Pure

By: Julianna Baggott

Narrated by: Khristine Hvam, Joshua Swanson, Kevin T. Collins, Casey Holloway

Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Julianna Baggott presents her beautifully written, riveting, breakout novel, Pure, the first volume in her new post-apocalypse thriller trilogy.

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters...

Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost - how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers...to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and breathe the ash...

There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

©2012 Julianna Baggott (P)2012 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Baggott's highly anticipated postapocalyptic horror novel...is a fascinating mix of stark, oppressive authoritarianism and grotesque anarchy...Baggott mixes brutality, occasional wry humor, and strong dialogue into an exemplar of the subgenre." ( Publisher's Weekly, Starred Review)

"A great gorgeous whirlwind of a novel, boundless in its imagination. You will be swept away." (Justin Cronin, New York Times bestselling author of The Passage)

" Pure is a dark adventure that is both startling and addictive at once. Pressia Belze is one part manga heroine and one part post-apocalyptic Alice, stranded in a surreal Wonderland where everyone and everything resonates with what has been lost. Breathtaking and frightening. I couldn't stop reading Pure." (Danielle Trussoni, bestselling author of Angelology)

Don't want to wait for book 2!

If you could sum up Pure in three words, what would they be?

Gritty, Intelligent, Original

What other book might you compare Pure to and why?

I'll compare it to The Hunger Games & The Running Man.

This book managed to set up a similar type of incredibly detailed and "over the top" world like both of those books did, but it did so in a way that kept everything grounded in a very gritty and realistic sense. In other words, with The Hunger Games & The Running Man, the setting is so far "out there" that it was difficult (if not impossible...) for me to forget that I was reading a work of complete fiction. However with Pure, I almost felt as though I had been granted some private glimpse into the future of this world, and then had to remind that myself this was complete fiction.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Nope...not that I'm aware of anyways... It was well done... maybe not as good as I expected with there being four of them and all, but it was definitely one of the better narrations I've heard.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I'm not quite sure, but I REALLY hope they do make a movie of it!!! So long as they keep the movie every bit as realistic and visceral as the book.
(read: Rated R, not a sissy PG-13 teenie-bopper interpretation like hunger games....)

Great Narration

Great story with fantastic narration. Julianna Baggott creates such a strong image of the world in which the story takes place that you are quickly consumed by how easily you can relate to what is happening. This is the first time I've listen to a book so creatively narrated by several different narrators. It works perfectly to give even more voice to each of the story lines presented.

Good story, great moments, fantastic performance.

Summary: This is well worth your credit if only for some truly moving moments and a great cast narration.

Details: I won't go into plot synopsis here but I will say that this story is yet another example of our societies somewhat disturbing fascination with post-apocolyptica. It has some stand out ideas which make it innovative and enough humanity is present to make it better than most examples of the genre. You actually end up caring about the characters and the author does a great job of using that to cause you some significant emotional impact at various points in the story.

Also note that this is the first book in a series.

The standout feature of this title is the narration which, as many have noted, was superb.

Unique

This book is somewhat fascinating due to it's uniqueness. I enjoyed the story, but did find parts of it a bit unrealistic, but because of the world the author has created it didn't really detract from the story. All the narators did a good job bringing out the individual main characters. I will probably download the next book in the series when it comes out, but I'm not overly excited for it.

Enjoyable, entertaining, easy listen

Narrator did a great job. She was very expressive. I really enjoyed her performance. The story was great also.

Mixed Feelings About this Story

I rated this book a "3" because I am on the fence about it. I've read several other YA dystopian series and this seems to be just one of a trend and not the best of the trend by any means. While some of the ideas in Pure were fresh and original, I thought the story really dragged in places and didn't always do justice to the ideas behind the story. I almost stopped listening several times because I just didn't feel compelled to find out what happened to the characters - and that is quite a contrast to other books in this genre where I can't stop listening because I want to know what happens next. It was a bumpy ride for me to get to the end of the book. I found the constant switch between different characters and narrators disruptive at times. Even though I knew it was only the first of a series when I started it, I don't know if I'll get the second book or not. I just didn't care that much about the characters or what happens to them. Yawn.

interesting

What did you love best about Pure?

This book was very interesting, it was a little hard at first to get into it. Hard to imagine the world they live in, but the story became very interesting the further I listened. It was captivating and a great listen!

Reminds me of Fallout 3 (video game)

I love post apocolyptic type books and this story was no exception. I enjoyed this book and had difficulty putting it down, yet i cannot quite rate it the full 5 stars. The main character was tough and determined, but also believable as she needed time to process and adjust to the changes rapidly coming at her. This story reminded me a bit of the set up for the PS3 video game "Fallout 3" where some of the population was able to hole up in vaults to reside untouched by the toxic world - where others were mutated through roughing it in the outside elements. Fallout is one of my all time favority games and is perhaps what draws me to these types of books in the first place? I was a little suprised to learn that this is part of a series - as the ending is certainly an ending and not a cliff hanger, yet there are some story lines that can be followed up on at a later time. I am not yet sure whether i will continue with this series or not. Overall i would recommend this book, ONLY IF you enjoy post appocolyptic type stories.

wonderful

great read, and loved listening. it's a very exciting book that will make you want more.

Easy to Feel a Part of this World

Baggott does a great job of setting up this future world...where a dome has protected some while others fight to survive. I'm really glad I purchased this as an audiobook rather than reading it myself, as most of the narration was great! The narrator for El Capitain was especially incredible!

My high ratings for this book are based more on potential than in what was delivered...because...while the story held my attention, in the end, it was really just one big setup for the next book - introducing us to the characters and the world they live in. Baggott tries to throw in a little romance, but it seemed really forced to me. That is one thing I wish had been more fleshed out...the relationships that develop between the characters. The never have "moments" in which you see their feelings for each other expressed. Instead, you are just supposed to accept that one character cares for another.

Still, the story was very interesting and I'm looking forward to the next book, but not in a "I can't wait until it comes out!" kind of way.