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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing, Yet Formulaic Sci-Fi/Urban Adventure [3.5 Stars], April 9, 2010
This review is from: The Gardener (Hardcover)
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I was drawn to this book because of its cover, but its teaser is what hooked me. And as a brisk science fiction urban adventure, it does not fail to deliver. The book opens with a five year old Mason, the protagonist who also narrates the story, being mauled by his neighbor's dog. That's the day his mother revealed the DVD of his father--or rather, his father's torso--reading from "The Runaway Bunny". The book then fast forwards ten years. Mason had grown into an immense athlete with a mangled face and an aptitude for biology with big dreams for his future. What he finds while making plans for that future is that his mother was keeping more secrets from him and a company's conspiracy to grow children who did not need food or water to survive. From the first page, the story moved quickly and there wasn't much downtime, however, I never felt breathless while reading it. In other words, it moved at just the right pace. Mason was an incredibly likable character. It's established early on that he had a case of white knight syndrome; he got a kick out of helping people, which might, in part, be due to his disfigurement (upon first sight, most people cringed, so it felt good when people were able to look at him as something other than a frightening monster). On the flip side, his character did have a few moments where he became stiff and bland. At one point Mason accidentally awakens one of the catatonic teenagers in his mother's care and is completely smitten by her beauty. From that point forward, he was compelled to do everything in his power to protect her. Unfortunately, some of those scenes (and some of his internal monologues) felt contrived. It became a case of telling rather than showing when showing would have been most appropriate. Frankly, I didn't buy the chemistry between the two of them. Speaking of contrivances, there were more than a few that pulled me out of the story. For instance, whenever Mason and Laila needed to be alone in a scene together, the other players would be conveniently removed, no matter how far-fetched (a seemingly reasonable adult handing over her car keys to an underage driver). Or, in the case of Mason's mother's alcoholism, superficially it played a major role, but the story didn't support it. As an example, Mason needs to pick her up from a bar after she'd been drinking heavily. She finds out that she needs to work and decides to drink some coffee, go in and hopes she sobers up. When Mason arrives later, she's completely sober. In fact, it didn't seem as though she'd been drinking at all. An unfortunate side effect to all of those contrivances was unbelievability and predictability. That aside, I must admit that I love the premise of this book. I would recommend it if for no other reason than to enjoy the concocted conspiracy theory involving autotrophic humans. It's woven on recent biological findings in sea snails and carried to a whole new level. There was also an undertone of environmental awareness and moral responsibility. Those two aspects would make this book an excellent discussion piece and it's almost enough to forgive the story's formulaic unfolding. Plus, for younger readers, it's fairly clean. While there is talk of alcohol abuse and underage driving, it's reinforced that those behaviours are inappropriate and, as mentioned before, are downplayed. And there may be a scene or two involving Mason and Laila that might make the reader blush, but it's rather innocent and Mason behaves as a perfect gentleman.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting premise that didn't go all the way, but I liked it, April 21, 2010
This review is from: The Gardener (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Plot Summary: Mason is a normal teenage boy, except for his large size and disfiguring facial scar. While visiting the nursing home where his mother works, he encounters four catatonic teenagers. One of them wakes up and makes a run for it. Mason decides to help the girl since she's clearly afraid of someone, and they soon notice strangers tailing them. The girl has no memory of who she is, but disturbing fragments resurface that show her life has been anything but normal. Mason is determined to help her, but in the process he learns a few secrets about his own parents, and their link to the girl. There's an interesting premise here, but it didn't get fully realized. I feel like The Gardener is about 100 pages lighter than it should be. When I picked this up I figured it was another post apocalyptic, young adult dystopian story, but actually it takes place in the present. The creepy part about this book is that it predicts that mass famine will kill all the humans off, but it doesn't do anything to alleviate the fears it creates. It kind of reminded me of my Dad's doom and gloom predictions for the future (is it any surprise that I grew up with a pessimist?). I'm a cynical adult and I can shake that stuff off, but this will probably make a big impression on younger, more impressionable minds. The book kicks off with an emotional hook that grabbed me immediately. Five-year-old Mason is horribly mauled by a dog and therefore scarred for life. This event is formative for him in more ways than one, and it ties in nicely to the teenage Mason we meet later on. As a big guy with a scary scar, he uses his looks to do good deeds - like saving kids from bullying - and he develops a hero complex. This is a crucial character trait, as it explains why he helps a girl who is on the run from a large corporation. Sadly the story didn't go nearly far enough for me, and I don't think it'll go far enough for its intended young adult audience either. The ending is way too hasty, and it tries to tie up loose ends with a mere paragraph, or less. It was kind of weird, and again I think this book could have used another 100 pages to bring things full circle. The quality of YA novels is through the roof these days, and I'm afraid this book doesn't compare to the upper echelon of stories. This title will be released on May 25, 2010.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
not as good as I'd hoped, June 30, 2010
This review is from: The Gardener (Hardcover)
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I read Bodeen's first book, The Compound, and really enjoyed it. The story was solid, the characters were fully fleshed out, and the pacing was riveting. So when I heard about The Gardener and the incredibly enticing premise, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy. The story opens with a great emotional hook as five-year-old Mason is attacked by the neighbor's dog. It also skillfully introduces how that moment triggers later events in the story, and I couldn't wait to find out how it was all connected. And I wasn't disappointed about that. The plot is pretty strong and the pacing is just as riveting as The Compound. The characters, however, weren't as solid as they needed to be. Mom's drinking is introduced when convenient, but forgotten when it's not. Including the effects of drinking so much that she can't drive herself home. The story also didn't have enough oomfph to it. In The Compound, the reveal about the yellow room is shockingly mind-blowing and horrifying, and I could not put the book down afterwards. The Gardener had the potential for this in multiple places, but it never lived up to that potential. Still, this is a good story that younger teens might enjoy. The alcoholism and other mature themes are handled well, and are not too much for a young teen.
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