Obernewtyn

Rating:
Summary: Hooray for Carmody!!!
Review: One of my friends recommended this book to me when I was 13, and I have always been grateful. I hope I can do the same for you!! I had never really liked fantasy before I read 'Obernewtyn', but that soon changed! Carmody's main character, Elspeth is wonderful -strong, intelligent and intriguing. The dark world that Carmody creates is hard to be drawn out of and I read the entire book in about a week!! Apart from being the beginnings of an excellent story, 'Obernewtyn' also addresses important issues present in our world. Predjudice, the building, usage and testing of nuclear weapons, and corruption among the establishment are shown from a most terrible perspective. I'm not certain anyone who has read this book could refuse the Tokoyo Protocol, or advocate the development of weapons of mass destruction.
Carmody's books have been a wonderful part of Australian literature for years. I'm glad that her books have finally been opened to an international audience.

Rating:
Summary: The start of a great fantasy series
Review: In a distant future very unlike the present we live in, earth has gone through a nuclear holocaust called the "Great White" and as a result the world knows very little about machines and virtually nothing about modern technology. Elspeth lives in this world as an orphan, children who no one cares about and are often used for cheap labor in handling the radioactive substances that are a result of the Great White. But Elspeth has a secret, she is a Misfit, a person with powers that are rejected by the rest of the society. She knows that if anyone tells out her life and the lives of those near her could be in great danger. But one day her worse fears come true. They find out about her Misfit status and send her away to Obernewtyn, a mysterious place where Misfits work hard to become normal. A place where strange experiments take place to make these people normal. Elspeth doesn't know what to expect or who to trust. She might be the only one who can save the place that has forced to become her new home.

I became interested in this book when I found out about it on an online discussion group called Sheros Central. People who were avid fans of Tamora Piece, loved it. And it was because of their raving reviews that put me on a long search to find this book. I'm glad I did. Although I'm not usually into Sci-fi, this books is a different kind of sci fi. It's more like a fantasy book with kind of a feel you'd get from a book like "The Giver'" or "Anthem." Although it started out a bit slow and it didn't get into some parts of the story as much as I liked (there was a lot of summary) I couldn't help getting drawn into this book. I'm looking foreword to reading the rest of the series (when I can actually find it!) I recommend this book to all ages, from adolescents to adults.

Rating:
Summary: Far from spectacular
Review: Having read all the glowing reviews on Amazon, I decided to purchase Isobelle Carmody's OBERNEWTYN. As I read it, I was surprised that I did not find it to be as wonderful as everyone had said.

Carmody's prose is anemic; events that should have been played out for the reader to "see" are instead summarized quickly by the narrator. The characterizations leave a lot to be desired; of all the characters, only about two (I would say Matthew and Rushton) are three-dimensional. The reader never really gets to know the narrator, Elspeth Gordie. Even at the end of the book, the extent of her powers remains a mystery, and equally mysterious are any emotions or personal feelings she may or may not have.

The plot is hardly a plot at all. After Elspeth is deposited at Obernewtyn, the story meanders along without any real goal until the very end. Personally, I prefer a little more structure in my reading. While the rising action is exciting, the climax is disappointing. (I will not spoil the ending for those who do intend to read it.)

To be fair to the author, it feels like someone did a heavy-handed editing job on this novel. The narrator knows the names of people and things without ever introducing them to the audience (so to speak); there are small inconsistencies that I believe an author of Carmody's stature would not miss (is it "breakfast" or "firstmeal"?); the entire last half of the book feels like it has parts missing.

I did give the book three stars, because I admit I did finish it (which I would not have, had it been really awful). The premise of OBERNEWTYN is intriguing, and the society that Carmody creates is truly fascinating. All in all, I enjoyed this book a little,... --This text refers to the Hardcover edition

Rating:
Summary: putting words to something I've always known
Review: It all fell into place when I read this book, and I'm 46! Somehow I felt so many of us have different degrees of special gifts. Obernewtyn just articulated it for me. I'd love to meet the author and discuss her philosophy on life. Obviously a woman with insight and an open mind...literally!

Rating:
Summary: A great start for the begining of a series
Review: I absolutley loved this book! It is so different to a lot of the others I have read and yet still keeps all the things that makes a novel good. A must read if your into fantasy!

Rating:
Summary: A unique book with its own uniqe style
Review: I picked this book up just yesterday and finished it within the next 24 hours. I was unable to part with the life of Elspeth Gordie until there was no more pages remaining. Isobelle Carmody is an aspiring author with a unique sense and style, after the Obernewtyn series i would like to see what other alternate universes she hides up her sleeves.
The book at first seemed to start rather slowly and it took awhile for me to ajust to the lifestyles of it. The introduction explained all its history, but i felt obliged to find out on my own.

But after Elspeth's journey to the Silent Vale the book started to pick up and interest me futher. Maruman's character made me laugh in some parts but sobered me up in others. After she journeyed to Obernewtyn i couldn't help but feel that her minor run-in's with trouble was just that calm before the storm.

Over all, i would recomend this to any fanasy/Sci-fi reader, i normally do not stray from my own book series but when i saw this own i wouldn't let it's amount of pages differ me from reading it.

Anyone and everyone that wants what any normal fantasy reader would out of a book should read Obernewtyn.

Rating:
Summary: A good read, however short.
Review: I found this book to be a good read, though, I never had a moment when I felt I could not put the book down. The characters are likeable enough, I really just think the book was lacking length and a little more depth. I think this book would be exciting for young adults, but if you are an older adult you might find you need a little more "excitment" than talking cats and psychic students.

Rating:
Summary: Obernewtyn
Review: This book drew me into a whole different world where I could walk the roads Elspeth walked. When I pick up this book I'm escaping reality and embracing fantasy. Thank You Carmody for
the help.

Rating:
Summary: It was great!!
Review: I was browsing around amazon one day, looking for a book, and Obernetyn popped up on the screen, I wasnt sure about it at first, but once I read the reviews, I thought I might aswell give it a try, well, I am incredibly glad I read it, it is one of the best books I've ever read!!! I'm looking forward to reading all the others.

Rating:
Summary: waterly thin plot if any
Review: I bought this book because everyone seems to give it a good review. I was sadly disappointed. First of all, the story was very very predictable: good vs evil where evil was really apparent. There was no actions in the first half of the story, and just a bit in the latter half but not enough to keep me interested. The author had some promising leads which she never fully explored, nor did she describe potentially cool scenes and props in any detail (instead she used dialogues to move the scene along and that just showed her limited imagination). She couldn't really describe the range of "mutancies" in a believable way.