The Girl with All the Gifts

By: M. R. Carey

Narrated by: Finty Williams

Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

In the ruins of civilization, a young girl's kindness and capacity for love will either save humanity - or wipe it out in this USA Today best-selling thriller Joss Whedon calls "heartfelt, remorseless, and painfully human."

Melanie is a very special girl. Dr. Caldwell calls her "our little genius."

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant keeps his gun pointed at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh.

©2014 M. R. Carrey (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Original, thrilling and powerful." (The Guardian)

"One of the more imaginative and ingenious additions to the dystopian canon." (Kirkus)

"A great read that takes hold of you and doesn't let go." (John Ajvide Lindqvist, author of Let the Right One In)

It's OK

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If my friend enjoys zombie books, yes.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Eh, it was kind of a let down. They build up to a good ending and then don't deliver.

Any additional comments?

Good book, crap ending. Just enjoy the read.

Best zombie book I've been exposed to

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book was a great listen. The narrator really did the story justice. The book itself was fascinating the entire way through. I wasn't expecting the ending and I really enjoyed the unique plot and twists this book had.

Entertaining twist on zombie genre

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I did enjoy listening to this book. It was well-written, though the characters were rather simplistic.

Would you be willing to try another book from M. R. Carey? Why or why not?

Probably. Certainly has a creative mind.

What does Finty Williams bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Ms. Williams made it much easier to relate to the primary character than I think would have been the case had the book been merely read. Ms. Williams' inflection added an immediate likability that would have taken time.

Could you see The Girl with All the Gifts being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

In the end, this book is not Hollywood fair. Maybe an indie movie with unknown actors.

Any additional comments?

Everything was tied up a little too neatly in a bow at the end of the book. I think greater ambiguity would have been more satisfying.

Really enjoyed the reader!

It was a great book and I really liked the person reading it. And how.

Great book!

The book is so much better than the movie! I absolutely loved the storyline. The Prequel is great too!

A Different Kind of Zombie Story

I never jumped on the zombie bandwagon. The Walking Dead may be playing on the tv while I'm in the living room, but it's always been something I could take or leave. The picture on the cover of this book drew me in, and the title made me curious. But when the summary informed me it was a book about zombies, essentially, I was out...not interested. Or so it would seem. It kept calling to me. Any book about a child genius pretty much calls to me, so I gave it a shot.
Wow...this book was great. Action from the beginning. A definite new twist on the typical zombie story. First of all, these are children, and secondly, they can speak, think, feel emotion. I won't give away the secret as to why or how this is possible, but the author did a very nice job in revealing it.
I was glad that I was reading this rather than watching it...as one might imagine, it was bloody and horrible in parts (it's a zombie story). There actually has been a movie made based on this book, and I'll probably watch it, but not because I'm a zombie fan...rather because this novel was so well written and the characters so beautifully developed.

(Updating because my original review seems to have disappeared...I did watch the movie version of this book. Of course there were a few deviations. One would have to deviate in order to condense 13 hours into 2. But, the deviations weren't that major. It was a good movie and not overly gory or graphic. I liked it).

This is NOT the movie; this is rich & pure sci fi!

edge of your seat and fantastic! The narrator brought it to life. I could smell and feel every word.

Pretty Gruesome

I wasn't expecting this book to be so grisly! I think this was ultimately my fault, since the description likens it to Stephen King, etc. It was a great story, but I just found it hard to listen to with all the gory details. This narrator was incredible though! I just usually go for something less horrific and apocalyptic.

Chilling.

Anglocentric but that only adds to the beauty. This is not a happy ending... But it is satisfying.

A year later...and I am still thinking about this

If you could sum up The Girl with All the Gifts in three words, what would they be?

Surprising. Addictive. Captivating.

What did you like best about this story?

The story has many layers that unfold and deepen as the story progresses.

Which scene was your favorite?

The end leaves you thinking...not wondering...thinking about humanity and life and much deeper things than you were probably thinking when you picked up a 'zombie' book at the start

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes...I am sad it is over, and have yet to find another book as addictive.

Any additional comments?

Don't let the idea of zombies discourage you...this book is so much more.