Pure

By: Julianna Baggott

Narrated by: Khristine Hvam, Joshua Swanson, Kevin T. Collins, Casey Holloway

Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Julianna Baggott presents her beautifully written, riveting, breakout novel, Pure, the first volume in her new post-apocalypse thriller trilogy.

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters...

Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost - how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers...to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and breathe the ash...

There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

©2012 Julianna Baggott (P)2012 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Baggott's highly anticipated postapocalyptic horror novel...is a fascinating mix of stark, oppressive authoritarianism and grotesque anarchy...Baggott mixes brutality, occasional wry humor, and strong dialogue into an exemplar of the subgenre." ( Publisher's Weekly, Starred Review)

"A great gorgeous whirlwind of a novel, boundless in its imagination. You will be swept away." (Justin Cronin, New York Times bestselling author of The Passage)

" Pure is a dark adventure that is both startling and addictive at once. Pressia Belze is one part manga heroine and one part post-apocalyptic Alice, stranded in a surreal Wonderland where everyone and everything resonates with what has been lost. Breathtaking and frightening. I couldn't stop reading Pure." (Danielle Trussoni, bestselling author of Angelology)

Compelling and vivid

Where does Pure rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very high.

What other book might you compare Pure to and why?

The Hunger Games - wrenching and memorable.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Multiple narrators bring the story to life.

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

Yes!

Any additional comments?

An inventive and gripping book. Characters who you come to know rather slowly, and each is more complex than you originally thought. JB confounds your expectations several times, which I really appreciated. But the book is also filled with terrible imagery that was sometimes a bit much for me (maybe even worse than The Hunger Games). I love dystopia, but I can only take the post-apocalyptic stuff in small doses. That said, I can't wait for the sequel, which unfortunately, is not due out until next year. JB's descriptions of this burned out world makes you appreciate the small pleasures of everyday life that we so take for granted. The book has been optioned for a movie, which I would love to see, and I hope they do it justice.

Great Listen

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

Yes, the dystopian storyline was good and I was surprised by the number of different characters. I found myself listen far longer than I expected each time I started.

What did you like best about this story?

The storyline was full of twists and turns I didn't expect that kept the story intriguing.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

There are several different narrators, which I enjoy when there are mulitple characters. It added a depth to the narration I enjoyed.

The Dome

I read Pure when first published and really enjoyed it. Part II is out, Fuse and I am listening next. I did just finish listening to Pure in audio format, really enjoyed the narration, the characters brought to life. Pressia, Partridge, El Capitan and Helmud...
Julia's story is instantly visual, she takes time to give great descriptions, you can smell the toxicity of the ruins. The sanitized Dome.

Decent book but narration was a little dull

Any additional comments?

I really liked the story and concept for this book, but something about it just kept me from getting really into it. I wasn't really on the edge of my seat or dying to read the next book. Maybe it was the narration, especially Pressia's narrator, but it seemed kind of blah and tired a lot of the time, even when big events were happening. Maybe one day I will try the second book but for now, it's not really piquing my interest.

Slow build but excellent

This story started out slowly. It didn't lag but it almost leisurely built the world around my mind. I was distracted by the descriptions and varying viewpoints and then suddenly I realized that I was quite trapped by the story and characters within.

This is a dark and gritty world (not as much as some I've read but still...) and there are mutations, human and monsters alike, lurking throughout. I loved the dimensions of the characters and it was overall an excellent read (or listen, as the case may be).

Must read for anyone who lives in the USA

If you could sum up Pure in three words, what would they be?

Unexpected, grippingly realistic.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Pure?

The point of realizing how one psychopath was allowed to bring about utter destruction because no one could figure out how to stop him.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Partridge

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

yes.

Any additional comments?

Every American should read this book. It could well be the shape of things to come.

I loved this book!

Any additional comments?

A really neat take on a post-apocalyptic North America. Interesting for teens and adults alike. The author does a great job making you feel for the characters and their 'fusings'. It kept me interested the whole way through and I am looking forward to the sequel!

Diffrent

If you could sum up Pure in three words, what would they be?

Disturbing future imagery.

What other book might you compare Pure to and why?

It was a standard dystopian novel like any other but immensely diffrent at the same time. I'm not sure I'd compare it to anything I've read.

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked everything with Lyda. She was sweet and innocent yet very determined and single minded. When she was left outside the dome and she didn't freak out but stayed composed that sealed it for me.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me think, what if, more than any dystopian future books have ever before. They are normally bad but what happened here is on another whole scale.

Any additional comments?

Still not sure what exactly happened in the explosion. Was it the whole country or world or even just part of the US. How large was the dome really.

A Not So Standard Postapocalyptic Concept

When I picked out Pure as my next book to read, I figured that it would be the same old "End of the World" concept that usually gets overplayed quite a bit. Luckily, the postapocalyptic world that is created by Baggott is unlike anything I have read or listened to before. I loved how the scenery was described by Pressia, the ash swirling about her head. I also enjoyed the interactions between all the main characters and how each them got their own chapters. And despite the horrible world that they lived in, the reader could see that they were still kids at heart even if their childhood was robbed from them.

All of the narrators did a wonderful job when reading their own character's voice. However, some of the were not able to handle the opposite sex's voices very well and it was a bit distracting for the reader. For example, the voice of Bradwell (a boy) sounds completely different from when Pressia (a girl) is telling the story from when Partridge (a boy). When Pressia is telling the story, Bradwell sounds somewhat whimpy than from when Patridge tells the story, where he sounds gruff and rugged. It would have been better if the same person could do the voice throughout the book, no matter who is telling the story at the moment.

I like the book overall, all the weirdness and how nearly everyone was fused with something or someone. I wait impatiently for the next book in the series.

An nonstop, exciting and creative story! Luv it!!

Would you listen to Pure again? Why?

I will listen to over and again!

What did you like best about this story?

The characters are original and memorizing.

Which scene was your favorite?

El capitan realizes his brother has real bravery.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed and cried. I balled when they lost the swan.