantage of making the book accessible to teenagers.
I have listened to this book in Spanish (on audiotapes) while commuting in my car. After hearing the whole book more than 5 times, I have developed more appreciation for its poetic and rather unpredictable language and symbols. I am looking forward to obtaining more of Allende's books on audiotapes, hopefully in her original Spanish.
Not everybody is ready for this particular novel of Isabel Allende. However, it is a much needed tool for those human beings
that have a need to engage in a similar allegorical journey, in a jungle of symbols, allusions via simplifications, and with an
emotional symphony.

This story follows a somewhat formulaic path for children's fantasy-- unfamiliar lands, mythical creatures, the skeptic that doesn't believe in said mythical creatures, the caricatured villain that you know is the culprit, a people that need to be saved, and the all-important prophecy about the chosen children.

This in itself doesn't make the book bad of course, since a good writer can make even formulas entertaining. Allende is a decent enough writer that City of the Beasts is an enjoyable read. The invention of the beasts definitely shows imagination. If you're looking for a good, subway read, this is it. There are a couple of overall flaws however that stunt its potential.

1. Allende misses out on some of the nuances of a good resolution (see Diana Wynne Jones' Power of Three or Homeward Bounders for an example of such resolutions), which are vital to the best fantasy. Part of Jones' secret is that she demystifies the fantastical, without taking away its danger or magic. A less-skilled fantasy author depends heavily on mystique to hide the formula.

2. Allende doesn't transfer to children's books what she understood perfectly well in House of Spirits--that readers will be drawn to hard characters without token words of kindness to soften them up. We don't have to like characters like Kate. We have to react to them. Overall, the book is imaginative, but in the post-Dahlian age of Tim Burton and Shock-headed Peter, softening a book for young readers is out of place.

Summary:

City of the Beasts opens with Alexander Cold resenting the changes in his family now that his mother has cancer. His parents send Alexander to stay with his anti-cuddling Grandmother Kate while his mother undergoes chemotherapy. Kate is the kind of grandmother who leaves you to find your way from JFK to her NYC apartment on your own, without telling you that she won't pick you up. When you show up with your baggage stolen, she tells you, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Needless to say, Alex is not thrilled to be visiting her, but her gruffness is what adds spark to the story. From NYC, Kate takes Alexander to meet his first adventure in the Amazons.

I was interested in Alexander Cold and in Nadia, both of the main characters in the book. Halfway through, I was excited by the plot and the gritty realism of it. But then all that went to the wayside when they reached the deep jungle and met some Indians.

Then, Alexander learned to trust in his heart and in his senses instead of what his head told him. Hmm. All right, I can go with that, but then the experiences became . . . questionable.

To be more specific, what really got under my skin was the way the Indians are treated by the author, who while obviously wishing to show them respect, bends over backwards to be non-judgmental. Respect is good, but giving any civilization a carte blanc to treat outsiders any way they see fit is *not* good.

The People of the Mist and their interactions with the children are presented as "right" even when it's harmful and terrifying to the children. They are kidnapped, knocked out, threatened with spears, pummeled, given hallucinogenic drugs many times to induce states of euphoria or transportation to a spiritual plane, and (in Alexander's case) hunted down by a murderous mob of warriors. Oh my goodness. The children just accept the experiences as sort of "what must happen" and move on. That's what children do.

But an author is responsible for what she presents and how she presents it. I was angered by the treatment the children received and angered that the author chose not to recognize that it was abuse, even if it was done in ignorance and even if it was done in the blackest jungle.

Using forced, drug-induced "trips" as plot devices, giving your protagonist visions of what he must do and seen as necessary for his spiritual growth is just . . . questionable. Wow.

I can't be the only one seeing this . . . can I?

I do not think this book is even half as bad as the other reviewers say it is. In fact, I'm shocked at this lack of appreciation for such good writing. Isabel Allende did a great job writing this book, especially as it is her first young adult book. It's better than alot of other young adult books out there.

Also, from the outside the book may look daunting with all the pages, but it's really not that hard to read. And I do not think the writing is "clunky". Besides, "clunky" writing can be good too...Meg Cabot (author of The Princess Diaries, Princess in the Spotlight, Princess in Love, the new All American Girl and other books) has a writing style like that and she's one of the best and most popular young adult fiction writers currently out there. True, Ludovic Leblanc has a cartoon-like personality. I kept waiting for him to show some depth, but it never really happened, only for a page or two. Good thing this book features Alex and Nadia, not Ludovic.

I believe this is a great read. Isabel Allende's City of the Beasts is a BEAUTIFUL story. I am going to read it again for sure. I loved it from beginning to end. For me, this was one of those books that didn't have a boring page...I couldn't put it down. Also, the descriptions of the Amazon in the book are wonderful. It made me feel as if I were there with the expedition....

I'm a High School Freshman. In my class I read this book in for my book club. This novel is very interesting because I like the story of adventure. Also, I very much enjoyed the secret and conflict in this story. You can see the main character named Alex is growing up in bad situation, and I can think about if I will go to the Amazon River. Furthermore, this book is so exciting when I read the person is attacked by an anaconda. I really hate things that kind of snake. Because the author described that as real, I was excited about that. However, I think this book is for pretty young student such as middle and primary. It is easy to think about each character. However, I like the last the turning over part that kind doctor changed to bad person. In addition, you can feel that about family. After I read this book, I had to think about that family is a sacrifice for themselves. The main character tries hard for his mom. It seems very nice. These things made me interested and excited. This book has very clearly events, so you can figure out the special and important events in the book very easily. It helps to you read this book very comfortable and easy. Therefore, the very young teenager can understand and figure out the important things about character, situation and lessons.