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I Am the Messenger (Hardcover)

by Markus Zusak (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 23.95
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Product Description

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up - Nineteen-year-old cabbie Ed Kennedy has little in life to be proud of: his dad died of alcoholism, and he and his mom have few prospects for success. He has little to do except share a run-down apartment with his faithful yet smelly dog, drive his taxi, and play cards and drink with his amiable yet similarly washed-up friends. Then, after he stops a bank robbery, Ed begins receiving anonymous messages marked in code on playing cards in the mail, and almost immediately his life begins to swerve off its beaten-down path. Usually the messages instruct him to be at a certain address at a certain time. So with nothing to lose, Ed embarks on a series of missions as random as a toss of dice: sometimes daredevil, sometimes heartwarmingly safe. He rescues a woman from nightly rape by her husband. He brings a congregation to an abandoned parish. The ease with which he achieves results vacillates between facile and dangerous, and Ed's search for meaning drives him to complete every task. But the true driving force behind the novel itself is readers' knowledge that behind every turn looms the unknown presence - either good or evil - of the person or persons sending the messages. Zusak's characters, styling, and conversations are believably unpretentious, well conceived, and appropriately raw. Together, these key elements fuse into an enigmatically dark, almost film-noir atmosphere where unknowingly lost Ed Kennedy stumbles onto a mystery - or series of mysteries - that could very well make or break his life. - Hillias J. Martin, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile

When hapless cabdriver Ed Kennedy offhandedly stops a bank robbery, someone takes notice. The Ace of Diamonds appears in his mailbox with three addresses written on it. Ed is supposed to deliver a message to these addresses, but no one is telling him what that message is. All he is told is that his life depends on it. Narrator Marc Aden Gray not only nails the fatalistic and hilarious voice of Ed, but also gives voice to the innumerable characters Ed encounters. With his unique voices, particularly those of a barefoot runner, an elderly widow, and Ed's own coffee-drinking dog, Gray seems to delight in each twist of author Markus Zusak's dialogue. The message, then, is quite clear--this is an audio experience not to be missed. K.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I have ever read., July 8 2007
By N. Herron (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: I Am the Messenger (Paperback)
I am 39 years old & I have never reviewed a book before, but after reading R. Nicholson's review I just had to respond. I highly disagree with Mr. Nicholson. I have read many, many books in my life, and this is one of the best. The ending blew me away, because it forced me to "think outside the box" & reminded me of why I read books. Books can make you think in a way that TV and movies can't. If you want a neatly wrapped "box", then, no, you probably will not like this book. But if you are looking for something that will make you think, then this book is definitely for you.
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4.0 out of 5 stars "I am not just the messenger, I am the message!", Jun 6 2009
By Paul Weiss (Dundas, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: I Am the Messenger (Paperback)
There's very little positive that one can say about Ed Kennedy's achievements in life and, what's even worse, he knows it. At the tender age of nineteen, he's already suffering a full blown mid-life crisis. His best friend is a dog so smelly it could gag a sewer rat at twenty paces. The only job he's had which amounts to the tiniest hill of beans is driving a cab. He's madly in love with Audrey, a girl who refuses to love anyone and treats him only as her best friend. His male friends, Richie and Marvin, are equally washed up. Their only entertainments are rugby, boozing and playing cards. His father was an alcoholic and his mother treats him with utter disdain and a complete lack of respect.

Whether it was the right place at the right time or the wrong place at the wrong time is a matter of debate but, one day in the middle of his otherwise humdrum life, Ed Kennedy is caught in the middle of a bank robbery. When he manages to nab the robber, he is hailed as a local hero and destiny pushes his life down a new path. He begins to receive anonymous coded messages on playing cards instructing him to be at a certain address at a certain time. Clearly, on the basis of his ability to halt a bank robbery, somebody is assigning him to a series of tasks which are intended to change other people's lives. The missions are widely varied - rescuing a woman from a nightly rape by her alcohol-soaked husband; giving the gift of happiness to a confused elderly lady by assuming the role of her long dead husband; providing an enthusiastic congregation to an unfulfilled parish priest; forcing spiteful brothers to recognize their love for one another; and so on. And whoever is behind these cryptic messages is not allowing Ed the option of declining the invitation. A serious beating at the hands of two mysterious night visitors convinces Ed that he has no choice but to assume the role of "the messenger".

"I am the Messenger" is, of course, a message. It is intended to convey the idea that worldly achievements - wealth, good looks or fame, for example - are not the basis of a fulfilled life. Love, charity, friendship, happiness and other more lasting virtues not only come from somewhere else entirely but require considerable investment of effort to achieve them.

Adults reading "I am the Messenger" may think that Zusak has succumbed to sermonizing. They might also suggest that the emotional impact of his novel is so sweet as to be cloying. However, if we remember that Zusak's intended audience is the young adults in grades 9 to 12, then we might forgive him for being a little obvious and leaving a little less to the intuitive leaps of a more mature reader.

While it doesn't have quite the gripping power of his previous novel, "The Book Thief", "I am the Messenger" is still quite capable of putting a lump in your throat and a smile on your face. Engaging characters, raw but realistic dialogue, endearing life-affirming messages and a satisfying ending make "I am the Messenger" a novel well worth the time invested to read it. Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss
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5.0 out of 5 stars This blew me away..., May 4 2008
By Carol (North York, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: I Am the Messenger (Paperback)
Yes it did - and I've been reading books, of all kinds, for over 50 years now. And I'm getting kind of picky in my old age. I want to be entertained, I want to learn, I want to be amazed...and I want to be moved. This book fulfilled and exceeded all my expectations...I finished it, regretfully coming to the end, but uplifted by that ending. Zusak doesn't hit you over the head with platitudes; he doesn't preach; he doesn't try to dazzle you with cleverness. He IS a message. I'm always wary of stories that begin with a beloved pet, but this one ends with that same pet, still beloved. And with a young person, who has learned in an unusual way, what it means to be a friend, a son, a worthwhile citizen...along the way we have met a wonderful collection of perfectly ordinary people, people who we probably know, but whom we have never seen and, hopefully, will see now. Wipe away your tears after you have read this; they are not tears of sadness, but of hope for this world and the possibilities in each one of us to recognize that hope and to deliver those possibilities as best we can. I am reminded of this quotation of William Penn: "If there is any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow human being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again."

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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Ed Kennedy is a nineteen-year-old cab driver who is kind of a nobody! He hasn't achieved anything great, isn't a genius, his mom despises him, and his dad died of alcoholism. Read more
Published on Aug 27 2007 by TeensReadToo.com

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
I am very picky when it comes to books, but I have to say, this book is interesting and a great read! Read more
Published on Aug 11 2007 by Krysta Mino

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book is a Masterpiece
I too have to agree with N. Herron in saying that this book is one-of-a-kind, and is truly spectacular. Read more
Published on July 13 2007 by R. Mateyk

1.0 out of 5 stars High expectations...but instead...more than just disappointing...it was awful
As my title suggests, much, much less than I'd expected.

Having just finished "The Book Thief" by the same author, I could hardly wait to get my hands this book;... Read more
Published on July 20 2006 by R. Nicholson

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