Status
Available
Call number
Call number
F Obr
Genres
Collection
Publication
New York, Atheneum, 1975.
Description
Seemingly the only person left alive after the holocaust of a war, a young girl is relieved to see a man arrive into her valley until she realizes that he is a tyrant and she must somehow escape.
Original publication date
1975
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User reviews
LibraryThing member KristenSheley
I was shocked I'd never read this book until recently. For years, I've collected post-apocalyptic books. Ever since I was a soph in high school, I've been fascinated with end-of-the-world lit, especially ones that involve a nuclear holocaust. Yet I had never come across this book in spite of
The story is told in the POV of Ann Burdan, a teenager living alone on her family's farm after a nuclear holocaust. Her family left one day to look for survivors and never returned, likely killed by the radioactivity that lay beyond the protected valley of the farm. For about a year she's alone, then a man comes by. He's sick, so at first Ann nurses him and cares for him. Once he's all better, he slowly starts taking over her life, forcing her out of her home and into the woods nearby.
I was rather surprised by the sinister turn the book had. (Ann is almost raped at one point, though the book is fairly subtle about this and never uses that word.) I thought for sure that she and Mr. Loomis (the man) would team up and work together. When that didn't happen, it surprised me.
In spite of a lot of passages that described survival -- how the cooking was done, the farming, etc -- I was riveted enough that I read the book almost in one sitting. The end isn't as pessimistic as I feared it would be, but it wasn't the same kind of optimistic end that "Alas, Babylon" (another post-nuke classic piece of lit) has.
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conducting a lot of research to find books in this unusual genre.The story is told in the POV of Ann Burdan, a teenager living alone on her family's farm after a nuclear holocaust. Her family left one day to look for survivors and never returned, likely killed by the radioactivity that lay beyond the protected valley of the farm. For about a year she's alone, then a man comes by. He's sick, so at first Ann nurses him and cares for him. Once he's all better, he slowly starts taking over her life, forcing her out of her home and into the woods nearby.
I was rather surprised by the sinister turn the book had. (Ann is almost raped at one point, though the book is fairly subtle about this and never uses that word.) I thought for sure that she and Mr. Loomis (the man) would team up and work together. When that didn't happen, it surprised me.
In spite of a lot of passages that described survival -- how the cooking was done, the farming, etc -- I was riveted enough that I read the book almost in one sitting. The end isn't as pessimistic as I feared it would be, but it wasn't the same kind of optimistic end that "Alas, Babylon" (another post-nuke classic piece of lit) has.
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LibraryThing member cmwilson101
Z FOR ZACHARIAH is a post-apocalyptic story that has haunted my thoughts over the years: what if you were the only survivor in the world, and then finally, finally you meet another survivor -- and he's a jerk? Is it better to be alone, or to be with someone you despise?
Z FOR ZACHARIAH's Anne faces
Z FOR ZACHARIAH's Anne faces
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this question in an interesting, compelling story which is well worth reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member London_StJ
Not too long ago we went to the bookstore so I could pick up Nation, and my husband spotted Z for Zachariah on a table of YA classics. He mentioned in passing that he had thought the book was "quite charming" when he was younger - as much as he could remember - and I decided to pick it up.
Z for
The conflict of the novel focuses on the introduction of Mr. Loomis, and how he unsettles the balance Anne has found in her life. Anne shows nothing but care and good intentions towards Mr. Loomis, displaying quite a bit of naivety (although she is, of course, only 16).
What really makes O'Briens novel is his successful characterization. From the very beginning Anne is endearing and sympathetic, and I found myself feeling bery concerned about her well-being almost from the start. As a contrast, the reader is lead through a series of emotions as Mr. Loomis is introduced by Anne, although I felt a repugnance towards him as a character long before Anne made her own discoveries. Z for Zachariah is a character-driven story with only two characters, so their successful development is essential for the success of the novel, and I feel O'Brien accomplished just that.
Z for Zachariah is very much so a young adult novel in terms of ideas and structures, but one worth reading.
Z for
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Zachariah is set in a country literally destroyed by war; modern weaponry (bombs, nerve gas) has killed the population, and radiation poisoning has killed all plant and animal life. That is, save for a strange pocket of land, inhabited by the protagonist of the novel, Anne Burden. After the bombs Anne's family and neighbors (the only residents of the valley) set out to check for survivors, and never returned home. By the time the narrative begins Anne has lived alone in the valley for a year, adapting to a solitary and often primitive life. Then, one day, a traveler comes to the valley.The conflict of the novel focuses on the introduction of Mr. Loomis, and how he unsettles the balance Anne has found in her life. Anne shows nothing but care and good intentions towards Mr. Loomis, displaying quite a bit of naivety (although she is, of course, only 16).
What really makes O'Briens novel is his successful characterization. From the very beginning Anne is endearing and sympathetic, and I found myself feeling bery concerned about her well-being almost from the start. As a contrast, the reader is lead through a series of emotions as Mr. Loomis is introduced by Anne, although I felt a repugnance towards him as a character long before Anne made her own discoveries. Z for Zachariah is a character-driven story with only two characters, so their successful development is essential for the success of the novel, and I feel O'Brien accomplished just that.
Z for Zachariah is very much so a young adult novel in terms of ideas and structures, but one worth reading.
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LibraryThing member weeta
proof that you don't need zombies or gangs of "preppers gone wild" characters to create a suspenseful and fairly plausible post-apocalypse story.
LibraryThing member uh8myzen
All in all this was not a bad read, but it is dated by the scientific elements of nuclear war. In the period of this novel completion, the full ramifications of nuclear war had not been adequately explored, and it was not until the early eighties that issues such as nuclear winter were beginning to
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be fully understood. In other words, as horrible as authors such as Robert O'Brien thought a nuclear war would be, the reality was much worse.This maybe the reason that I was unable to fully engage with the novel and fully "suspend my disbelief," (for example, I kept asking myself about fallout, why the rain was not contaminated and why there were sunny skies at all). However, even with these issues, I found the book enjoyable, and I was genuinely interested to find out how our heroine would resolve her problems (vague enough... don't want to give anything away).Overall, it was a good read, even though its premise was scientifically dated. Normally, things like this do not bother me, but for some reason, it kept pulling me out of the story and that's why I only give it three stars, but I still say its a good story with some interesting thematic qualities as well. Show Less
LibraryThing member Bridgey
I was meant to read this book in school but for some reason we read children of the dust instead.
This novel at around 260 pages was around 200 pages too long. Very little happens, and to be honest it just feels like you want the character to curl up and die to save listening to any more of the
The concept of the 'novel' is that a 16 year old girl and a scientist are possibly the only two people left alive in the world following a nuclear war. She is alive because her valley has, and I'm not joking, it's own weather system. The scientist because he has helped invent an anti radiation rubber suit.....
He arrives at the valley and we have listen to various gushings from the girl of how she would like marry him under apple blossom etc etc..... never mind your family have been obliterated....
Things turn a sinister when the relationship sours, and so the story unfolds... poorly and slowly.....
I don't know about Z for Zachariah... D for Depressing seems more suited.
This novel at around 260 pages was around 200 pages too long. Very little happens, and to be honest it just feels like you want the character to curl up and die to save listening to any more of the
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whinging and teenage fantasy. The concept of the 'novel' is that a 16 year old girl and a scientist are possibly the only two people left alive in the world following a nuclear war. She is alive because her valley has, and I'm not joking, it's own weather system. The scientist because he has helped invent an anti radiation rubber suit.....
He arrives at the valley and we have listen to various gushings from the girl of how she would like marry him under apple blossom etc etc..... never mind your family have been obliterated....
Things turn a sinister when the relationship sours, and so the story unfolds... poorly and slowly.....
I don't know about Z for Zachariah... D for Depressing seems more suited.
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LibraryThing member norabelle414
Almost-16-year-old Ann Burden is the last person on Earth, after her parents left their secluded valley to search for survivors in the post-apocalyptic outside world and never returned. She has lived alone for almost a year by maintaining their small family farm when she sees it - a thin tower of
It's hard to read this 1975 book objectively, knowing everything that comes after it. What is now a very familiar story was at the time brand new. Ann is no Katniss Everdeen or [9266506::Georgia Mason] or similar characters from [Room] or [How I Live Now]. She's not particularly feisty or scrappy or clever. She knows survival skills from her farm life before, but never mentions anything like a telephone or TV (nor a car?? Only a tractor) and does not seem to think much about romance or sex aside from animal husbandry. There are no books anywhere in her valley, aside from a Bible and some religious children's books. I found Ann's life pre-apocalypse to be much more of an enigma than post-apocalypse. (Side note: the very bad title of this book is a reference to a children's book that Ann reads listing Bible characters in alphabetical order. It's obviously connected to the idea that she's the last person in the world, but oof! It's such a turn-off.)
As with Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, O'Brien wrote a revolutionary idea that has been oft-imitated, but the logic of his world-building leaves a lot to be desired. I found the ending particularly unsatisfying -She just lets him have the valley? For no reason? She could have killed him a hundred different ways but instead she leaves the valley with zero proof that anything has survived outside of it. She won't last a month.
Another note: The author bio at the end of the book states that O'Brien's wife and daughter finished the book when he passed away, based on his notes. To me, "based on his notes" means they had a much larger role in the book than just the "editor" role they are usually recognized for.
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smoke in the distance, and coming closer every day. A strange man arrives in the valley, very sick with radiation poisoning. Ann must nurse him back to health...but if he survives, then what?It's hard to read this 1975 book objectively, knowing everything that comes after it. What is now a very familiar story was at the time brand new. Ann is no Katniss Everdeen or [9266506::Georgia Mason] or similar characters from [Room] or [How I Live Now]. She's not particularly feisty or scrappy or clever. She knows survival skills from her farm life before, but never mentions anything like a telephone or TV (nor a car?? Only a tractor) and does not seem to think much about romance or sex aside from animal husbandry. There are no books anywhere in her valley, aside from a Bible and some religious children's books. I found Ann's life pre-apocalypse to be much more of an enigma than post-apocalypse. (Side note: the very bad title of this book is a reference to a children's book that Ann reads listing Bible characters in alphabetical order. It's obviously connected to the idea that she's the last person in the world, but oof! It's such a turn-off.)
As with Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, O'Brien wrote a revolutionary idea that has been oft-imitated, but the logic of his world-building leaves a lot to be desired. I found the ending particularly unsatisfying -
Another note: The author bio at the end of the book states that O'Brien's wife and daughter finished the book when he passed away, based on his notes. To me, "based on his notes" means they had a much larger role in the book than just the "editor" role they are usually recognized for.
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LibraryThing member DanCook
Creepy and threatening, and really rather good.
LibraryThing member bookwormteri
I read this as a teenager and am revisiting as an adult. The story translates so well and doesn't age. If anything, I think that this becomes more relevant as time passes. So scary and bleak, but the main character is tough as nails and I believe that she will survive no matter what. Mr. Loomis is
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one of the scariest characters in fiction. He is a horrible and evil person. This reminds you (along with The Walking Dead) that the people who survive may not be (and probably won't be) the nice guys. Show Less
LibraryThing member ZacharyClark
Zachary Clark 11/7/11
Period 2 Book Report #1
I think Robert. C. Obrien is successfully publishing books because he won a Newbery medal for publishing Z for Zachariah. I look forward to reading one of his books in the future. Robert. C. Obrien uses things at his house such as his farm for a main
Period 2 Book Report #1
I think Robert. C. Obrien is successfully publishing books because he won a Newbery medal for publishing Z for Zachariah. I look forward to reading one of his books in the future. Robert. C. Obrien uses things at his house such as his farm for a main
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plot and background for a book that tells a lot about him. Well first of the entire world was in a nuclear explosion and there’s this one ravine were this one house survives it and Anne Burden the main charcter parents go out and never return. One day Anne was watching this smoke and it was getting closer every day finally it was over the hill a little Anne saw the guy and he didn’t see her because she was hiding in thick vegetation he was walking right to her house went in he had on him a safe suit and a wagon too. He saw this lake and jumped in and became really sick. Her and her dog stayed up in the cave to sleep will he took the house and her mom and dads bedroom. The things that happen at the end of this novel could changes there lives forever. Anyone who likes world wars or a wasteland book thats good. Such as Behemoth by: Peter Watts, Mortal Engines by: Philip Reeve, Wolf and Iron by: Gordon R. Dickson, Cusp by: Robert A. Metzger, Dark Range by: S. Roy L. Hawkins. A lot of these books are similar because some have nuclear explosions and alot of once and a life time things that usually dont happen but sometimes do. This book is good but should have a hooking paragraph in the front of the stroy. Also when you get into the story you get hooked and like it judging by that i give the book a 5. Show Less
LibraryThing member Spetti18
I didn't really care for this book. It was a turn of events that shocked me. It was a little scary
LibraryThing member Sarahsponda
A creepy, thought-provoking (what would you do?), post-apocalyptic survival story with elements of a psychological thriller. How can you go wrong?
LibraryThing member dianepx2014
The author does a good job of making the story interesting even though it only has two human characters. I found it abit unbelievable at first and I wondered when this all happened because it was abit contradicting. For example, it says very modern terminlogy like "nuclear", "test tubes", "suit
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that prevents nuclear exposure"... and also says very old fashioned things like "feeding the chickens and cows" and "sowing the seeds". It also does not say a word about "iPods" or "Macs". In overall, this book was well written and every reader cannot put this book down because they want to find out what happened to Mr.Loomis and Ann at the end of the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member isabelx
I read this book as a teenager, and it was nice to re-read it after all this time. Anne Burden is a 16 year old girl who has survived a nuclear war and lives in a valley that has somehow escaped the devastation. Having been brought up on a farm, she is able to plant and harvest crops, look after
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livestock, fish and shoot rabbits, so she survives pretty well for a year, until a stranger comes to the valley. She is possibly a bit too resourceful to ring true, but it's a good story anyway. Show Less
LibraryThing member mmadamslibrarian
Classic young adult book about a 16 year old survivor of a nuclear holocaust and the man she encounters. Ann is a farm girl and very resourceful. I'm not sure that any "city" folk would do as well or have the skills she uses to survive. The ending has a great twist that would lead to a lot of
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discussion Show Less
LibraryThing member booksandwine
The book follows Ann Burden, a 16 year old girl living in the aftermath of a nuclear/radiation war. Everyone she knows is gone or dead, so Ann is all alone. Eventually someone does come to Ann's valley.I thought this book went way too fast. It was haunting.Ann Burden was a likeable character and I
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felt she seemed real. Show Less
LibraryThing member aimless22
For all she knows, Ann Butler is the only person left on earth. Her family farm lies in a valley that has always had its own weather due to its surrounding hills. That landscape saved the valley from the bombs. She has lived alone on this farm, with a church and a store the only other buildings in
Then one day, she sees the smoke column of someone's fire, coming closer each day. She hides away in a cave and watches the approach.
Who is this person in a weird green suit, towing a cart full of stuff?
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the valley, for almost a year. Then one day, she sees the smoke column of someone's fire, coming closer each day. She hides away in a cave and watches the approach.
Who is this person in a weird green suit, towing a cart full of stuff?
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LibraryThing member LamSon
A post-apocalyptic in which a young girl survives a nuclear war because she lives in a sheltered valley. The rest her family leaves to try and find other survivors, but they never return. Soon she sees signs that there is another person alive and is coming toward her home. At first she is excited
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about having another person around, but he turns out to be much less than she hoped for. This book did not end the way I thought it would; it keeps the reader guessing until the last few pages. Show Less
LibraryThing member akamarian
Z for Zachariah is an compelling story. The first person narrator, Ann (through her diary), doles out information bit by bit, and it is only slowly and in fits and starts that the reader learns what has happened to the world and nearly everyone in it. The idea that Ann and Mr. Loomis may be the
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last people alive and the valley is possibly the last place on earth that can sustain life gives the reader a slightly claustrophobic feeling. O’Brien’s descriptions illustrate the valley, Ann’s farm, the general store and church vividly. So although the situation may be confining, the details O’Brien uses to show each distinct place in the valley makes it seem like the whole world. In this way he deftly makes the reader understand how a person’s perspective can adjust to extraordinary circumstances. The characters are realistic; they react to an incredible situation in a way that’s believable -- and very interesting. Young adults won’t be able to put this book down until they’ve found out how the situation between Ann and Mr. Loomis ends. Show Less
LibraryThing member Benboo
Excellent read. Well written and engaging.
LibraryThing member ShannaRedwind
Very well written. I was completely drawn in to the story. The main character was very believable and sympathetic. I just felt so badly when she began losing everything that she'd worked so hard for. And when she had to leave, I almost cried.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys post
I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys post
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apocalyptic fiction. Show Less
LibraryThing member ft_ball_fn
The lead character is a girl. The books is short. The story doesn't really go into much aside from radiation damage to the surrounding area. All of these things should have make it a book that I didn't like. Nope--love it. An easy read.. the main character was someone you relate to right away.. and
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her plight in the story (as a stranger shows up in a radiation suit) hooks you right away. I wish there was a sequel.... a great book (but it was TOO SHORT!!) :) Show Less
LibraryThing member pandoragreen
Somewhat grim and definitely not for the very young. I found this post-apocalyptic novel surprisingly dark and depressing compared to the author's other children's books. He has a knack for describing the details of survival, always interesting, and slightly reminiscent of the Silver Crown in this
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one aspect. Show Less
LibraryThing member hredwards
Great book!! Real page turner!!
LibraryThing member hredwards
Great book!! Real page turner!!
Pages
249