A Monster Calls

Inspired by an Idea from Siobhan Dowd

By: Patrick Ness

Narrated by: Jason Isaacs

Length: 3 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

NOW A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! An unflinching, darkly funny, and deeply moving story of a boy, his seriously ill mother, and an unexpected monstrous visitor.

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting - he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd - whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself - Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.

©2011 Patrick Ness (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Compelling ... powerful and impressive." (Philip Pullman, author of the award-winning His Dark Materials trilogy)

“Brilliant and elegant, with all the thrills and ambition you would expect from the author of the Chaos Walking trilogy." (Frank Cottrell Boyce, award-winning author of Millions and Cosmic)

“Haunting, lyrical, powerful, and true. Patrick Ness has crafted a masterful story about grief and loss, love and hope that lingers in the heart like a ghost.” (Libba Bray, author of the Printz Award-winning novel Going Bovine)

"Exceptional ... this is storytelling as it should be - harrowing, lyrical, and transcendent." (Meg Rosoff, author of the Printz Award–winning novel How I Live Now)

Sweet Surprise

This book was chosen by my book club and I didn't have a clue what it was about. I recently lost a dear friend to cancer after a 4 year battle and am headed down the same path now with another dear friend. I sobbed as I empathized with this young man. I've had the same feelings and felt such guilt. It was healing for me to see that those were normal feelings when watching someone you love so much, fight so hard, all the while praying for a miracle and the happy ending doesn't come. The reader and story line were both amazing! Thanks for helping to heal my heart.

A powerful story!

Any additional comments?

I liked this book even more the second time around. I first read this book several years ago and liked it then so when I saw the audio on sale earlier this month, I decided to revisit the story in audiobook. I really enjoyed the book the first time that I experienced it but I absolutely loved it during this re-read. I am not sure if it is where I am in my life that made the difference but the story just seemed to speak to me this time.

Conor is a 13 year old boy living with his mom. His mom is sick with cancer and Conor has had to adapt. People treat him differently because of his mother including the teachers and kids at school. Some of the kids bully him while teachers seem hesitant to reprimand him. Conor really just wants his life to be the way it used to be and for his mom to get better.

A monster pays a visit to Conor. The monster tells Conor that he will share with him 3 stories and at the end of the third story, Conor will share his story. Each of the stories were incredibly entertaining and I found myself unable to stop listening. Conor seemed to let more of himself out when he was with the monster. I found the monster to be more wise than scary and loved the parts of the book that featured him.

The narration of this audiobook was outstanding. Jason Isaacs handled a wide variety of voice expertly. I loved the way he brought the monster to life. This is an emotional story and I really felt every one of the emotions that Conor was dealing with. I think that the narration really elevated this story to another level. I hope to listen to other books narrated by Jason Isaacs in the future.

I would recommend this book to others. It is a rather short book that tells a really big story. This book is one of those rare gems that just captures everything perfectly.

Loved it! 😎

This book is my absolute favorite, because it really hit home. Having lost my wife to cancer I can honestly say this book touches on a lot of feelings I had when and after she passed, very touching and real to me. My hats off to the author and the narrator for a job well done.

A good one-time listen before the movie comes out

Where does A Monster Calls rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's far from the worst, but nowhere near the top either. It was good to listen to once, especially before the movie comes out. It was very well written and and narrated and had depth in the lessons learned that I wasn't expecting from a YA novel.

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

I wasn't emotionally attached to the characters relationships, so there was no dramatic emotion at the end, at least for me. I can imagine if I had similar life experiences to draw from, I would have had a very different reaction to the ending.

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

I haven't listened to any of his other performances, but I have to say that Mr. Isaacs did a fabulous job narrating this book. His various character voices were enjoyable and believable. I would listen to another of his narrations in a heartbeat.

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

Nope. Not this one.

I'm sobbing

I actually watched the movie first. The movie is nearly exactly the same as the book. The narratator did an amazing job.

One of the best I have read

No doubt this book was hard to read from an emotional standpoint. But it was worth every tough moment and every tear. The story was great and captivating, and the narrator did a spot on performance. Go get some tissues and read it.

excellent

very good a q and a a a a a a a a a a great job

Powerfully affecting

I purchased this title expecting just a touch of fantasy and a light afternoon's read. What I got was almost shattering. I cried through half the book and felt every moment of Connor's torment. It is an incredible piece of writing.

Amazing Story!

I gasped, I cried, I was profoundly moved. Great read! Highly recommended for any reader!

A Doorway to Your Soul

I thought I had understood. I was wrong. As I listened to the opening words of this remarkable story I was quite certain I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. I could tell immediately that the quality of the writing was graceful yet deliberate, beautiful yet haunting. I also believed that I knew the story. The metaphor. I was already composing the review in my head (still likely 4 or 5 stars) where I compared it to a cheeseburger. A story that brings nothing new to the discussion but yet, in its simplicity is still beautifully executed. If I had stopped there, perhaps that is all I would have taken away. A delicious cheeseburger of a story. Thank you Patrick Ness for creating a true work of art. Thank you for creating a profoundly moving, stunning literary feat that somehow managed to turn 26 letters into a doorway to the soul. I have read few writers who have so thoroughly captured the essence of youth, of pain, of heartache. Though I cannot say with any certainty, I truly believe you have made Siobhan Dowd proud. This is a story that needed to be told, a story that needs to be shared regardless of how difficult it might be to do so. This is fantasy, this is reality, this is life. 5 stars, one for each time you made me cry. “AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY”