Rating: 
Summary: Quirky and fun
Review: On the fictional island of Nollop, off the coast of South Carolina, the denizens consider their deceased native son Nevin Nollop, author of the popular pangram sentence "The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over The Lazy Dog", as their national hero. When a letter from Nollop's statue falls, the island's governing council see it as a sign from Nollop and announce that from now on the islanders are not to use the letter (a Z) in either speech or writing. The islanders, whose love of language is legendary, try to take it as a challenge, until a second letter falls from the statue. Ella Minnow Pea is an 18-year old islander who is witness to this bizarre scene of government in action, and may actually hold the key to stopping this insanity as the tiles fall and the letters are outlawed. The story moves quickly, due to the epistolary format, so the characters are not be as fleshed out as they could be. "Ella Minnow Pea" is a delight for all lovers of language and of word play.
Rating: 
Summary: A Delight
Review: Seriously, how could you resist the ridiculous, fanciful, fun setup for this book? Yes, as the tiles continue to fall, the forbidden letters indeed begin disappearing from the book itself, offering several laugh-out-loud substitutions and strategies. Despite the ambitious premise, to be successful, this book must be more than a mere writer's exercise. It is. The characters work and the injustices will certainly raise your ire. The conclusion is satisfying. It's a quick, fun read you'll want to tell others about. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Review: Speak or write the letter "z", first offense-public reprimand, second offense-public flogging or the stockades, third offense-deportment from the island of Nollop. If you refuse to go, death is the punishment. "Ella Minnow Pea" is quite possibly the most original book I have ever read. Mark Dunn's first novel is highly creative, insiteful, with a touch of political undercurrents. Written in the form of letter correspondences, it is a quick and entertaining read. As letters become outlawed, they do in fact drop from the book, not making it harder to read (as was my worry) but only adding to its charm. "Ella Minnow Pea" will even give you a new appreciation for that wonderful thing we call the alphabet, as well as put a smile on your face. So, find out the fate of the alphabet and the citizens of Nollop and read this book!
Rating:
Summary: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Review: Speak or write the letter "z", first offense-public reprimand, second offense-public flogging or the stockades, third offense-deportment from the island of Nollop. If you refuse to go, death is the punishment. "Ella Minnow Pea" is quite possibly the most original book I have ever read. Mark Dunn's first novel is highly creative, insiteful, with a touch of political undercurrents. Written in the form of letter correspondences, it is a quick and entertaining read. As letters become outlawed, they do in fact drop from the book, not making it harder to read (as was my worry) but only adding to its charm. "Ella Minnow Pea" will even give you a new appreciation for that wonderful thing we call the alphabet, as well as put a smile on your face. So, find out the fate of the alphabet and the citizens of Nollop and read this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Great book-little difficult for people w/ small vocabularies
Review: The book was great besides the fact that anyone under the age of thirty would have a hard time understanding half the words. The plot is still understandable, though. GREAT BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: Not for the intellectually complacent
Review: The poor reviews of this book reflect a sad tendency: the expectation that novels should tell us exactly what they are about so that we don't have to go to the trouble of figuring it out for ourselves - or, god forbid, that a book should have layered meanings, or leave things open to interpretation.
This book, however, is a finely written treatise in novel form (pun intended) about totalitarianism, repression, the effects of repression on society and what happens when complacent and fearful society doesn't fight back early and hard. A great gift for friends and family who like to think.
Rating:
Summary: Again and again and again
Review: this book is cherishable. you, reader, can savor it again and again and again and each time you will be pleasantly enlightened by your new discoveries. it's a book of letters losing letters. it doesn't get much better than that. additionally, it's a totally unique idea. it's not a story you've head before, but it's one you'll want to hear again and again. Hence, the title for this review. get it. read it. become a believer in ella minnow pea.
Rating:
Summary: Clever and Captivating
Review: This book is for anyone who has ever been enchanted by words. It's a quick read that will leave you completely bewitched.
Rating: 
Summary: One Note
Review: This book is pure schtick and once you get it you will be bored. Don't waste your money.
Rating:
Summary: A cleverly written book with a lot of effort put into it
Review: This book is so clever and funny you just have to read it a million times. The characters are easy to relate to and it is a great story. It is not just for kids seeing as how much of the wordplay is very tricky to think of and advanced. I would reccomend this book for anyone. It a simple fun book to read to get you relaxed.
|
