Easy to spoil

It's a personal story of self discovery and of finding a purpose amid confusion and real hopelessness. It's also "a story with a moral", so it'll try to teach the reader good sense, not unlike A Monster Calls, another one of Patrick's stories. You might find that a little annoying, or inspiring.

The format isn't unique, but the content has a soul. The conclusion didn't ring with me the same way it was supposed to, but I'll forgive that flaw.

I can't tell you what it's about or how it unfolds because the mystery plays a big part here. I'll admit to liking Part 1 the most, which was more like an introduction and not at all similar to the rest of the book. Maybe I would have preferred it to go in a different direction, but if in the beginning it looked like it was going to be about conquering one's insecurities, that's still what it was about after the theme changed. The real setting of the story, beyond its purpose, was meh. It's been done before, just not quite with the same message.

It's well written and very well narrated, I'll give it that. Not sure I'd recommend it because liking it is more subjective than for most stories. And you can't even say what it's about without ruining the best part, which is the beginning.

The character/characters feel real. I did connect with them until it was over. The ending was kind of crappy. It focused on what I didn't care about and didn't "show" me what I wanted to see. If you get there you'll know what I mean. It's not very curiosity-satisfying.

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Intriguing story

Had me wondering all the way through, and the characters were engaging and interesting. I felt the final chapters were stretched out a bit but I still enjoyed the concept

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Highly readable and hugely enjoyable

I bought the audiobook by mistake having downloaded the Kindle book. I did not know what to expect but once I got into the story I stuck with it and got through in a few days. Uncertainty, reality, and life are dealt with in ingenious ways which makes for a fascinating read (or listen). I think it's supposed to be for young adults but I would recommend it for a much wider audience. I will explore other books by the author. Highly recommended

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3 people found this helpful

Inspiring

A truly good listen would also be as good in reading format, the story is inspiring and with captivating characters and at times brutal. People that you can imagine knowing and come to love. The author brilliantly mixes the unimaginable with the ordinary which left me thinking of it warmly afterwards

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Strange but fun

What was one of the most memorable moments of More Than This?

The feeling of anxiety the first chapters gave me. The awakening and the movement of the character in the new place was quite disturbing ..but made me want to know more.

Any additional comments?

Great read. Very unusual story, taking you through all the emotions and letting you wanting more ..

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1 person found this helpful

weak ending

interesting concept, but story was a bit lacking. Narrated well. better suited to a young adult or teen audience

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Gets better with distance

Patrick Ness always writes interesting stories; this too is interesting but just not as engaging as previous works (Chaos Walking and A Monster Calls). I found this story working better after I'd finished reading it and it could wash around my subconscious a bit. I wouldn't be rushing you to it, but if you like Ness, it's worth a listen.

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Ness continues to stun

After reading the Chaos Walking books, Ness became a fast favourite - More Than This demonstrates that it's more than character writing or world-building that wins Ness my adoration, but his genuine ability to take a philosophy and deliver it in an intricate and beautiful story.

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Less than that

Surprised myself by really enjoying the 'Chaos Walking' trilogy, unlike its target audience (my children), and, buoyed by Simon Mayo's enthusiasm, plunged straight in here. And I persevered, as perserverence had paid with 'The Knife of...'. But when you no longer look forward to plugging in the headphones, it's time to give up. Self-regarding, Mitch Albom-esqe and ultimately uber-depressing. Not for me, I'm afraid.

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6 people found this helpful

A Good Yarn, A Poor Narration

A good, meandering, yet thought-provoking story. The author seems to lose the thread a little in places, but, overall, it is an engaging tale. The characters are well-rounded and believable for the most part, but slide in to caricature and stereotypes in places. However, they are believable, relatable and easy to engage with.

The performance, however, is a little bit disappointing. The narrator has only three accents to master - one of which is his own - yet fails quite badly on two of them. It would have been far less jarring had he not attempted the accents at all rather than gone for a strangulated Stewie (Family Guy) for his attempt at a British accent and a weird mix of Russian Gangster and Spaghetti Western Mexican for his buttock-clenchingly embarrassing attempt at a Polish accent.

Credit where it is due, though, the accents were the only poor part of an otherwise excellent performance, but they did jar and detract from the overall narration.

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1 person found this helpful