Bird Box
4.4
142
5
1
Paperback
USD
12.79
$12.79
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780062259660 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 02/10/2015 |
| Series: | Bird Box Series , #1 |
| Pages: | 272 |
| Sales rank: | 16,023 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.20(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.90(d) |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Bird Box
4.4 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
142 reviews.
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Bird Box was highly recommended to me by a number of other readers/fellow book lovers, so I picked it up thanks to their influence despite my aversion to adult books. It was fortunate for me that I gave Bird Box a chance because otherwise I would have missed out on one of the scariest books I've ever read!
Reasons to Read:
1. Fear of the unknown:
Josh Malerman masters this concept with Bird Box, because the idea here is that there is something (unknown) in the world causing people to go mad and kill themselves (and, sometimes, others). The world as we know it shuts down. Survivors are left in a world of darkness with no idea as it what's happening or what's out there. To me, it's that unknown mystery that's the scariest. When I watch horror movies, it's never the moment when the monster/evil is revealed that I'm most afraid - it's the moments when fear grips me because there is something dark and shadowy behind me.
2. Intense writing:
I'm a firm believer that a horror book needs suspenseful writing to be successful (at scaring me). Josh absolutely nails this style of writing in Bird Box, with just the right amount of description for a story where the characters spend a significant amount of time blindfolded. Sound and touch are extremely important senses, and attention is paid to them in a way that made me feel as if I was experiencing the events in the book as the characters were.
3. Malorie as the protagonist:
This relates to why I primarily stay away from adult books, but I didn't believe I would appreciate Malorie as a main character. As a pregnant woman for much of the book (and a mother), I thought I'd simply fail to relate or empathize with her character. I was completely surprised when I connected with her almost instantly. Malorie is still fairly young (and likely not much older than I am) and we share many of the same fears and anxieties pre-Bird Box world events. But most importantly, the fact that Malorie is a mother provided a strong sense of internal motivation as to why she fought so hard to survive in the book.
I should add that I don't think you should read this book for the plot. If you're looking for answers and explanations about the events in Bird Box - you're not going to find the ending neatly tied up for you. Bird Box is not that kind of book. Rather, it is more about the journey and experience of this story which is a point in time of Malorie's life and having the same fears as she does.
In fact, I think this lack of explanation is precisely what makes this book so good - the unknown story is what scares me the most. I also found the ending to be fairly shocking - it wasn't what I expected and it left me with a lot of questions. While I'm not sure I loved the ending, it left me thinking and I feel like Bird Box is a book I'm going to need to read a few times to truly appreciate.
Hardcover personally purchased.
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I actually saw the Netflix adaptation of this book prior to actually reading the book. Perhaps it was seeing the movie that made me want to read the original work from which it was (loosely) adapted. This film I thought was excellent and loved it, so I could hardly wait to see what was in store in reading the book.
I was more than impressed with the book. Even more so than the film, the book feels more real and it evokes every human feeling from fright and sadness, suspicion and confidence, doubt and trust, and newness and hope. I bonded with these characters and could feel their fears, uncertainties, unity, division, hopefulness, and desire to survive, to find a safer, newer, and better means of being human in a new and radically reshaped new world. Much can be learned from this book on what it means to be human with all of our fears and limitations as well as dreams and aspirations. We also see our propensity to navigate either to pessimism as reflected in the feeling of loss of hope or to optimism as reflected in pushing ourselves against what seem like impossible limitations in order to survive and adapt to a new human reality, when what that may be is entirely unknown. The entire spectrum between these extremes is felt at some point in the reading of this book.
Excellently written, the book is written in logical streams of consciousness between what is presently happening and the past leading up to the present with a dramatic convergence where past catches up with present. It is a riveting, suspenseful, thrilling page turning roller coaster from the very first page to its last. This is a must read work that has the potential to be a classic work to be revisited and studied by generations to come. There simply is not enough positive things I can say nor praise to give for such a masterful work. I encourage all that can to read it.
By the way, the film adaptation was superb even loosely based on this book and if it helps to know, the book far exceeds the film.
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This book is intense af. I read it in 4 nights. After reading The Haunting of Hill House, I was looking for another horror. I am so glad I started this one.
I'm seeing some complaints about the ending not explaining things. That is the most ridiculous complaint about this book. These people want to be spoon-fed. The way this story is told, it's so believable because the characters are normal people. Imagine if, in 28 Days Later, Cillian Murphy figured out the cause and cure for the Rage virus. See how ridiculous that sounds? For a book that's all about fear of the unknown, were someone to outright explain the situation to us, would you not feel cheated? I know I would.
This book is great because it has you questioning the characters, questioning yourself, and questioning your understanding of the universe. Parts of it creeped me out beyond belief. The climax is so intense. It's not unpredictable by any means, but the writing had me holding my breath. There is a level of suspense that reaches maximum capacity at the climax, then carries you through to the end.
It's not even just the "unknown" that makes this book so darn creepy. It's the sense of violation. These creatures have taken over our world. Our lives. We can no longer experience the world the way we once did. The idea that you are standing there, unable to open your eyes, while one of those things might be mere inches from your face, waiting, biding its time, is the most debilitating, hopeless feeling there is. But the fact that these characters are driven, rather than passive, makes for a level of suspense I've never before experienced in a work of fiction.
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I have never been so captivated by a book before! Nonstop - beautiful - suspenseful as hell. I read it in just a few days! While I realize it's pretty short, it usually takes me months to get through a book. ?
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Excellent writing. Lame no-closure conclusion. Like books where it seems like the author got tired of writing and just stopped? Then this is for you!
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I was looking for a new book to read on my nook as I had just finished my last one, and saw this as a newer release. I am so glad I purchased it because it was the best book I've read in a long time. It kept me on edge for the whole 200 odd pages, amd I finished within 24 hours of purchasing. I definitely recommend it for anyone who likes horror/thrilling books.
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A powerful book. Kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't put it down.
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I love this book of a mystery adventure relying on two things in their lives.Ecspailly that one of the two things to rely on is the children's trained ears.(Those ears better be well trained!)Check this book out at your local libary!Have fun
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Holy Crap! Why did I wait so long to read this thriller?
Wonderfully creepy from start to finish, Bird Box made me feel the eerie presence of the mysterious creatures behind my blindfold and hear the sounds of madness! It takes an awful lot to creep me out, but Bird Box succeeded with the suspenseful intenseness of the unknown all the way to the apropos ending.
Be very careful who you trust, but do not miss out on this one!
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Dark, eerie and enthralling
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Great writing, really cool premise. I would've liked a little more explanation at the end but I really enjoyed this book.
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Imagining a world where opening your eyes could make you go mad really made me think about walking around outside after I finished this book. AHHHHH. I loved Bird Box. I hated putting it down and every time I had to, I looked forward to picking it back up. While I did have some issues with the book, I still loved the book and my issues didn't affect my rating.
I went into this book having no idea what it was about, knowing only that Malorie and her children could not look outside, and anything they did outside had to be done blindfolded. The book alternates between the present, the day Malorie and her children are preparing to leave the house they've lived in for four years, and the day in the past that Malorie learned she was pregnant. Not knowing anything about this book was so awesome. I loved learning more about what was going on bit by bit.
I did have a couple of issues (I didn't like that the children weren't named... that made no sense to me, and I was also confused about something that the news reports fairly early on because I couldn't understand how they would possibly know that), but overall, those issues didn't affect my rating. I still loved the book and highly recommend it. That said, there are some pretty gruesome scenes, so I would go into the book keeping that in mind.
I really hate how hard it is to write about books that you love, because I just want to throw this book at everyone and make them read it. XD Very happy that my book club picked this one out.
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Let me start out by saying I didn't hate this book. It was an enjoyable read. However, I feel like the content was a bit lacking. Yes, the story is mostly about Malorie overcoming this world and the horror that she faces but we learn literally nothing about whatever it is that created the end of the world. There's a lot of character development and a lot of background and story telling but if you're looking for eventful horror, you won't find it here. The real horror comes from imagining their situation and how stifling cut off from everything you would be in a world where you can't use your eyes. I would have enjoyed the book a lot more if there had been a little bit of information about the creatures, even just a description of what they looked like. Unlike the movie, they don't even theorize on what they may be.
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The+reason+behind+the+crisis+is+weak.++It%27s+suspenseful+at+times%2C+but+not+enough+to+keep+you+engaged+throughout.+The+characters+were+also+poorly+developed.+%0A%0A%0A%0A
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Saw the movie and now im hooked to read the book!!
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Dreary
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I enjoyed every page.
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Wow. Creepy and exhilarating all at once!
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Bird+Box+is+original+and+powerful.+++I+heard+about+the+movie%2C+but+bought+the+book+instead.++From+the+first+page+to+the+last%2C+I+was+deeply+engaged.++The+characters+came+to+life%2C+with+their+thoughts+and+fears.++Best+of+all%2C+the+plot+is+original+and+creative.+
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Book sucks
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A few months ago, I watched the Netflix film, Bird Box. There were memes all over Facebook making fun of the movie for a while. It was actually a pretty good movie; Sandra Bullock did a good job. Anyway, after that I wanted to read the book.
Marlorie lives with her sister when something starts going wrong in the world. People are hurting themselves. At first they hear stories once or twice a week, then once or twice a day as it spreads, and then it's nonstop on the news for a while.
There is something out there, when you see it you go crazy and hurt yourself until you die. It is very disturbing. And scary since you can't see what it is.
Malorie is pregnant and finds a house with other survivors. They have to go out to get more water from the well blindfolded. A few time some of them are going around town scavenging for stuff blindfolded. They decide on a group if they should let a person in that knocks on the door. It's not often, but it is a big decision.
Then it jumps five years and it's Malorie and two small children trying to cross down the river to safety. She heard a radio message years ago of survivors down the road. And how much do we rely on our sight. Very much so. It's scary trying to maneuver down a river blindfolded.
There are details I never thought of. When the babies are born, she must immediately cover their eyes. As they are newborns she has to train them to wake with their eyes open. She trains the children to listen to the sounds around them, since they must grow up learning to listen to their ears since they can't use their eyes.
This was scary, I think I'm still scared since I finished last night. It was well written, it flip flopped between present day and five years ago and sometimes that can be confusing of where you are, but I was never confused of which timeline a chapter was in. I was happy to see this author has several other books so I can add those to my reading list.
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Don’t miss it. Unlike anything you’ve ever read.
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Loved+it%21%21+I+saw+the+movie+first+%26+knew+I+had+to+read+the+book.+The+book+is+even+better+than+the+movie.+I+couldn%27t+put+it+down.
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pbbt
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A must read
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