From the Bookshelf of Baltimore County Public Library Summer Reading BCPL SRC …

Pure (Pure, #1)

Julianna Baggott

Start date: June 13, 2012

Finish date: June 15, 2012

Why we're reading this: loved every character in this book
[close] loved every character in this book

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

No group discussions for this book yet.

What Members Thought

May 17, 2011 Paula rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, if-you-liked-twilight

A ruined future Earth breeds tough, strong teens and allows an author to sidestep the technojargon that accompanies off-planet settings - while its radically shifted baseline allows stories and characters to move in ways that it is hard to make realistic contemporary fiction bend. Violently. Amorally. Sometimes in the company of robots.

But the postapocalyptic setting does have its problems. First of all, it does not hold up to scrutiny very well. Worldwide catastrophic events are difficult to im ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 05, 2012 A Book Vacation rated it really liked it

This is a very heavy read. I originally picked it up because the synopsis was so intriguing, but it’s a lot different than I thought it was going to be. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is something I think potential readers need to know. There are many scenes in this novel that are disturbing. I wasn’t expecting it to be quite as heavy or twisted as it actually turned out to be, and I had to read it in installments due to its graphic nature and disconcerting images. And, no, it’s not This is a very heavy read. I originally picked it up because the synopsis was so intriguing, but it’s a lot different than I thought it was going to be. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is something I think potential readers need to know. There are many scenes in this novel that are disturbing. I wasn’t expecting it to be quite as heavy or twisted as it actually turned out to be, and I had to read it in installments due to its graphic nature and disconcerting images. And, no, it’s not sexual in the least bit—it’s the fusions and atrocious nature of the characters that I’m talking about here. I would not classify this as a young adult novel, though the main characters are in their teens. Instead, the amplified descriptions and atrocities that take place within this novel are, in my opinion, for a much older crowd. Even in my late twenties, I had difficulty stomaching much of this novel… yet I still really liked it (though I wouldn’t have minded if it was shorter).

Pressia is a survivor of the Detonations, a nuclear explosion that fused people to whatever they were close to—inanimate objects, animals, and even other humans (yes, it seems far- fetched that anyone would survive that, but the explanation as to how they survive makes sense with the storyline). Everyone who survived on the outside of the Dome is damaged in extremely horrible ways, yet this concept was just as intriguing as it was disturbing. Pressia’s hand is fused to a baby doll’s head, one of those dolls that is able to open and shut its eyes. It’s a chilling concept, and in the very beginning of the novel, I didn’t even realize what they were describing, but when I did, my visuals of the fusion brought me up short. This fusion, as well as those of the other many characters, reminded me of the first Toy Story movie in which Sid, the creepy kid next door, tortured his toys by fusing them together in unnatural ways. That was an extremely disturbing scene in a children’s movie, but it’s even ten times more troubling in this novel.

The way characters treat one another in this novel is also atrocious. Not only is it despicable how the Dome treats the survivors outside, or the Dome’s plans for them, but it’s also how the scarred, damaged people outside the Dome treat one another. In a society where all hope is lost and chaos rules the day, the graphic nature of this novel was hard to stomach on many an occasion. And yet… it’s a good story. I know it may not seem like that based on everything I’ve said so far, but it really is good. Is it for everyone? Definitely not, and I think potential readers of this novel need to know just how truly disconcerting much of it is, yet… I’ve never read anything quite like it, and while the concept of a Dome keeping the lucky in and the unlucky out isn’t a new idea by any means, where Baggott takes the reader is. This is a story about hope. About beating the odds and triumphing over evil. Yes, it’s heavy. Yes, it’s disturbing. But, it’s also a wonderful social commentary on where the world seems to be heading, where our priorities lie, and how detrimental our future might be if we don’t start changing it now. No, I don’t think there will be a nuclear explosion that will fuse us all together, but Baggott’s depiction of the character’s personalities within the novel, and the self-serving attitudes of many really make the reader think. And the disturbing nature of the novel? It’s needed to get the point across...

To see my full review upon release (2/7/2012):

http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20... ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 08, 2012 Paula Gallagher rated it liked it

Never have I felt so conflicted about a book. Did I like it? Yes, with revervations. I feel like this is an everything-but-the-kitchen sink novel, defying categorization. Post-apocalypse? Check. Fantasy? Check. Events that defy all science and logic? Check. Meditation on too-powerful government run amuck? Check. Horror and gore? You got it, in spades. Oh, some romance, too.

Even as I spent time shaking my head, I kept coming back for more. A compelling train-wreck of a book. Now what? OMFG, you h ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 03, 2013 Amanda rated it it was amazing

For those who like young adult dystopian fiction, but would enjoy moving to a more adult dystopia, Pure is perfect. It's got everything I love about dystopian fiction, and like most dystopias, it's part of a trilogy. I've never read about a world quite like this one before, and that's probably why I love it so much. It redefines outer beauty and encourages the reader to open his or her mind to new ideas. ...more

Like · see review