Z for Zachariah

AvonVilla@ramblingreaders.org reviewed Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien

A standout in the post-apocalypse genre

5 stars

They might be the last man and last woman on earth. He turns out to be a psychopathic rapist, she starts out naive, but ends up being a badass 16-year old warrior who outsmarts him and leaves him weeping by the roadside, getting exactly what he deserves. More than 50 years on, it seems like a fair representation of humanity and they way we treat each other.

I love the biblical allusions, the way the nuclear apocalypse provides the setting, but the story is all inside the mind of the protagonist Ann. Through her, O'Brien tells a gripping tale. I think this is the third time I've read it since discovering it in the 1980s, and it always keeps me awake at night, heart racing, until I turn the last page.

warriorbarrd reviewed Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien

Review of 'Z for Zachariah' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

I was forced to read this book for my English class when I was fifteen. Seven years later, it's still with me.

Not because it's a work of genius or just amazing; because it was so horrendous that I just can't shake it.

I'm not convinced O'Brien had a great understanding of young women, though his descriptions of the valley and her loneliness were excellent. The character of Ann is so weak and pathetic it actually makes me feel sick. To think this is the sorts of books they get young women to read in school is despicable. There should be strong lead characters with flaws, or at least discussion about their weaknesses.

When Loomis attempts to rape her and Ann flees into the forest surrounding her home, she really shows what an awful character she is. She goes beyond fear to the stupid and I have no patience …

I was forced to read this book for my English class when I was fifteen. Seven years later, it's still with me.

Not because it's a work of genius or just amazing; because it was so horrendous that I just can't shake it.

I'm not convinced O'Brien had a great understanding of young women, though his descriptions of the valley and her loneliness were excellent. The character of Ann is so weak and pathetic it actually makes me feel sick. To think this is the sorts of books they get young women to read in school is despicable. There should be strong lead characters with flaws, or at least discussion about their weaknesses.

When Loomis attempts to rape her and Ann flees into the forest surrounding her home, she really shows what an awful character she is. She goes beyond fear to the stupid and I have no patience for a character who lets people walk all over her. Personally, I need strength in a character to give a damn about whether they live in the end.

Although it's possible I hated this book so much because my teacher at the time bore a striking resemblence (in appearance and personality) to Mr Loomis, I didn't think this was worth class time.