In the fifth chapter of Catching Fire, everything is rushed. I don’t like it? Anyway, if you’re intrigued, it’s time for Mark to read Catching Fire.
Man, what happened, Collins? Did anyone else feel the same sort of disappointment as I did as Collins blew through so much of this story in just a few paragraphs?
First, let’s talk about Haymitch. Collins deserves praise for the way she is slowly revealing more about his character and his past. It’s kind of strange that I am far more interested in learning about what on earth happened to him than anything that’s going to happen in the future. Sure, Haymitch isn’t around all that often in the narrative, but when he is, he steals the show.
At the opening of this chapter, Katniss and Peeta have to deal with the horrifying reality that what they’ve done has caused the death of at least three people. Haymitch and Effie didn’t see what happened because their feed was killed. When they all hear two more gunshots, Haymitch immediately moves into action.
His reaction gives us just a tiny bit of insight into who he is and what happened long ago. He immediately has Katpee follow him through a complicated round of stairways and hallways up to a trapdoor hidden below the dome of the Justice Building, a place where the Capitol cannot monitor their conversations. Here, Peeta tells Haymitch what has happened and that’s when he knows that this is a disaster, too. He tells Katniss to share with Peeta the knowledge of what he’s done and how they both just completely ruined everything on their very first date.
“Then I made things worse, too. By giving the money,†says Peeta. Suddenly he strikes out at a lamp that sits precarious on a crate and knocks it across the room, where it shatters against the floor. “This has to stop. Right now. This—this—game you two lay, where you tell each other secrets but keep them from me like I’m too inconsequential or stupid or weak to handle them.â€
No, I was wrong about this too. I thought it was a good idea to leave him out of the plan, but it clearly wasn’t.
“I have people I care about, too, Katniss! Family and friends back in District Twelve who will be just as dead as yours if we don’t pull this thing off. So, after all we went through in the arena, don’t I ever rate the truth from you?â€
Touche. He’s got a good point. He hasn’t gotten the truth from either of them and he even makes it a point to say that Haymitch didn’t even send him anything during the Games until Katniss showed up. Harsh. I didn’t even think of that.
After they agree to keep Peeta in the loop from then on, he storms out of the room. Haymitch tries to explain to Katniss why he focused only on her during the Games.
“But remember, until they changed the rules, I could only hope to get you out of there alive,†he says. “I thought since he was determined to protect you, well, between the three of us, we might be able to bring you home.â€
The Capitol sure is good at forcing their citizens to choose between some awful options.
Katpee do their best to assure the rest of their stay in District 11 is as uneventful as possible. Unfortunately for Effie, even she is feeling the affects of what her two winning tributes did, as she gets a particularly rough treatment from the Peacemakers. (I don’t mean to make light of the fact that District 11 citizens were SHOT TO DEATH, because that’s obviously worse.) Katniss takes this opportunity to do something nice for Effie.
Effie looks so distressed that I spontaneously give her a hug. “That’s awful, Effie. Maybe we shouldn’t go to dinner at all. At least until they’ve apologized.†I know she’ll never agree to this, but she brightens considerably at the suggestion, at the validation of her complaint.
I think I am starting to understand why so many of you like Effie. I have a feeling she’s going to end up doing something incredibly for Katniss and Peeta at a later part of this series. She’s clearly growing attached to them and, in her own weird way, is always looking out for them.
After this, they head for their entrance to their dinner. Peeta apologizes (again!) for yelling at Katniss and they both agree to work on being honest with each other and Peeta strangely asks if her and Gale only kissed once. She only gets to confirm that they did before it’s time for their entrance.
What happens next is pretty upsetting for me. Maybe Collins plans on elaborating more in the future. It’s a possibility. But I really didn’t like that she literally runs through every single remaining district and the Capitol in practically two pages. We don’t get to learn much of anything at all about where the districts are, what they do, how they are different than District 12, or what really happens elsewhere. I don’t know, I know I’m being whiny, but I thought the whole book would be about the Victory Tour and it would be a great chance to get to know more about this alternate world. I do understand that it is an attempt to explore the monotony of the entire tour, of how days bleed into each other and take a constant toll on everyone involved. And then there’s this.
Peeta, who spends much of the night roaming the train, hears me screaming as I struggle to break out of the haze of drugs that merely prolong the horrible dreams. He manages to wake me and calm me down. Then he climbs into bed to hold me until I fall back to sleep. After that, I refuse the pills. But every night I let him into my bed. We manage the darkness as we did in the arena, wrapped in each other’s arms, guarding against dangers that can descend at any moment.
That is going to come back and haunt them. Or, at least I think so. It’s nice they’re able to find comfort in one another, but I see this as becoming a source of conflict in the future.
The make it to the Capitol, still completely freaked out that what they’ve done isn’t enough to convince Panem. That’s when Katniss suggests a public marriage proposal as a way to seal the deal.
Peeta agrees to do it but then disappears to his room for a long time. Haymitch tells me to leave him alone.
“I thought he wanted it, anyway,†I say.
“Not like this,†Haymitch says. “He wanted it to be real.â€
Endless parade of sad.
The marriage proposal happens that night during their interview with Caesar Flickerman. It appears that what they’ve done worked, too, as the reaction from the audience in the studio and from shots of crowds around the country show people who seem genuinely happy.
President Snow himself makes a surprise visit to congratulate us. He clasps Peeta’s hand and gives him an approving slap on the shoulder. He embraces me, enfolding me in the smell of blood and roses, and plants a puffy kiss on my cheek. When he pulls back, his fingers digging into my arms, his face smiling into mine, I dare to raise my eyebrows. They ask what my lips can’t. Did I do it? Was it enough? Was giving everything over to you, keeping up the game, promising to marry Peeta enough?
In answer, he gives an almost imperceptible shake of his head.
OH WELL OK. I thought he would nod his head in affirmation and this would have been the most quickly-solved conflict of all time. I still don’t like how quick this is, but this is interesting. Marriage doesn’t work??? What else is she going to have to do???
WHAT'S THAT TWO REVIEWS?
oh it is a party day
I'm so glad I just happened to be refreshing this page by coincidence.
same here, I actually came to check the comments on the last part and was pleasantly surprised to find a new part.
mmcha mmcha mmcha mmcha SOMEBODY SCREAM
DOUBLE POST YEAAAAH!
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/kretch1967/gifs/tumblr_l4z3ymwAB11qao0o0.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/kretch1967/gifs/whoselinehandsup.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/kretch1967/gifs/thenannynilesdancing.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/kretch1967/gifs/tumblr_lbey8k4Fb31qe7k2vo1_400.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
(Sorry, I'm super bored, my flight to Chicago got canceled AGAIN so these posts have honestly been the only source of entertainment for me today.)
'THE NANNY' GIF
I LOVE YOU
Haha, thanks! That's one of my favourites!
Whose Line and Gilmore Girls .gifs! Four for you!
I'm glad that everyone enjoys my GIFs. 😀
all of these gifs fill me with joy. especially whose line + gilmore girls. 🙂
I love your user name!
thanks!! 🙂
NILES
Damn. Any hopes of getting out tonight? I hope your cats don't hate you too much…
I wish! The earliest flight I could get on out of Boston was the third, but I switched and now I'm flying out of New York on the first. Which, aside from being stuck on the east coast for even longer, works out nicely since I wanted to go see my friends' show on NYE in New York. So, yeah. Hopefully the east coast will stop holding me captive soon and I'll get back home eventually!
Hip Hip Hooray!
Thank you Mark, you just made my day!
My prayers have been answered! (But I’m still waiting on that private jet…)
EEEEEE!!! Yay! I didn't even have to sacrifice a goat or a virgin, and yet there was a DOUBLE REVIEW! (Don't worry, Mark, I'd never sacrifice a goat. That would be unethical.)
Oh I was so happy to see this pop up in my feed. Oh Happy Day indeed! 😀
YAÝ!!!!!!!!!
Party day?
FANART PARTY!
<img src="http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/244/6/9/keeping_the_nightmares_away_by_gigglish-d2xruzp.png">
<img src="http://th00.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2010/264/a/6/keep_my_nightmares_away_by_kuro_rakuen-d2z8b2r.jpg">
<img src="http://th08.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2010/159/c/9/Katniss_Peeta_Good_Night_Sleep_by_EverInTheShadows.jpg">
<img src="http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/062/f/2/District_11_Salute_by_Maiasm.jpg">
Not all of this belong in this chapter's comments, but oh well.
IT IS OKAY! EVERYTHING IS ACCEPTABLE ON A TWO REVIEW DAY!!
In that case, unrelated picture is unrelated.
<img src="http://94.100.123.174/1181900001-1181950000/1181922101-1181922200/1181922198_5_mJAS.jpeg">
This made me cackle!
In the first one, WHAT THE HELL IS WITH PEETA'S FACE?!
I think it's supposed to be a sad/worried expression, but the glowing eyes are kind of distracting me…
I mean, his eyes are so damn tiny.
To be fair, eyes are really hard to draw properly. But it does look weird.
Does his nose look wonky to anyone else or is that just me?
Noses are just really hard to draw. I have nightmares about drawing noses frequently. (Mind you, it only turns into a nightmare because I'm forced to draw a good nose or my friends and family will be murdered aaaaahhhhhhhh-)
Plus, he has the roundest chin I've ever seen.
I'm always amused by the Chibi Katniss and Peeta art because it's so the opposite of how I picture them. The books are so gritty and real, so to see the characters made into cute cartoons with huge eyes is kind of jarring.
I love the salute from District 11 – it's such a sign of respect. I like to think it means "my heart goes with you," or something like it. Maybe it's symbolic of the Holy Trinity – I don't know what faith Collins holds to if she does.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA MARK! I love how you thought this book was going to be about the Victory Tour and how President Snow wasn't going to show up until the end of the book and Collins is just messing your predictions up left and right.
I know, right? And now it's over already. I read Mark's predictions and just laughed at some of them (like the two you mentioned) because I knew because they're so far off.
I CHEERED WHEN I SAW TWO REVIEWS. No joke.
I didn’t really care that she rushed through the Districts simply because I think it would have gotten boring; the stops are the same thing over and over again, with a ceremony and a dinner. You couldn’t really learn much about the districts from the Victory Tour.
I would've like at least one sentence for each district. Even if it was about a certain tribute (Foxface's name? Glimmer? Cato?) or what they DO in that district. Or what the district looks like – modern? Old?
I think it works because we see it from her POV, though. I can’t imagine Katniss going “oh, look at what this district looks like” or “District 2 does such and such” after what happens in Eleven. She just wants to get it over as quickly as possible.
Clearly, she didn't have enough food while on the tour, because we would have read all about it.
I kid, I kid!
Yeah, I'd love to at least know what each district's industry is. We find out a bit about a few districts from the other tributes, but it would've been nice to just find out that bit of information during the Victory Tour.
You couldn't really learn much about the districts from the Victory Tour.
Are you kidding? Think of the wealth of information that would come out through the food porn!
I think there's a lot that *could* have been done with the Victory Tour. It wouldn't have to be just the same things over and over again. Each district would have a different actual, social, and political climate that would be reflected in their treatment of Katniss/Peeta. It would be really boring if she just told the same story in different districts over and over, but it would be really interesting if she used the Victory tour as a backdrop through which to weave the main plot. That's not Collins' style, though, and I'm mostly okay with that.
I'm getting the urge to re-read Catching Fire.
Also sending out some Peeta-love. He is amazing.
I just died of happiness for 2 reviews in one day. 😀
I agree with you Mark that it was disappointing how Collins barely gave any attention to the other districts during the tour, especially when it was such a perfect opportunity to let us know more about them, but tbh Im not too cut up about it because its interesting to think about what she is going to do with the rest of the book now. If not the victory tour, what else will she explore? We shall see.
In other news Haymitch continues to be the very best ever. He's just brilliant because he is intelligent and resourceful and everything he does makes sense. Peeta may be my fictional crush in this series, but Haymitch is by far my favourite character.
Upvoted for truth.
I'm almost wishing for Haymitch to whip out a violin and move into 22b Baker Street.
suddenly picturing Robert Downey Jr as Haymitch…
Hee. Apparently EW asked the movie director if it would be him or Hugh Laurie filling Haymitch's "vomit-stained shoes". (Their words, not mine.) Both are pretty fun ideas for the casting.
I hope it's not Hugh Laurie, I think he's too old.
If Haymitch won the last Quell 25 years ago and he was between 12 and 18, he should be 36-42 for Katniss's Hunger Games (74th). The trauma of the games plus all the drinking has probably aged him some, but I still think Laurie is too old.
I would love either of them in that role!
bobert bobert bobert
Robert Downey Jr has always been Haymitch in my head.
AHH TWO REVIEWS, SWEET.
I really wanted to know about the other districts, too, when I read the time-skippy bit. It's frustrating, but really, Katniss and Peeta didn't really have the same ties of alliance to the other districts. That said, I think it would have been interesting to see how they were treated in 1 and 3 (I think), especially Peeta since he was in that alliance with them for a while in the Games. Would they throw stuff at him? Would they boo? These are the things I wondered.
Also, TEAM PEETA FOREVER. He is right, Katniss, you should trust him more. Also, Haymitch is a badass, but still a jerk.
In closing, you are still not prepared. THE BEST IS YET TO COME, PROMISE.
I don’t think they would boo him simply because he is a Victor. They might hate him, and it might be obvious, but I think they would be somewhat polite.
I think all of us who like the books are fascinated by the idea of the other districts and what they're like, but I think Collins is going more for "only give what information is necessary to the story" with this chapter. She does reveal little things about the districts but only when they're important later or relevant at that time. And with twelve districts, we're not going to be able to hear about ALL of them, you know? I wish we got more info here too, but I understand her decision to leave it out.
Yeah, there's a plague of 'add your own tribute' fanfics over at ff.net and the one thing that annoys me most about them, aside of the authors lack of focus and utter missing of the point of the books, is how boring it is when they spend time on every single Tribute. Even the ones likely to die in the first minutes of the games.
It takes away meaning, when you spend too much time describing stuff that has no real impact on the plot. Collins gives us info on what the world her chars live in is like, but she does it throughout the book, and you never know when you're getting more hints.
Honestly, if they'd spend this much time on each district, not only would it have taken away the meaning of the last chapter, but it would have become repetitive, and not to mention boring, in less than two chapters. I'm just glad that Collins has more plot planned than just visits to each District
Oh Collins, you were doing so good and then you were like LOL!Gonna skip all this stuff now bye! Seriously, this did piss me off, especially since it followed on the heels of a really strong chapter. I understand you have to save time but I really wanted to know more about Panem and where things are and the scale of the place and bah!
<img src="http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy223/playwhatgoeson/HotFuzz-Gasp-GIF.gif">
*Sighs* At least we know shit is getting real at the end. God, President Creeperpants, you are just all the worst things.
<img src="http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy223/playwhatgoeson/SPN/DIAF-Dean-GIF.gif">
Since the last picture won't load, I will use this one instead.
<img src="http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq202/trampsandthieves/atladiaf.gif">
Much better.
Two reviews in one day?!?!?! IT'S TIME FOR A GIF PARTY!!!
<img src="http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz344/leftish/Emotion/ThumbsUp.gif">
<img src="http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz344/leftish/Emotion/2hwe1df.gif">
<img src="http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz344/leftish/Emotion/2akcsw0jpg.gif">
<img src="http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz344/leftish/Glee/kcjsk9.gif">
Gif Party? 😀
<img src="http://i887.photobucket.com/albums/ac75/de-arimasu/Funny/funnyavatarclip5.gif">
<img src="http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/i321/procrastinatoress/SNSD%20gif/foi44yjpg.gif">
<img src="http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w348/Richtoon18/cruisepokemonmidn1.gif">
That last one isn't very party-y but t made me chuckle.
The next-to-last one, is that SNSD? If so, my SNSD-loving friend will be SUPER PROUD of me for recognizing them.
I can't help myself…
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l10d3q5umT1qzaeks.gif" >
HECK YEAH!! I really enjoyed our Haymitch does stuff party yesterday and I was glad to have another excuse to post random gifs. 😉
<img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/20fuhqd.gif">
<img src="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b47/classicrockchick/Dark%20Knight%20macros%20and%20gifs/2nkntkl.gif">
<img src="http://i44.tinypic.com/sqseht.jpg">
We really need to work more silliness into Mark Reads…
<img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/16hw1ex.jpg">
<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/24vuqrl.gif">
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/35iydzp.gif">
Egads, is that a SMIRKY SIMON SMILE?! Happy day! 😀
SHMIRKY SIMON SMILE!!! 😀
Haha Simon looks like he's in love. Especially with the sigh and smile and all!
I also thought the Victory Tour went way too fast. I wanted more background on the other districts, the other Tributes' families, everything. Instead I got a montage.
I never thought of it before but montage is a perfect way to desrcibe it. Maybe a symptom of Collins TV writing days?
but that's the point, Katniss wasn't going to take any more risks, after what happened in District 11, she's not at a point where she wants to risk starting an uprising. So basically, all we would have gotten out of those visits, is they go in, description of District, they eat, people cheer on them whether they want to or not, they move on to the next district.
Unlike the scenes that people called boring in the last book, which were actually moments of character developments, these scenes that people keep asking for would have gotten genuinely boring pretty quickly and would have made the book fall to a standstill… Collins knows better than that, so she doesn't waste too much time with them. Focusing only on those tributes that actually would have the deepest impact on Katniss, aka District 11 and District 2, and it's not like there's much more to say about District one and two at this point that she hasn't said already.
That's fair. And in retrospect I get why she did it. At the time it went too fast. I had to go back and re-read the passage to make sure I hadn't missed anything or skipped a page
i physically flinched away from the thought of president snow kissing her cheek. just… that's nightmarish and shudder-worthy right there! :/
Seriously. I can only imagine it left behind the stench of blood-breath.
and just him being all ~there right up in her space. *shudders again* /o\
I hear that one time he kissed a Dementor, and it DIED!
aaaahahahahahaha win!
I heard that President Snow hid in a storm drain dressed as a clown…
Heehee, I'm trying to imagine Shnow looking at Katpee and saying, "Now two people are mad at meeee…" (Gembird, if you don't get that reference I may have to disown you on the Astral Plane)
Who would be Snow's Quirrel? Would Peeta leave Katniss for Snow bromance?
Snow's Quirrel is totes his lapel rose. You can tell because the scents are ~intertwined~ in ~forever bromance~.
In fact, that's the name of the new perfume he's launching on Quarter Quell day.
Yeah, I was a little disappointed about the lack of information on the other districts, too. I guess I understand that since she's moving on from the Victory Tour (also a surprise since that is what I thought the entire book would focus on) it might make the story move too slowly to give that much focus to each district, but I still think she could have done a little something about each of them … I don't know, maybe that would have gotten dull?? Whatever, I love this book, so I forgive her!
I found the whole President Snow thing so frustrating, because what the heck else do you want them to DO?? I can just imagine how helpless and frustrated Katniss must feel 🙁
Also, I second the motion: MOAR HAYMITCH – he is my favorite character so far!
OH, a suprise bonus review? HAPPY HAPPY DAY!
Except not, because these last two chapters have the sad. 🙁 Everything is getting fucked up way too fast.
I like Effie because she's simple. Not like, simple, as in stupid (though she's certainly not the brightest in KatPee's entourage), more like, she has simple wants and needs and worries. She's an honest result of her sheltered upbringing. It's impossible to hate her for her cluelessness, because she is genuine.
I think that them 'sleeping together' is sweet, and makes sense. They both have nightmares about the games, and no one else can understand that terror.
No more bad dreams by burdge-bug
<img src=http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/010/8/d/no_more_bad_dreams__by_burdge_bug.jpg>
What I LOVE about this art is how she is clinging to him and how he's holding her.
Even Collins is, like the Capitol, hiding the details of each district from us. I can understand the frustration though i didnt notice when I read.
Oh and must…resist…answering…questions.
TWO POST DAY!!
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/2cfcrcj.gif">
A description of each district would have been nice, but it's a story about Katniss, not Panem, and Collins' strength is in action scenes. I think you're right about how they cope by sleeping together. Their relationship is already confused enough.
SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH GIF!
Oh and also, I agree with this comment. This series is all about Katniss and her experiences. Collins isn't as interested in telling a larger story about Panem.
FLAWLESS SHH GIF
<img src=http://i.imgur.com/3WJA3.gif>
YEASH TWO REVIEWS 😀
OH MARK YOU ARE SO NOT PREPARED
just trust in collins she will not let you down
SHITS ABOUT TO GET REAL PRETTY SOON
It’s kind of strange that I am far more interested in learning about what on earth happened to him than anything that’s going to happen in the future.
No it's not. Haymitch is the best part of these books by far.
I had the opposite reaction to Snow at the end of this chapter. It's not "What will finally be enough?", it's "What made you think anything ever would be enough?"
I got angry at Snow–like, if Katniss doing all this shit wasn't enough, then why did she do it in the first place? Now she has to marry Peeta AND her family might get horribly murdered or whatever.
"No it's not. Haymitch is the best part of these books by far."
Truth
I think that since the books keep surprising everyone and everything has eventually come together so far, it's safe to assume it'll all be told when it's the right time. Also, as the author, she knows what's essentially important to the story and when it'll become important. Hasn't anyone ever read a book that had a bunch of details you didn't really care about? Or the details came so early in the story that you were like, "yeah whatever" and skimmed them just to have to go back later when you realized you needed to know them. I think this is an interesting way of making everyone care about the details by the time they are revealed.
After the excitement of the first book where it was just chapter after chapter of action, I wasn't really into the whole Victory Tour thing so I was kinda glad they skimed over it.
I also found it a little strange that Katniss would share her bed with Peeta when she knows he is in love with her, but she hasn't figured out how she feels about him. I know she only wanted to be comforted but isn't it a little but misleading!
Two reviews today?! Oh happy day!
I was okay with the shortness of the Victory Tour. I definitely would've liked to have had more details about the districts because I'm obsessed about figuring out where they each are, but I shall keep on being patient. Something must be revealed later, right?
I think my favorite part of this chapter is Peeta (surprise, I know, I don't think I've publicly fangirled over him for a few chapters now). I love that we get to see a different side of him. He's always the sweet, nice one, just looking out for Katniss and being awesome. While I do love that aspect of him, it's nice to see that he's not all gooey and mushy. He's a genuinely good guy but he still gets angry. He was hurt that Haymitch chose Katniss over him even if it's what he wanted. The two of them keeping him out of the loop makes him feel inferior or as if they don't trust him, have never trusted him. Much more realistic. And then he apologized, showing he's mature too.
Yeah, I love Peeta's characterization in this chapter. Peeta is wonderful, but he isn't some angelic figure who never gets angry or has negative emotions.
Agreed 😀
YAY two reviews.
I agree with your bit about Peeta. I don't think people tend to focus on how heartwrenching Peeta's situation is. He went into the Hunger Games thinking that he wouldn't survive. His own mother agreed. I know she's characterized as an evil lady, but STILL. And then, Haymitch knows he's dying, not directly from another tribute, but because he's sick/injured, and he can't help him out. I mean, even now, Peeta must surely believe that he wouldn't have made it out of the arena without Katniss. And after all of that, he still absolutely adores her and doesn't display any bit of resentment towards her. Sure, he's angry now, but that's entirely different from resentful at being constantly overlooked in favor of Katniss. I think it speaks volumes about the kind of guy he is and how much he truly does value Katniss. Hearts forever, Peeta.
err… completely unrelated to your comment…
but omg boy meets world icon favorite commenter ever
But I really didn’t like that she literally runs through every single remaining district and the Capitol in practically two pages. We don’t get to learn much of anything at all about where the districts are, what they do, how they are different than District 12, or what really happens elsewhere. I don’t know, I know I’m being whiny, but I thought the whole book would be about the Victory Tour and it would be a great chance to get to know more about this alternate world.
I didn't think the whole book would be about the victory tour, but i do feel cheated at the lack of explanation about the other districts. hell, i wanted to know more about district 11. at the very least i wanted more about the interaction between katniss and the dead tributes' families.
I like that Collins didn't linger on the Victory Tour. I read the three books in two days, never stopping to make predictions, so I didn't come into Catching Fire with any expectations about the Victory Tour being important. Also, Collins isn't going to go into unnecessary detail about this world for the sole purpose of satisfying the reader's curiosity. Sure, it might be nice to include the industry and location of each district, but Katniss already knows these things. District 11 was shown because of Rue (and Thresh), because Katniss had already become indebted to them in the first book, and because there was some crazy oppressive shit going down there. Katniss doesn't have the same level of involvement with the other districts, so it makes sense that they would be glossed over. World-building detail that is irrelevant to the plot can work in some books–it fits in very well in Harry Potter because the main character is seeing everything there for the first time and actually cares to observe all of the new and interesting things. (Chunks of the fifth book, primarily at the Ministry of Magic and at St. Mungo's, seemed to be included only to expand the world, not to introduce necessary information.) In The Hunger Games trilogy, it would seem out of place; Katniss is too busy fearing for her life and the lives of everyone she cares about to be concerned with which district manufactures which product, outside of the details necessary to the plot (the boy from district 3 repurposing those explosives, Rue being able to climb trees well, etc).
In short: I like how Collins did this chapter. The only part that did feel rushed to me was the Peeniss stuff, but that's only because it was so nice to see them start being friends in a natural way and it would have been nice to see the sleeping together/getting engaged in more than a couple of sentences.
TWO FOR YOU MARKREADS FANS, YOU GO MARKREADS FANS.
Have some adorable Katpee.
<img src="http://th01.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2010/010/8/d/no_more_bad_dreams__by_burdge_bug.jpgf"alt="kp"/>
<img src="http://th01.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2010/187/4/e/Katniss_and_Peeta_by_burdge_bug.jpg"alt="kp2"/>
Both by the lovely burdge_bug.
Also, ditto on the disappointingness of this chapter. I was personally hoping we'd hear Foxface's name in district five. Nooope.
My bad!
<img src="http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/010/8/d/no_more_bad_dreams__by_burdge_bug.jpg"alt="kpforrealzies"/>
I have to confessions to make, I was really behind and read through Chapter 12 to this in pretty much one setting lol. and I have not read and am not reading these books and only reading the reviews and I'm enjoying them from that haha.
Ahhh, Mark. I got this series for Christmas. I was reading your reviews of THG up until about chapter 17, until I realized I should stop since I was expecting them as a gift from my dad. Now I've read all of them and I just want you to finish so I can see what you think! Gah!
lol, seriously, though, this chapter was rushed and I was also a bit bummed, because I wanted to find out more about the Districts, but I think it makes sense because of all the anxiety and guilt that Katniss is feeling after District 11. She wouldn't want to really face them and President Snow doesn't want any uprisings, so we don't get to see her really do anything. It blows, but I think it makes sense.
"I don’t know, I know I’m being whiny, but I thought the whole book would be about the Victory Tour"
Ha ha ha ha- you are so not prepared!
Haha he really isn't, is he.
That made me giggle like crazy, you have no idea!
Oh Mark, you made Christmas come again! Thank you, oh kindred spirit of the Astral Plane.
I was dying to learn more about Panem, and really wanted to know what Foxface's real name was. I think that focusing more on the Districts would have been a perfect chance to Show not Tell, but we kind of lost that.
Also, good for Peeta getting some cahones! Still, Haymitch is by far the coolest character.
This might be the result of brain damage from reading Twilight, but I have a dirty feeling that Pressie Shnow isn't going to be satisfied with Katpee until there's a sex scene. I'd prefer it not happen just because I think that it would be the worst thing ever to have people watch you in bed on national tellie, but knowing the Capitol..
Also: I wonder if during this series their families will be taken and held hostage physically in order to force Katpee to behave?
Oh, Effie. You are just like a little Bichon Frise, bless ya.
I actually think it would have been anti-climactic to go from happened to Disctrict 11 to Katniss start describing what the other districts are all about. I think it fits perfectly with Katniss' head space right now.
But don't worry, Collins puts in and takes things out for specific reasons. You will see. =)
This is more of a response to some disturbing comments I read in the last chapter's review, but:
Is Peeta "man enough" for you now? I don't mind if people like Gale more, but I was kind of offended by comments implying that Peeta was boring because he's just a "nice boy", whereas Gale is a "man." To me, this kind of language implies that because Peeta isn't rugged or aggressive like Gale, he's not manly. Peeta's actions in and out of the arena have proven what kind of a person he is. He doesn't need "sexy man hands" or to be a hunter to be a man. He can be as much of a man by being brave and honest, by being a baker and a painter, by being a loyal friend.
/rant
It would be different for someone to say, "Oh, I like Gale because I have a thing for rugged men," but making it sound like Peeta is less manly is just sad. I like both rugged AND sensitive artsy men, so I would give them equal chances. I just adore Peeta's compassion, which will always matter to me more than any number of qualities.
I'm sorry the comments offended you but that's just how I see Peeta, as a nice boy and that's it. If I was looking for comfort and protection, which Katniss is in this chapter, I wouldn't look to Peeta.
And he is a little bit boring. Does he even have a personality? All he ever does is be nice to Katniss and not much else.
I LOVE that Peeta is kind and gentle and nurturing. It makes him a great foil for Katniss and also a rarity in terms of character types. Just as there should be more female characters who kick ass like Katniss instead of just swooning over boys like Bella, there should be more male characters who don't fall into the stereotypes of traditional masculinity.
But then, I've always gone for the sensitive boys. 😛
Hurray! Thank you for this. There should be more men like Peeta in the world.
I've read the whole series and, honestly, Haymitch is by far the best thing in it. (There's others, don't get me wrong, but none come close to him.)
Mark, I'm so excited for you to read more and discover all this awesome stuff… that you're totally unprepared for. ^_^
Also, it's good that while Peeta comforts Katniss by (literally) sleeping with her, nothing else happens. Too many YA books don't have that innocence…
And, yeah, I was mad about the Victory Tour as well. It was way too vague!
I was so dissapointed that the Victory Tour ended so fast as well. Thats the only thing the summary mentioned, so I thought it would last the whole book. Plus, I wanted more info about the other districts.
YAY DOUBLE REVIEW!^_^
I find myself wondering if Peeta had originally intended to offer part of their winnings to all the Tributes' families, not just Rue and Thresh.
Ha, it would be funny if he gave one month away to each district and at the end they were just left with one month for themselves.
I think it would take a nicer person even than Peeta to offer a month of their winnings to the families of Cato and Clove and the District 1 boy who killed Rue.
No 'ha' about it; that's exactly what I was thinking. If the Capitol is going to use material wealth as a way to divide the Districts, what better way to defy them than to say "everyone gets some of mine; I am no better than any of you just because I appeased them"?
Oh, man! I log off the Internet for a few hours and that's when you choose to do a double review day? Now I'm sort of late to the party, but seeing that I have nothing to say other than "MWAHAHAHA your predictions are shot to hell now aren't they?" and "OMG MARK YOU ARE NOT PREPARED ETC", I guess it's fine.
(All the somewhat intelligent things I could've said have already been said much better by other people)
Katniss would have to die for Snow to be happy.
Poor Peeta. Poor Haymitch. Poor members of District 11.
but then she might be a martyr
so it's essentially impossible to satisfy Snow.
WOW. I go confused when I saw a second review for the day because for a second I thought it was a different day but it wasn't so I got confused until I realized you wrote a second review today HEHE.
I only realized now how short Chapter 5 is and it's not a very eventful one.
OTHER THAN THAT. This chapter makes me want President Snow to get AVADA KEDAVRA'd
Hey guys, I just came to the most amazing realization. THG is like Harry Potter from Hermione's perspective. I mean, seriously. Gale is totally like Harry (kind of a fire-ball), and Peeta (especially in this chapter) is a lot like Ron (feeling like he wasn't considered important, loves the girl, etc.) The only flaw in this OH SO AWESOME idea is that Katniss and Hermione are practically nothing alike. lol
I have made this comparison before myself. I mean, even though you can't really compare the awesomeness of the trio to anyone else, if you had to assign them roles, Gale is definitely Harry, and Peeta is definitely Ron.
Hmm, I'd go more with Katniss is Harry, Peeta is Ron and Gale is Hermione.
"Gale is Hermione."
LOL 🙂
Well think about it, they have the same fiery temper, tendency to go on about a cause, and help the 'hero' with their knowledge (aka Gale teaching Katniss about snares)
Really? I don't think Harry is like Gale at all.
I had a whole rant here, but I think it's kind of spoilery, so I am deleting it.
And now I am going to run away, because I think if anyone is like Hermione, it would be Gale.
yeah. I think THG is like HP in that they both have an OT3 of awesome, with a couple and a third wheel, but to me, that OT3 is Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch, and poor beautiful Hawthorne is like a fourth wheel
Eh, Peeta's a much nicer, steadier and more emotionally mature person than Ron.
Peeta is clearly Neville. A nice BAMF.
Except that Harry and Ron have an even stronger relationship than Hermione with either of them.
I really liked Peeta in this chapter. He's in a really rough situation, too, and I'm glad Katniss/Haymitch realized that keeping things from him wasn't going to help anyone.
I think that his question about Katniss having only kissed Gale once is kind of important (at least to Katpee). I think he had assumed that Katniss and Gale were an item before the Games. They were always off in the woods together and so forth. Now that he knows they never were, he feels like there is still a possibility she might fall in love with him. So his situation is not quite as bad as it might have seemed to him when he first learned that Katniss was acting in the arena.
I was not so surprised by the glossing over the Victory Tour. I guess I did predict that correctly back in the predictions post comments, though I thought she'd spend a little time on District 2 as well, due to Cato and Clove.
Lastly, Katniss' failure to crush the rebellious thoughts of the Districts is so not her fault. This whole rebellion thing is not really of her making, it was just spin mismanagement at various levels of Capitol government. Even Pres. Snow is dropping the ball on this one, by just handing off his problems to a teenage girl who can't possibly solve them for him. Threatening to kill her family and friends is great motivation, but it can't make Katniss do something she actually can't do. I feel like Capitol's failure at controlling the situation is actually going to push Katniss into becoming a revolutionary against her will.
Collins IS Katniss, here. They have both rushed through this part of the story––and both await, at the chapter's end, for your approval. And just as Snow told Katniss that her act didn't cut it, so did Mark show his disappointment in Collins' writing. This could all be on purpose, and may well be the greatest masterpiece of author/character duality ever seen. Or perhaps I only wanted to try using forward slashes in a sentence, and the whole chapter just blows chunks? Such things will be pondered for ages, I'm sure.
What was Foxface's name? She skipped District five. And we learn the name of the dude from District one, but, whatever. I wanted to know Foxface's.
On a different note:
OMG TWO POSTS IN ONE DAY!!!
<img src="http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m274/bekkiglittz/GIFs/Cartoon/03736971.gif" border="0" alt="Happy GIF Pictures, Images and Photos"/>
<img src="http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn135/dazzle_me90/GIF/excitedjumping.gif" border="0" alt="excited jumping Pictures, Images and Photos"/>
<img src="http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss54/ifraaan/Gif/0077azh6.gif" border="0" alt="excited nerds Pictures, Images and Photos"/>
I LOVE THAT DESPICABLE ME GIF
But keep in mind, to Katniss, the District 1 boy is far more important than Foxface's. Sure Foxface was smart and intelligent, but in the end, their interactions were limited.
She actually killed Marvel and she didn't even know his name until she visited his District. This makes her come to face with the fact that she killed both him and Glimmer. (notice that she doesn't say "I caused Glimmer's death' no, she actually accepts responsibility for killing Glimmer.
Since we've been recently talking about teams we support, I thought I would remind everyone of the best team ever:
<img src='http://graphjam.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/funny-graphs61.png' alt="funny graphs – Play Nicely Now" title="funny graphs – Play Nicely Now" height="497px" width="504px" />see more Funny Graphs
Awesome. Having an army is way cooler than having a team, obviously. I wonder why it says DUMBLEDOR though. 😉
Haha, I didn't even notice that. Oops. Someone on the old blog used to post these when Mark Read Harry Potter, but I haven't seen them posted in a long time. I went and looked and found this!
Yeah, I think I remember it. It's still the absolute truth anyway.
OMG TWO REVIEWS IN ONE DAY
You just made me a very happy fangirl.
I agree with what someone said, about Snow not being happy till she's dead. Or possible a sex tape. *Shudder* I don't put it past him AT ALL.
And MOAR DISTRICTS PLEASE.
CAN YOU JUST IMAGINE IF SNOW WANTED TO TELEVISE PEETA AND KATNISS HAVING SEX?
Guys! Gale is awesome! Stop your judging. Gale has helped Katniss so much in the years and they really love each other, whereas Peeta loves Katniss FOR NO REASON AT ALL. Really. Show me a reason. He is like *le gasp* Twilight! (Except Bella is infinitely worse than Katniss). He just saw her once and heard her sing and was like OOOH! I love her! I will die for her! Ugh, I hate stupid things like that. Sure, it'd be okay if he had a crush on her that developed into love, but I do not believe he would risk his life for someone he thought was cute. All he saw of her in THG was her putting on an act. So he really doesn't know her like Gale does. Also, he really IS boring. Some of you protest, but he is just toooooooo good. I enjoy characters who defy gender roles and who are good people, but where are Peeta's character flaws??? I just hate characters who are so good and really have no reason to act the way they do and just annoy me with their goodness. No one is that good. Really. Point out someone to me. Gale really cares about Katniss and wants her to survive. He may be hot headed at times, but honestly, you might be pissed to if the capitol killed your father, forced your mother to work a bazillion hours to support children who are are starving and at constant risk of death, forced your best friend/girl you secretly love into games in which she seems to be in love with some dude, and basically ruined your life. Have sympathy for him. Who wouldn't want to rebel in that circumstance? Peeta has had a relatively cozy life, as far as life in Panem goes, and even if he was in the Games, he hasn't seen so much of the Capitol's oppression of everyone and really has no reason to want the capital gone, so much as just out of his life. Also *insert a million points for discussion after the final book* Anyway, you all are judging my Gale prematurely. Gale is so much more real and sincere, he loves Katniss, and he has a tough life. Peeta is just lame. *ducks head for the millions of Peeta fans*
Really though, why are we even having this argument? To me, Peeta and Gale are just foil characters for the two separate sides of Katniss that are constantly at war with each other. But to truly explain this, I need the context of the third book.
Victory Tour is a short tour
<img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s49/Mr_Muggles/GIFS/TinaFey.gif" border="0">
Peeta is a badass way to take down that lamp. I'm sure it deserved it
<img src="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a269/specialcamper/gif/angry230rock.gif" border="0">
HAYMITCH IS STILL FUCKING FANTASTIC
<img src="http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb150/TOTO-LERO/gifs/33a8p74.gif" border="0">
"Kendra killed the bad lamp."
But she's an expert in all weapons!
I don't know if anyone said this yet, there's too many comments for me to read them all, but I think that the reason we didn't get too much information on the different districts is because Katniss didn't. It seems like the Capitol has done a lot to keep people from knowing too much about other districts, and on a trip that is so closely monitored by the Capitol, I can't imagine that she would be learning much. One of the Capitol's greatest strengths is the separation of the people. It's easy for them to squash out one uprising in one district, but if they learned enough about other districts, they could get organized. Knowledge is power, right? They would especially want to keep this knowledge away from Katniss, who seems to already be a threat to them as far as uprisings go.
Hee! He does have some weirdly-shaped lips, so I could totally see that.
Is Katniss going to have to get pregnant now to officially "seal the deal"?! That'll be embarrassing, considering it seems as if her whole life is televised. Katpee pornography anyone?
Fuck you, President Snow.
hate to say it, buuuut THERE'S FIC FOR IT. Actually the idea is so grotesquely interesting to me, and apparently to other people, that I wonder about its potential
where can i find fic?! there's fic?!
just stay away from ff.net, ninety percent of the Hunger Games fanfic there sucks.
There were a couple of pretty good Hunger Games fics posted in Yuletide though.
I was only joking. That's fucked up that someone would do that.
I think it's just the type of fucked up that the Capitol would pull. That's why it's interesting to me, not on a titillating level, but on a psychological level: the Capitol already forces them to kill their friends, why not steal the rest of their dignity? (and I wonder about how Katniss and Peeta would try to fight back in that situation)
Thanks for the second review!
I sympathize with your disappointment – it's annoying to miss learning about the other districts when there's such a great chance to do so. It's one of the reasons I don't find Suzanne Collins to be very good at worldbuilding. But other than an encyclopedic description of the other districts – or even short snippets about each one – there's not a lot she could have done to make this longer, since Katniss and Peeta basically just read the words that are written for them and avoid making any scenes.
Suzanne Collins is almost the opposite of Rowling and Tolkien in this way. Rowling and Tolkien were both so invested in and fascinated by their worlds that they spent a lot of time describing them, which bores readers that are mainly fixated on plot. In Rowling's case, some of the books (esp. OotP) could certainly have used more editing. Collins is big on plot and trying to fit a lot of events and changes into three short books, which seems to entail editing out all the nonessentials and is frustrating for those of us who would like to see her world more fleshed out.
Mark today is my 23rd birthday and it’s OBVIOUS you did a double post as a personal birthday present to me. Thank you. 🙂 I am on my iPhone and am having trouble scrolling through the comments so I will probably add more insight when it’s easier. Just so happy to see two posts! I actually used one of my birthday gift cards to go buy my own copies of the books to reread along, since I borrowed from a friend my first time reading them. Woooh for birthdays and the hunger games and mark!
Happy birthday!
happy birthday 😀
Correct me if I'm wrong, here, but aren't the Career Tributes generally from Districts 1, 2, and 4? I seem to remember District 3 not being included, because of the land mine kid and also because it confused me.
But if District 4 is relatively wealthy and brainwashed into thinking of the Games as a great honor, then why does Suzanne Collins list District 4 as one of the ones that's rebelling against the Capitol because of Katniss?
Also, it strikes me how futile Katniss/Peeta's romantic act is. I think that Snow's actions so far are far less a matter of damage control than a need for vengeance over spilled milk, because there's really nothing to be done about what Katniss's actions have started.
The Capitol is truly screwed no matter what they do, because confirmation bias can't be discounted. Pretty much everything Katniss has done so far is capable of being interpreted in two different ways, and dissenters are going to interpret it in the way that is less favorable to the Capitol. The sudden marriage proposal might seem like a romantic gesture to the Capitol people, but to the people of the rebellious districts it's probably just more proof that Katniss is being martyred for her rebellion.
Surely the President knows that people's perceptions of reality are more important than reality itself (Thomas theorem FTW), and that the people aren't going to give up on this perception of reality. I see this as a sort of Jaynestown situation; when the people need a hero to romanticize and emulate, what that supposed hero actually does is a moot point. People in desperate need of a hero can and will rationalize anything that gets in the way of constructing that narrative of heroism.
You are correct in that there should always be more Haymitch and he is fantastic! More Haymitch forever!
I remember reading that last line, ugh, I had chills. What more could Katniss had done? Make-out with Peeta every time she saw a camera?
GIF PARRTYYYY!!!
<img src="http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd375/DoctorWhoGifss3/Doctor%20Who%20Gifs/amyandthedoctorspazzattack.gif" border="0">
<img src="http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz311/DoctorWhoGifss2/Doctor%20Who%20Gifs/dance.gif" border="0">
<img src="http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz311/DoctorWhoGifss2/Doctor%20Who%20Gifs/DoctorDancing.gif" border="0">
<img src="http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x282/Fozzie-Luvs-Green-Day/GIFs/dy0i6a.gif" border="0">
<img src="http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz311/DoctorWhoGifss2/Doctor%20Who%20Gifs/2gwvs76.gif" border="0" alt="weeping angel strut Pictures, Images and Photos"/>
<img src="http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz311/DoctorWhoGifss2/Doctor%20Who%20Gifs/29o4m8l.gif" border="0">
<img src="http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae166/melita-r/Doctor%20Who%20assorted%20gifs/cybermandance.gif" border="0">
<img src="http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae166/melita-r/Doctor%20Who%20assorted%20gifs/ooddance.gif" border="0" alt="ood dance Pictures, Images and Photos"/>
NO I DIDN'T JUST RANSACK PHOTOBUCKET WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT. (is there a limit on how many gifs per post? >_> cause i don't wanna accidentally break the rules…)
awww and i had weeping angels dancing and Matt and Karen dancing gifs…..
Ten in 3D glasses! Yay!
No, no limit. (as I add to the gif party joy! ^_^)
<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/Jenny_Wildcat/Gifs/CHD-A150w-DW-S04E01-0001sarah_jones.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/Jenny_Wildcat/Gifs/CHD-A150w-DW-S03E11-0001asarah-jones.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/Jenny_Wildcat/Gifs/CHD-A150w-DW-S03E11-0002.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/Jenny_Wildcat/Gifs/343qfdkjpg.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/Jenny_Wildcat/Gifs/30m23b9-1.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/Jenny_Wildcat/Gifs/21joolj.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/Jenny_Wildcat/Gifs/PC_Brilliantkyrina.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
DONNA!! <3
Two reviews in one day IS THIS THE REAL LIFE 😀
"Marriage doesn’t work??? What else is she going to have to do???"
::zippin my lips::
I can't add anything other than I also wanted to see more of the Victory Tour! Especially Cato and Clove's District, where they basically raise killing machines.
I definitely agree with the fast pacing of this chapter. It really took me by surprise and I was a bit frustrated. But Collins placated me and made up for it by taking this book and series into a direction I didn't expect. Shit gets realer and realer, and it's truly f'ed up
"What more could Katniss had done? Make-out with Peeta every time she saw a camera?" – comment someone made
Um… isn't that what she does anyway? Kissing him for a solid 10 minutes?
And to the other point someone made about D4 being rebellious… that bugged me too. Though I think I know a small part of it. Still, THIS NEEDS TO BE ANSWERED.
Well just because they have career Tributes doesn't mean they don't have reason to rebel. I'd think that even most of the Career Tributes are in it more to increase their chances of survival, figuring that if someone has to go in, it might as well be someone who stands a chance.
And I just realized the above comment sounded rude. Sorry. It wasn't meant to be. Read it with a smile.
I'll comment something more thoughtful in the morning
OMG HDU. I READ THE FIRST REVIEW AND LEFT BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS OVER FOR TODAY AND NOW I'VE MISSED IT.
I just read this chapter on the way home, too. 😛
I agree entirely about the rushed, I mean, it was a bit… insane. Wtf else is therre left for her to do? I just didn't like how it was BAM MARRIAGE BAM PRESIDENT IS NOT PLEASED END CHAPTER NO EXPLANATION KTHXBYE.
But, to be fair, I am now super intrigued as to where this is going.
I was also really excited to learn more about the other districts and such and was disappointed by this chapter… And then I couldnt stop reading and read the rest of the book and let\’s just say you are so not prepared.
MARK, DO YOU THINK YOUR REVIEWS AFFECT BOOK SALES???
I just got a mental image of you being all evil behind your computer deciding which books will be successful and which will tank.
omigod that is FANTASTIC!
HAHA, I've always thought this. I also believe that it affects the library checkouts.
i can see that. i always think of billy bob thorton (he's president in Love Actually)
Might I suggest White Cat by Holly Black as a review? Unfortunately it’s part of a relatively new series, but aside from that it’d be very good.
<img style="padding : 5px;" src="http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/15700000/Catching-Fire-District-11-the-hunger-games-trilogy-15729883-1573-1197.jpg" alt="" width="620" align="right" />
Yeah, remember that prediction about how the book would be about the Victory Tour? And then Collins did it all in one chapter.
True, I would have liked more information about each disctrict, what it specialized in, etc. but my one consolation is that perhaps it would have been boring to have chapters filled with the monotony of "train, speech, dinner". But… I need the information Collins!! I like details.
I do like the detail of Peeta and Katniss sleeping in each other's arms. And it seems very real to me that as the tour continues and Katniss sees how she's "failing", her nightmares are getting worse.
Marriage doesn’t work??? What else is she going to have to do???
Conceive a child onstage?
oh yay! Two reviews =) I missed this one …
"I don’t know, I know I’m being whiny, but I thought the whole book would be about the Victory Tour and it would be a great chance to get to know more about this alternate world"
This is an interesting thought! I never thought of it this way, we'll see how this plays out.
I was actually kind of disappointed by this too. I mean, even in glossing them over, she did a pretty good job of summarizing it, but… I feel a little cheated. WANT TO KNOW MOAR. It seemed like it should have been more… significant… than she let it be. I dunno. I guess that's why I'm not a published author.
"Marriage doesn’t work??? What else is she going to have to do???"
Prepared? Mark? So not…
*runs off to read the next review*
Clearly Mark posted two reviews this day as a personal gift to me on my 23rd birthday 😉
NO BUT SERIOUSLY. When I read this book the first time I definitely hoped for more of the Victory Tour to be shown. I'm a big history/social studies buff and I'm even interested in the social/political/geographical aspects of fake places. I love maps of Middle Earth, Narnia, etc. I want to know about the movement of people, trades, goods, populations, etc. OF FAKE PLACES. That's why I love JKR so much, and Tolkien, because it's clear they put a LOT of thought and time and energy into making their worlds as thorough and real as possible. COUGHsmeyerdidnotCOUGH. I really wish we could have seen more of the tour and learned about the infrastructure of Panem and how the districts compare to one another, ETC.* But then, I read the rest of the book and was so completely blown away and was like VICTORY TOUR?! PSH.
*ALSO I LOVE SAYING ETC APPARENTLY. It's a nice catch-all. 😉
*sigh* I love so many individual parts of CF, but it's my least favorite of the books because I hate the pacing. Like here.
Jeez that Snow is a hard nut… WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT? Need to read on..
The rush didn't bother me but I didn't come into this book expecting it to focus on world building the Districts. In fact, I didn't even think about it until you made that prediction. I am sad that we STILL don't know Foxface's name. Who cares about that District 1 boy? Reveal Foxface's name!
[Marriage doesn’t work??? What else is she going to have to do???]
Uh I don't know what the html is for italics so that'll have to do. Would be nice if there was a preview button before submitting a comment though. Anyway, that sentence made me think 'Is it ever gonna be enough?' which immediately got Gold Guns Girls by Metric stuck in my head. Then these lyrics just fit so well: All the gold and the guns in the world couldn't get you off. You are just fucked left and right Katniss.