I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak - Paperback

I bought it because he’s the writer of one of my favorite beautifully written books, the book theif. I feel like this writing style didn’t stand out as much as it did but I still enjoyed the books. I felt a bit disappointed but i think it’s nice and is a decent read.

I Am the Messenger comes from Markus Zusak – author of the bestselling and incredible novel The Book Thief. Anyone who has read that will know how good Zusak’s writing and imagination can be, and while I Am the Messenger is not quite The Book Thief, I love the familiarity of the writing, without even looking, I could tell immediately this was his work. This novel is about a boy called Ed (“Just Ed”) who is very ordinary. He is an underaged cab driver and after a bank robbery that he is unintentionally involved in, his life is flipped upside down. Shortly after the bank robbery incident Ed receives a playing card in the post – its diamonds. From then on, Ed (reluctantly) becomes the messenger, a job that takes him into the lives of strangers around the city, an eye-opening and intimate task which becomes a turning point for him and his outlook on life.This book above all reflects a lot about the nature of the human race and reveals secrets that can so easily be hidden behind closed doors. Zusak is brilliant at creating characters that are so realistic – physically and emotionally.Above all else, I enjoy the way Zusak writes, so much so that when the plot became a bit flat or uninteresting, it didn’t matter because the words kept enough of my attention that I didn’t have to worry about the story. The book is full of beautiful imagery: “Clouds like cement are paved in sections to the sky.” He takes the mundane and makes it remarkable. It’s hard to put into words what this book conveys to someone who hasn’t read it, it’s just so profound and raw but in such a simple way. Similarly to The Book Thief Zusak is able to “come out” of the character’s head and in doing so reveals things about the character that they might not even know themselves.Far from the destruction and conflict that is evident in The Book Thief, this novel reveals the little conflict which are ever present for every individual. It may not be a big problem or even one that is visible but for that one person it can be devastating and behind closed doors could be quietly crushing them. While the ending was a little disappointing and felt rushed, the book leaves you with a message; it doesn’t matter how ordinary you think you are, everyone can do something for someone else, no matter how small, and in doing so become something extraordinary.

I'd read The Book Thief many years ago and loved it. I planned to read Book of Clay when it was released but never got round to it, I then came across this book and was curious. It is marketed as a Young Adult novel and sounds like a romance from the blurb but I was curious.There are 460 pages which are split into 52 chapters, each being one of the cards in a standard pack of playing cards - very intriguing.The story is told by Ed, as the first person narrator, who is a 19 year old taxi driver. Most people in their late teens would relate easily to Ed's approach to life with his confused emotions. It took me a couple of chapters to connect with him but that connection stayed with me through his journey.Whilst the book is marketed as YA, it is explicit in a few parts so I'd definitely suggest older teens rather than younger. I also would say that I loved it and I'm in my 50s so limiting it to YA seems a waste.Each chapter deals with a distinct part of the story but they flow well together. Also worth noting that the book is split into four parts for the four suits in the pack. The last sentence of each chapter is always some sort of conclusion but, each time , encouraged me to read the next one by leaving a clue to follow through.Ed is a perfect character - old enough to be disillusioned but young enough to lack the experience to fully consider his options.I found myself swept into his story and was excited to live it with him.It's worth talking about the ending as well, which is very well crafted and satisfying to read. (just like the rest of the book actually!)BTW - the romance is only a small part of the novel, to it's overlal credit!

Reading this book has been a magical couple of hours. I feel like I have just awoken from a trance or from someone else's dream.. This story is more magical that one filled with fairies, centaurs, dwarves, fauns...and yet it is about an ordinary boy leading an ordinary life:' Ed Kennedy (...), nineteen. Cab driver. No real career. No respect in the community. Nothing. (...) there were people everywhere achieving greatness. Well Ed - what have you really achieved in your nineteen years?'This all changes one day when Ed stops a bank robbery. He begins to receive playing cards in the mail with addresses and names on them. Ed has messages to deliver. The tasks are not easy but it might just turn out that Ed is not as ordinary as he thought he was , and soon he will learn that greatness comes in all shapes and sizes.I feel like no review will do this book justice but I'll do my best. I read the 'Book Thief' and it immediately became one of my top ten books of all time. Amazon reminded me from time to time that Markus Zusak had written other books and 'I am the Messenger' appeared in the recommendations. I was curious but I postponed reading it as I thought it can't possibly be as good as 'Book Thief'. The latter became a global bestseller and I never heard about this one. And so I wrongly presumed that it must be because it was inferior compared to its successor. No! No! No! IT IS NOT. Is it drastically different - yes, but equally as good.Zusak's prose is mesmerizing - breathtaking at times. His main protagonist and our narrator is so unique yet so real at the same time. There is humour and then there are moments of solemnity. There are lives that intersect at all sort of different angles. What else can we find in this magical story? A dog that drinks coffee. A swearing priest. An even more swearing mother. Barefoot running. Barefoot football. Broken Christmas lights. A Joker. Most importantly - moments of sheer beauty. In the face of it all Zusak manages to keep the plot extremely compelling,pages keep turning on their own accord as you simply must know what the next message is. It' s one of those books that one cherishes and treasures for life; one of those that inspires one to be a better person, one of those that made me ask myself: what would my Ace of Hearts be? Would I know what to do?It's one of those books you simply must read! Zusak is a master of storytelling.

A brief synopsis... The book follows Ed Kennedy, a teenage cab driver in Australia, as he delivers messages to strangers (instructions of which are given via playing cards).  The story simultaneously covers two areas - Ed's journey as he delivers these messages and the mystery of who exactly is making him deliver the messages.I really liked this book.  It was easy to read (I think it took me about 5 days - but I am housebound at the moment due to a leg injury, so I do have more free time than most!), Ed was a personable character, funny and self-deprecating and didn't hide his flaws or the flaws of his friends (who he clearly loved anyway).  Though the subject matter can get dark at times, it's generally a light hearted book.

I came across this book having already read and fallen in love with another book written by Markus Zusak - The Book Thief. I love the way Zusak writes and was looking forward to getting into `I am the Messenger`, especially when a quote on the back of the book from Publishers Weekly says "Don't start this compulsively readable book without enough time to read it straight through to the final page.". (I have a different cover to the one featured here).`I am the Messenger' is about Ed Kennedy, an underage cabdriver who doesn't have much of a future. His mother doesn't think much of him and he spends time playing cards, being in love with his best friend, Audrey, and hanging with his smelly, coffee-addicted dog, `the Doorman'. This peaceful routine without much of an impression on the world is all he has, that is until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery. Shortly after, Ed gets a card in the mail, not a greetings card, a playing card - the Ace of Diamonds to be exact. This is when Ed becomes the messenger.Ed has been given a mission and it seems to be one he can't turn down. With clues from the cards, Ed does what he has to. However, one thing is bugging him... Who's behind it all?I loved reading this book. I love Zusak's style of writing and the way he tells a story. The book is narrated by Ed himself. He introduces us to his friends and to the people he meets in a way that you feel you might know them. Even The Doorman (the dog) has it's own unique personality!This is one of those books that is thought-provoking, funny, heart-warming and dark, and it's one that you won't want to put down. I read it in 3 sittings and it was quite late at night when I finished it because I just had to find out the ending. When I had finished reading `I am the Messenger', I'd gotten the message (this might sound a bit cryptic if you've not read the book, but a recent sad event in my life also gave me a similar message) and so I'm going to get on with it. Honestly, how many books can you say have really left an impression on you?As I've mentioned before, I love the way Zusak writes his books and this book is no different. The book is split into parts and each part represents a playing card (always an Ace), and each chapter is numbered using the rest of the deck of cards as well as given a title which gives you a hint about that chapter. I love it when things like that are done imaginatively.This book is actually aimed at teenagers, but don't let that stop you from reading it if you're an adult. It's been a decade since I was a teenager and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to anyone from a teenager to those with kids and beyond.I also recommend Markus Zusak as an author. If you've not read `The Book Thief' then that's definitely another book of his that I'd recommend.