The Knowing

By: Sharon Cameron

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller, Andrew Eiden

Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

Sharon Cameron returns to the rich world of The Forgetting with a companion novel as thrilling and intricately crafted as the first.

Samara doesn't forget. And she isn't the only one. Safe underground in the city of New Canaan, she lives in a privileged world free from the Forgetting. Yet she wonders if she really is free, with the memories that plague her and secrets that surround her. Samara is determined to unearth the answers, even if she must escape to the old, cursed city of Canaan to find them.

Someone else is on their way to Canaan, too.... A spaceship from Earth is heading toward the planet, like a figment of the city's forgotten past. Beck is traveling with his parents, researchers tasked with finding the abandoned settlement effort. When Beck is stranded without communication, he will find more in Canaan than he was ever trained for. What will happen when worlds and memories, beliefs - and truths - collide?

This pulse-pounding, evocative companion to Cameron's highly acclaimed The Forgetting explores the truth and loss that lie within human memory and the bonds that hold us together.

©2017 Sharon Cameron (P)2017 Scholastic, Inc.

Nowhere near as captivating as The Forgetting

This book felt like it was just a re-hashing of the forgetting. Sure, it's hundreds of years in the future and the main conflict is somewhat different. But it's the same basic premise - some people hold all the knowledge, and one person trying to change things wants to know more. It just wasn't as interesting as The Forgetting, and didn't feel original.

Also, I get why Emily Woo Zeller did the accent she did (as they remark in the book that Sam speaks haltingly/strangely a few times). However, listening to it for hours on end really grated on my nerves. She did this over-enunciated, whispery voice that was hard to listen to (and hear while driving at times). It certainly did not help my enjoyment of the book. The male narrator was perfect - no complaints there.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Not a sequel to The Forgetting--unfortunately

I remember being confused and bored for the first hour of The Forgetting, but ended up liking the book. Not so with this one. I was expecting a sequel but instead this is a "companion" book that takes place hundreds of years after The Forgetting.

Zoo Weller's audio narration is super annoying. She reads with what sounds like a made up accent that's choppy, quiet, and usually a bit monotone. The male narrator is fine.

So I was confused, bored, didn't like the female narrator but I pressed on. And fell asleep. I slept through about two hours total of the book and the last 4 hours I listened to on 1.5 speed. If I were reading instead of listening, I think I would have just skimmed much of the book and turned to the last page to read the ending.

Tedious is the word that comes to mind. And way too long--16 hours. I thought I was going to scream every time Sam "falls" (or plunges) into memory. But worse, I just didn't care about the characters.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Enjoyed the story.. Good sequel to first book.

The only disappointment was the female narration. The voice was hard to understand at times and too soft. I would have to turn up my volume all the way to hear the female narrator and then turn it down when the male narrator began. Too often I had to replay the audio to understand what Samara had said. Made for a less enjoyable experience.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Engaging, but clunky plot. Bad narration

The plot of this book is fine. It makes a bit of a confusing transition from the first book, but overall, it's interesting. There were things that seemed completely unnecessary (not one, but TWO half-formed love triangles that weren't really even triangles and were terribly developed, anyone?) but I thought the way the society had developed over the time period was neat.

However, the narration itself really impeded my enjoyment of this book. The narrator for Samarra made her sound scared and timid all the time, with a shaky voice that was so irritating. #scifi #femaleprotagonist #splitperspectives #lovetriangle #sequel #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Many years after The Forgetting

379 years ago, the people of Canaan left their white city to build New Canaan and get away from the Forgetting. But though Samara and the rest of the Knowing cannot forget anything at all, most of their history is lost, or hidden from them. She is convinced that in Canaan there is a way to Forget, so that she and others don't have to live with the memories that could drive them insane.
Beckett is also looking for Canaan, but he has come all the way from Earth, travelling with his crew mates for many years to find out what happened to this lost Earth colony.

Truly a great book!!!!

I won't make this review complicated and long, all I will say is that its more then worth the credit and the read. Don't Start here, read The Forgetting and then read this one, but if you did want to start here, it can stand on its own and not leave you confused, I don't recommend it because you miss out on so much of the back-story, not to mention the Forgetting is an awesome book also. Give It a chance and don't give up because of the first chapter, from the moment Beckett started until the end, it completely captivated me but yes the first chapter is confusing and frustrating, stick with it and you won't be disappointed.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

The Kmowning

Not as good as the first book. I loved the first one and was a little disappointed with this one. The accent of the woman doing Sam's voice was at times hard to understand as well.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Superb

Well written, well performed!
An interesting alternative reality.
Goes right along with the first book in tandem.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Ends with a bang

After reading The Following, I thought the Knowing would be a continuation. It want. It zips shead year’s and I was truly l

0 of 3 people found this review helpful