Nation (2008) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Summary edit see section history

Characters/People edit see section history

• Imo: Creator of the world according to the beliefs of the people of the Nation
• Locaha: Death
• Captain Samson: Captain of the Cutty Wren
• Sir Geoffrey: A knight and servant of the Crown
• Mr. Black: Known as one of the Gentlemen of Last Resort; he serves the Crown
• Captain Nathan Roberts: Captain of the Sweet Judy
• Mr. Cox: A mean, cruel man, he was First Mate on the Sweet Judy
• Mau: A young man who is just returning from the island of the Boys' Island, he is expecting his arrival at home will begin the celebration where he will become a man. Only speaks his nation's language.
• The Grandfathers: Long now deceased, the greatest men of the Nation. They speak to Mau. Mau's grandfather is not one of the Grandfathers.
• Daphne: Her formal name is the Honorable Miss Ermintrude Fanshaw, a name she hates; she prefers Daphne. Her father is the governor of a large area in the Great South Pelagic Ocean, and is in one hundred and thirty-ninth position to become king. Only speaks English
• Grandmother: Daphne's grandmother, a very strict, British upper-class Lady.
• Cookie: Cook on the Sweet Judy
• Granddad Nawi: Mau's grandfather, he had a twisted leg and was not accepted as a man in the community, but he was very observant of people and things, he knew more about life than most of the men.
• Ataba: A priest from another island
• Unknown Woman: An emotionally disturbed woman with a young baby. She came to the Nation in the canoe with Ataba.
• Mau: Mau is saved from an almighty wave which destroys his civilisation and chooses to question his previous beliefs to unravel the truth. He is forced to make many hard decisions to benefit himself and others and ultimately turns out to be a very open-minded character.
• Polegrave: A member of the Judy's crew. One of the muteniers.
• Foxlip: Add a description of this character.
• Pilu: A native who comes to the Nation. A very good orator.
• Waark
• Mrs. Gurgle: A wise native old women. Daphne has to chew her food as she has no teeth.

Quotes edit see section history

• “There was something in the brain that said: Sinister-looking valley + half-dead trees + ominous doorway = skulls in a bowl, or possibly on a stick.”

• “If a lie will make us strong, a lie will be my weapon.”

  Mau

• “<Horses> are not like hogs. But if you took a hog and made it bigger and longer, with a longer nose and a tail that's a horse. Oh, and much more handsome. And much longer legs."”

  Pilu

• “Silence fell like a hammer made of feathers. It left holes in the shape of the sound of the sea.”

• “It was, according to the history books, the fastest coronation since Bubric the Saxon crowned himself with a very pointy crown on a hill during a thunderstorm, and reigned for one and a half seconds.”

• “And then her ears caught up with her tongue, and couldn't believe their eyes.”

• “Does not happen!”

  Mau

• “Life gets really complicated if you think too much.”

  In the narrative as Daphne was saying good-bye to the island

• “'If you will sacrifice,' Mau said later, 'then sacrifice your time on the altar of the common good. Eat the fish, or give it to someone who is hungry.'”

  Mau

• “There were meaningless words on the white oblong, but on the other side were some pictures. Mau knew about messages, and this one wasn't difficult."When the sun is just above the last tree left on Little Nation, you must throw a spear at the big wrecked canoe," he said aloud.”

  Mau after finding a note left from Daphne

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• That’s what the gods are! An answer that will do! Because there’s food to be caught and babies to be born and life to be lived and so there is no time for big, complicated, and worrying answers! Please give us a simple answer, so that we don’t have to think, because if we think, we might find answers that don’t fit the way we want the world to be.

  Highlighted by 58 Kindle customers

• People need time to deal with the now before it runs away and becomes the then. And what they need most of all is nothing much happening.

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• They didn’t know why these things were funny. Sometimes you laugh because you’ve got no more room for crying. Sometimes you laugh because table manners on a beach are funny. And sometimes you laugh because you’re alive, when you really shouldn’t be.

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• “Live for those moments! They keep you alive! There is no better medicine than finding out that you are wrong!

  Highlighted by 39 Kindle customers

• He believed in rational thinking and scientific inquiry, which was why he never won an argument with his mother, who believed in people doing what she told them, and believed it with a rock-hard certainty that dismissed all opposition.

  Highlighted by 31 Kindle customers

• He’s frightened of me, Mau thought. I haven’t hit him or even raised my hand. I’ve just tried to make him think differently, and now he’s scared. Of thinking. It’s magic.

  Highlighted by 30 Kindle customers

• So there are still rules, he thought. I brought them with me. They’re in my head.

  Highlighted by 29 Kindle customers

• Her getting married still seemed to be the big topic of discussion in the Place. It was like being in a Jane Austen novel, but one with far less clothing.

  Highlighted by 24 Kindle customers

• Who’d want a pony when you could have the whole universe? It was far more interesting and you didn’t have to muck it out once a week.

  Highlighted by 21 Kindle customers

• “Ha! But you don’t believe in the gods, demon boy! Or do you? Don’t you listen to yourself, boy? I do. You shout and stamp and yell that there are no gods, and then you shake your fist at the sky and revile them for not existing! You need them to exist so that the flames of your denial will warm you in your self-righteousness! That’s not thinking, that’s just a hurt child screaming in pain!”

  Highlighted by 19 Kindle customers

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Port Mercia: A port in the Mothering Sunday Islands in the Great Southern Pelagic Ocean where the governor appointed by the British Crown lives.
• The Boys' Island: Young boys of the Nation must live there alone for a month and then get back to the island where the Nation is before they may become a man. A boy leaves his boy soul in the island.
• Great Southern Pelagic Ocean: Where the Islands of the Sun are, where the Nation lives.
• The Nation
• Canterbury
• Islands of the Sun: Where the Nation is located

Organizations edit see section history

• Royal Society: An organization for scientists and philosophers in London.

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• Octopus arbori: A tree-climbing octopus
• Crocodylus porosus maritimus: The sailfin crocodile, capable of traveling great distances using its fin as a sail.
• Cocos nucifera solitaria: A palm tree whose roots secrete a poison that kills all other palm trees.

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• Coming of Age: Both main characters (and some of the secondary ones) are transitioning from childhood to adulthood, from immaturity to responsibility.
• Civilization vs. Barbarity: What does being civilized really mean? Is it enough to wear trousers and use metal tools?
• Tradition vs. Progress: There is tension between those who want to stick with doing things the traditional way, because it's always been that way - and those who want to question everything and make up their own independent opinion - sometimes the same as the grandfathers, and sometimes not.
• Religion: Are the "god stones" really made by gods? Does it really matter?
• The Individual vs. Society: A variation of the Pratchett classic question - does a tree make a sound when it falls if there is no one to here it? "So there are still rules, he thought. I brought them with me. They're in my head" (Mau)
• Culture collision: Daphne has grown up in the british overclass. Mau is a guy living at a stone-age-level basically. Their struggle to understand one another offers many laughs and perhaps even more insights throughout the book.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Terry Pratchett (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Awards edit see section history

• Michael L. Printz Award (Finalist, 2009: Excellence in Young Adult Literature, Honor)
• Boston Globe Horn Book Award (2009: Fiction and Poetry)
• Los Angeles Times Book Prize (2008: Young Adult Literature)
• Carnegie Medal (Finalist, 2010)
• Mythopoeic Fantasy Award (Finalist, 2009: Children's Literature, Finalist)
• Guardian Award (Finalist, 2009)
• Geffen Award (2010: Best Translated Fantasy Book)

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: PZ7.P8865 Nat
• Dewey: F Pra

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Possibly suited for younger children if they are mature. This is a great book for a child that is interested in religion and/or philosophy. Deals with the confusion of coming of age. It is very thought provoking. Deals with the origin of religion and teaches that we all are the same, even if we are different.

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Children's Books › Authors & Illustrators, A-Z › ( P ) › Pratchett, Terry
• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Authors, A-Z › ( P ) › Pratchett, Terry
• Books › Children's Books › Literature › Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror › Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
• Books › Teens › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Science Fiction
• Books › Teens › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy
• Books › Teens › Literature & Fiction › Adventure & Thrillers
• Books › Children's Books › Literature › Action & Adventure
• Books › Children's Books › Literature › Humorous

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• Wikipedia
• guardian.co.uk review
• independent.co.uk review