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I Am the Messenger Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 7,712 ratings

DON’T MISS BRIDGE OF CLAY, MARKUS ZUSAK’S FIRST NOVEL SINCE THE BOOK THIEF AND AN UNFORGETTABLE AND SWEEPING FAMILY SAGA.
 

From the author of the extraordinary #1 
New York Times bestseller The Book Thief, I Am the Messenger is an acclaimed novel filled with laughter, fists, and love. 


A MICHAEL L. PRINTZ HONOR BOOK
FIVE STARRED REVIEWS

Ed Kennedy is an underage cabdriver without much of a future. He's pathetic at playing cards, hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey, and utterly devoted to his coffee-drinking dog, the Doorman. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery.
 
That's when the first ace arrives in the mail. That's when Ed becomes the messenger. Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary) until only one question remains: Who's behind Ed's mission?

Editorial Reviews

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 Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 9-12. Ed is a 19-year-old loser only marginally connected to the world; he's the son that not even his mother loves. But his life begins to change after he acts heroically during a robbery. Perhaps it's the notoriety he receives that leads to his receiving playing cards in the mail. Ed instinctively understands that the scrawled words on the aces are clues to be followed, which lead him to people he will help (including some he'll have to hurt first). But as much as he changes those who come into his life, he changes himself more. Two particular elements will keep readers enthralled: the panoply of characters who stream in and out of the story, and the mystery of the person sending Ed on the life-altering missions. Concerning the former, Zusak succeeds brilliantly. Ed's voice is assured and unmistakeable, and other characters, although seen through Ed's eyes, are realistically and memorably evoked (readers will almost smell Ed's odoriferous dog when it ambles across the pages). As for the ending, however, Zusak is too clever by half. He offers too few nuts-and-bolts details before wrapping things up with an unexpected, somewhat unsatisfying recasting of the narrative. Happily, that doesn't diminish the life-affirming intricacies that come before. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B001BZRUR4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Knopf Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (December 18, 2007)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 18, 2007
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6024 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 370 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 7,712 ratings

About the author

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Markus Zusak
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Markus Zusak is the international bestselling author of six novels, including The Book Thief and most recently, Bridge of Clay. His work is translated into more than forty languages, and has spent more than a decade on the New York Times bestseller list, establishing Zusak as one of the most successful authors to come out of Australia.

All of Zusak’s books – including earlier titles, The Underdog, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, When Dogs Cry (also titled Getting the Girl), The Messenger (or I am the Messenger) – have been awarded numerous honours around the world, ranging from literary prizes to readers choice awards to prizes voted on by booksellers.

In 2013, The Book Thief was made into a major motion picture, and in 2018 was voted one of America’s all-time favourite books, achieving 14th position on the PBS Great American Read. Also in 2018, Bridge of Clay was selected as a best book of the year in publications ranging from Entertainment Weekly to the Wall Street Journal.

Markus Zusak grew up in Sydney, Australia, and still lives there with his wife and two children.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
7,712 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book enjoyable and memorable. They praise the writing style as excellent, eloquent, and descriptive. The storyline is interesting and keeps readers engaged. The characters are relatable and funny, with a dry humor that they enjoy. Overall, customers describe the emotional content as poignant and moving.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

601 customers mention "Readability"575 positive26 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it memorable, with great characters and a well-developed plot. The story is described as beautiful and incredible.

"...into a glass of clean water, these moments of poetry bring extreme beauty to an otherwise simple appearance. > This isn't about words...." Read more

"...Then he’d put it back. I found this strange and fascinating...." Read more

"...Again, I could be wrong. Call me odd, loved the book, the ending, and must give props to the writer for following a life-long dream of published..." Read more

"...In terms of story, it's not bad...." Read more

251 customers mention "Writing style"229 positive22 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style. They find the prose eloquent and descriptive, creating vivid pictures and emotions. The author's talent is appreciated, as the writing hides preachiness. They describe the book as simple yet worth hanging in there.

"...But then there's the "more." The author is able to interweave lyrical prose into his colloquial speech...." Read more

"...Let me explain. The writing hides the preachiness of the story so well that I really enjoyed reading it and it wasn’t until the end that I..." Read more

"...life through the devil; I think it was understated and pretty darn clear through the writing...." Read more

""I Am the Messenger" is a fantastic book. Superbly written. A wonderful cast of characters. Even the dog. Especially the dog. Emotional...." Read more

211 customers mention "Interest"150 positive61 negative

Customers enjoy the book's storyline. They find it intriguing and suspenseful, with relatable moments and a satisfying ending. The book starts with an interesting beginning and is described as a quick-paced mystery that will linger in their minds for days to come. Readers appreciate the quirky characters and the last two lines that give them goose bumps.

"...We both laugh and run, and the moment is so thick around me that I feel like dropping into it to let it carry me...." Read more

"...Again, I could be wrong. Call me odd, loved the book, the ending, and must give props to the writer for following a life-long dream of published..." Read more

"This was an original plot and story. It is a story of forced self-discovery...." Read more

"...The ending was a little too cliche and easy for me...." Read more

203 customers mention "Thought provoking"199 positive4 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and uplifting. They appreciate the message and themes of personal growth and development. The concept is interesting and the lessons are wonderful. Overall, customers find it a great read that can be life-changing.

"...We find that through the character's growth, his mental faculties become stronger than we had thought...." Read more

"...But it reminded me that kindness, true kindness, comes from listening and observing others to see what they really need...." Read more

"...I enjoyed the latter enormously. It was a poignant and strongly thematic work...." Read more

"...5 - Fantastic. Life-altering. Maybe only 30 in a lifetime. 4 - Very good. 3 - Worth your time. 2 - Not very good...." Read more

127 customers mention "Character development"114 positive13 negative

Customers enjoy the engaging and humorous characters. They find the characters ordinary and relatable, not super-powered or science fiction-inspired.

"...its brilliance, it's ability to ability to bring settings, characters, and their motivations to life without being wordy...." Read more

"...I’m glad read it. The book is well written, all of the characters felt real to me. I highly recommend this book!" Read more

"...The main character does all the challenges and ends up a better man. Ed kind of does the same sort of thing with the cards." Read more

"...the last sentences, which were not unexpected, were universally true in each person, in all living things...." Read more

89 customers mention "Humor"81 positive8 negative

Customers find the book humorous with a dry sense of humor. They appreciate the relatable moments, honesty, and realism. The book is described as fun, engaging, and there are no dull moments. Readers also mention that the journey is enjoyable and brilliantly executed.

"...I love the laughter of this night. Our footsteps run, and I don't want them to end. I want to run and laugh and feel like this forever...." Read more

"...Even the dog. Especially the dog. Emotional. Humorous. Gripping. I read it in two days. Zusak's writing style is a bit different...." Read more

"...He is! This book is a little less dark and more comical than The Book Thief, but just as good...." Read more

"...Ed’s story is a mysterious and yet humorous one that’s full of drama, surprises and suspense...." Read more

69 customers mention "Emotional content"56 positive13 negative

Customers enjoy the emotional content of the book. They find it poignant, feel-good, and comforting. The story is well-told, making readers feel anger, sorrow, happiness, and fear.

"...I enjoyed the latter enormously. It was a poignant and strongly thematic work...." Read more

"...A wonderful cast of characters. Even the dog. Especially the dog. Emotional. Humorous. Gripping. I read it in two days...." Read more

"...This story moved me to tears a few times and made my heart full at others. Like I said before, I love Markus Zusak's writing...." Read more

"...This man is a unique author who can capture many fringe emotions (poignancy, heartburn, shame) that most authors ignore because they lack the talent..." Read more

62 customers mention "Pacing"28 positive34 negative

Customers have mixed views on the book's pacing. Some find it engaging and hooked them quickly. Others mention that the story is slow at times, but the curiosity of what happens next keeps them going. The beginning takes off well, but the middle lags a bit and then disappoints them.

"For me, this story was somewhat slow getting started, but I understood why by the time I finished...." Read more

"...I think I appreciate it because it is different, and not run-of-the-mill. But it's even more than that...." Read more

"...There are a few minor errors, and I feel it time-cuts a bit too quickly at times, but overall this is the finest realistic fiction that I have read..." Read more

"...Is the story particularly gripping? No. Is the pacing appropriate? No. There are many scenes that seemed irrelevant...." Read more

The final pages are missing!!
4 out of 5 stars
The final pages are missing!!
I was enjoying the book until I got to the end. The last pages are missing from the book! It appears as if they were torn out or fell out. I am not happy.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2017
    I recently read John Grisham's The Racketeer. It was a very fun book; and if you're looking for some brain bubblegum, then I recommend it. And when I was done, I went looking for another fun book. The recommendation that I found was I Am The Messenger. It turned out to be the fun that I was looking for. I wasn't prepared, though, for just how much more than fun this book would be.

    > "Why me?" I ask God. God says nothing. I laugh, and the stars watch. It's good to be alive.

    The author was obviously influenced by Catcher in the Rye. The protagonist of the story is an anti-hero with seemingly mediocre mental resources and ambition. He has a similar lack of responsibility towards money, and also seeks love from an apparently average sort of woman.

    > It makes me look deeper into the street, trying to find the future events in store. I'm happy.

    The author uses the lyrical technique of having the story progress with a mysterious list. Much like And Then There Were None or Atlas Shrugged, a list appears without an obvious purpose, and the protagonist's adventure is to proceed through this list. And like Catcher in the Rye, we watch the protagonist's character grow as he proceeds through the adventure.

    > I didn't know that words could be so heavy.

    All of the above is extremely fun, and would have satisfied exactly what I was looking for. But then there's the "more." The author is able to interweave lyrical prose into his colloquial speech. Like a droplet of watercolor crashing into a glass of clean water, these moments of poetry bring extreme beauty to an otherwise simple appearance.

    > This isn't about words. It's about glowing lights and small things that are big.

    And then there's more beyond that. We find that through the character's growth, his mental faculties become stronger than we had thought. In the most believable and common way, he demonstrates cleverness. And then, like The Things They Carried, the reader can begin to wonder whether this is a story at all. Is this a book, or a letter, or something else?

    > I want words at my funeral. But I guess that means you need life in your life.

    I'm being purposefully vague. I worry that I've already revealed too much. In my life, I've come to realize that competence is unusual. Most people seem to stumble through life with the goal of minimal effort. Competence is so unusual that I celebrate it. In those rarest of occasions, I get to interact with something more than competence: excellence. I Am Messenger is one of those experiences. I hope that I get to meet Markus Zusak (the author) someday; I'd like to give him a hug.

    > When the job's done, he smacks me on the shoulder and we run off like handsome thieves. We both laugh and run, and the moment is so thick around me that I feel like dropping into it to let it carry me. I love the laughter of this night. Our footsteps run, and I don't want them to end. I want to run and laugh and feel like this forever. I want to avoid any awkward moment when the realness of reality sticks its fork into our flesh, leaving us standing there, together. I want to stay here, in this moment, and never go to other places, where we don't know what to say or what to do. For now, just let us run. We run straight through the laughter of the night.
    77 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2016
    I was inspired by the main character Ed’s very normal life. Maybe normal is too nice a word. His life is more mediocre. He doesn’t have any ambitions or achievements or direction really. The story is about him receiving anonymous cards in the mail that challenge him to help people. He changes their lives in small and big ways just by being observant. It made me want to observe and serve others more. If an ordinary guy can help in small ways, then so can I.

    After reading I Am The Messenger, I got that chance.

    I saw a guy shopping for baby formula at the grocery store. He would look at a can of baby formula for a minute and put it back. Then he’d look at another can. Then he’d put it back. I found this strange and fascinating. Most people quickly dump 8 cans of the exact same formula in their shopping cart and hurry off. I have never seen someone compare types of baby formula so carefully.

    This guy was taking his time for some reason. I continued to watch him (he didn’t notice because he was now scrutinizing a fifth can of formula) and tried to figure out what situtation would make someone shop for formula like that. He must never have bought it before. Maybe he has a wife at home with a screaming newborn baby and was instructed to “get formula” only to find the grocery store has 473829 kinds. And now he doesn’t know what kind to get. So I went up to him and helped explain the difference between the 439280 kinds of formula and gave him a coupon. He seemed grateful. I imagined him going home to his wife victorious because he’d gotten the right formula AND used a coupon.

    It’s not life changing or anything. That being said, Ed didn’t feel like he was doing anything life changing either.

    It’s not a big thing, but I guess it’s true— big things are often just small things that are noticed.

    -Markus Zusak, I Am the Messenger (p. 221).

    But it reminded me that kindness, true kindness, comes from listening and observing others to see what they really need. Small acts of kindness are big in their own way.

    The reason this story works is because it’s crude, crass, biting, sarcastic, and full of swearing. Let me explain. The writing hides the preachiness of the story so well that I really enjoyed reading it and it wasn’t until the end that I realized I learned something. I’m not saying something has to be crude for you to learn something. But hiding a story about serving others in a crude story might accidentally teach someone something when all they had really intended was to pick up an entertaining book. Making it a little crude can also make the story relatable so you close the book feeling like the character did things that you are more than capable of doing, too.

    There were some parts of the writing that I found so beautiful. Here’s one of my favorite quotes. I just love how Markus Zusak takes a cliche saying and switches the words around to paint a lovely picture:

    Quietly, Marv cries.

    His hands appear to be dripping on the wheel. The tears grip his face. They hold on and slide reluctantly for his throat.

    -Markus Zusak, I Am the Messenger (p. 316).

    I like that the tears grip his face instead of his hands gripping the wheel. But I can still imagine the image of tears gripping his face like he’s trying so hard not to cry but he can’t help it. I find it so beautiful for some reason.
    19 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Karolina Coutinho
    5.0 out of 5 stars Marcante
    Reviewed in Brazil on July 6, 2024
    Adoro esse livro! Já li em português, e agora em inglês pra praticar. Leitura leve, divertida. Recomendo!
  • Mariana
    3.0 out of 5 stars No es la portada de la imagen
    Reviewed in Mexico on July 19, 2020
    No llegó la portada que aparece en la imagen.
  • Megha
    5.0 out of 5 stars *Must read this novel
    Reviewed in India on June 19, 2021
    Amazing novel. This messenger is delivering a beautiful message "Maybe everyone can live beyond what they are capable of". I've read Book thief previously, loved Markus Zusak way of writing, expressing and delivering feelings. Everyone should read this novel at least once.
    Customer image
    Megha
    5.0 out of 5 stars *Must read this novel
    Reviewed in India on June 19, 2021
    Amazing novel. This messenger is delivering a beautiful message "Maybe everyone can live beyond what they are capable of". I've read Book thief previously, loved Markus Zusak way of writing, expressing and delivering feelings. Everyone should read this novel at least once.
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  • None
    5.0 out of 5 stars It’s a good read
    Reviewed in Australia on June 7, 2023
    Basically I enjoyed the book
  • Cliente Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interesante y fácil de leer
    Reviewed in Spain on September 19, 2016
    A pesar de estar en inglés su lectura es muy compresible, obviamente hay muchas palabras que seguramente no vayas a entender, pero se sacan fácilmente por el contexto. Por todo lo demás, el libro es muy bueno, con una historia interesante que te mantiene con intriga en todo momento.

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